Leather or Cloth Seats? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Skutch · 11-21-2007, 11:20 AM

Which do you prefer?

Martian · 11-21-2007, 11:22 AM

I love my leather interior. Comfortable and easy upkeep (spills are so much easier to deal with).

But really it depends on the application. Leather isn't over-rated exactly, but it is much more expensive. In my car? Hell yeah. Farm truck? Probably not.

Willravel · 11-21-2007, 11:24 AM

Leather is better.

BadNick · 11-21-2007, 12:08 PM

I much prefer leather for the look, feel, & maintenance aspects as mentioned above. I guess a poorly vented leather seat can be less comfortable in hot climate than some cloth seats, but in my experience a good modern design leather seat is well vented. All three of our current cars have full leather. In fact, we recently purchased an '07 Toyota RAV4 and instead of taking the base cloth seats which they had in stock, we waited almost a couple months for one with the factory leather option.

Plan9 · 11-21-2007, 12:10 PM

I'm partial to cloth with Scotchguard.

I often buy custom seat covers.

Psycho Dad · 11-21-2007, 01:11 PM

Leather. Durable and easy to care for. While I like the looks of the Alcantara in my car, it is a matter of time until it gets assed up.

inBOIL · 11-21-2007, 02:17 PM

The only time cloth is better is when you're parked in the sun on a hot day. But if you keep a towel in your car to put on your leather seat, this becomes almost irrelevant.

Bossnass · 11-21-2007, 04:29 PM

Cloth. Leather is too hot and sticky in the summer (especially for my short-shorts/skirt wearing wife) and too cold in the winter. Also tends to be slippery and lets you slide downwards. Maybe it is supposed to be a luxury and a status symbol, but I'm much happier with our newer leather-less car interior than the leathered interior of a car we recently lost.

ngdawg · 11-21-2007, 04:42 PM

Cloth. It's not cold in the winter or hot and sticky in the summer. It's cheaper, but just as easy to keep clean unless you're a slob to begin with. It doesn't crack or peel(spouse's leather seats in his cars always looked like crap after a couple of years because of no garage, even with his weekly saddle soap care). And, get a burn or mark in leather that you paid a premium for and it's doomsday. Get one on cloth, take some loose thread and elmer's glue, place on spot, good as new.

ozahs · 11-21-2007, 06:23 PM

I prefer leather, but here in MN you cannot have leather unless you have heated seats. If the seats are not heated, then cloth is better.

DEI37 · 11-22-2007, 07:17 PM

I have heated cloth seats...that's really nice.

Telluride · 11-22-2007, 07:58 PM

I prefer cloth seats. They're not hot in the summer or cold in the winter.

Jadast · 11-26-2007, 08:48 PM

In my opinion leather feels better and looks better as well.

Plan9 · 11-27-2007, 03:45 AM

What about those horrible summer car farts on leather? Oh, god... the humanity.

BadNick · 11-27-2007, 08:21 AM

IMO car farts sound better on leather, and as an added benefit they don't absorb into the material as they would into cloth ...so the lingering oozing out of the odor is less protracted ...for those of you who prefer the prolonged pleasure of the oozing odors, go with cloth.

healer · 11-27-2007, 09:09 AM

I'd have to choose cloth. While leather is all luxurious and easy-clean and all that shit, I've scalded my back and ass by sitting on a hot, black leather seat one too many times.

Cloth with ScotchGuard is the way to go.

snowy · 11-27-2007, 09:50 AM

I have heated leather seats, and just use a sunguard in the summer to keep them from getting scorching hot (they are a dark gray, after all). I used to have heated cloth seats in my former car, but I found the older the car got the funnier it started to smell. Odors get into cloth that don't get into leather.

Bear Cub · 11-27-2007, 10:37 AM

Cloth with leather/suede bolsters.

spindles · 11-27-2007, 02:51 PM

Where is the sheepskin/wool option? Does it fit under 'cloth'? That's what I'd vote for...

Willravel · 11-27-2007, 02:56 PM

Yes! And what about pink fuzz?!

BadNick · 11-27-2007, 06:30 PM

I'm glad some of you are focusing on some other good options. I was also starting to think "why just leather or cloth?" I feel sorry for naugahyde which was so important in early hot rod development. Thank you, naugas, for your valuable contribution

Naugas have consistently donated their hydes in
order to make jackets, gloves, and other essential
items whenever their country called upon them.
http://www.naugahyde.com/history.html

Plan9 · 11-27-2007, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by willravel

Yes! And what about pink fuzz?!

Yeah, I saw your Eclipse. How's it feel to be honest?

World's King · 11-28-2007, 03:12 PM

My leather seat are so fucked up from age...

I still like leather better though.

newtx · 11-28-2007, 08:55 PM

I prefer leather. However from a practical point of view cloth seats are the clear choice. Cooler in summer and warmer in winter. But cloth seats have no smell. Leather seats have a wonderful smell and are easier to clean up spills.

sky_driver · 11-29-2007, 06:56 AM

The only leather I like is Corinthian Leather. The kind that Ricardo Montalban used to promote for the Chrysler Cordoba back in the 70's.

sixate · 12-01-2007, 05:46 AM

Leather sucks. If you don't always apply shit to it the leather looks like garbage and cracks after time. Plus it melts your skin in the summer and nearly gives you frostbite in the winter. Cloth is th only way to go.

Fotzlid · 12-05-2007, 09:49 PM

last couple of cars had leather. i do like it better. easier to clean and just plain looks better.

red87gt · 12-06-2007, 06:05 PM

Leather is nice in a luxury car thats made for long drives, throw it in a sports car and you better hope those leather seats are bucket seats or you gonna be slipping and slidding all over the place. Also, leather is extremely warm in the summer and really cold in the winter (woohoo canadian weather), and as previously mentioned, the leather must be maintained, I voted for cloth.

Deltona Couple · 12-07-2007, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by inBOIL

The only time cloth is better is when you're parked in the sun on a hot day. But if you keep a towel in your car to put on your leather seat, this becomes almost irrelevant.

If you are putting a towel down to protect yourself, why have leather seats in the first place? This has ALWAYS amazed me with the number of cars that come in and have leather seats with a towel or some other cloth COVERING the seats. They all seem to say the same thing, when hot out the leather sticks to them, but they love the look and feel of leather....ok wait... You like the FEEL of leather, but you cover it with a towel?????

BadNick · 12-07-2007, 08:37 AM

Or I'll whip out my black leather pants so I can just sit on cloth seats and have the best of both worlds

...nah, I'd still rather sit on leather seats.

ring · 12-07-2007, 08:52 AM

Pleather.

Seriously now..I live in a very cold climate and have never had a problem
with a cold bum sitting on leather. (and I ain't that hot-blooded)

I never wear shorts, so the sticking problem...is not a problem.

Now dark leather of course is going to hotter..mine is a weird anemic looking camel color, and I'm sure that helps.

angelica · 12-07-2007, 12:39 PM

I have leather seats and I hate them...your ass sticks to it in the summer and you freeze it in the winter. Next car...fabric!

(I agree with Sixate, if you don't continuously treat the leather, it starts to look like crap.)

11-21-2007, 11:20 AM	#1 (permalink)
Skutch Crazy	Leather or Cloth Seats? Which do you prefer? Last edited by Skutch; 11-21-2007 at 11:22 AM..

11-21-2007, 11:22 AM	#2 (permalink)
Martian Young Crumudgeon Location: Canada	I love my leather interior. Comfortable and easy upkeep (spills are so much easier to deal with). But really it depends on the application. Leather isn't over-rated exactly, but it is much more expensive. In my car? Hell yeah. Farm truck? Probably not. __________________ I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said - Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame

11-21-2007, 12:10 PM	#5 (permalink)
Plan9 I Confess a Shiver	I'm partial to cloth with Scotchguard. I often buy custom seat covers. __________________ *Whatever you can carry.* "You should not drink... and bake."

11-21-2007, 01:11 PM	#6 (permalink)
Psycho Dad Mulletproof Location: Some nucking fut house.	Leather. Durable and easy to care for. While I like the looks of the Alcantara in my car, it is a matter of time until it gets assed up. __________________ Don't always trust the opinions of experts.

11-21-2007, 02:17 PM	#7 (permalink)
inBOIL I have eaten the slaw	The only time cloth is better is when you're parked in the sun on a hot day. But if you keep a towel in your car to put on your leather seat, this becomes almost irrelevant. __________________ And you believe Bush and the liberals and divorced parents and gays and blacks and the Christian right and fossil fuels and Xbox are all to blame, meanwhile you yourselves create an ad where your kid hits you in the head with a baseball and you don't understand the message that the problem is you.

View Poll Results: Cloth or Leather?
Cloth	21	43.75%
Leather	27	56.25%
Voters: 48. You may not vote on this poll

11-21-2007, 11:24 AM	#3 (permalink)
Willravel ... a sort of licensed troubleshooter.	Leather is better.

11-21-2007, 12:08 PM	#4 (permalink)
BadNick Riding the Ocean Spray Location: S.E. PA in U Sofa	I much prefer leather for the look, feel, & maintenance aspects as mentioned above. I guess a poorly vented leather seat can be less comfortable in hot climate than some cloth seats, but in my experience a good modern design leather seat is well vented. All three of our current cars have full leather. In fact, we recently purchased an '07 Toyota RAV4 and instead of taking the base cloth seats which they had in stock, we waited almost a couple months for one with the factory leather option.

11-21-2007, 04:29 PM	#8 (permalink)
Bossnass Détente Location: AWOL in Edmonton	Cloth. Leather is too hot and sticky in the summer (especially for my short-shorts/skirt wearing wife) and too cold in the winter. Also tends to be slippery and lets you slide downwards. Maybe it is supposed to be a luxury and a status symbol, but I'm much happier with our newer leather-less car interior than the leathered interior of a car we recently lost.

11-21-2007, 04:42 PM	#9 (permalink)
ngdawg peekaboo Location: on the back, bitch	Cloth. It's not cold in the winter or hot and sticky in the summer. It's cheaper, but just as easy to keep clean unless you're a slob to begin with. It doesn't crack or peel(spouse's leather seats in his cars always looked like crap after a couple of years because of no garage, even with his weekly saddle soap care). And, get a burn or mark in leather that you paid a premium for and it's doomsday. Get one on cloth, take some loose thread and elmer's glue, place on spot, good as new.

11-21-2007, 06:23 PM	#10 (permalink)
ozahs Tilted Location: Eden Prairie, MN	I prefer leather, but here in MN you cannot have leather unless you have heated seats. If the seats are not heated, then cloth is better. __________________ "It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive"

11-22-2007, 07:17 PM	#11 (permalink)
DEI37 Go faster! Location: Wisconsin	I have heated cloth seats...that's really nice. __________________ Generally speaking, if you were to get what you really deserve, you might be unpleasantly surprised.

11-22-2007, 07:58 PM	#12 (permalink)
Telluride Browncoat Location: California	I prefer cloth seats. They're not hot in the summer or cold in the winter. __________________ "I am certain that nothing has done so much to destroy the safeguards of individual freedom as the striving after this mirage of social justice." - Friedrich Hayek

11-26-2007, 08:48 PM	#13 (permalink)
Jadast Upright Location: Summerville, SC	In my opinion leather feels better and looks better as well.

11-27-2007, 03:45 AM	#14 (permalink)
Plan9 I Confess a Shiver	What about those horrible summer car farts on leather? Oh, god... the humanity. __________________ *Whatever you can carry.* "You should not drink... and bake."

11-27-2007, 10:37 AM	#18 (permalink)
Bear Cub The Reverend Side Boob Location: Nofe Curolina	Cloth with leather/suede bolsters.

11-27-2007, 08:21 AM	#15 (permalink)
BadNick Riding the Ocean Spray Location: S.E. PA in U Sofa	IMO car farts sound better on leather, and as an added benefit they don't absorb into the material as they would into cloth ...so the lingering oozing out of the odor is less protracted ...for those of you who prefer the prolonged pleasure of the oozing odors, go with cloth.

11-27-2007, 09:50 AM	#17 (permalink)
snowy Kick Ass Kunoichi Location: Oregon	I have heated leather seats, and just use a sunguard in the summer to keep them from getting scorching hot (they are a dark gray, after all). I used to have heated cloth seats in my former car, but I found the older the car got the funnier it started to smell. Odors get into cloth that don't get into leather. __________________ If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

11-27-2007, 02:51 PM	#19 (permalink)
spindles Mine is an evil laugh Location: Sydney, Australia	Where is the sheepskin/wool option? Does it fit under 'cloth'? That's what I'd vote for... __________________ who hid my keyboard's PANIC button?

11-27-2007, 02:56 PM	#20 (permalink)
Willravel ... a sort of licensed troubleshooter.	Yes! And what about pink fuzz?!

11-27-2007, 06:30 PM	#21 (permalink)
BadNick Riding the Ocean Spray Location: S.E. PA in U Sofa	I'm glad some of you are focusing on some other good options. I was also starting to think "why just leather or cloth?" I feel sorry for naugahyde which was so important in early hot rod development. Thank you, naugas, for your valuable contribution Naugas have consistently donated their hydes in order to make jackets, gloves, and other essential items whenever their country called upon them. http://www.naugahyde.com/history.html

11-28-2007, 03:12 PM	#23 (permalink)
World's King Here Location: Denver City Denver	My leather seat are so fucked up from age... I still like leather better though. __________________ heavy is the head that wears the crown

11-28-2007, 08:55 PM	#24 (permalink)
newtx Addict	I prefer leather. However from a practical point of view cloth seats are the clear choice. Cooler in summer and warmer in winter. But cloth seats have no smell. Leather seats have a wonderful smell and are easier to clean up spills.

11-29-2007, 06:56 AM	#25 (permalink)
sky_driver Insane	The only leather I like is Corinthian Leather. The kind that Ricardo Montalban used to promote for the Chrysler Cordoba back in the 70's.

12-01-2007, 05:46 AM	#26 (permalink)
sixate Registered User Location: Somewhere in Ohio	Leather sucks. If you don't always apply shit to it the leather looks like garbage and cracks after time. Plus it melts your skin in the summer and nearly gives you frostbite in the winter. Cloth is th only way to go.

12-05-2007, 09:49 PM	#27 (permalink)
Fotzlid Junkie Location: Greater Boston area	last couple of cars had leather. i do like it better. easier to clean and just plain looks better.

12-06-2007, 06:05 PM	#28 (permalink)
red87gt Upright	Leather is nice in a luxury car thats made for long drives, throw it in a sports car and you better hope those leather seats are bucket seats or you gonna be slipping and slidding all over the place. Also, leather is extremely warm in the summer and really cold in the winter (woohoo canadian weather), and as previously mentioned, the leather must be maintained, I voted for cloth.

12-07-2007, 08:37 AM	#30 (permalink)
BadNick Riding the Ocean Spray Location: S.E. PA in U Sofa	Or I'll whip out my black leather pants so I can just sit on cloth seats and have the best of both worlds ...nah, I'd still rather sit on leather seats.

12-07-2007, 08:52 AM	#31 (permalink)
ring ░ Location: ❤	Pleather. Seriously now..I live in a very cold climate and have never had a problem with a cold bum sitting on leather. (and I ain't that hot-blooded) I never wear shorts, so the sticking problem...is not a problem. Now dark leather of course is going to hotter..mine is a weird anemic looking camel color, and I'm sure that helps.

12-07-2007, 12:39 PM	#32 (permalink)
angelica Upright	I have leather seats and I hate them...your ass sticks to it in the summer and you freeze it in the winter. Next car...fabric! (I agree with Sixate, if you don't continuously treat the leather, it starts to look like crap.)