Thinking of Leather Seats.

Morgan3820

Morgan3820

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El Conquistador
Waiting for my truck to arrive, I can across a company that makes custom leather seats, Katzkin leather. They have a wide variety of options including heat and cooling. I have never had a car with leather seats. As I plan to sit in this truck on long drives, I was considering the idea. They start at $1920 including pro installation. Which doesn't sound too bad to me. I have not been particularly comfort oriented in the past but as I get older but maybe more so. Is leather just a better grade of vinyl that also smells better? With it being hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Or is it a luxury that I won't want to live without ever again?
 
I had leather seats in my old ZX. Never again. Hot in summer, cold in winter, difficult to care for. Cloth is better.
 
I drove an old Lincoln (76) with leather for a while. It was fine if you wore long pants. I remember it being a bit slippery, but those were bench seats. As Half Fast points out, hot in summer, cold in winter if you wear shorts. I kinda think it may hold up a little bit better if it's done well than cloth, but I wouldn't pay any extra for it. To me it's a show off option, like real wood inserts in the dash or something. Leather steering wheel all the way, though. Constant grip feel all the time, and better in cold or hot weather than hard plastic.
 
Difficult to care for? In the eye of the beholder. Leather is easier to clean as an urban dweller without a garage. Just wipe it off instead of hauling out a vacuum, and if you spill a liquid on a cloth seat—well good luck. I'll gladly go through the trouble of using leather cleaner and conditioner a couple times a year. It's not that much work.
 
I mean they are both dirty or clean, and require cleaning.
 
I would opt for a ballistic nylon like they use in cars today.
 
I have cars with both. For the fabric, the day I drive it home, I treat them with Scotch Guard.

Vacuuming is not a huge deal. Long cord, or many car wash places have free vacuums. And you still have to vacuum the floor.

I prefer fabric. I am looking at doing my airplane interior, and will probably go with Airtex premium fabric versus leather. Cheaper, lighter, more pleasant to sit on (as others have mentioned).
 
Morgan3820 said:
Waiting for my truck to arrive, I can across a company that makes custom leather seats, Katzkin leather. They have a wide variety of options including heat and cooling. I have never had a car with leather seats. As I plan to sit in this truck on long drives, I was considering the idea. They start at $1920 including pro installation.
Click to expand...
I'd live with the factory seats for a while to see how you like them before considering an aftermarket cover-up.
 
Morgan3820 said:
Waiting for my truck to arrive, I can across a company that makes custom leather seats, Katzkin leather. They have a wide variety of options including heat and cooling. I have never had a car with leather seats. As I plan to sit in this truck on long drives, I was considering the idea. They start at $1920 including pro installation. Which doesn't sound too bad to me. I have not been particularly comfort oriented in the past but as I get older but maybe more so. Is leather just a better grade of vinyl that also smells better? With it being hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Or is it a luxury that I won't want to live without ever again?
Click to expand...

Katzkin are quality, you will really like them.
 
Morgan3820 said:
Waiting for my truck to arrive, I can across a company that makes custom leather seats, Katzkin leather. They have a wide variety of options including heat and cooling. I have never had a car with leather seats. As I plan to sit in this truck on long drives, I was considering the idea. They start at $1920 including pro installation. Which doesn't sound too bad to me. I have not been particularly comfort oriented in the past but as I get older but maybe more so. Is leather just a better grade of vinyl that also smells better? With it being hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Or is it a luxury that I won't want to live without ever again?
Click to expand...

Just purchased a Mazda CX-5 and opted for the ventilated seats, it's a game changer for leather seats in hot weather.
 
I had leather seats in my Turbo Arrow. I bought it that way. I've never been a fan of leather, or vinyl (cheap leather) but I liked them well enough. But they were bucket seats and super comfy to begin with. I don't know if it was a TA III vs TA II thing or someone simply put new Recaro seats and finished then in leather, but when we got the Arrow II's interior done, we went with some sort of synth leather, and I didn't care for it. Not the material itself so much but it was more like sitting on bench seats, but up front.
 
Auto leather seems to come in two flavors. They may be leather with a plasticized coat that works pretty well or they may not have a coating. I had a friend that had a Cadillac without the coating and he had the seats replaced twice during the warranty period because the seat color would wear off.
 
All our cars have leather but with heated/cooled seats. This requires perforated seats which make the leather more supple and not adherent to bare skin. I would not have it any other way...however...I would not have solid leather seats without a covering as they sweat/stick to bare skin. Worn areas that have lost dye can easily/cheaply be repaired at a shop that knows what they are doing.
 
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