Why does best motoring hate the Z

m4a1mustang

Yeah Getrag has facilities all over the world. Really, everyone does these days. And quality isn't necessarily about where a product is produced, it's about the quality control procedures in place at each particular facility. Yeah there are factories in China that make counterfeit toothpaste, but there are also factories that build super high tech, quality stuff.

Anyways, when you look at the different manufacturers and suppliers and rivalries with an objective viewpoint you really realize that what it comes down to is everybody is fvcking everybody... there is so much overlap across brands, even rival brands, that it's hard to say "well A is better than B" because A and B are both built out of the same stuff. And in many cases B helped A develop some special part that A uses to beat B with on the track.

Think about the level of sharing these days... you've got Ford licensing technology to Nissan that they use to build the GT-R with... GM licenses technology to Ferrari for the suspension on the 458. Saab/Subaru have shared platforms. Toyota/GM have shared hybrid technology... And they all share common suppliers! It goes on and on and on and on... Everybody's fvcking everybody!

The good kind of fvck, btw.

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- Steve

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Pharmacist

nissan used ford technology to build the gtr?

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2009 370z Sport Touring/Nismo shift Knob/Z1 motorsports 34 row oil cooler

m4a1mustang

Yes, Nissan licenses a technology called Plasma Transferred Wire Arc which was patented by Ford to build the engines. It replaces traditional cylinder sleeves with a coating of iron and iron oxide. The GT-R is the first car to use it in production and the 2011 GT500 is the second.

If you really dig, there is a LOT of sharing. Whether it be direct from manufacturer to manufacturer like in this case, or through a common supplier like in others.

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Pharmacist

I know. I'm actually rather surprised by all the sharing going on. I wonder why a car company would help a competitor out by sharing its technology. I doubt they would make that much profit from the licensing agreement.

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2009 370z Sport Touring/Nismo shift Knob/Z1 motorsports 34 row oil cooler

m4a1mustang

I'm sure a lot of it is economies of scale, especially in the case of joint platform projects like we've seen from Subaru/Toyota, GM/Toyota, Ford/Mazda.

Plus, if you can play off of the expertise of competitors and work together through a combination of competition and cooperation (let's call it "coopetition") you help ensure the viability of the industry because you both working in a collective and competitive fashion to build a better product.

I'm sure in the case of the GT-R Nissan engineers shared their real-world experience with Ford as part of the licensing agreement... and what do you know... Ford decides 2011 was the right time to apply it to the Mustang. Both manufacturers win and in the end the consumer wins.

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FL 4Motion

Red__Zed

When you think about it, they don't really lose anything either. There's not a lot of people choosing the gtr over the gt500 because of the technique used on the cylinder walls...not to mention Nissan subsidizing r&d costs is always a huge benefit.