For anyone desperate for more chassis stiffness, I've done probably every mod you can possibly do to stiffen an NA6 chassis, including some seam welding. What makes the most difference? A hard top. It is an actual different car with a hard top vs without. Somehow that piece of fibreglass solves about 80% of creaks, rattles and vibrations. Sorry if that's not what you want to hear!
@LukeEvans55 There are a bunch of things that can be really beneficial, including both hard tops and shock tower braces. We've also found that our Frame rail reinforcements, Butterfly brace, and Strong Arms are quite effective as well (though maybe not quite as much as a hard top). However, for the price of even a beat up hardtop these days, you can purchase all of our chassis stiffening parts, and still have a bunch of money left over!
More a general question: do you have a European dealership, to reduce costs and delivery time for European customers? I’m an absolute fan of the things you provide for the Miata, but the hassle and additional costs are a big hurdle for me
@@holz2140 that's in UK, so for most of Europe it still means expensive import duties. We need something in EU. SPS Motorsport is the only real option I know and that's way too expensive
Keith I purchased a new 2024 this past April and the brace incorporates the firewall by connecting the top of the shock tower to the firewall in (2) locations with a brace between the (2) diagonals just in front of the firewall. This seems to me to make a lot of sense when talking about increasing structural rigidity of the upper plane of the forward frame. As it braces the upper frame in both the diagonal and transverse directions. The only issue I see with Mazda's design is these additional members are bolted together with a single bolt per connection and no apparent secondary pinning. I would be interested in your thoughts on that design.
@hardrider55 You're right, Mazda did a great job on the design of the shock tower brace. It's not the sexiest thing ever, and a side-to-side (not diagonal) brace would give it more stiffness, but this is still good. Part of the benefit is that it has a very solid connection to the firewall, rather than being bolted into a flimsy piece of flat sheet metal. As for the single bolts, since the other ends of the arms are bolted down in two places, rotation effectively isn't allowed. Could it be stronger? Sure. Sexier? Definitely. But is it very solid and effective? Also definitely. Thanks for watching!
@@FlyinMiataVideo Keith I didn't do the engineering on this, but it appears to me that tying the towers to the firewall diagonally would brace the upper body from flexing dramatically not allowing the fender extensions to flex as much thereby adding rigidity from the "A" pillar forward. The transverse brace would help prevent the towers from collapsing during the high stresses added during cornering. I am not a design engineer but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.....Love watching your videos they are very informative.
There are no major mods required. Here are our instructions that go over the installation. s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/instructions.flyinmiata/suspension/FM_Shock_Tower_Brace_13-26050.pdf
Actually, double-checking ourselves on our previous response: A stock NB2 STB likely won't work with an NA. NB hoods are actually a bit taller than NA hoods where the STB goes over the engine (we had to try really hard to get fitment just right with our STB for all NAs and NBs), so the stock NB STB would probably contact the underside of the hood on an NA Miata.
A little off topic. I’m looking at a 2009 Sport trim with a PRHT. Low miles. It’s a 5 speed. How would I determine if it has the sport package with the limited slip differential? Would I be disappointed not having the LSD?
Give Mazda a call with the VIN handy. They can tell you what it should have come with from the factory. The classic LSD test (for cars, not the other stuff) is to put one wheel in the dirt/low traction surface and leave another on the road and give it a good launch. Did both tires spin? If yes, LSD! If no, *probably* not LSD. On the street, you probably wouldn't notice LSD vs non-LSD 99% of the time. If you're chasing lap times at the track, then maybe.
I noticed some light oxidation between my FM shock tower brace and the shock top, visible on the edge with it installed. Do you recommend a thin layer of RTV or something else between the two surfaces?
What's the difference of the OEM strut brace on my Miata NB and the aftermarket strut you guys are selling? Since my miata comes with one, do I need a different one?
It depends on if you have an NB1 or an NB2. The NB1 brace is not as well designed, with "hinge points" where the towers meet the cross bar. The NB2 unit is a good piece. Our brace is functionally similar to the NB2 unit, so there's not a strong reason to remove one of those to replace it. Our brace does allow use of our brake master cylinder brace, though - the factory braces are not compatible with it.
The shimmy is basically an interaction between the resonant frequency of the chassis and the rotational speed of the wheels. If your tires are out of round, the "exciting" vibration is stronger - so that's always the place to start. The other thing to do is to make the chassis stiffer, which will move the resonant frequency out of range. The shock tower brace might help, but something like our butterfly brace is probably a better first step as it addresses the biggest part of the car.
What they say about the tires is a good base point. The tires on my car were over 20 years old when I got it. Noticed an improvement. Then I got the brace the closes the U under the engine, your car may have come with that. Slight improvement again. Then I got paco strong arms, night and day. Shimmy is nonexistent completely gone. They were reasonably easy to install just remove the fender, you need to loosen the bumper for one front facing bolt, and there’s one bolt in front of the door behind the fender you go through the wheel well with a long extension. I do recommend buying from FLYIN Miata because their strong arms are painted or maybe powder coated. The ones on moss are bare
For anyone desperate for more chassis stiffness, I've done probably every mod you can possibly do to stiffen an NA6 chassis, including some seam welding. What makes the most difference?
A hard top.
It is an actual different car with a hard top vs without. Somehow that piece of fibreglass solves about 80% of creaks, rattles and vibrations. Sorry if that's not what you want to hear!
@LukeEvans55 There are a bunch of things that can be really beneficial, including both hard tops and shock tower braces. We've also found that our Frame rail reinforcements, Butterfly brace, and Strong Arms are quite effective as well (though maybe not quite as much as a hard top). However, for the price of even a beat up hardtop these days, you can purchase all of our chassis stiffening parts, and still have a bunch of money left over!
More a general question: do you have a European dealership, to reduce costs and delivery time for European customers? I’m an absolute fan of the things you provide for the Miata, but the hassle and additional costs are a big hurdle for me
I second this question ! You end up paying more of shipping and fees than actual goods :(
Yes please!
Moss Europe sell some of there parts
@@holz2140 that's in UK, so for most of Europe it still means expensive import duties. We need something in EU. SPS Motorsport is the only real option I know and that's way too expensive
@@ZvonECR0 well, actually there’s a moss europe shop now
Keith I purchased a new 2024 this past April and the brace incorporates the firewall by connecting the top of the shock tower to the firewall in (2) locations with a brace between the (2) diagonals just in front of the firewall.
This seems to me to make a lot of sense when talking about increasing structural rigidity of the upper plane of the forward frame. As it braces the upper frame in both the diagonal and transverse directions.
The only issue I see with Mazda's design is these additional members are bolted together with a single bolt per connection and no apparent secondary pinning.
I would be interested in your thoughts on that design.
@hardrider55 You're right, Mazda did a great job on the design of the shock tower brace. It's not the sexiest thing ever, and a side-to-side (not diagonal) brace would give it more stiffness, but this is still good. Part of the benefit is that it has a very solid connection to the firewall, rather than being bolted into a flimsy piece of flat sheet metal. As for the single bolts, since the other ends of the arms are bolted down in two places, rotation effectively isn't allowed. Could it be stronger? Sure. Sexier? Definitely. But is it very solid and effective? Also definitely. Thanks for watching!
@@FlyinMiataVideo Keith I didn't do the engineering on this, but it appears to me that tying the towers to the firewall diagonally would brace the upper body from flexing dramatically not allowing the fender extensions to flex as much thereby adding rigidity from the "A" pillar forward. The transverse brace would help prevent the towers from collapsing during the high stresses added during cornering.
I am not a design engineer but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.....Love watching your videos they are very informative.
I would like to install this on my bone-stock 93 Miata. Would I have to make any modifications?
There are no major mods required. Here are our instructions that go over the installation. s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/instructions.flyinmiata/suspension/FM_Shock_Tower_Brace_13-26050.pdf
I don't have access to a bar. Does an NB2 brace fit an NA8 chassis? Love you guys making videos covering these topics!
@spencerleeb It should - our shock tower braces will fit any NA or NB Miata so it's likely a stock NB2 bar would as well. Thank you for watching!
Actually, double-checking ourselves on our previous response: A stock NB2 STB likely won't work with an NA. NB hoods are actually a bit taller than NA hoods where the STB goes over the engine (we had to try really hard to get fitment just right with our STB for all NAs and NBs), so the stock NB STB would probably contact the underside of the hood on an NA Miata.
A little off topic. I’m looking at a 2009 Sport trim with a PRHT. Low miles. It’s a 5 speed. How would I determine if it has the sport package with the limited slip differential? Would I be disappointed not having the LSD?
Give Mazda a call with the VIN handy. They can tell you what it should have come with from the factory.
The classic LSD test (for cars, not the other stuff) is to put one wheel in the dirt/low traction surface and leave another on the road and give it a good launch. Did both tires spin? If yes, LSD! If no, *probably* not LSD.
On the street, you probably wouldn't notice LSD vs non-LSD 99% of the time. If you're chasing lap times at the track, then maybe.
I noticed some light oxidation between my FM shock tower brace and the shock top, visible on the edge with it installed. Do you recommend a thin layer of RTV or something else between the two surfaces?
@erykszymanski9167 We don't put anything in between those surfaces, no.
does this clear na6 ABS?
It does!
How much does the FM bar weigh? I don't see it listed in the product description.
Should be right around 8 pounds shipped. Take off a couple tenths for the packing material, so actual installed weight is around 7ish pounds.
What's the difference of the OEM strut brace on my Miata NB and the aftermarket strut you guys are selling? Since my miata comes with one, do I need a different one?
It depends on if you have an NB1 or an NB2. The NB1 brace is not as well designed, with "hinge points" where the towers meet the cross bar. The NB2 unit is a good piece. Our brace is functionally similar to the NB2 unit, so there's not a strong reason to remove one of those to replace it. Our brace does allow use of our brake master cylinder brace, though - the factory braces are not compatible with it.
@@FlyinMiataVideo sounds good. I have an NB2. Do you recommend the rear strut tower in the trunk?
@@dha588 Not at all. They offer no benefit on a Miata.
Is there a need for one of these in a 2016?
Nvm, answer later in video
@@dippedoreoes Thanks for watching!
Does this bar help with the 63mph shimmy? I've tried everything to eliminate that on my 99
The shimmy is basically an interaction between the resonant frequency of the chassis and the rotational speed of the wheels. If your tires are out of round, the "exciting" vibration is stronger - so that's always the place to start. The other thing to do is to make the chassis stiffer, which will move the resonant frequency out of range. The shock tower brace might help, but something like our butterfly brace is probably a better first step as it addresses the biggest part of the car.
What they say about the tires is a good base point. The tires on my car were over 20 years old when I got it. Noticed an improvement. Then I got the brace the closes the U under the engine, your car may have come with that. Slight improvement again. Then I got paco strong arms, night and day. Shimmy is nonexistent completely gone. They were reasonably easy to install just remove the fender, you need to loosen the bumper for one front facing bolt, and there’s one bolt in front of the door behind the fender you go through the wheel well with a long extension. I do recommend buying from FLYIN Miata because their strong arms are painted or maybe powder coated. The ones on moss are bare
@@ST0DDR0Di recommend the v8 roadster cowl arms as well. Very light and very good at its job
Will this bar clear a Jackson Racing M45?
Good question! We don't have one here to measure on, but our experience with some of our previous designs is that it will probably not fit.
Hell yea
Stay! LOL I do that all the time.
Sit! Roll over! Speak!
Can I buy a raw one so I can black powder coat it
You could powdercoat the stainless steel. It's not coated.
@@FlyinMiataVideo will do thank you
@@malkionx You are welcome and thank you for watching!