Applicable to: '90 - '97 '99-'05 1.6 liter 1.8 liter
Frame rail reinforcement pieces.
They took a while to install because I'm a slow mechanic, but otherwise everything went off without any major hitches. I spent around 2-3 hours installing these two pieces, but I was very pleased with the results. The instructions were easy enough to follow, and the only real difficulties I had were 1) having the nerve to drill holes in my car, and 2) though I bent the fuel/brake line brackets per FM's instructions, I found that the lines would not clear the final bolt at the rear of the reinforcement piece. My solution was to wrap the lines with some pieces of hose, which will hopefully prevent the lines from wearing on the bolt. After all was said and done I found that the reinforcements did give a noticeable improvement in ride quality. I am running Koni adjustable shocks and Jackson sways, and was getting kind of tired of driving my car around Portland because the roads are fairly rough. Now, instead of being jarred over every single bump the ride is much more pleasant. Yes, I still feel the bumps in the road, but the edge has been taken off, so they feel softer and far more manageable. As far as handling goes, it feels to me like I have a better idea of how the whole car is reacting--meaning less of a separation between the front and rear end.
I'm glad I spent the money and the time on this product, because it genuniely seems to work as advertised and I appreciate the benefits.
Difficult to remove without leaving damage
Applicable to: '90 - '97
Two rails that cover the factory frame rails to add rigidity to the body.
Finally installed mine. Took about 2 hours or so. While not for the faint of heart, due to the drilling required, they are not hard to install at all. With my car I did run into a snag placing the rails according to the instructions. The rear bolt holes lined up with the edge of the rear wall leading to the parcel shelf, making it impossible to put a bolt there. Talked to Keith at Fly'in Miata about it, and he mentioned that a small few had the same issue, but most didn't. No biggie though, as I just slid them forward about an inch, and that took care of the problem. * I would recommend that anyone installing these rails line them up according to the instructions, then check the rear mounting holes, or start on them first. Luckily, I had only drilled two previous spots before hitting one of the rear holes. If you are too close the the wall to put a bolt through, move forward only enough to get the needed clearance. You want to stay as close to the wall as possible, as that area has very thick metal, which is a good thing when trying to bolt something on to improve rigidity. *
I have driven the car with the Hardtop on and off. With the top on, I noticed a big reduction in the "groaning" the top would make when pulling in or our of highly angled drives and the like. The car also felt much more composed. Solid. Normally, taking the top off the car, there would be a noticable decrease in rigidity. Not anymore. I was pleasently surprised to find that there, now, seems to be no differance between having the top on and having it off. I highly recommend these, especially to anyone with a higher mileage Miata.
Over 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to: '90 - '97 '99 + 1.6 liter 1.8 liter
Frame rail reinforment kit and butterfly brace.
I did have fun wailing on my stock rails with my mini sledge. My neighbors think I am psycho with the amount of pounding I had to do to massage the rails back into semi-stock shape in order to fit the rails on top. I followed FM's instructions to the "T" with regard to lininig up the rails(per their directions). I originally fit the driver's side rail all the way forward(about an inch more forward than per the directions) and checked fitment with the butterfly and the driver's side butterfly wing(the piece that connects the center section to the rail) would have rubbed/interfered with the exhaust pipe(and mine is the stock one) so I moved it back per FM's directions. I took the sledge to the down pipe heat shielding in that area in order to maximize clearance - it's just crap shielding so I just pounded it in. The most difficult part of the install was definitely access to the butterfly bolt heads and nuts. I managed to get three of them done with not much hassle - using a 17mm open end wrench for the inside nuts and a 3/8" 14mm short socket attached to a swivel attachement and and then a 6 inch extension on my ratchet for the outer bolt heads. The real PITA bolt/nut was on the driver's front. I kid you not it took me about an hour to get that nut/bolt tightened. FM''s directions were correct with regard to the swearing part when trying to tighten the bolts. Actually, only that bolt caused my tourette's syndrome to kick into high gear. I had to use a 14mm open end wrench on the inside bolt head (there was not enough clearance between the bolt and the downpipe(yes, the same spot I mentioned above that I pounded the stuffing out of) so it really was a "tough nut". It would have been slightly easier if I had an extra hand holding t! he 17mm wrench on the nut, but I still would have swore like a drunken sailor on shore leave.
All in all, it was worth the pain and suffering inflicted on my mind and body, LOL. The chassis is tighter than ever and it soaks up road imperfections like a sponge. It rides as nice as the 1999 10AE that I had back in the day (yes that means it is a big improvement). For the record, this is my 1993 that has had aftermarket suspension (ie, stiff!) since about 30K miles. I now have 147k on the odometer and I have not changed my suspension bushings. The chassis feels new again! In a nutshell it is the best $400 bucks spent on my miata hands down Mike Kudos to everyone @ Flyin Miata that was involved with the design of this product - you should all win a product of the year award or somethin!
Difficult to remove without leaving damage
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