Comfort, convenience and aesthetics.

Every single car I've ever owned has been modified to some extent, some more than others. This one is no exception. There are a few items that is standard for me to add/change to my vehicles. I'll highlight a few of them in this post which I've done to Knuckles over the winter that either improve comfort, convenience or aesthetics.

Phone & Tablet Mounts + Holder

I've been a fan of ProClip USA mobile mounting solutions for quite some time now. Suction cup mounting is just not for me if there are better alternatives.

I picked up a ProClip Angled Dash Mount which is specific for the BRZ/FR-S platform along with a Ram Mount 2 x 1.7" base with 1" ball

The ram base doesn't come with mounting hardware, the mount includes self-tapping screws. I opted to go with the same setup I had in my S2000 which was bolts+nuts.

I ordered Socket button head Alloy steal black oxide finish in #10-24 x 5/8" bolts with Hex machine screw nuts, stainless stell in 18-8 black oxide finish, #10-24

I then paired it up with a Ram Mount cradle holder which I use between multiple vehicles along with a Ram mount short double socket arm for 1" ball bases. 

Which provides for the following sweet setups.

For my google Nexus 7 tablet, which I use for Solostorm data logging,  I use the

RAM tab-lock cradle for google nexus 7

Alternative to all-season weather mats

Another company that I've been a fan of for many years now is www.weathertech.com
They make these awesome digital laser measured floor liners that provide custom fit protection while having more surface coverage. The material is some patent pending stuff which makes the liners rigid and easy to clean. They make these for almost every single modern make and model out there including larger vehicles with 3rd row seating(just got it for wife's 7 seater suv). I opted for both front and rear. Rear because I have 2 young kids who have already gotten back there with dirty shoes.

I love these things!
BRZ/FR-S weathertech floorliner

RACESENG Shift Knob

A very common modification done by car enthusiasts is replacing the OEM shift knob for one that is either heavier, shaped differently or simply for looks. I've been a fan of heavier shift knobs since the S2000 and was my sole reason for wanting to replace the BRZ's OEM shift knob. I was recently introduced to a local company who makes some really nice engineering masterpieces. Company is called RACESENG. Give them a few minutes of your time and check out their products. I think you'll find yourself drooling pretty soon. 

After much browsing and review reading I opted for their Sphereology shifter arm which is covered by a Black delrin cover and gate 1 engraving. The delrin cover is interchangeable with other colors. The shifter itself is made of solid 303 stainless steel. The shifter is compatible with the OEM reverse lockout so there was nothing else to purchase. They do offer a nice looking reverse lockout of their own, but not a must have. The shifter is also countersunk so no issues with a saggy shift boot. 

I mentioned earlier that my main reason was to go with a heavier shift knob. This Sphereology comes in at a whopping 470 grams - 1.04lbs. For reference the OEM shift knob is 200 grams - 0.44lbs. 

The shift knob I had in the S2000 was 430 grams, which helped me decide on this particular knob as some of their other ones are much lighter. So far I am very happy, love the shifting experience even more so now and its shape is very similar to the OEM shift knob. 

SCCA License Plate Frame

I've been a member of the Sports Car Club of America for close to 12 years now. I love the club and the sport they help organize. I have no issues supporting them through my membership and by purchasing some of their gear while helping advertise for them on my car.

The purchase

I began actively searching for a BRZ sometime early to mid-November. While chatting with my car buddies on our discord chat room I remembered that my friend Clyde had sent me an autotrader link to a Lightning Red BRZ a few weeks back that was fairly local to us here in N.J. At the time when he sent me the link I wasn't really interested because I was set in finding an Argento FR-S. However, after a few days of extensive car searching I came to realize that the Lightning Red he had sent me was a good deal, and 30 min drive from my house. By this time I now knew that I also wanted a BRZ vs an FR-S because my eyes prefer the BRZ front-end and I also knew that I wanted a Limited trim because comfort & convenience for daily driving duties.

 Limited adds:

• Alcantara seat inserts with leather bolsters All-Weather Package (dual-mode heated front seats, heated exterior mirrors). The heated options are useful up here in the Northeast U.S.A
• Auto-dimming rear view mirror with homelink.
• Dual-zone automatic climate control system.
• Key less access and start(used to it with S2000 and wife's SUV.)

The Limited trim offers other minor differences but the above are the ones I cared about. I would have preferred no rear spoiler but it is what it is. 

A quick search in our chat room to find this link again and I was happy to see it was still available for sale and price had been reduced $1k since I first saw the ad.

Drove to BMW of Bloomfield one Saturday afternoon where I met with sales rep Jerry Martinez, nice gentlemen, never felt pressured by him to strike a deal. I'm not a fan of buying from dealerships but Jerry and the team made it pleasant. I test drove the car which had just around 13,323 miles on it. Did my own personal inspection , carfax checked out, visual inspection for all VIN tags were good, paint matched on all body panels, everything worked, no visible leaks anywhere, no weird noises(other than the infamous fuel pump chirping) and the test drive showed no signs of transmission, engine or other problems.
Looked good, felt good.

I left the dealership not striking a deal but felt good about that particular car. I wanted to go home and sleep on it. I decided to do a bit more homework on pricing and one final car search for local inventory within 100 or so miles to make sure nothing new that caught my eye had just been listed.

Fast forward a few days past Thanksgiving and my car search yielded this particular vehicle as being my best option at that time which met my criteria (fairly local, under $19k, mfg warranty still left, limited trim, under 15k miles on odometer). Called up Jerry and made an appt. to go see the car one more time, one more test drive, one more once over and then we sat and struck a deal.

Funny thing....on this day Jerry says "My manager says he knows you and your S2000"....err.....what?

Turns out one of the managers at BMW of Bloomfield is a local racer friend. Small world, I felt even more comfortable buying now.

Deal made and a couple of hours later I was driving her home. Woohoo

I spent a couple of hours when I got it home clearing out the garage to make room for Knuckles to sleep tucked away next to the S2000. Interestingly enough the red paint on both the BRZ and the S2000 are so close to each other. Heck, even my snow thrower's red paint matches!

So, why a Subaru BRZ?

It was a really hard decision on letting go of the Honda S2000(up for sale soon). It's such an amazing drivers car. The twin platform has now been out for 5 or so years and there are now hundreds of articles, reviews, forum threads etc speaking of how great the platform is. 

*not comparing to the S2000 or saying one is better than the other*. 

With the popularity of the platform within the import world and within SCCA (STX, DS) my interests had been slowly increasing. Sometime early 2017 I decided I wanted to start off by just driving one casually at a parking lot or around the block. Luckily for me being a member of the autocross community affords me the privilege of being around a variety of cars with friends more than willing to let you take it for a spin....literally. I was lucky enough that my friend James Tatad has had his 2013 for a bit now and was gracious enough to let me drive it up/down the service road by Metlife stadium. I just wanted to get a quick feel for its steering, visibility, seating position, cockpit layout and transmission. That short test drive peaked my interest even more. All of the above characteristics felt great. The 2017 season had just gotten started and it was time for me to concentrate on my STR car and my driving, so the BRZ/FR-S interest was put away for a bit. 

Fast forward a couple of months and now I'm wanting to go to Solo Nationals. There are basically two ways of attending Solo Nationals. 

a) you go in your own car

b) you fly & co-drive someone else's car.

I had limited time off left at work and other logistics such as recently moving to NJ from NY that taking my S2000 out there just seemed far fetched. So I set out to secure me a fly & drive. It just so happens that it was the same year that James Tatad was planning on taking his own car out to Nationals. James had gone to Solo Nationals for his first time in 2016 as a fly & drive arrangement of his own in Steve Seguis's STR Honda S2000 (Lupa). James was gracious enough to offer up the co-drive in his STX car for Nationals to me. How could I say no?

I was excited for many reasons. 

1. It's Nationals

2. It's Nationals

3. hanging out with a bunch of my friends, meet a bunch of new friends and get to race against the best in the country, in a car I was very interested in. Yea...I was excited. 

First things first...had to co-drive the car at a local event to start getting used to the cars dynamics. 

Co-driving James's STX 2013 Subaru BRZ with NNJR SCCA

Co-driving James's STX 2013 Subaru BRZ at the 2017 SCCA Solo National Championships

To get a feel for what Solo Nationals is, check out this video

Speedway Motors 2017 SCCA Solo National Championships Video

The test drive back home, then the local event co-drive, then the Nationals co-drive and finally the announcement of the much rumored twin Spec Class by the SCCA at Solo Nationals pretty much solidified me wanting to buy an FR-S or BRZ as my next car for the next couple of years.

The Solo Spec Coupe class was announced at the right time for me. Here I was needing to significantly keep my racing budget much lower than previous years while wanting/needing to downsize on number of vehicles in the household while still being able to enjoy autox. Yes I could have done stock class.FOMO

This is how I ended up deciding on an FR-S or BRZ for SSC class. It checks all the right boxes for me right now.  

Those close to me know that I was not looking for a red car again. When I set out to find a twin (FR-S or BRZ), I had decided on wanting an Argento FR-S but the forces of the universe landed me at BMW of Bloomfield, picking up a Lightning Red Subaru BRZ Limited. This particular car, a 2015 Subaru BRZ Limited, just so happened to meet my other criterias(price, mileage, trim, distance and history). I couldn't pass it up.

Most of my racing friends know me for my red Honda S2000 and they all say they can't picture me in another color. I guess this works. 

For those wondering why this blog's URL is KnucklesBRZ.

Simple...

I also race with a death grip, tight fisted , so this also fits the bill. Need to loosen up....

Hi, I'm Rad...

Hi, family and friends call me Rad, short for Radhames for those of you who weren't aware. Did you really think my name was Rad? lol

First time blogger(created an account back in 2007), long time avid motorsports guy. Also a proud father, husband and I.T geek. I had just purchased an 06 Acura RSX Type-S when I bumped onto a local metro area thread on a car forum discussing autocross at Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, NY. I was intrigued, I showed up to the next scheduled event, participated and I was hooked! 

Soon after getting home from that first event I immediately looked at the schedule for the next scheduled events. I autocrossed the RSX in STS class for a couple of years, on Falken Azenis (more on this later ) before moving onto a more aggressive RSX with modifications that placed it in Street Mod. I also played a bit with a swapped 99 Honda Civic Ek hatchback also in Street Mod and some HPDE. This was followed by purchasing a 2004 Honda S2000. 

 

I'd like to take this time to give thanks to Steguis for the co-drive in Bumblestook,  Rad gets some S2000 action in Bumblestook that would set the way for the following 6 years in STR from 2011 - 2017.
It wasn't my first time in an S2000 as my brother had one a couple of years prior.

Fun fact #1: I was not a fan of the S2000 back then, thought it was too cramped. LMAO.
Fun fact #2: I was not fan of the twin a few years back either...and here we are. 

The S2000 was mostly for autocrossing. It rarely was taken out of the garage for non-autox duty except for when it was gorgeous out and I wanted some top down action. Some life changing events has led me to needing and wanting a car that could serve multiple duties rather than having a full prep STR S2000 hard parked for a good chunk of the year. Yes you can daily drive an S2000 but I need something a bit more practical with at least 4 seats that I can bring my daughters in. 

The next car had to serve as a daily driver, autocross car and occasional track car.

Which brings us to my next motorsports chapter...

2015 Subaru BRZ Limited