  |
  |
  |
Shahul's Nissan GT-R
It’s safe to say the world of supercar performance tuning is an art that is difficult to master. When sports cars are tuned near the limit from the factory, producing performance products and rom tuning to generate more power becomes an increasingly difficult task. Nissan’s new GT-R is no exception. Equipped with the high output VR38DE Twin Turbo and a notoriously resilient factory tuned ECU, the GTR would prove extremely complex to improve. But similar to all other challenges that come their way, the team at AAM is always up to the task.
Enter Shahul, an avid sports car enthusiast, and proud new owner of a 09 Brilliant White Pearl Nissan GT-R. Shahul had envisioned what he wanted his car to be even before the purchase was made. Coming from modified Japanese cars, and countless of hours of research on the new GT-R platform, Shahul knew there was extra power to be made from Nissan’s supercar, but he just needed to find a performance facility who could perform his upgrades in the right fashion. Shahul landed at the DC metro region’s local Nissan/Infiniti specialists at Altered Atmosphere Motorsports, and given their experience with performance modifications for Nissan cars, he knew he was at the right place.
The modification path was simple. Free up and streamline exhaust turbulence, tighten suspension, and tune the factory computer. Sweet, simple and effective. A shop GT-R of their own for product development has helped the team at Altered Atmosphere to gain a plethora of knowledge of the Nissan GT-R in and out. From this knowledge came the production of a high flow Mid Pipe, a hand crafted stainless steel product that replaces the restrictive factory GT-R Mid Pipe, halfway between the factory Downpipes and Rear exhaust section. In addition, 3 inch high flow downpipes were made to increase exhaust flow output from the turbochargers to allow them to compress air more freely and efficiently. Also produced from aircraft quality T304 stainless steel, the AAM Competition 3 inch downpipes are a great way to gain power with the VR38. When combined with the AAM Competition Mid Pipe, these products yield substantial hp gains over stock. They also open up the GT-R’s exhaust note from a subtle hum to a more exotic sounding growl.
After the AAM Competition products were installed on Shahul’s GT-R, the technicians at AAM went to work installing an Eibach Pro Kit suspension kit. Upon removal and disassembly of the factory Nissan/Bilstien unit, the upgraded Eibach springs were installed. The car is not lowered much over the factory ride height, as the Eibach units are designed more to aid the performance of the GT-R rather than simply “slamming” the car. From here, the car made its way over onto AAM’s in ground Dynojet Dyno machine for a Cobb AccessPORT Pro Tuning session.
When Shahul’s GTR first came to Altered Atmosphere, a stock dyno baseline was performed yielding 420awhp. After the AAM Competition Downpipes, AAM Competition Midpipe, and Cobb AccessPORT/AAM Competition Pro Tune, Shahul’s GTR left our facility with an outstanding 505awhp. When accounting for AWD drivetrain loss, this is nearly 600hp at the engine! Dyno numbers are good to have for a reference, but the true amount of power is measured on the road. And believe us when we say Shahul’s GTR is scary fast. The roar from the exotic exhaust note, the neck-snapping acceleration, and AWD grip that makes you feel as if gravity is trying to pull you inside out all make for a truly exhilarating driving experience.
