I purchased a Forbidden Mugen style HT last summer. Since then the only main issue I had was that the window catches on top of the HT on the driver side only. I was hoping someone could chime in on this. I have heard that washers can possibly fix this issue but haven't really seen any confirmation. Also another big issue is that the seal on the drivers side for the window has a bit of a gap near the seal belt area when the window is fully up causing rain to go in and splash the area.

For the most part, it seemed that everyone had no issues with it but it has been an annoyance that I can no longer put up with. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

I have a double sided carbon fiber mugen top from them. I have the exact same problem with the window seal at the back side. That stupid ridiculous gap that lets cold air, noise, and rain in. I've honestly been considering selling it because of the issues. It also squeeks and creeks like crazy under the right conditions. I think it's kind of ridiculous for such an expensive piece to not come with any installation instructions whatsoever.

 

If you put a good layer of grease on the black rubber trim of the car, the squeaking goes away. The horrendous squeaking was one thing I couldn't put up with so I tried fixing it right away. Does the window not get caught on your HT?

 

you can't fix the squeaking problem unless the carbon is reinforced. it is a common problem on these cheap manufactured carbon hardtops.

my oem style hardtop has no gap or leaking problem, but it squeaks like a bitch. the left side never needed any adjustment, but the right side squeaks regardless how i adjust it.

the reason it squeaks is that the carbon isn't strong enough, but too thin.

 

just FYI, an authentic mugen is like $3500 used. these replicas are about half the cost. dont cheap out and expect to get authentic/oem quality.

for the gap. you should have left over from cutting the side window rubber seal or rear seal.. i suggest using the extra and placing it where the gap is. hope that helps.

 

mine has the same problem. small gap in the driver side window at the bottom. also mine squeaked like crazy with the provided rear seal. also the rear of the top was too high off the body. i changed it for some regular foam weather strip that fit between the top and the black trim that goes around where the soft top used to be. I found that the ht was barely hitting that black trim and causing the squeaking. now the rear is only a millimeter or two off the body and looks good, but now my passenger window hits the top when i shut the door. Im going to try a slightly thicker weather strip next time, and try to pull the top the driver side while bolting it in the hopefully close up the window gap. small but annoying issues.

 

From the photos and cars that I've seen with the Forbidden top, it fits equal to better than VIS (which I have). Personally I think trial and error helped me more than installation instructions would. The reality of it is that these tops do need some massaging, and time to get just right. In my case, that massaging and time saved me $2,000+. OEM quality cannot be beat, and sometimes even those high dollar JDM parts have issues. My advice to you is to have Forbidden install it for you (if you're local), or maybe someone who can patiently help you out. Good luck and keep us posted on what worked, so that the S2KI community can benefit from your experience.

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Brandon

 

It seems everyone's just living with the problems that they have on their tops, which is quite a shame. I personally don't have much time to really mess with the top as that gap doesn't seem like it can be fixed. I thought about purchasing a new seal and replacing the one I have now, but I don't think that will fix the issue. I have replace the seals for the rear and put a find layer of shin etsu grease and I have no rattling issues from the rear or sides. The only slight rattling I get is from the driver side latch.

 

if I were you I would buy a thicker seal from home depot

 

I can't add anything helpful as far as fitment goes. I had to mess with mine a few times. I recently got it to where I am happy with it.

Couple things you can do that shouldn't take much time, effort, or cash.

• grease all the seals
• grease the OEM latches (mainly the part that sits flush with the top)
• purchase a larger seal for the back (as some have mentioned)

Without a doubt, greasing the OEM latches helped me the most. Mine squeaked badly. During, before, and after rain. It also squeaked badly during temperature changes. Here in Florida, it's a constant battle.

Here's a guide (including the grease used)
SPOILER: Shin Etsu (found here)

Note: If I remember; when I get home I will link you the window seal product I bought. I believe it was basic windows seals (from Lowes).