I've used the search engine and even PM'd a few owners on this site but either 1: haven't found the answers I am looking for or 2: no one pm'd me back (don't know, maybe my breath stinks)

But I am looking to buy an 01 s2k with a damaged softtop. Instead of buying the later 02+ softtop for $700+ I feel that I might as well try to go the hardtop route. I see a lot of Mugen style hardtops, from Seibon to ebay makers. But is that all there is as far as makes for Mugen style. Does anyone else make Mugen style tops? Is there is confort difference between Carbon makes and FRP as far as fit and noise? Do you always have to buy the top from one place and then the glass and hardwear from another? Can anyone post or Pm me where they got theirs, and maybe what they paid for them. Did you have to go to 2 different places to get all the parts you needed? Any reviews on how they like their tops?

Thank You!

 

Man 51 views and no info. I am just wanting peoples first hand opinion on their hardtops. I would think OEM and Mugen are the best to go with. But what else

Thanks for any personal experience info.

 

mugen looks amazing if you want to drop 10k. someone on the vancouver threads is selling for 5k. seibon trunks have fitment problems not sure about their other stuff, stay away from cheap knockoffs for something like a hardtop, id hate to pay 3-5 and have it leak.

 

OEM is the best, the fitment is great, it looks great on the inside and when you go to re-sale it, you can usually always get what you paid for. I got mine for $3,000.00 shipped. Don't go the cheap route and I think Stock S2000's with crazy hardtops look a little off, OEM is best for OEM look and for when your car is aggresive looking

 

OEM or Mugen for sure. I have an OEM on mine and love it. Don't be cheap on this upgrade.

 

the oem and the mugen have the best fitment IMO. Yea the mugen copies are cheaper but they have fitment issues. I know that both oem and mugen use the oem hardware, i.e. side catchers, strikers, soft top brushes, etc. Also the mugen comes with all the hardware.

 

I have been saving up for a hardtop myself. Im probably gonna purchase one in the next month. The oem top, in my opinion, is the best top. It has the best rear viewing area. It has nice leather lining on the roof. Sound deadening. Seals really nice. And, if you get the defroster, since you have an 01, it defrosts the rear window; i have an 06, so this is a perk for me as i have the defroster already on the soft top. Last and most obvious part, it was made by honda for this car. So, fit and finish will be 100%.

Now to answer some of the questions that you have came to forum with. First things first, most aftermarket brands of "Mugen style" hardtops will have issues. Yes, you could take it to a body shop and have them fix the imperfections, but that might get costly as you would have to paint after that. Other brands are: Seibon, VIS, IIGQ (wouldnt go here...), and some ebay knock offs.

2 friends of mine have Mugen style tops. 1 has the Seibon and the other has the ebay version. For the friend with the Seibon, his was off on the passenger side which made the driver side window not able to roll up. eventually, he got it fixed. But, then it began to leak when he would apply harder brake pressure; it would roll in from the back into the soft top tray. He found this out when his top stunk of moldy water. so, he lost the soft top. Kinda sucks. a year later, the clear coat on the top side of the roof changed colors and faded. He then had to have it painted and redone. Now, it looks good and seems to not have issues anymore. Regardless, that all happened within the first year of owning.

Now, the ebay version. My friend did not encounter totally similar problems as he picked up the frp version. So, he had to get it painted. He has had it for 4 months and he had to fix the rear window b/c it leaked and always fogged. He had to order another window setup. Works fine now. The top does not fit right as one window doesnt really go all the way shut. it doesnt leak, but it seems as if you were to spray water directly on it, there would be leakage. Lastly, he has trouble going above 70 as the top whistles and moves. He has adjusted it many times and has not found the solution. He should take it to a body shop and fix it. Problem being is that he will have to have it repainted too. But, it could be an extensive fix.

Sorry for making this long, but if you want to get a Mugen style top, go with the real Mugen top. For around the same price as the oem top, you could get the Mugen top in frp and have a nice paint job done. it will fit like oem and have oem quality. Plus, you can get into that baller group of mugen owners.

I dont want the mugen top just b/c i would want the real deal cf one and i dont have that type of cheese for it haha. plus, i like the viewing angles better with the oem top. Just my feelings.

Anyway, good luck on you decision and i hope this helped a little.

 

Thank you all for the input. It will surely help me decied which way I will go. Prop OEM.

 

one thing i noticed, is the OEM one has curved glass where none of the others do. it improves visability over the rest.

on a personal note, i never use my HT and i thin turning a convertable into a coupe is stupid and thakes out 99% of the fun.

if you;re gonna do that buy a good solid cage that requires the removal of the soft top and get the structural ridigity out of it.

 

Stupid?..... Come on, most of us with HT's love the option to live in both worlds. I will admit that my HT pretty much stays on 24/7/365 but removing the ST will never be an option for most of us. The soft-top is there when and if I want and thats the way I like it.