as for warranty issues all the rumors are false. you can do launch control as many times as you want in the US. ive done mine a lot. too many to count. and i talk to the service rep about it all the time like its nothing. i mean why would they put something on the car stock that would void warranty? go ahead and ask your dealer about launch control. thats acually how i found out about it, from the dealer.

What you likely haven't heard about is this: launch control. Despite its bold 3.5-second 0-60-mph claim, Nissan has been keeping this little bit of technological wizardry a secret. Test a GT-R in the homeland, however, and the need for confidentiality is quickly overwhelmed by the need for speed.

Controlling the Launch
Activating the Nissan GT-R's launch control is a matter of configuring its transmission, dynamics control and damping adjustments properly. The transmission and damping switches must both be set to the R mode and the VDC must be switched off completely by holding the VDC-R button down for a few seconds. Then it's just a matter of pinning the brake with your left foot and wooding the throttle with your right, not unlike the technique used to produce a tire-shredding burnout in that '85 Camaro you drove in high school.

Using launch control, the GT-R's launch procedure is virtually mindless and should prove perfectly consistent. However, it's likely hard on the drivetrain. Without launch control, the GT-R is still blazing fast and will likely never damage itself.

The Magnussen Moss Warranty Act

Full Warranty Requirements
Under a full warranty, in the case of a defect, malfunction, or failure to conform with the written warranty, the warrantor:

must, as a minimum, remedy the consumer product within a reasonable time and without charge;

may not impose any limitation on the duration of any implied warranty on the product;

may not exclude or limit consequential damages for a breach of any written or implied warranty on the product, unless the exclusion or limitation conspicuously appears on the face of the warranty;

and if the product, or a component part, contains a defect or malfunction, must permit the consumer to elect either a refund or replacement without charge, after a reasonable number of repair attempts.

In addition, the warrantor may not impose any duty, other than notification, upon any consumer, as a condition of securing the repair of any consumer product that malfunctions, is defective, or does not conform to the written warranty. However, the warrantor may require consumers to return a defective item to its place of purchase for repair.

Even after the 2009 Nissan GT-R was introduced, the public was still waiting for something more. First thing, they wanted to know how much horsepower it had. The second thing, they wanted to know how much more horsepower it could make.

Well, the Japanese tuners have stepped up to the challenge and PowerHouse Amuse has delivered its own version of the Nissan GT-R R35, the Phantom GT-R. Don't let the name fool you, though; it is not to be laughed at. With 600 horsepower on tap, the 2009 Nissan GT-R by PowerHouse Amuse can tear up the pavement like a track car. Not only is its performance ability unreal, the Phantom GT-R also sports carbon-fiber body pieces that look as if they came straight out of the Nismo catalog.

And the best thing is, the 2009 Nissan GT-R by PowerHouse Amuse leaves intact all the luxury features that Nissan has built into the car.

Massaging the Beast
Though the R35 version of the GT-R is deadly fast from the factory, the late Hideki Tanabe (sadly, he passed away in September 2008) of PowerHouse Amuse analyzed the parts that might be upgraded for higher performance. Tanabe had already proven PowerHouse Amuse's expertise with his Skyline GT-R R35 Carbon-R time-attack car and a Honda S2000GT1 that had been featured in Gran Turismo 4, so he knew what to do.

The first step was to get the new GT-R on the track, so Tanabe made the trip to Tsukuba Circuit, as every Japanese tuner must do. The factory suspension was deemed more than capable to get the job done, but for a little more composure in the corners the Amuse R1 adjustable suspension kit has been added. Adjustable ride height helps bring the car lower to the ground, and now it's easier to toss into the corners. The stock Dunlop SP 285/35R20 tires remain in place, as these are the fastest of the two tire choices that Nissan provides for the GT-R. (In fact, this was the tire brand used for the GT-R's quick time at the Nürburgring Nordschleife.)

More power was coerced from the twin-turbo VR38DETT V6 beast by totally replacing the exhaust system with a three-piece system, the R1 Titan Extra STTI. The system's 10 percent increase in diameter helps the monster motor breathe, and it also looks like a piece of art that Michelangelo might have welded up himself (too bad it has to be hidden beneath the body). Four massive exhaust tips finish off the system. Aside from the power increase, the titanium system reduces the weight of the exhaust plumbing to a skimpy 19.6 pounds from the factory system's 38.5 pounds.

Of course, just slapping on a free-flow exhaust won't get you optimum power. The Amuse Hitech ROM-HBL engine control unit takes full advantage of the R1 exhaust system and squeezes out every last bit of power available from the twin-turbo V6. It allows you to adjust SPL data, fuel, timing, throttle, VTC (variable valve timing) control, and then also raises the rpm limit to 7,200 rpm from 7,000 rpm. And just for fun, it disables the speed-limiting device mandated by the Japanese government.

During testing, Amuse noticed that once the boost was increased at high rpm, the stock ECU would lower the pressure. Instead the Amuse Hitech ROM-HBL maintains boost at 17.2 psi. This relatively simple combination of upgraded exhaust and recalibrated ECU produces 603 hp at 6,563 rpm and 571 pound-feet of torque at 5,270 rpm.

Phantom Good Looks
Since this is a track car, your attention is drawn right away to the Phantom GT-R's aerodynamic bits. The front aero splitter and the new rear wing are both fabricated from carbon-fiber by PowerHouse Amuse. A little extra downforce gives the GT-R more grip in the corners.

These bits look good enough to have come straight out of the Nismo catalog, and they're built well, too. Though the splitter looks like a spatula designed to flip pancakes at 200 mph, three grown men can stand on this carbon-fiber piece without breaking it.

The interior has been left mostly stock, so all the modern amenities are in place. At the same time, the stock seats have been swapped out in favor of a set of Recaro SP-As, while a removable steering wheel expedites entry and egress during track days.

Thanks to the new seats and exhaust system, the Phantom GT-R weighs 100 pounds less than the stock GT-R, something Dr. Atkins would appreciate.

Putting It Down
The combination of the R1 Titan exhaust, Hitech ROM-HBL tuning for the ECU and a 100-pound weight reduction produces smashing results. Tanabe's Phantom GT-R pulled a super-quick 59.061 seconds on the Tsukuba Circuit. Then it backed up this performance with a 1.49.807 lap at Fuji Speedway, earning this car the honor of the fastest lap yet recorded by a GT-R R35, despite its stock Dunlop tires.

These upgrades are priced at $20,000, more evidence that it isn't cheap to compress time. Of course, the 2009 Nissan GT-R by PowerHouse Amuse is still usable as a road car, since the audio system and other electronics remain in place. You just happen to get to your destination quicker than anyone else.

PowerHouse Amuse assures that the Phantom GT-R is not the ultimate GT-R R35. It's already working on an engine setup with bigger turbos.

TOKYO — Nissan's GT-R may seem born and bred as a two-door car, but in truth the model started out back in 1969 as a four-door and had a two-door version added the following year. So, in adding a four-door GT-R, Nissan is actually going back to its roots.

By adding the four-door, Nissan/Infiniti are hoping to tap into a wider customer base with a version of the supercar that offers more practicality, more luxury and better ride quality.

Also to try to recover costs on such an expensive project as the GT-R's R&D, one Nissan engineer has hinted that certain parts including the platform and underpinnings will be employed in "other models" and that its wheelbase will be stretched by 5.9 to 7.8 inches.

It was initially rumored to get a slightly downtuned version of the GT-R's 476-horsepower twin-turbo V6, but one source close to Nissan says the company is now leaning towards a slightly tuned-up version of the 5.0-liter V8 that powers the Infiniti FX50. In that guise, the four-door GT-R should develop around 420 hp. The seven-speed automatic gearbox mated to the FX's V8 will almost certainly migrate together with the 5.0-liter engine. Given that its main market will be the United States and that its main rivals will be the Porsche Panamera and the BMW M5, the V8 option makes sense.

Other technologies expected to find their way onto the four-door GT-R read like a pack of alphabet soup. They include TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system with four-corner readout), ABS with EBD (electronic brake-force distribution), TCS (traction control system) with VDC (vehicle dynamic control), LDW (lane departure warning that beeps); LDP (lane departure prevention through selective brake application); and ICC (intelligent cruise control) with DCA (distance control assist) that maintains following distances at speed, plus IBA (intelligent brake assist) that will bring the FX to a complete stop and then resume a selected speed automatically.

The four-door GT-R is expected to weigh around 4,080 pounds and cost in the neighborhood of $100,000. It's slated for a late-2010 debut.