Amuse R1 Titan Shift Knob – AKA the Holy Grail

July 15, 2019 / jasonhoang / 4 Comments

Well, it’s the Holy Grail for me at least…

I’ll be honest – the shift knob wasn’t something I was dying to change. I was pretty happy with the stock one and there wasn’t anything out there that I really loved. I’m a sucker for Titanium blue knobs so that narrowed down my options substantially. It was a toss up between ordering another WC Lathewerks one, J’s Racing, ARC, Moonface, or the Amuse R1. I was leaning towards the WC Lathewerks because of the option of being able to customize the whole knob and colour, but I also wanted to try one of the “big name” knobs to see what all the hype is about.

The J’s and ARC are really small in diameter and I don’t see the appeal in them, personally. The Moonface knob proved to be rather difficult to find without either A) getting price gouged or B) being a fake. WC lathewerks is the heaviest of the bunch and has the perfect diameter which is perfect – but the grass is always greener on the other side… So that left the Amuse R1. To be honest, I wasn’t really looking all that hard because, as I mentioned, I wasn’t in a rush to replace the stock one.

But as always, when I get the idea of something, I can’t move on until I get it… Bad habit to have. At the same time, I was talking to Peter about shift knobs and he informed me that Amuse went out of business and any outstanding orders were basically dead in the water. Any other businesses that didn’t know would still take your order and you’d be left without your deposit in some cases. This causes a ripple effect on any existing products that consumers may have – prices go up because they are now a commodity.

So, I put forward my plea on Instagram to see if anyone had a J’s Racing or Amuse knob and as luck would have it, the stars aligned for me once again. Ernyel messaged me on Instagram and told me he had one for me. With the knowledge that Amuse is now out of business and an Amuse R1 titan knob being offered to me – what more convincing did I need? With the transaction completed – Ernyel shipped it out and I had it within a matter of days.

Not many pics because it’s literally just a shift knob but I’ve been writing about it like it’s some big performance mod LOL. I really like the feel of it – it’s not a full sphere but it’s not oval either – it’s got a very slight tear drop pull at the bottom that you don’t see on many knobs. I’ve always been a fan of the spherical knobs because they’re more aesthetically pleasing to look at.

The really cool thing about it is that the colour changes quite drastically depending on which angle you’re looking at it from. From the very top, it’s a very bright and vibrant blue. About a quarter way down, it starts to lighten and turn to a blue/purple.

Then finally when you get down side by side with it, you see almost no blue at all and only purple and gold/yellow. It’s pretty trippy actually especially when I compare it to the WC lathewerks – the burn quality is extremely top notch – I guess something to be expected from Amuse and their signature titanium burns. Not that WC lathewerks is not top notch (cause it also is), but the spectrum of colours on the Amuse knob is impressive.

You can also see the slight teardrop pull down at the very bottom of the knob. Pairs nicely with the J’s Racing shift boot IMO. All that text for a shift knob… LOL

Whatever – Holy Grail acquired!

Happy Canada Day!

July 2, 2019 / jasonhoang / Leave a comment

Late post… But better than nothing.

Had some Canada Day theme going on outside our place this past weekend. Thought it was cool. We always have a problem with having coloured cars… It’s always either white, black, or red LOL.

Been waiting to put on a level one decal on the CTR. Didn’t feel right to put it on a stock car… Feels wrong LOL. JC brought this one over for me finally 🙂

Took some quick shots as well – everyone’s car was dirty but still looked good. Been a while since I’ve seen Punit’s Integra.

Aria decided to come out too but has no concept of personal space or line of vision!! Darn kids. Rich’s IS is there somewhere…

Oh there… I’m really digging the look of his IS. He painted practically the whole front end himself in his garage and it’s pretty good! Wouldn’t mind owning one of these one day…

JC’s new IS sitting on the new RSR Down springs that we got him for his birthday already. Perfect drop… Just needs wheels *cough cough*.

He also installed that expensive ass set of OEM visors too.

Here’s that Canada Day theme going on…

And then finally got that decal on. I ended up moving my “lifewithjson” one to the rear to even things out. Was a little too busy up front…

Is it just me or is a decal sometimes like the cherry on top for some cars? The levelone decal is so perfectly simple and symmetrical (for an OCD guy like me) to really just finish it off, even if it is just a decal.

Mission: Cool Daily Driver – Completed

June 18, 2019 / jasonhoang / 2 Comments

Finally got a chance to take some pics of the final form of the FK8 for now. It’s been a long (and expensive) few weeks to get to this point. I had the vision long before I picked up the car, it was just a matter of getting all the parts to get it done. I was lucky enough to be in a “at the right place at the right time” situation for everything and it all started with the wheels, like I mentioned in my post when I got the wheels. Everything kind of followed along from there.

I’m lucky to be surrounded with such a diverse group of friends and companies that are able to source and get me what I need quick. If you know me (or have dealt with me), I always want things yesterday and can be super impatient LOL. Luckily, everyone that has helped me along the way knows this and that’s the only reason why the car sits the way it does today – less than one month in of owning the car.

I’m pretty damn happy with how it turned out – not a huge surprise if I’m going to be honest – only because I’ve imagined it, photoshopped it, and illustrated it so many damn times. It’s just good to see in person and to have it all come to reality.

Profile shot so you can see the drop – this shows it well. I spent a lot of time deciding on which suspension to go with. There isn’t much, which makes it easy but hard at the same time…

A few options off the top of my head is the infamous Swift Springs – which is one of the lowest drops you can get right now. RSR Super downs which would be pretty damn close or lower. Both of which would be too low for my liking and my needs, despite it looking super slick.

Another option on the more conservative side is the Eibach pro-kit. I was originally thinking of this, but then Kevin Yong (also another FK8 friend) swayed me away from it because of the progressive spring rate. It essentially lowers the rear slightly more than the front but it looks uneven at the end of the day. It’s also about a 0.8″ drop so it’s a very light drop. The same goes for the Spoon springs – progressive, but also a lot pricier than it’s counter-part Pro Kit.

At the angle above where you’re down low – it almost looks like there’s a lot of gap but at other angles, there isn’t. It really depends on where you’re looking at it.

I settled on Eibach Sportlines instead – a nice 1″ drop all around, not progressive – practical and usable for daily driving with the two kids and a wife in the car. Don’t have to worry too much about clearance or not being able to get places.

For the tires – Alex was able to help me out and source a set of Yokohama AD08R’s in 255/35/18 really quick. This man does not sleep and is able to get things in so quick. I’m happy to be part of the Honda family again because of him LOL!

It’s a nice change from the Michelin PSS that I’ve been using over the years. I think these are the most aesthetic tires IMO and it’s a nice pair up with the Advan GT’s.

I just hate hate how the spoke engraving is upside down when lined up with the Brembo rotor LOL. F!

I know there are some elitists out there with lug nuts and balk at the idea of pairing Rays lugs with Advan wheels. I’ll be honest with you – I didn’t even think of the pairing when I purchased them nor did I know Advan made lug nuts LOL. Still looks good to me though… I just tell people I’m trying not to be racist. 🙂

Overall – a nice simple look for me for now. I enjoy how the car looks and it really doesn’t need much to be decent.

The Umber Bronze looks fantastic – slightly darker than the Volk bronze but also much glossier. I mean at first glance, you might even think these were TE37’s if you weren’t paying much attention since that’s the combo most FK8 owners are on.

The great thing about Umber Bronze is that it looks different depending on the lighting. It looks like a very dark brown in the shade, but turns to a high gloss and bright bronze in the sun.

Here’s a shot in the sun for comparison…

The one thing that I “try” to do when building my cars is to be different. I know, it’s so cliche but it’s just what makes building a car so much more rewarding, you know? It’s not like these Advan GT’s in Umber Bronze were made just for me – there are probably hundreds of sets worldwide in this colour by now. The same goes for the Mugen visors and de-striping the red and every other mod I’ve done.

The FK8 – like the FRS platform – is such a popular one that it becomes hard to make it different. The only thing that can help you stand out at the end of the day is the execution. Anyone can take a Type R and slap TE37’s on it but the execution of it all is what’s important – how clean is the car/wheels, how’s the ride height, how’s the paint condition – everything comes together. I think of building my car as getting ready to show it at a car show every time. If you only get your car ready for a car show during a car show – chances are it won’t look like it’s full ready for a car show. Don’t @ me.

On another note – I really dig the concavity of the GT’s even in this size. It’s a little more aggressive than TE37’s that it almost competes with the new Face 4 TE37’s that just got released.

And one from the back – I wish I had a nice 135L F2.0 to really get a good shot of the rear but I won’t talk about spending money anymore because Diana will read this soon and she’ll kill me before I make it to bed.

I’ll try to get more shots soon!

FK8 Mugen Visors Install

June 13, 2019 / jasonhoang / Leave a comment

Not a particularly exciting install, but it’s an install nonetheless! Nick ordered the Mugen visors for me a week or so ago and they finally landed. Picked them up yesterday and installed them when I got home. I was never a huge fan of visors but on the FK8, they flow nicely with the rest of the car and add a little more “flare” up top to balance out everything going on on the bottom of the car.

Obligatory Mugen box pic to prove no fakes. There are a ton out there… Nothing against them, but I like knowing I have the real deal. Makes me feel like a big boy. LOL

Install was pretty straightforward. Kind of weird but nothing difficult. Pull the rubber out, install clips, put rubber back.

Two clips per window.

Then you literally pull off a piece of the 3M double-sided tape, line up the holes and push the “rivets” together to keep the visor together with the clip and stick onto the car. The obvious “clean the surface and line up properly” applies here…

Done. Another minimalist mod that adds a nice touch to the exterior. Perfect…. Cause I never open my windows.

The seal of authenticity, if you will. It’s pretty hidden and hard to see. Even taking this shot was tough. It’s engraved but on the backside – you can only see it in certain angles.