Thompson Automotive

Thompson lower front brace

[5/6/2013] Reviewed by: drumnow

Applicable to: '90 - '97 1.6 liter

red steel lower suspension brace http://www.thompson-automotive.com/catalog/item/7808684/8353064.htm

about 15 min to get bolted in. nice looking. comes with backing plates.

I went with the steel because I have seen some fatigue with various aluminum bits that are under constant stress. Immediate improvement. Like one of the previous posts, "it must have been flopping around like a wet noodle before." Since this inexpensive and easy to install product fixes problems that everyone experiences with NA Miatas, there is no reason it isn't on every ones car already. I wish I would have done this years ago.

Under 5 minutes to remove

Thompson Automotive Front subframe brace

[5/4/2011] Reviewed by: Dan Moody - daniel@moodyfamily.net

Applicable to: '90 - '97 '99-'05 1.6 liter 1.8 liter

Front subframe brace for NA and NB Miatas. Bolts up to existing holes in subframe using four bolts. Bolts and "homemade" nutplates included. Bright red powder coat for some reason.

I was initially not terribly impressed with the product. One of the welds in particular looked pretty sloppy. The powder coating was as expected, but I have no idea why bright red was chosen when nobody will ever be able to see the part, and it will be covered in oil and road grime before long anyway. Despite this, it seemed quite strong, so I elected to go ahead and install it. I elected to jack the car up and rest the car on jackstands so that the subframe would be "at rest" when I installed the brace. Installation was pretty easy with the included nutplates (two nuts spot welded to a thin sheet of steel). All the holes lined up properly. I used a torque wrench to ensure the bolts were torqued to the recommended 45 ft/lbs. This ended up being a lot tighter than I had initially thought - I highly recommend double-checking your work with a torque wrench. As the previous reviewer said, I could tell the difference before I'd completely backed out of the driveway. My control arm mounts must have been flopping around like noodles before. The car is much more composed at all speeds. Hitting potholes or big bumps no longer causes my dashboard to creak. Cowl shake has been nearly eliminated. Turn-in even feels a bit more immediate. I'm very pleased with the product and would have no problem recommending it.

My car is a 1990, which did not have factory braces. I had about 175,000 miles on it when the brace was installed. It's entirely possible that my results may be a lot more extreme than a car with low miles or with factory braces.

Under 30 minutes to remove completely

Thompson Automotive Products front chassis brace

[3/2/2011] Reviewed by: Ryan Greene

Applicable to: '90 - '97 '99-'05 1.6 liter 1.8 liter

Front subframe brace for NA and NB Miatas. Bolts up to existing holes in frame using four 9/16" bolts. All hardware included. Bright red powder coat. (

Marvelous product! Inexpensive ($86 shipped), easy to install, hot looking, and WOW what a difference!! This brace has made my '97 M-edition with 168,000 miles feel like a brand new car. You know how people always say, "I noticed a difference before I even got to the end of my street."? Well, I really did notice a difference in the feel of the car before I even had it backed out of the driveway! Total install time, including finding the ramps and putting up the front end, took less than a half hour. Provided are the brace itself, four bolts, and two backing plates that slip into the lower control arm mounts.

For the price, this is probably the best thing I have ever done for my car. I HIGHLY recommend this brace for EVERYONE! I cannot emphasize enough how SOLID my car feels now over rough roads, driveways, whatever. The thing drives like it's on rails: nice, heavy steering feel that is soo smooth, soo firm, and never, ever jerks around in your hands anymore. To reiterate, go buy this brace! Now! Go, do it!

Under 30 minutes to remove completely