Nissan GT-R still quick with updated launch control

By: Jeremy Korzeniewski

The internet has been abuzz with chatter ever since it was revealed that Nissan had updated the software that governs the GT-R's launch control and was instructing all of its dealers to reprogram every vehicle in dealer inventory that had yet to be sold with the new software in a bid to keep additional transmissions from grenading.

The changes limit the maximum RPM that the car will sustain with the VDC switched off to around 3,500, a big reduction from the 4,500 limit of the old programming. Additionally, the software update adds a new, safer form of launch control that allows takeoffs at 3,000 RPM while the VDC remains active. Inquiring minds want to know: Would those alterations still allow the GT-R to hook up hard enough to reverse the earth's rotation at the drags?

We have some good news to share with Godzilla owners that are contemplating whether or not to have their cars updated with the new software. A bone-stock GT-R with the reprogramming has been timed at 11.34 @ 120.85 MPH with an excellent 1.69-second 60′ time. That result compares rather favorably with quarter-mile runs recorded by cars with the initial launch control programming.