.Make sure the area around the vehicle is
clear.
. Check fluid levels such as engine oil, cool-
ant, brake fluid and window washer fluid as
frequently as possible, or at least whenever
you refuel.
. Check that all windows and lights are clean.
. Visually inspect tires for their appearance
and condition. Also check tires for proper
inflation.
. Lock all doors.
. Position seat.
. Adjust inside and outside mirrors.
. Fasten seat belts and ask all passengers to
do likewise.
. Check the operation of warning lights when
the ignition switch is pushed to the ON
position. (
“Warning/indicator lights
and audible reminders” page 2-25)
NOTE:
. This vehicle includes spark plugs that
are designed for maximum perfor-
mance. If the start time becomes long-
er, the plugs may be fouled, making the
engine difficult to start. If this occurs,
start the engine using the procedure
described in this section.
. A click sound may be heard when the
brake pedal is depressed and released.
This is normal.
. A low rattling operating sound may
occur when the engine is started or
stopped. This is because of the trans-
mission gear design, light flywheel and
dry sump lubrication system used in
this transmission. This does not indi-
cate that there is a malfunction. This
sound is likely to occur in particular if
the engine is stopped when the tem-
perature of the transmission oil is high.
1. Check the positions of the accelerator pedal
*1and brake pedal*2. Adjust the steering
wheel and seat positions so that the correct
driving posture is achieved. (
“Front
seats” page 1-3)
2. Check that the parking brake is engaged.
3. Check that the shift lever is in the
&Por&N
position. (&Pis recommended.)
4. Firmly depress the brake pedal. Without depressing the accelerator pedal, push the
ignition switch once to start the engine.
5. To stop the engine, move the shift lever to the
&Pposition, and push the ignition switch
to the OFF position.
Starting and driving5-13
BEFORE STARTING THE ENGINE STARTING THE ENGINE
5-14Starting and driving
NOTE:
.Care should be taken to avoid situa-
tions that can lead to potential battery
discharge and potential no-start condi-
tions such as:
a. Installation or extended use of elec-
tronic accessories that consume
battery power when the engine is
not running (Phone chargers, GPS,
DVD players, etc.)
b. Vehicle is not driven regularly and/
or only driven short distances.
In these cases, the battery may need to
be charged to maintain battery health.
. If the engine is difficult to start, de-
press the accelerator pedal all the way
to the floor and hold it. Push the
ignition switch with the brake pedal
depressed to start cranking the engine.
After 5 or 6 seconds, stop cranking by
pushing the ignition switch to the OFF
position, and then release the accel-
erator pedal. Then perform steps 1 to 5
to start the engine. If the engine starts,
but fails to run, repeat this procedure.
. Starting and stopping the engine over a
short period of time may make the
vehicle more difficult to start. If this
occurs, wait for more than 3 minutes, and then push the ignition switch again
to start the engine.
. To maintain high performance over a
long period of time, the engine speed is
limited to 5,000 rpm when the engine is
revved with the shift lever in the
&Nor
&Pposition, and to 4,000 rpm when the
engine oil or coolant temperature is
low or higher than normal.
. If the ignition switch is pushed before
the shift lever is moved to the
&P
position, the ignition switch will not
change to the OFF position. If this
occurs, the SHIFT
&Pwarning display
appears on the vehicle information
display. When stopping the engine, be
sure to move the shift lever to the
&P
position and then push the ignition
switch. Failure to do so may result in
discharge of the battery. (
“Shift
“P” warning” page 2-43)
. If the shift lever was in the
&A↔&Mor&R
position when the engine was stopped,
then be sure to move the shift lever to
the
&Pposition before starting the
engine the next time. If the engine is
started with the shift lever in the
&N
position, then it may not be possible to drive the vehicle even when the shift
lever is moved to the
&A↔&Mor&R
position. If this occurs, the SHIFT&P
warning appears on the vehicle infor-
mation display. (“Shift “P” warn-
ing” page 2-43)
CAUTION
If the engine was stopped soon when
the engine is hot, the cooling fan may
operate for approximately 2 minutes
after the engine was stopped to cool
the components in the engine compart-
ment. When the cooling fan is operat-
ing, be sure that hands or other items
do not get caught in it.
DUAL CLUTCH TRANSMISSION
The GT-R dual clutch transmission is a newly-
developed system that uses an electronically
controlled multiple-disc wet clutch attached to
the highly efficient manual transmission. This
transmission has two driving modes.
.
&Aposition (Automatic gearshift):
allows automatic shifting of the manual
transmission.
.
&Mposition (Manual gearshift):
allows quick shifting of the manual transmis-
sion.
NOTE:
When starting or driving on a steep uphill
grade, shift to the
&Mposition and operate
the paddle shifter to shift down to 1st gear
similar to a manual transmission vehicle.
The GT-R dual clutch transmission was devel-
oped specifically to maximize vehicle perfor-
mance and driving enjoyment. The GT-R
transmission components were designed using
different engineering standards than typical
passenger car transmissions. Because of this,
the GT-R has different operating characteristics,
and various rattle noises may be heard during
some driving conditions because of the follow-
ing items: .
Gear clearances
. Ultralight flywheel
. Dry sump lubrication
These noises do not indicate that there is a
malfunction.
WARNING
. Do not depress the accelerator
pedal while shifting from the&Por
&Nposition to the&Ror&A↔&M
position. Always depress the brake
pedal until shifting is completed.
Failure to do so could cause loss
of control and an accident.
. Cold engine idle speed is high, so
use caution when shifting into a
forward or reverse gear before the
engine has warmed up.
. Never shift to the
&Por&Rposition
while the vehicle is moving forward.
Never shift to the
&Por&A↔&M
position while the vehicle is moving
rearward. Doing so could cause loss
of control and an accident.
. The shift lever contains a powerful
magnet. Do not place electronic medical devices or other electronic
products that are susceptible to
magnetic force close to the shift
lever.
. Do not downshift abruptly on slip-
pery roads. This may cause a loss of
control.
. If the shift lever is moved from
&Rto
&A↔&Mposition, or&A↔&Mto&R
position before the vehicle stops,
you may not be able to shift gear or
it may take longer to shift gear.
Make sure to depress the brake
pedal and check that the vehicle
has stopped before shifting.
CAUTION
.Because the vehicle includes a dual
clutch transmission that automati-
cally controls the clutch and shifting
operation of the manual transmis-
sion, whenever the shift lever is in a
position other then
&Por&N, the
vehicle will begin to move slowly, in
the same way as when the clutch in
a manual transmission vehicle is
Starting and driving5-15
DRIVING THE VEHICLE
5-16Starting and driving
partially engaged. Keep the brake
pedal firmly depressed when the
vehicle is stopped. In some circum-
stances the vehicle may not start
moving on its own, however this
does not indicate that there is a
malfunction.
NOTICE
.When the vehicle is stopped on a
hill, do not hold the vehicle in place
by depressing the accelerator pedal.
Doing so may cause the clutch to
overheat and result in transmission
damage. Use the brakes to prevent
the vehicle from moving.
. The GT-R dual clutch transmission is
provided with a dry sump lubrication
system that improves efficiency and
ensures reliability under high g-
force conditions. When oil viscosity
is high at low temperatures, it takes
longer for all components to be
sufficiently lubricated. Thus, when
the transmission temperature is low
(approximately 104 8F (408C) , do not
accelerate rapidly or run the engine faster than 4,000 rpm.
Operating the shift lever
After starting the engine, fully depress the brake
pedal and move the shift lever from the&P
position to the&R,&N,or&A↔&Mposition. Push
the button to shift into the&Por&Rposition. All
other positions can be selected without pushing
the button.
Shift lever operation
Push the button while depressing the
brake pedal.
Push the button.
Just move the shift lever.
Automatically returns.
&Pposition:
Use this position for parking and starting the
engine. The ignition switch will be changed to
the OFF or LOCK position.
CAUTION
Use the&Pposition only when the
vehicle is completely stopped.
&Rposition:
Use this position for driving in reverse. A chime
will sound inside the vehicle to remind the driver
that the shift lever is in the
&Rposition.
&Nposition:
Neither forward nor reverse gear is engaged.
&A↔&Mposition:
Use this position for all normal forward driving.
The shift lever can be moved between
&Aand
&Mto alternately change each other. The
position indicator indicates the gear position
with the indication of “A” or “M”.
.
&Aposition: Use this position for ordinary
driving, with the gears shifted automatically
from first gear to sixth gear according to the
speed and driving conditions.
.
&Mposition: Operate the paddle shifter to
drive in first gear to sixth gear as desired.
. The position indicator blinks if it is not
possible to shift the gear.
(
“Transmission position indicator”
page 2-9)CAUTION
. Grip the shift lever correctly when
operating it. Failure to do so may
cause a finger or other items to be
trapped between the lever and gate,
possibly causing an accident.
. Because rolling resistance is re-
duced in the GT-R, the vehicle can
move when on a road with a slight
gradient, even when in the
&Nposi-
tion. Be sure to depress the brake
pedal.
Starting and driving5-17
Shift lock release
If the battery charge is low or discharged, the
shift lever may not be moved from the&P
position even with the brake pedal depressed
and the shift lever button pushed.
To move the shift lever, perform the following
procedure.
1. Push the ignition switch to the OFF or LOCKposition.
2. Apply the parking brake.
3. Remove the shift lock cover using a suitable tool wrapped with a cloth.
4. Push down the shift lock as illustrated. 5. Push the shift lever button and move the
shift lever to the
&Nposition while holding
down the shift lock.
Push the ignition switch to the ON position to
unlock the steering wheel. Now the vehicle may
be moved to the desired location.
If the battery is discharged completely, the
steering wheel cannot be unlocked. Do not
move the vehicle with the steering wheel locked.
NOTICE
If the shift lever cannot be moved out of
the&Pposition after performing the
shift lock release procedure, immedi-
ately have the vehicle inspected by a
GT-R certified NISSAN dealer.
Adaptive shift control
The adaptive shift control system automatically
operates when the transmission is in the&A
position and selects an appropriate gear de-
pending on the road conditions such as uphill,
downhill or curving roads.
Control on uphill and curving roads:
A low gear is maintained that suits the degree of
the slope or curve to allow smooth driving with a
small number of shifts. Control on downhill roads:
The adaptive shift control system shifts to a low
gear that suits the degree of the slope, and uses
the engine brake to reduce the number of times
that the foot brake must be used.
Control on winding roads:
A low gear is maintained on continuous curves
that involve repeated acceleration and decelera-
tion, so that smooth acceleration is available
instantly when the accelerator pedal is de-
pressed.
NOTE:
Adaptive shift control may not operate
when the transmission oil temperature is
low immediately after the start of driving
or when it is very hot. If this occurs, switch
to the
&Mposition and downshift if neces-
sary.
&Mposition
Changing to the&Mposition:
To change to the
&Mposition from the&A
position, either move the shift lever to the&M
side or operate the paddle shifter. The position
indicator indicates the gear position with the
indication of “M”.
If the paddle shifter is used, the first operation
changes from the
&Aposition to the&Mposition,
Starting and driving5-19
5-20Starting and driving
and the second and later operations change the
gears.
To return to the
&Aposition, move the shift lever
to the&Mside again. The position indicator
indicates the gear position with the indication of
“A”.
Changing gears using paddle shifters:
NOTE:
The vehicle cannot be accelerated from a
stop condition while the gear is in the 2nd
to 6th position. When accelerating the
vehicle from a stop condition, use the 1st
gear position.
To shift up, pull the paddle shifter on the right
side
*1toward you.
To shift down, pull the paddle shifter on the left
side
*2toward you.
. First gear:
Use this position when accelerating from a
stop, climbing a steep hill slowly or engine
braking at low speeds.
. Second gear:
Use this position when accelerating or
engine braking at mid-low speeds.
. Third gear:
Use this position when accelerating or
gently engine braking at middle speeds.
. Fourth gear:
Use this position when accelerating or
gently engine braking at mid-high speeds.
.Fifth gear:
Use this position for all normal forward
driving at highway speeds. Engine braking
is weaker in this position.
. Sixth gear:
Use this position for all normal forward
driving at highway speeds. Engine braking
is weakest in this position.
Suggested maximum speed in each gear:
Downshift to a lower gear if the engine is not
running smoothly, or if you need to accelerate.
Do not exceed the maximum suggested speed
(shown below) in any gear. For level road
driving, use the highest gear suggested for that
speed. Always observe posted speed limits, and
drive according to the road conditions that will
ensure safe operation. Do not over-rev the
engine when shifting to a lower gear as it may
cause engine damage or loss of vehicle control.
Gear MPH (km/h)
1st 36 (58)
2nd 63 (102)
3rd 91 (148)
4th —
5th —
6th —
NOTE:
The paddle shifters are made from magne-
sium alloy. Only clear coating is applied to
their surfaces to utilize the unique casting
patterns and the texture of the material
itself.
DRIVING TIPS
After starting the engine, fully depress the foot
brake pedal and push the shift lever button
before shifting the shift lever from the
&Pposition
to the&R,&N,or&A↔&Mposition. Be sure the
vehicle is fully stopped before attempting to shift
the shift lever.
The transmission is designed so that the foot
brake pedal must be depressed before shifting
from
&Pto any other position.
The shift lever cannot be moved out of the
&P
position and into any other position with the
ignition switch other in the LOCK, OFF or ACC
position.
When accelerating from a stop
Keep the foot brake pedal depressed and push
the shift lever button to shift into a driving gear
as following:
. To drive forward, move the shift lever to the
&A↔&Mposition. .
To back up, move the shift lever to the
&R
position.
Starting on level ground or an uphill:
1. Check the shift lever position indicator on the instrument panel to confirm that the
driving gear is selected.
2. Release the parking brake.
3. Release the foot brake pedal gradually, then slowly depress the accelerator pedal to start
the vehicle in motion.
(
“R mode start function” page 5-31)
NOTE:
. To prevent the clutch from overheating
when the parking brake is applied,
engine output is limited when the
accelerator pedal is depressed. In par-
ticular, the vehicle may not start
smoothly when the accelerator pedal
is depressed with the parking brake
applied on an uphill grade. To enable
smooth starting, release the parking
brake before moving the vehicle.
. The hill start assist function operates
when the vehicle is accelerating from a
stop on an uphill. (
“Hill Start
Assist” page 5-37)
Starting and driving5-21