Nissan did the unthinkable and built one of the most iconic cars throughout history: the GTR. They took the world by storm and conquered famous racing events like the Japanese Touring Car Championship and the Australian Touring Car Championship.
Although the famous Nissan GTR Skyline production was halted back in 2002, a new monster was born: the Nissan GTR R35.
Dubbed as the Godzilla (just like its predecessors), the Nissan GTR R35 cemented its reputation as one of the best cars that ever existed. The previous RB26DETT engine was replaced by an all-aluminum V6 VR38DETT.
The vehicle may not be all about power production, but it clearly excelled in emphasizing a hard-impacting all-wheel-drive grip. This characteristic made the Nissan GTR R35 a very fun car to drive and modify.
Since the Nissan GTR R35 is incredibly popular, modifications for the car are literally everywhere. Listed below are some of the best Nissan GTR R35 mods you can get today.
Check them so you can determine what modification you should get for your car!
#1 ECU Flash Tuning
If you’re looking for an enormous boost in power, then getting an ECU flash tune should be the first on your checklist. It’s an easy solution that can be done just by plugging in a computer or a reprogrammer into the car’s OBD2 port.
Expect a 10% to 15% increase in horsepower output just by getting an ECU flash tuning, although, of course, keep in mind that it’ll still depend on the stage map your car is running.
Stage 1 will improve your vehicle’s performance, drivability, and as well as fuel economy. This is especially effective if your Nissan GTR R35 is still just lightly upgraded. Stage 2 remap involves building on stage 1 as a base and allowing upgrades like exhaust systems, intake systems, etc.
Stage 3 remapping is the most aggressive tuning and will definitely prepare your car for a massive boost in horsepower.
#2 Exhaust systems
Once you’ve flash-tuned your car, you can now get yourself some aftermarket exhaust systems to satisfy your thirst for more horsepower and to get your auditory satisfaction.
Aftermarket exhaust systems are famous for producing a well-renowned aggressive sound output, which makes a car more satisfying to drive and flex on the streets.
Just like any other cars out of the dealership, the Nissan GTR R35’s stock exhaust tends to be restrictive, and it would take something better to free up some of those exhaust gasses.
Aftermarket exhaust systems offer less restrictive pipings that allow the exhaust gasses to flow more freely. On top of that, it can potentially reduce the car’s backpressure and increase the vehicle’s horsepower output to some degree.
For the Nissan GTR R35, we recommend the Greddy Power Extreme exhaust system. Its sound output is sporty yet not too loud – perfect for drivers who don’t want to get neighborhood noise complaints.
#2 Intake Systems
Exhaust systems exhale gasses from the car while intake systems inhale air for the car. Just like human beings who are severely obsessed with cars, the Nissan GTR R35 needs to breathe too.
Although, of course, Nissan took care of that with their stock intake. However, just like stock exhaust systems, OEM intakes are too restrictive for the tastes of modern car enthusiasts.
If you want to make Godzilla live better, you might want to get some high-flow intake systems. Your car may not be able to spew out an atomic breath, but at least you can help it inhale fresher air.
Aftermarket intake systems feature useful and practical innovations such as highly porous and highly dense filter media for top-tier air filtration.A
nother thing to look forward to from aftermarket intake systems is the piping that allows more volumetric airflow, which helps the engine do more efficient fuel combustion.
Check out the Injen SP Dual Short Rams if you’re serious about getting some massive horsepower gains for your Nissan GTR R35.
#3 Upgraded Turbochargers
Now, if you’re dead serious about getting some raw and unadulterated horses for your Nissan GTR R35, then you might as well upgrade your turbochargers.
Upgrading your vehicle’s turbocharger will largely depend on how much horsepower you want to get. If you’re going to keep your stock engines, your best bet is to get your turbo modified.
This can be accomplished by replacing the turbo wheel to improve the turbo’s airflow.
Another option you can pick is to replace the entirety of the turbo. This means new headers and engine rebuilding. This can be very costly and will take a lot of time before it gets finished.
You can rebuild your R35’s engine by replacing the rods, pistons, head gasket, and head studs. We only recommend this for those who want to truly put their Nissan GTR R35s into steroids.
#5 Manifolds and Fuel Injectors
Another major upgrade you can get for your Nissan GTR R35 is to replace its stock intake manifold and get new fuel injectors. Once you do that, you can expect better boost pressure.
You can even tune your car to get a higher horsepower output. Factory-fitted intake manifolds tend to be restrictive, and replacing them with a better intake manifold should provide more airflow for your car.
The Nissan GTR R35’s fuel injectors should be upgraded too. Fuel injectors are amongst the underrated GTR mods, and the type of fuel injector you should pick up depends on the amount of extra horsepower you want your car to have.
For the Nissan GTR R35, we recommend the Injector Dynamics fuel injector because it’s immune to pressure and voltage sensitivity, unlike other high-flow injectors.
#6 Suspension Upgrades
Let’s put aside power gains for a while and talk about suspension upgrades. A car like the Nissan GTR R35 will look incredibly great with lowered suspensions; there’s no doubt about that.
To achieve an aesthetically pleasing lowered stance, you can opt for the two most popular suspension upgrade options: lowering springs or coilovers. Let’s go through each of them to help you decide what to get.
Lowering springs are pretty straightforward: it simply reduces your car’s ground clearance. Most lowering springs often have fixed height reduction but here are very few that offer adjustability.
Another option for you are coilovers. These are among the most popular Nissan GTR R35 mods because it provides both ride height and damper setting adjustability.
Coilovers like the Tein Super Racing Coilovers are great for spirited drivers who prefer aggressive driving. Lower springs like the Eibach Pro-Kit Performance Spring Kit, on the other hand, are excellent for street driving matched with high-performance handling.
#7 Wheels and Tires
Since you’re planning to lower your car’s stance, then why not get a new wheelset too? Lowered cars will look even more stunning when matched with the right wheels.
Aftermarket wheels (especially the alloys) offer better looks, performance, and fuel economy. They also dissipate heat better than steel wheels. Getting new tires isn’t a bad idea too.
New tires can help your Nissan GTR R35 get a better road grip, improved safety, and a better overall driving experience.
The R35 GTR wheel specs and tire sizes are 20×9.5 and 255/40R20 for the front and 20×10.5 and 285/35R20 for the rear. The wheels’ recommended fitment range is as follows:
- Diameters ranging from 20″ to 22″.
- A width of 9.5″ to 10.5″.
- An offset of +25mm to +45mm.
For Nissan GTR R35 wheels, we recommend the XXR Wheels 521 Rim 20×10.5 +30. And as for the tires, we believe that the Lexani LX-TWENTY Performance Radial Tire would fit exceptionally for Godzilla.
#8 Big Brake Kits
What’s the point of having a fun and robust car when you don’t have reliable brakes? Don’t get us wrong; the stock brakes of the Nissan GTR R35 work perfectly fine.
However, if you want to modify your car to drive aggressively, you should get your hands on brakes that have an equally strong stopping power.
Nissan GTR R35 big brake kits are great because they have larger discs, larger rotors, and grippier brake pads than the typical brake kits out there.
#9 All Things Aesthetics
And now for the fun part: aesthetic mods. You can get many aesthetic mods for a popular car like the Nissan GTR R35, like paint jobs, decals, spoilers, bumpers, etc.
But if you want a whole consistent look, you can always opt for body kits. Body kits give your car a customized look and give it some excellent features like improved aerodynamics and even safety.
The popularity of the Nissan GTR R35 has been followed by a tidal wave of car mods. Since the GTR is an excellent platform for customization and modification, many car enthusiasts are big fans of the car.
Clearly, the nickname Godzilla fits perfectly for a sports car like the Nissan GTR R35, not only because of its looks and sheer power but also because of the impact and impression the car leaves wherever it goes.