If you read the documentation on how Mazda stiffened the chassis, you'll see that the subframes are connected to those braces, so it's an apples to oranges comparison. Our subframes are definitely NOT braced to the shock towers. (Actually re-reading some of these articles, I don't think that it is factory installed, and I found one that specifically states that "If you buy one, it should be the last brace that you buy."