ATTESA ETS

Ok so now you’re probably saying, ” What?! ANOTHER suspension thing i gotta learn about for this car?!” well yes, but forget HICAS, If there was one feature that would save you no matter what, god forbid your already inches from the wall or cliff, it was this one! ATTESA ETS consider it your saving grace, it was an active yaw (lateral movement) control limiter/controller. It made sure when you wanted to be sideways you could, and when you, “oops too far too far not the rail not the rail” it pulled you outta the fire with a little wiggle and sent you along your way. The secret to this system? How about 3 Y axis G sensors, a 16 bit processor that checks your brakes and movements over 100 times PER SECOND, sensor that will manage your Slip angle in a slide, an ECU that will dictate where the power goes with a spilit ratio from 50:50 at a stand still, to 2:98 on your hardest of running starts. ATTESA running its best meant you could slide like Ken Nomura or drive like miss daisy in a rain storm, so what does all this mean? You’ve just unlocked a small piece of heaven, the feel of all time 4wd, the fun of RWD, and the power of angels sitting on your shoulder making sure you don’t get too crazy with it all.

Couldn’t afford the GTR but you still wanted a Skyline. NO PROBLEM! Even though the mythical powers and prowess of the GTR were reaching legendary at this point, the little brother was nothing to scoff at either. Equipped with the potent RB25DET (up from a 2.0 from the R32 generation) NVCS was added for more pep throughout the power band. NVCS was an variable valve timing control system, i know that series of letters doesn’t match the words, i don’t know why. Its on my to do list of things to find out. Either way, it was identifiable by the bulge on the front of the valve cover.

Got a family and the baby just doesn’t sit comfortably in that cramp back seat and the wife won’t let you get yet ANOTHER 2 door sports car. Nissan has you covered! For the first time since its creation Nissan saw this opportunity and seized it, with the introduction of its first ever 4dr GTR. Now these were only available in small numbers and if you wanted one you had to go through AUTECH (world famed nissan factory tuner) or NISMO (Nissan International MotorSports), but the spoils go to those who are quick enough to enjoy a 4 dr cruiser with enough power and speed to make even its german counter parts blush.

but wait… is that the last of the R33. Dream on! the R33 got another kick in the pants in 1996. Nissan in all its wisdom decided that the GTR needed a bit more.. flash, go, reliablity, and stopping power. So where to start? How about with the thing that everyone needs, brakes. The GTR R33 was the first to start the trend that no matter what all GTRs will come equipped with BREMBO brakes to stop Godzilla in the shortest distance possible. After all, stopping a gigantic car with enormous power is a task not left open for the smallest of errors. Now that brakes are handled and we can stop it, why not try and go a little faster…

Nissan revised the engine compartment, mainly the turbo, with nissans awareness that ceramic skyline turbos were prone to breaking in the higher boost levels on the PSI scale Nissan knew that this would eventually come to bite them in the end. So quickly without hesistation they changed the turbo compressor aerodynamics, turbo dump pipe, and intercooler. The turbo core changed from a sleeve bearing to a ball bearing, but the turbine itself remained ceramic. Now you may say, why do all that work just to leave the turbine its ceramic. Well my simple take on it is, with improvements come expense, and the more researched and development comes more money on our side the consumer. So in all i like to consider these minor upgrades to help us, a freebie. Thanks Nissan. Now, if you still weren’t satisfied with the revisions and like all Tuners craved more power without the sacrifice in reliablity. Nissan knew you were going to come back because well, you bought a GTR, the pinnacle of Nissans fleet.

Welcome to Nissans N1 division, where your Skyline dreams come true and you can build your own little JGTC car while leaving your footprint in the concrete and still able to drive easily on the freeway. Crave more response, a quicker spool, heavier duty, and well just the fact that you can say i’ve got it. Nissan N1 Ball bearing turbos are your new best friend. N1 let you know that what you were putting on your car had been researched and developed by the top Nissan engineers to operation under the hardest conditions at the highest levels of japanese race car endurance. The N1 turbos recieve everything above, but no more worrying about perhaps a compressor blade breaking off into your turbo, no no no. Not here ladies and gentlemen, it was made with the highest quality steel turbine and Sleeved bearings. Confused no need be, all that technobabble means you can put your foot into that pedal like the neighbors cats you know what after it leaves foot prints on your freshly washed cars paint! With the peace of mind knowing that your turbos are all but bullet proof now go to town and enjoy the feeling that all those race car drivers get when they snap on the gas pedal of that same engine on a straight away at fuji speedway.

R34: The Hollywood Super Hero.

So now that we’ve gone through the past 30 years of Skyline history and you’ve gotten a glimpse of it as it started in a humble 4 cylinder form all the way to a fear inline turbo 6. The GTRs final form before it lays dormant for the years to come was the most famous of all. I’m sure some of you have played Gran Turismo, Need for Speed, Forza, watch ANY of the fast and furious movies, or even walked through the magazine stand and see a picture of the GTR R34.

This car would revolutionize how we viewed the affordable super car. I give you, the 1998-2002 Nissan Skyline GTR. The R33 was a sleek and slim car, with smooth body lines, a little disposition for timid almost from its older brother the R32, but Nissan stormed back onto the scene with this power house. Bigger, Badder, and Bolder could have been the 3 B’s Nissan would have chosen. With a bigger body, Bulging fenders, wide open front bumper, and a new legacy on how the sports car should be made it made a giant splash in the automotive world. Now with all this hype i’m sure that you would have expected north of 350hp, well sorry to disappoint but it wasn’t the RB26DETT has remained unchanged for sometime, a slight revision here and there has been about it. But face it, in the looks department, this thing crushes the competition. Everything on this car has been moved to electronic, the entire interior has been adorn with the smoothest materials and classy gadgets. Its exterior suspension soft enough to drive around town, the engine strong enough to surprise even the biggest skeptic and whats more this beast of a car is all wrapped in a seductive package that not even paris hilton could pass up.

The transmission was starting to look like a weaker point to the Nissan engineers one would assume, with all this modifying and the car having always been a classic and desireable piece. Nissan opted for a GETRAG 6 speed transmission to pair with its always popular ATTESA and fire breathing RB26DETT. For a stronger feel and a better gearing.

The exterior was a complete 180 from the R33, with the cars many different trim levels offereing everything from Naca ducts on a carbon hood, rear diffuser, brake ducting for added cooling, Leather interior, Ripple control technology suspension, to heated seats on those colder nights. Face it, you could either be a VIP CEO and drive it to work as a status car, or Buy it to be a track superstar. This car was versitile in everyway with no compromise or cutting any corners. The Skyline had put its name in concrete for the years to come and had become one of the staple pieces in the Japanese car hierarchy, it had become king of the mountain and the view was nice. Little did we know, our famed giant would come crashing down with a move to luxury and a new engine design.