GT-R Gets Launch Control Reprogrammed

"For 2010, Nissan is changing the launch-control programming on its scorchingly fast GT-R. On the ’09 car, engaging the full-bore launch control required switching off the stability control (VDC). The engine would rev to 4400 rpm before a neck-snapping automated clutch drop. After a moment of wheelspin, the GT-R would hurtle to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds, the quickest time we achieved in several tests of the ’09 GT-R.

The problem was that some owners of this $77,840 screamer were assassinating their $20,000 gearboxes, and the GT-R’s warranty states that shutting off the VDC voids the warranty. Break your transmission after a few launch-control starts and you’ll pay, not Nissan. The alternative, to leave the VDC on, resulted in a wimpy, 1800-rpm launch. So, for 2010, Nissan is offering a single launch-control feature that works whether or not the VDC is engaged.

The new setup is a compromise that provides owners with launch control that won’t potentially void the warranty. With the new program, engine revs build to 3000 to launch the GT-R. The result is far less distressing to the transmission than the 4400-rpm launch and quicker than the 1800-rpm launch.

Everything has a price: The new model is slower by 0.5 second to 30 mph and 0.6 second to 60. Don’t sweat it, though—by 150 mph, the two models are tied."

I don't know how much I like the performance losses here, although I do see the necessity in doing it for posterity's sake with the vehicle. I hope that in 2011 they can do another tweak and give us GT-R drivers back those lost numbers while maintaining the durability of the new system. This does seem like a major issue with a car that has seemed to me to be otherwise perfect.

I'm glad I know about this issue now, because I would surely cry if I destroyed the insides of my Godzilla! Be aware GT-R owners, your vehicle is only 99% perfect! I know, I was as surprised as you to hear this.

Source: Car and Driver