Leather V Cloth
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Discussion

Slow

Original Poster:

6,973 posts

166 months

Thursday 22nd August 2013
quotequote all
What is the pistonhead preference of seat material?
Assuming everything except the covering is the same.

Personally prefer leather except for on a realy hot day when you first get in.



Would make a poll to see results easier but no idea how.

anonymous-user

83 months

Thursday 22nd August 2013
quotequote all
Generally cloth.

Leather is horrible in extreme temperatures, usually shows signs of wear easier. It does however smell nice and is easy to wipe off any spillages hehe

I have leather.

Otispunkmeyer

13,767 posts

184 months

Thursday 22nd August 2013
quotequote all
cloth (but not the stty, poor wearing cloth honda used in my car)

unless the leather and the leather seats are really soft and squishy, because then its like driving an arm chair.

vsabljic

55 posts

164 months

Thursday 22nd August 2013
quotequote all
Alcantara + leather

HustleRussell

26,500 posts

189 months

Thursday 22nd August 2013
quotequote all
I've always tried to buy leather but that's mostly for spec / cosmetic reasons. I won't kid myself, I think I actually prefer cloth for comfort because leather is less 'spongy' and more creaky.

troc

4,086 posts

204 months

Thursday 22nd August 2013
quotequote all
Leather - easier to clean up after children have done things. Evil, horrid, smelly things. Also, wives.

Patrick Bateman

13,163 posts

203 months

Thursday 22nd August 2013
quotequote all
Leather every time.

NadiR

1,071 posts

176 months

Thursday 22nd August 2013
quotequote all
vsabljic said:
Alcantara + leather
This, the best of both worlds.

saaby93

32,038 posts

207 months

Thursday 22nd August 2013
quotequote all
Leather - it cleans and ages well over time
Cloth gets pizza cheese stuck in it. Cleaning stuff removes pizza and cloth colour

Monty Python

4,813 posts

226 months

Thursday 22nd August 2013
quotequote all
Ideally - leather side bolsters and fabric centre like the Recaro Orthopad.

https://www.recaro-automotive.com/en/product-areas...

ChasW

2,162 posts

231 months

Thursday 22nd August 2013
quotequote all
I fall into the "prefer cloth but buy leather" camp. I guess it's because leather makes the interior look and feel a bit plusher. I had to drive two hours for an important meeting recently during the hot spell. My aircon stopped working but the cabin was still reasonably cool with normal ventilation. I stopped for fuel and my shirt peeled off the backrest of the leather seat. It was really unpleasant. I went back two days later but took a change of clothes with me! This is where the ventilated seats must help.

I can remember when cloth upholstery came in and it was considered upmarket because people had become fed up with vinyl and leatherette. In the 70s high end Mercs and BMWs came with velour. Leather appeared to go out of fashion for a while. I notice that many of the royals limos have cloth seats.

Noger

7,117 posts

278 months

Thursday 22nd August 2013
quotequote all
Carbon Fibre smile

Fubar1977

919 posts

169 months

Thursday 22nd August 2013
quotequote all
Mines got leather side bolsters and a cloth centre I find them more comfortable than total leather.
As others have said, I like leather for the looks but prefer cloth for the comfort.

saaby93

32,038 posts

207 months

Thursday 22nd August 2013
quotequote all
Monty Python said:
Ideally - leather side bolsters and fabric centre like the Recaro Orthopad.
Prefer the opposite leather centre easy to clean most spillages - soft cloth on the bolsters

If its sticky and sticks to your back surely thats pvc leatherette not real leather?

SEE YA

3,522 posts

274 months

Thursday 22nd August 2013
quotequote all
Leather however most people, think you do not have to look after it.
I treat my seats etc, every four months.

phil1979

3,671 posts

244 months

Thursday 22nd August 2013
quotequote all
SEE YA said:
I treat my seats etc, every four months.
Same here. I took mine to Alton Towers last month.

300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

219 months

Thursday 22nd August 2013
quotequote all
Cloth, although it depends on the actual cloth.

That said, soft leather seats can look the business and actually aren't all that slidy. Anyone who'd been in a Bentley will know. The "mass produced" leather that is generally hard and shiny and found in most other cars is nowhere near as nice.

Captain Muppet

8,540 posts

294 months

Thursday 22nd August 2013
quotequote all
doogz said:
Cloth, leather is slidy.

I like the heated leather seats in her Kia, but in my MR2, prefer my cloth ones to the leather alternative.
The leather in my 3-series is slidy, I'd prefer cloth (like in my 5-series, which was lovely).

The leather in the Elise isn't, and although I have a spare cloth seat for it I haven't used it. Obviously the shape of the seat helps a lot.

Although I'm not really that fussy as long as it's not made of that cheap stuff Sparco use on buckets which wears out after a couple of years.

RizzoTheRat

28,890 posts

221 months

Thursday 22nd August 2013
quotequote all
Not a fan of leather, cold in the winter, hot in the summer, sweaty most of the time.

Mind you mine have got white alcantara on the front half of the seats which is an amazingly stupid choice to fit in a 4 door family hatchback.

Captain Muppet

8,540 posts

294 months

Thursday 22nd August 2013
quotequote all
phil1979 said:
SEE YA said:
I treat my seats etc, every four months.
Same here. I took mine to Alton Towers last month.
rofl