The Nissan GT-R is one impressive piece of machinery, which is perhaps why there are so many myths out there regarding the supercar. One of them has to do with a speed limiter that the on-board brains can raise when the GPS system detects the car is on a racetrack.
Well, the crew at Car and Driver set out to dispel the rumors and set the record straight once and for all. For starters, they called up Nissan and asked about the speed limiter, to which Nissan replied that U.S.-spec cars will be redline limited only, with no electronics holding drivers back.
Other pieces of fiction involved costly post-track day checkups at Nissan dealerships necessary to keep the warranty intact, an aggressive camber set-up that will eat up tires in just 5,000 miles (Nissan did offer it got more than 10,000 miles from a set on a street-driven car) and $3,000 brake jobs.
Other tire-related issues were indeed true. Removing and re-mounting the car's OEM-spec run-flat tires is not recommended as it will stretch built-in knurled beads that are meant to hold the tire firmly to the rim under hard acceleration. Also, as the car features an advanced all-wheel drive system, buyers may need to replace all four tires when one gets a puncture, for example, though this will be at the discretion of Nissan.
Sky-high maintenance cost estimates — to the tune of up to $15,000 per year — are likewise a fairy tale, as Nissan will provide what it calls Performance Optimization Services free of charge for the first 36 months.
The remaining two rumors center around the buying experience, as only dealer principals, executive managers, or general managers will be allowed to sell the GT-R, and the full-disclosure content is still being finalized. Nissan has been accused of "struggling" with the materials it will require every GT-R buyer to understand and sign to ensure it is covered legally in case its very capable product is misused.