9.38 SEC., 156.44 MPH Tym Switzer's R1K GTR Prototype rocketed across the quarter-mile in just 9.38 seconds on its way to setting a 1/4 mile speed record of 156.44 mph last weekend at NHRA-sanctioned Summit Dragway in Norwalk, Ohio.
Watch the video, below, for more.
WELCOME TO THE 9 SEC. CLUB Despite having more than 1000 awhp on tap on C16 racing fuel from VP, Switzer's missile remains flexible enough to be driven on public roads, in keeping with Tym's stated goals of building a GTR that - like the company's P800 Porsches - is flexible enough to be driven every day, without asking the driver to sacrifice reliability or smoothness, even in stop-and-go traffic.
Congrats to the team, the car's owner, and to Tym, who summed up the achievement in his usual, humble style: "we spun all through 1st and 2nd, so there's still a couple tenths in there."
Switzer and the R1K will be hitting the track again soon ... expect more records to fall when they do.
SWITZER P800 TIPTRONIC IN GUARDS RED Tuners everywhere rejoiced when Porsche introduced an upgraded Tiptronic transmission with its 997 Turbo models. The five-speed automatic/manual, built for Porsche by German neighbors Mercedes-Benz, is capable of handling as much as seven hundred horsepower in some applications ... and, for most tuners, that's all the capacity they will ever need.
For Ohio-based Switzer Performance, however, 700 hp is far from enough. “We first noticed the limitations of the 997 Tiptronic with our P700 (l4) PKG, which, pushed hard on certain high-octane fuels, can cause slipping in the trans.,” explains Tym Switzer, owner and chief engineer of Switzer Performance. “When we released our P800 kit for the 997 Turbos, which makes over eight hundred horsepower, we were forced to limit sales to manual-transmission cars. This didn’t satisfy the customers who wanted the kind of ultimate straight-line performance that the Tiptronic can offer, and – to be frank - it didn’t satisfy us.”
After spending a considerable amount of time reprogramming Porsche's transmission control unit (TCU) software to increase the torque limits, Switzer realized that effectively putting more than seven hundred horsepower through the Tip cars would require something more than a software-based solution.
Working with development partners in the US and Europe, Switzer disassembled, upgraded, and rebuilt the Tiptronic transmission to meet customer demands for higher hp projects. The first builds produced transmissions that were stronger and sharper than the factory unit, but not strong enough to contain Tym's hard-hitting P800. This final effort, however, Switzer and his European counterparts pulled out all the stops: additional clutches eliminate slippage, additional friction surfaces ensure more efficient power delivery, a modified valve body to improve shift speed, and (last, but not least) another round of transmission programming which enables the Tiptronic to make the most of its uprated internals. MORE STACK HEIGHT + BETTER MATERIALS On its maiden voyage, the new 997 Turbo P800 Tiptronic blasted from 0-60 mph in a scant 2.8 seconds. On standard tires. With standard air pressure. On pump gas.
Subsequent tests confirm that Switzer had produced one of the quickest daily-driver Porsches in history - and Tym isn’t shy about using the “B-word” in discussing the car’s performance, either. “These cars have Bugatti performance from 0-60. We’re still perfecting the calibrations, but we expect our clients will go Veyron hunting very soon, and those guys don't like to lose.” STRAP YOURSELF IN AND FEEL THE G'S Switzer is in no hurry to share the precise secrets of building nine-hundred-horse-capable Tiptronic transmissions, but the company is perfectly willing to build up transmissions for owners of other tuner cars, as well. “Of course, I have to believe that our P800 kit continues to be the ideal daily-driver/trackday package, but some clients have a comfortable working relationship with TechArt or 9ff. They still want a quicker Tiptronic car that they can turn up the boost on, though, and we can work with them to make that happen, and help them get the most out of the investment they've already made” says Switzer.
Drivers who participate in 0-100 or 1/8 mile dragstrip challenges may find Switzer P800 Tiptronic to be the perfect weapon; with the PCCB ceramic brakes and the 911’s traditionally brake-friendly weight distribution, 0-100-0 supremacy is all but assured.
Switzer's transmission upgrades start at 7990 USD, but anyone who wants to hit a hundred miles per hour before the most supercars make their way to sixty may consider it money well spent. You can see a full, high-resolution photo gallery on Flickr!
SWITZER P800 GTR NISSAN TAKES ON TEXAS 191 mph on 93 octane – wow!
After winning the GTR class at the TX2K10 shootout, our hot-shoe driver Jason pushed his Boulder Nissan | Switzer P800 GTR to more than 191 mph at last weekend's Texas Mile!
Keep in mind, Jason and his tech Eric built this car with an out-of-the-box P800 kit from Switzer Performance, with Switzer's “canned” roadrace calibrations and tuned to 93 octane … and the car ran STRONG at two grueling back-to-back weekend events, proving that Eric can wrench as well as Jason can drive, for sure!
Congratulations to the Boulder Nissan crew – you made us all look great, and it seems like you had fun doing it, too. We can't wait to hear about your next adventure with Godzilla! Photo courtesy of Adam Barerra.
Last weekend's Moscow Unlimited could have been a commercial for our bolt-on kits, with the top 3 cars running Switzer tuning packages.
The 997 TT that took top honors in the 1/4 mile drags featured our 997 TT L4 PKG and lightweight signature series wheels, while the mile-winning GTR Nissan featured our off-the-shelf P800 plus cooling kit.
We are very proud of our Russian teammates out there - they are great guys, brave guys, crazy guys, and we're proud to have them as customers.
Check out the times, below. Mile: 1.(10) Nissan GTR R35 Switzer P800 (Oleg) - 26.928 seconds.(310.88 km / h) 2. (26) Porsche 911 Switzer SPI 750 (Dmitry) - 26.959 seconds. (307.95 км/ч) (307.95 km / h) 3. (09) Nissan GTR R35 Switzer P800 (Yuri) - 28.005 seconds. (289.38 км/ч) (289.38 km / h) 4. (29) Koenigsegg CCX (Andrei) - 28.267 seconds. (306.90 км/ч) (306.90 km / h) 5. (24) Corvette ZR1 (Andrei) - 28.731 seconds. (298.50 км/ч) (298.50 km / h) 6. (46) Nissan GT-R R35 HKS570 (Vladimir) - 29.446 seconds. (291.02 км/ч) (291.02 km / h) 7.(49) Dodge Viper SRT-10 (Sergei) - 29.551 seconds. (282.79 км/ч) (282.79 km / h) 8.(13) Audi RS6 Evotech (Yuri) - 29.818 seconds. (286.62 км/ч) (286.62 km / h) 9.(65) Mercedes SL65 FAB Design (Miguel) - 30.272 seconds. (284.13 км/ч) (284.13 km / h) 10.(43) Audi RS6 MTM (Yegor) - 30.280 seconds. (276.92 км/ч) (276.92 km / h) 11.(14) Audi RS6 Evotech (Vladimir) - 30.340 seconds. (285.26 км/ч) (285.26 km / h) 12.(30) Audi RS6 Evotech (Gregory) - 30.756 seconds. (277.13 км/ч) (277.13 km / h) 13.(11) Jeep SRT-8 (Tigran) - 30.786 seconds. (264.12 км/ч) (264.12 km / h) 14.(27) Mercedes SL65 AMG Evotech (Andrei) - 30.820 seconds. (284.58 км/ч) (284.58 km / h) 15.(07) Jeep SRT-8 (Flaubert) - 31.000 seconds. (263.54 км/ч) (263.54 km / h) 16.(18) Jeep SRT-8 (Dmitry) - 31.026 seconds. (264.12 км/ч) (264.12 km / h) 17.(51) BMW M5 (Leonid) - 31.081 seconds. (282.13 км/ч) (282.13 km / h) 18.(44) BMW M5 (Eric) - 31.214 seconds. (275.22 км/ч) (275.22 km / h) 19.(56) BMW M5 (Igor) - 31.330 seconds. (258.80 км/ч) (258.80 km / h) 20.(32) BMW M6 Evotech (Oleg) - 31.383 seconds. (279.72 км/ч) (279.72 km / h) 21.(48) Mercedes S55K AMG (Oleg) - 31.384 seconds. (276.49 км/ч) (276.49 km / h) 22.(50) Chevrolet Corvette (Bogdan) - 31.480 seconds. (166.89 км/ч) (166.89 km / h) 23.(53) BMW M5 (Catherine) - 32.025 seconds. (260.68 км/ч) (260.68 km / h) 24.(16) Ferrari 575M Maranello (Andrei) - 32.069 seconds. (268.85 км/ч) (268.85 km / h) 25.(57) BMW M5 (Nikolai) - 32.246 seconds. (269.66 км/ч) (269.66 km / h) 26.(61) Audi RS6 (Oleg) - 32.486 seconds. (258.06 км/ч) (258.06 km / h) 27.(19) Chrysler 300C (Roman) - 32.815 seconds. (267.06 км/ч) (267.06 km / h) 28.(63) Chevrolet Corvette C5 (Ilia) - 33.778 seconds. (242.42 км/ч) (242.42 km / h) 29.(41) Dodge Challenger (Alexander) - 33.976 seconds. (251.39 км/ч) (251.39 km / h) 30.(54) Porsche Cayenne Turbo (Vladislav) - 35.091 seconds. (236,06 км/ч) (236.06 km / h) 31.(55) Mercedes ML63 AMG (Olga) - 35.148 seconds. (234.52 км/ч) (234.52 km / h) 32.(21) Mercedes ML63 AMG (Alexander) - 35.535 seconds. (234.22 км/ч) (234.22 km / h) 33.(42) Jeep SRT-8 (Sergei) - 35.649 seconds. (228.13 км/ч) (228.13 km / h) 34.(59) Porsche Cayenne Turbo (Sergei) - 35.731 seconds. (226.27 км/ч) (226.27 km / h) 35.(47) Ford Mustang (Andrei) - 36.026 seconds. (230.03 км/ч) (230.03 km / h)
1/4 Mile
1.(26) Porsche 911 Switzer SPI 750 - 10.303 sec. (213.39 km / h) 2.(10) Nissan GTR R35 Switzer P800 (Oleg) - 10.418 seconds. ( 218.31 км/ч ) (218.31 km / h) 3.(09) Nissan GTR R35 Switzer P800 (Yuri) - 10.566 seconds. (210.03 км/ч) (210.03 km / h) 4.(46) Nissan GT-R R35 HKS570 (Vladimir) - 10.807 seconds. (205.36 км/ч) (205.36 km / h) 5.(49) Dodge Viper SRT-10 (Sergei) - 11.573 seconds. (199.00 км/ч) (199.00 km / h) 6.(11) Jeep SRT-8 (Tigran) - 11.575 seconds. (187.59 км/ч) (187.59 km / h) 7.(50) Chevrolet Corvette (Bogdan) - 11.588 seconds. (211.39 км/ч) (211.39 km / h) 8.(13) Audi RS6 Evotech (Yuri) - 11.595 seconds. (195.12 км/ч) (195.12 km / h) 9.(24) Corvette ZR1 (Andrei) - 11.602 seconds. (208.45 км/ч) (208.45 km / h) 10.(29) Koenigsegg CCX (Andrei) - 11.608 seconds. (212.89 км/ч) (212.89 km / h) 11.(18) Jeep SRT-8 (Dmitry) - 11.633 seconds. (186.14 км/ч) (186.14 km / h) 12.(07) Jeep SRT-8 (Flaubert) - 11.670 seconds. (185.28 км/ч) (185.28 km / h) 13.(43) Audi RS6 MTM (Yegor) - 11.745 seconds. (192.00 км/ч) (192.00 km / h) 14.(30) Audi RS6 Evotech (Gregory) - 12.057 seconds. (187.01 км/ч) (187.01 km / h) 15.(14) Audi RS6 Evotech (Vladimir) - 12.107 seconds. (189.27 км/ч) (189.27 km / h) 16.(65) Mercedes SL65 FAB Design (Miguel) - 12.114 seconds. (195.54 км/ч) (195.54 km / h) 17.(51) BMW M5 (Leonid) - 12.197 seconds. (192.00 км/ч) (192.00 km / h) 18.(56) BMW M5 (Igor) - 12.281 seconds. (186.04 км/ч) (186.04 km / h) 19.(44) BMW M5 (Eric) - 12.382 seconds. (187.01 км/ч) (187.01 km / h) 20.(48) Mercedes S55K AMG (Oleg) - 12.530 seconds. (185.37 км/ч) (185.37 km / h) 21.(27) Mercedes SL65 AMG Evotech (Andrei) - 12.602 seconds. (194.17 км/ч) (194.17 km / h) 22.(32) BMW M6 Evotech (Oleg) - 12.711 seconds. (185.28 км/ч) (185.28 km / h) 23.(61) Audi RS6 (Oleg) - 12.762 seconds. (178.04 км/ч) (178.04 km / h) 24.(16) Ferrari 575M Maranello (Andrei) - 12.796 seconds. (183.86 км/ч) (183.86 km / h) 25.(53) BMW M5 (Catherine) - 12.840 seconds. (183.29 км/ч) (183.29 km / h) 26.(63) Chevrolet Corvette C5 (Ilia) - 12.866 seconds. (173.32 км/ч) (173.32 km / h) 27.(57) BMW M5 (Nikolai) - 12.931 seconds. (181.36 км/ч) (181.36 km / h) 28.(19) Chrysler 300C (Roman) - 13.072 seconds. (182.18 км/ч) (182.18 km / h) 29.(41) Dodge Challenger (Alexander) - 13.308 seconds. (171.91 км/ч) (171.91 km / h) 30.(42) Jeep SRT-8 (Sergei) - 13.335 seconds. (162.38 км/ч) (162.38 km / h) 31.(54) Porsche Cayenne Turbo (Vladislav) - 13.382 seconds. (164.38 км/ч) (164.38 km / h) 32.(55) Mercedes ML63 AMG (Olga) - 13.402 seconds. (164.75 км/ч) (164.75 km / h) 33.(59) Porsche Cayenne Turbo (Sergei) - 13.445 seconds. (164.30 км/ч) (164.30 km / h) 34.(21) Mercedes ML63 AMG (Alexander) - 13.542 seconds. (163.71 км/ч) (163.71 km / h) 35.(47) Ford Mustang (Andrei) - 13.618 seconds. (162.74 км/ч) (162.74 km / h) The most amazing part of all this? These are not one-off builds or "shop" cars - these are off-the-shelf customer kits that ANYONE can buy and run! Great stuff, and congrats to Tym, Mike, Dmitri, Yuriy, and Oleg.
A few weeks ago, some other shops started posting 10.4 sec. 1/4 mile runs and 134 mph trap speeds and claiming GTR "records" at sanctioned tracks.
We've never claimed our GTR tuning packages would be record-breakers, and we certainly haven't set them up to be drag-racers (in fact, we developed the GTR PKG specifically as a road-course trackday PKG!) but that doesn't mean our 800 hp pump-gas car P800 GTR Nissan can't get down the road ... witness the runs above, consistent 10.4xx second runs at 132-133 mph.
I know, I know: these runs are not on a track, not sanctioned, etc. They're also not too far off that record, considering this is an off-the-shelf package that's been proven in 20-odd customer cars around the world, either!
