Stebel

Stebel Nautilus Air Horn

[4/2/2007] Reviewed by: Jon - ellcapitan@optonline.net

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

Compact unitized compressor/dual air horn, that replaces the single-tone electric "beep" factory horn. Purchased from Thompson.

Installation was straightforward enough, although as already mentioned, some clarification would be in order as to the use of brackets, and the necessity (or lack thereof) of the the included relay. A 20 amp fuse is included to replace the 15 amp one, but the instructions, which are supposedly Miata-specific, call the fuse something different from what is actually on the fuse panel (in a '90 NA), leaving you to guess which fuse to pull. I also found the space to work with, installing the horn, rather tight.

While a definite improvement over stock (which is not really saying much), The horn is higher pitched and not as loud as I had expected and hoped it would be. To me, it doesn't sound any more "masculine" than stock either. The fact that the sound is definitely distinctive is the only real reason that I like it.

Under 30 minutes to remove completely

Thompson's Stebel Nautilus Horn

[7/23/2006] Reviewed by: Christian Worrell - acworrell@adelphia.net

Applicable to: '99-'05 1.8 liter

Compact Air Horn

Nice product. Loud but not deafening. Fast delivery from Thompson's.

Relatively easy install. Hardest part was figuring out that I did not need to re-use the old mounting bracket (Thompson's instructions are unclear on this point as I've noticed other reviewers mentioning the same issue). If I had figured that out sooner, it would have been a 20 minute install at most.

Under 30 minutes to remove completely

Nautilus Air Horn by Stebel (sold by Thompson)

[8/14/2006] Reviewed by: Nick Venditti - nickvenditti@gmail.com

Applicable to: '90 - '97 '99-'05 '06+ 1.6 liter

Great horn - nice loud, peppy noise. slightly higher pitches for that sports car feel. Small and compact - fits where the directions say it will!

Took me about 45 minutes to install - 15 minutes to remove a bolt (from a '93 - probably a little rusted), a few minutes to assemble horn and provided bracket (which is nice to have!), and another 20 minutes to re-tighten the bolt. It's a tight fit for 2 hands and a wrench, but do-able with some patience.

Not a 5 minute installation, but definitely doable in 30 minutes. Email me if you want photo's or have questions.

Under 30 minutes to remove completely

Thompson Automotive (Seibel) Twin Air Horn

[7/7/2006] Reviewed by: Stephen Corona - scorona1@rochester.rr.com

Applicable to: '90 - '97 '99-'05 '06+ 1.6 liter 1.8 liter

This is a nice repackaging of the Nautilus Compact Air Horn. Thompson provides a horn, 20 Amp fuse, relay (not needed), wiring converter, ground wire, mounting bracket, and instructions.

Installation was quick (15 minutes) once I got it through my head that the existing bracket wasn't needed. The horn sounds great, not quite as loud as I expected from some of the previous comments but certainly loud enough to do the job and not to loud to offend.

I liked the sound of the horn so well I picked up another Nautilus from Harbor Freight for my Pontiac Vibe. Harbor sells it for $39.95 (same as Thompson) but no custom bracket or wiring harness. Fabricating a bracket was easy and I had wire and connectors so it wasn't a problem but I would recommend buying from Thompson for a Miata application since it saves an extra 30-45 minutes of fiddling around.

Under 5 minutes to remove

Steibel Nautilus Air horn sold by Thompson Automotive

[7/3/2006] Reviewed by: James Russell

Applicable to: '99-'05 1.8 liter

A one piece air horn & compressor unit.

Great! Highly recommended.

Do NOT misread the installation instructions as I did. They are very clear but I must have suffered from a brain cloud at the time. I spent an hour trying to make the supplied bracket attach to the upper existing bracket and clear the radiator. Multiple installation and removals for bending, etc. I emailed Thompson the next day to ask what was up and he (Very politely) asked if somehow I had lost the instructions and he included a PDF of them and he mentioned that the original horn brackets, both of them, are removed from the car and the new one supplied is used. I felt like a total idiot. I removed the horn, took off the (Much modified by me) original upper bracket and bolted the horn on the way it shows in the instructions in less than 5 minutes. The instructions ARE clear, it was just me. Please hold your laughter down, it culd happen to you some day!

Under 30 minutes to remove completely

Nautilus Compact Twin-Tone air horn from Thompson Automotive Products

[5/6/2006] Reviewed by: Jeff Lancaster - usrefl@hotmail.com

Applicable to: '90 - '97 1.8 liter

Nautilus Compact Twin-Tone air horn This horn comes with all mounting hardware (including a Thompson Automotive custom designed mounting bracket), a ground wire and full installation instructions. The horn assembly mounts right where your stock horn mounts and uses the same connector. So it is literally "plug & play"

I am not very mechanically inclined, but the instruction were decent and had color photos which helped. Once installed, I was very surprised at the level of sound ( 139 decibals ) and the tone was rich. It's a dual tone horn and it's Italian so it has the Ferrari sound without the Ferrari price. Very nice.

I would recommend this to anyone looking to upgrade to the "meep meep" stock horn and still have the quick response of an electric horn with a full rich sound.

Over 30 minutes to remove completely

Steibel Nautilus Air horn sold by Thompson Automotive

[5/5/2006] Reviewed by: Ben Upton

Applicable to: '90 - '97 '99 +

Compact dual Airhorn

Its freaking loud, the install took me about 5 mins. No trouble at all. Unlike the wimpy stock horn, these will be heard.

Good price, Great product, and great customer service by Thompson Auto.

Under 5 minutes to remove

Stebel Nautilus Horn

[3/31/2006] Reviewed by: chris holland

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

Replacement horn for NA,NB,and NC MX-5 Miata

Just installed today

Wow! It's really loud and cool sounding! When I blow my horn, everyone gets out of the way. It took about 20 minutes to install...the hardest part was uninstalling the factory horn. Removal of factory horn looks straightforward but it's a pain getting your hands and tools to the removal bolts. Once the factory unit is out, it's a 5 minute job or less. Instructions would be better served with larger pictures but otherwise clear.

Under 5 minutes to remove

Stebel Nautilus

[3/23/2006] Reviewed by: azmiata - azmiata@gmail.com

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

Stebel Nautilus Air Horn

1 week in my 92 C Package.

This product is amazing. I purchased it from Thompson Automotive products, and he included a bracket adapter, a fuse, hardware, and good installation instructions. The sound is nice a loud, and melodic without being goofy. I have already used it twice in traffic situations that got people's attention. It is a huge upgrade to the stock horn. I would reccomend this to anyone looking for extra safety and security. It is easy to install, took about an hour (I took my time). I would recommend buying it from Thompson Automotive, it shipped out right away by two day air, and the packaging and instructions were excellent.

Under 30 minutes to remove completely

Stebel Nautilus Compact Horn

[3/7/2006] Reviewed by: Christopher Mortlock - madcatrun@cox.net

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

Compact electric twin tone air horns in the shape of a "nautilus". Measured at 139dB(A). Made for replacement of the stock "whimpy-anemic" horn found in our Miatas. $38.95

Nice compact design. Just your basic plug-n-play (at least for my 90 it was). Only problem was the lack of space in which to manuever the horn around, in order to mount it properly. Would of been easier to do if my ratcet did'nt decide to take a dive on me, and fall apart (very unheard of, esp. for a Husky). All in all a great product! :) Can't wait to test it out properly on my way to work tomorrow!! :) SUVs stand by!!!!

Thompson Automotive was very curtious, and had the product shipped the following day. Inside were very detailed instructions. I'm very satisfied with this product, and will do business with Thompson again. As for the horn....a W-A-A-A-A-A-A-Y

Under 5 minutes to remove

Stebel Nautilus dual Air horns

[12/28/2005] Reviewed by: David North

Applicable to: '90 - '97

Stebel Nautilus dual air-horn, built in compressor. Draws 12v/18amps!

I LOVE these.... 139db! People actually look to see what's making noise! Quite a contrast to the factory beeper (which I still like the sound of anyway). I wanted to put a select switch in & keep both horns, but I got lazy & just replaced the factory horn with the stebel. I'll retrofit the selector switch someday. Mounted using a large "T" strap I got at home depot. I ran a fused 12ga wire from the main fuse box to the horn relay & sheathed it in split-loom tubing & wire-tied it to existing harnesses. I bought my horn from adventurersworkshop.com - no troubles. See www.stebel.it, select products->electropneumatics->nautilus_series for pix & a sample sound. Since it's an air-horn, and I didn't have familiarity with these built-in compressor type air-horns, I was concerned about whether or not the horn would fire immediately or not. There is no perceptible delay.

Much recommended improvement to your audibility in traffic!

Under 30 minutes to remove completely