08-20-2009, 11:56 AM
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#141 (permalink)
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STILLEN's Rally-Spec Nissan GT-R uses Redline Synthetic Motor Oil
Quote:
THE RALLY
In the world of motorsport, Targa rallies are unique in the way they punish the vehicle and driver equally. Steve Millen knows a thing or two about road racing, as the world-renown driver was the IMSA GTO Champion in a twin turbocharged 300ZX in 1992 and ’94. Fifteen years later, his Costa Mesa, California-based company called Stillen still has close ties to Nissan. When Millen pitched Nissan for a new GT-R to campaign the 2009 Targa Newfoundland, Nissan executives happily obliged.
The annual tarmac rally, now in its 7th year and set to run September 12-19, begins and ends in the city of St. John's on the island of Newfoundland and draws nearly 200,000 spectators. “The Targa” is held over a 2200-kilometer course (about 1370 miles) on the paved roads around the island of Newfoundland. Each team consists of a driver and navigator, neither of whom is allowed to study maps of the course or drive the streets prior to the event.
Each “stage” is essentially a daily race against the clock, where competitors attempt to drive through unknown territory at maximum velocity without crashing or destroying anything mechanical and attempting to hit their target time assigned by Targa organizers.
THE GAMEPLAN
The Stillen team contacted a key group of partners to help campaign what many consider the most technologically advanced supercar in the world: the 2009 Nissan GT-R. Road & Track Magazine Road Test Editor Mike Monticello signed on as navigator. Millen then approached Red Line Oil for technical support, a natural fit since the speed merchant already sells these products to his Nissan and Infinity road car customers.
Prior to track testing at El Toro Air Station, Red Line’s ester-synthetic 0W40 Motor Oil and other products were swapped poured in for performance and reliability.
Millen mentioned Nissan’s preference for an ester-based motor oil, leading Red Line chemists to confirm that its latest 0W40 Motor Oil would both match Nissan’s viscosity requirements and would do a better job in the varying rally conditions than even a Red Line racing oil that is designed to work in a more specific range. Not only this motor oil for road cars stand up to the brutal conditions of the Targa Newfoundland, but that it exceeds the properties of the car’s factory-recommended oil (which is not ester-based).
"In rallying, reliability is critical," Millen explains. "It takes reliable acceleration, high lateral grip and good brakes rather than all-out power in a race like this. We avoided making major modifications to the engine because Nissan designed a fantastic powerplant and we needed it to stay together. We added a little boost, revised the exhaust for better flow, and changed all the fluids to Red Line synthetic for maximum protection. Not having to worry about the motor staying together allows Mike and I to concentrate on the course and hitting our target times, and with Red Line in the car we know all the fluids exceed factory specs."
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Red Line Synthetic Oil
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