Does anyone else feel like Cloth Seats are better than leather?

"TheOnelectronic" (theoneelectronic) 10/15/2013 at 21:06 • Filed to: None

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Whenever possible, I try to order cloth seats in cars. Sadly, it's not easy, especially not in higher-end vehicles.

I can't even really describe why, except that I don't see any real advantage to leather seats except being able to say you have them.

imadeaburner > TheOnelectronic 10/15/2013 at 21:08

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I hate leather.

Although I hate my buckets too, as on long trips my boys get kinda trapped and yeah....

DocWalt > TheOnelectronic 10/15/2013 at 21:08

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I really dislike leather seats. They're slippery and they get hot and cold easily.

Cherry_man1 > TheOnelectronic 10/15/2013 at 21:13

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I would like more Alcantera seats

scoob > TheOnelectronic 10/15/2013 at 21:18

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I just saw a review of an '06 STi. So much want, the pain is unbearable.

Jayhawk Jake > TheOnelectronic 10/15/2013 at 21:18

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Better? No. I'd prefer alcantera or suede. My car has suede inserts, but I wish more of it was suede. I've also considered swapping the steering wheel for the alcantera one out of the ZL1

Sinanigans > TheOnelectronic 10/15/2013 at 21:19

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I wholeheartedly agree... got the BRZ in premium because I didn't want leather.

TheOnelectronic > Jayhawk Jake 10/15/2013 at 21:19

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Why would you prefer those, out of curiosity?

Leadfoot866 > TheOnelectronic 10/15/2013 at 21:19

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I'm with you.

They feel weird and get alarmingly hot in the summer.

Jayhawk Jake > TheOnelectronic 10/15/2013 at 21:24

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Softer than cloth. Leather is nicer feeling than cloth IMO, cloth feels cheap and rough to me. Leather is better, but gets too cold/too hot. Suede/alcantera is a nice balance of feeling nice and living well.

Like I said, I really like the feel of the suede in my seats. By comparison, the optima sx used to have leather with a cloth insert, and those were pretty bad iirc

TheOnelectronic > Jayhawk Jake 10/15/2013 at 21:27

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I find the comfort of a seat has a lot more to do with internal composition than surface material.

for me, a big thing is that cloth breathes better. Leather seats too often result in my back getting too warm, which is uncomfortable.

StoneCold > TheOnelectronic 10/15/2013 at 21:28

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I like pre-2000 cloth seats, since those have some give and are a little more comfy.

But nowadays? Blah, they're hard as rocks, so you HAVE to go leather it seems -_-

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > TheOnelectronic 10/15/2013 at 21:32

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I prefer leather. I bought my Kia Soul with cloth, because I thought I could bear it, but recently had a Roadwire Leather kit installed. Cloth feels nice, but is a bitch to keep clean and stain free.

MooseKnuckles > TheOnelectronic 10/15/2013 at 21:32

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When I got my 6 I was looking at a Mazda6S hatch with leather, and one with cloth. The leather was awful, the cloth is actually pretty nice. It's a 2007.

MonkeePuzzle > TheOnelectronic 10/15/2013 at 21:33

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100%, do not even consider leather an option.

Jayhawk Jake > TheOnelectronic 10/15/2013 at 21:33

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Fair point, but I can definitely tell the difference in cloth and leather surfaces.

Ventilated seats seem to be becoming more common, which may solve your hot ass problem

Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? > TheOnelectronic 10/15/2013 at 21:44

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I much more prefer cloth seats to leather. Case and point: I live in Alaska. Shit gets colder than cold! Last thing I want to do is sit on ice cold seats for my drive to work, or anywhere really.

Kailand09 > TheOnelectronic 10/15/2013 at 21:45

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Like others, I'd go alcantera/suede, then cloth, then leather.

I also HATE leather. It doesn't wear well over time, it gets too cold / too hot, it generally doesn't feel great and is slippery. The list goes on.

Why the infatuation with leather continues is beyond me with all the great materials out there. Neoprene? Yes please. I used to have rollerblades with neoprene liners, best thing ever despite the fact that they don't breathe all that well.

I think it is the populace's continued interest in leather that keeps it going, as it's a status symbol. It looks nice on trim pieces I guess, but past that, I like my seats something else.

The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 > TheOnelectronic 10/15/2013 at 21:50

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It all depends. There's some nice cloths, and some shitty ones. There's some nice leathers ad some shitty ones. There's some very convincing fake leathers out there as well that I would imagine will age better than real leather. I would rather have a nice cloth over a shitty leather. For example, the cloth seats in the Volvo C30 look and feel a lot nicer than the cheap leather in my (hand-me-down from my sister) 2005 Hyundai Tucson.

Same thing applies to dash trim. Sometimes the fake wood looks better than the fake carbon fiber or fake aluminum.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Kailand09 10/15/2013 at 21:55

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I wonder how well Kevlar would wear in the long run.

TheOnelectronic > BaconSandwich is tasty. 10/15/2013 at 22:09

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I own motorcycle gear made (entirely!) out of Kevlar. It is NOT a comfy fiber.

wilsel > TheOnelectronic 10/15/2013 at 22:11

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I wish my seats were cloth. Leather is too cold on winter mornings (especially if you don't have heated seats). Plus it cracks, and wrinkles no matter how much you condition it.

Kailand09 > BaconSandwich is tasty. 10/15/2013 at 22:14

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Interesting thought

Kailand09 > TheOnelectronic 10/15/2013 at 22:14

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thanks for the follow up on that one. I was curious. Is it itchy or something?

BaconSandwich is tasty. > TheOnelectronic 10/15/2013 at 22:16

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Good to know! I suppose that would make sense, given that it must be some really tough fibers.

TheOnelectronic > Kailand09 10/15/2013 at 22:17

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It's not itchy, but it's extremely rough and abrasive. Reaching into the pockets is quite painful. It's also very stiff. Granted, my gear is a mesh rather than a sheet of fabric, but I've seen other types of woven Kevlar and it's all pretty rough.

TheOnelectronic > BaconSandwich is tasty. 10/15/2013 at 22:17

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Mainly it's just very stiff and very rough. Reaching into pockets can beat your hand up quite a bit.

Kailand09 > TheOnelectronic 10/15/2013 at 22:21

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I used to have some skates with a kevlar exterior, tough stuff. I can imagine it isn't comfortable now that I think about it.

midnightautoparts > TheOnelectronic 10/15/2013 at 22:48

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No.

TheOnelectronic > midnightautoparts 10/15/2013 at 22:55

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Your statement is objectively false, as several people have agreed.

Cloud81918 > TheOnelectronic 10/15/2013 at 23:09

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I love black leather here. Black leather, seat warmers and window tint, pretty much the best combo for daily use; Especially with children. Leather is easy to clean, resists spills and will last forever is taken care of.

But for competitive driving, sure cloth and suede and alcantera have their place. They hold you in better, but most wear quickly. Other than some of the darker grey high quality Honda fabrics, I've rarely ridden in many old car that have fabrics that really held up. But if you are pulling higher Gs or live in a cold area and don't have seat warmers, then I think cloth has its place.

I've had cars with a variety over the years and as I said for daily I prefer leather.

POD > TheOnelectronic 10/15/2013 at 23:20

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Cloth over leather. I haven't tried alcantera/suede seats though.

bhardoin > TheOnelectronic 10/16/2013 at 00:00

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Cloth is just so much more breathable. I don't want to be sweatin' all up in my car!

Atlantian > TheOnelectronic 10/16/2013 at 04:50

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I go with synthetic leather since I am a messy boy.

I want my back seats clean and my driver's seat free of soda and sauce stains when I sell it.

Stef Schrader > TheOnelectronic 10/22/2013 at 18:52

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Yes yes yes yes YES.

I live in Texas.

Leather BURNS in the summer. BURNS.