Nissan GT-R really only makes 480 horsepower, REALLY

Earlier today we had a post about a Car and Driver dyno report on the Nissan GT-R that figures the car is running 520 horsepower. That’s up from Nissan’s claim of only 480 horsepower. In an exclusive interview with TopSpeed, Colin Price, Nissan’s product planning manager of sports cars, clears up the extra horsepower myth. Price was part of the GT-R’s development, and he simply says that the GT-R’s powertrain puts more power on the road.

Car and Driver found that when the GT-R was strapped to the dyno it would produce 415 horsepower at the wheels. Most cars loose about 20 percent of their power just getting the energy from the engine to the road. So 415 horsepower at the wheels would mean that the engine puts out about 519 horsepower. Price says that the GT-R is efficient enough that it looses only 15 percent in the transfer. With this calculation the GT-Rs that Car and Driver tested only actually had 488 horsepower. Price further explains that they were using 93-octane gas, which is not available in every state. California only has 91-octane, and that will get the horsepower figure down to close to 480.

So the GT-R is just a car that acts like it has 520 horsepower. Simple, right?