03| SP Engineering R35 GT-R

Street/Drag
Peak Horsepower: 778 @ 6,500 RPM (Mustang Dyno)
Issue: 85 / January 2010

When Nissan released the R35 GT-R, high-end tuners were chomping at the bit to get their hands on one. Alex Shen at SP Engineering had his deposit down and began working as soon as the car arrived. Seeking the outer limits of the VR38DETT performance threshold, SP Engineering pushed the GT-R, resolving issues, creating new ones, and then fixing those as well. Line pressure to the electronically-controlled dual-clutch transmission needed to be increased when clutch slip was detected, while transmission cooling and transmission ecu solutions also needed to be addressed. When featured, the R35 put down 778 horsepower thanks to the GReddy TD06SH-20G twin turbochargers. In this configuration, the R35 was already delivering 10-second quarter-mile times.

UPDATE
The R35 made 1,180 hp as a 3.8 liter. This allowed a 9.62 @ 149.8 MPH blast. Now, the engine is being enlarged to 4.3-to drive larger GReddy turbos with modified compressor and turbine housings. A Cobb Accessport is being used to retune the air flow meters for the 2000cc/min injectors fed by a SP custom triple-pump fuel system. A Dodson 7-plate dual clutch and a PPG first gear and OS Giken Super Lock differential complete the transmission upgrades. The car should be back on track in February 2011 with a new target horsepower of 1,300 and an 8-second timeslip.

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