Griffiths Equipment
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Griffiths Equipment Ltd distribute auto accessories and car parts for all models of cars, vans, and four wheel drives.

The major product brands we distribute are

All Blacks - is a range of licensed car accessories that include seat covers, floor mats, number plate frames, mobile phone holders, drink holders, etc.

Antech - Antech has the largest range of aerials and replacement aerial masts in New Zealand, our extensive range of universal aerials include all the popular styles. Roof mount, gutter grip, pillar mount and the various types of cowl Mount (spring base, retractable and rubber) aerials. We also carry a vast range of manual OEM aerials to suit most New Zealand new and Japanese import vehicles. If your looking for electric aerials (automatic or semi-automatic), we have a comprehensive range of both universal and OEM to suit your needs.

Car Plan - Tetrosyl Automotive is the largest supplier of car care products in Britain with a 47% share of the UK retail automotive market for chemicals and lubricants. The CarPlan brand has made Tetrosyl the leading car care supplier to national DIY and grocery multiples as well as traditional car care accessory outlets.

Looney Tunes - is a range of licensed car accessories that include seat covers, floor mats, number plate frames, mobile phone holders, drink holders, etc.

Momo began in the 1960's with a passion for motor racing. Momo now supplys a premium range of Tuning Accessories including: Shift Knobs, Steering wheels, Pedals. Racing gear includes: Fireproof clothing, Boots, Seats, Steering Wheels and Momo also supply's a range of road wheels.

Narva - is a range of auto electrical products including lamps, driving lights, LED lights, trailer lamps, etc.

Plasti Dip - is an air dry, synthetic rubber coating that can be easily applied by spraying, brushing or dipping. PLASTI DIP® resists moisture, acids, abrasion, weathering, electrical shock, skidding/slipping, corrosion; coats and gives a comfortable, controlled, colour coded grip to all types of tools; lawn and garden, mechanical, electrical, woodworking and masonry.

Projecta - is a range of battery changers, inverters, solar panels, vehicle accessories, terminals and cables.

SAAS - Steering wheels, gear shift knobs, pedal pad sets, air vents, engine filters, and other popular car accessories.

RainX - The all-new RAIN-X ANTI-FOG for interior glass is another breakthrough in surface treatment technology by the inventors of Rain-X – “The invisible Windshield Wiper” – for exterior glass. It is unlike any other anti-fog, anti-steam or anti-mist product previously available.

Slick 50 - is a range of oil additives and oil treatments for your car.

Type S - The latest Japanese designed accessories for the New Zealand market. Window tint, seat covers, seat belt pads, mobile phone holders, drink holders, lights, and clocks are just some of the Type S touring items available to customise the interior of your car.

Wildcat - has a vast range of automotive accessories such as aerials, number plate frames, steering wheel covers, steering wheels, seat covers, engine filters and other popular auto accessories.

Yada - The only “Car-Centric” Bluetooth® solution with a unique take on hands-free communication. Yada products are designed to help make wireless communication less stressful while driving.

Griffiths Equipment Limited
22-24 Olive Road
Penrose
Auckland
New Zealand

Subaru BRZ

BRZ Premium with 6-speed manual As good as the BRZ auto is (and it's very impressive), I'm glad I drove it first, because the Premium model with the standard six-speed manual is the purist's delight.

But check your purists preconceptions at the door, because this ain't no stripper model. Perhaps as a nod to Scion's content-cramming technique, all BRZ models come standard with a limited-slip differential; cruise control; eight-speaker audio system with navigation and XM radio; leather-wrapped steering wheel, shift knob, and e-brake handle; soft-touch dash; and black fabric trim. Step up from base Premium spec to Limited, and you get leather/Alcantara seats and surfaces, 17-inch wheels with summer tires (instead of 16s with all-seasons), vented 11.6-inch disc brakes up front, and vented 11.5-inches at the rear.

But back to how it drives. Ergonomics play a bigger factor in the manual as your right hand must frequently leave the wheel to engage the six-speed trans. Shifter position and feel is excellent, lighter yet tighter, and far less rubbery than the WRX STI's hand-built gearbox (the two share the shift knob and lever arm). To be fair, the latter is built for the abuse of a much heavier, 300-hp rally racer. In terms of weighting and crispness, the BRZ is mighty impressive, though I'd still give the Mazda MX-5 the nod in terms of near-perfect positioning.

Why do we still love manuals so much? Because direct control over the transmission allows the driver to really ring out the RPMs and fill the BRZ's cabin with arguably the best exhaust note a Subaru has ever produced. It's loud and not particularly smooth, but completely beguiling and perhaps the beefiest-sounding 200-horsepower four-cylinder engine note around.

Manuals also encourage drag launches and other hooliganism. With VSC Sport on, one-two shifts near the 7400 RPM redline will loudly chirp rear tires. The two-three shift gives only the faintest pip, and not all the time (remember, there are only 150 lb-ft of torque). Wring it out all the way through sixth gear and you can enter SKC's 43-degree banking over 120 mph. At that speed, the BRZ feels stable and planted -- perhaps due to the number of aerodynamic doodads (rear diffuser, double bubble roof, deck wing [Limited only]) that help the car achieve a 0.27 coefficient of drag. We didn't attempt VMAX, but Subaru engineer say a 7450-rpm fuel cutoff limits top speed to 220 kmh -- which is approximately 136.7 mph. To be honest, that seems a bit low.

On the handling course, you can drive the manual BRZ differently than the auto -- upshifting and rev-match downshifting at will -- but you don't have to. Though relatively low on torque, the FA20 is quick to rev and pulls the 2800-pound chassis around with no real flat spots in acceleration. I left it in third gear for two laps of the road course and never felt the need to downshift, except for the tightest of hairpin corners. Staying in second meant bouncing off the 7400-rpm rev limit or repeatedly snicking the fantastic transmission.

Just before I headed out to track for my second stint in the 6MT, a BRZ engineer let slip that the lateral acceleration target is 1.0g I tried to validate this claim on a giant circular skidpad using my patented belly fat accelerometer, but gave up after about 90 degrees in favor of practicing my best Keiichi Tsuchiya impersonations.

As I said earlier, yes, the BRZ will drift, and it is a beautiful thing. The combination of low mass, low center of gravity, and rear-wheel drive creates a neutral-handling vehicle that needs only to be flicked into a corner to get the rear tires breaking sideways (no clutch kicking or other abuse needed). With just enough torque available low in the rev range, and a reasonably high redline, BRZ can keep its tires spinning while the exploratory "dabs of oppo" can be dialed in. This very different from the Miata/MX-5, which is only beginning to break sideways at the top of its rev range before you must shift and kill any sideways momentum.

But it's not quite ready for Formula D just yet. While it has the snap to transition quickly from side-to-side and drift-to-drift, the BRZ needs more power to sustain the kind of high-speed drifts that win head-to-head battles. However, it would make a killer track day or autocross racer right off the lot with just a stickier set of tires (and Subaru says you can do that by folding down the rear seats and stuffing the 6.9-cubic-foot trunk with spares and tools. Try that in your Miata.)

Final Thoughts: The BRZ delivers as promised. Handling is as sweet as Orange Tang, but far less artificial-tasting. Power is not neck-snapping, but the car has just enough to make it exceptionally responsive. My frequent Mazda MX-5/Miata references are no mistake; the BRZ is definitely in that Zoom Zoom category of vehicles that deliver grins from pinning occupants to the side bolsters rather than seatbacks. The low mass, low center of gravity, and lack of dive and roll combine with direct steering and excellent outward visibility to create an exceptionally focused and pleasurable driving experience. With the BRZ, instead of adding speed with the gas pedal, you can refrain from subtracting speed with the brakes. The car is about carrying speed and momentum, and will surely be snapped up by auto crossers and track day enthusiasts alike. Our drive was brief, but the takeaway message is that the BRZ is a scalpel in the current rear-drive knife fight.

The 2013 Subaru BRZ will be available in seven colors (black, pearl white, silver, dark grey, dark blue, world rally blue, and red) when it goes on sale in May 2012.

Expected volume for the BRZ is in the neighborhood of 3600-4000 per year and the cars will be built alongside the Toyota GT86 and Scion FR-S at Subaru's Gunma Main Plant. Prices are said to be "very close to the WRX" for base model (Premium), so expect $24,000 for Premium models and roughly $27,000 for the BRZ Limited. As precision surgical instruments go, that's a pretty good deal. 2013 Subaru BRZ BASE PRICE $24,000 (est)

VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, rwd, 4-pass, 2-door, coupe
ENGINES 2.0 L/200-hp /150-lb-ft (est) DOHC 16-valve flat-4
TRANSMISSION TRANSMISSIONS 6-speed manual, 6-speed auto
CURB WEIGHT 2700 lbs (est)
WHEELBASE 101.2 in
LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT 166.7 x 69.9 x 50.6 in
0-60 MPH 6.2 sec (MT est)
EPA CITY/HWY FUEL ECON NA/30 mpg (est)
ENERGY CONSUMPTION, CITY/HWY NA
CO2 EMISSIONS NA
ON SALE IN U.S. May 2012


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