Topic: Am i the only one with cloth seats?

[wspohn]

I've had many cars with leather seats. The Kappas look poorer than most in brand new form - seams too high profile, stitching crooked, etc.

I've seen a few Kappas redone in quality leather and they look quite nice, but the stock item just advertises that the cars were built to a price, without much craftsmanship being involved. Cheap, to go with the tacky plastic dash etc. 

[smartin]

I put cloth seat bottoms on my leather seats to keep me from sliding around as much.

But now I have the kirkeys which do a better job

I like those!!!

[GXPinKC]

Well, practically all my vehicles including our S.O. 2000 Red Bicentennial Lincoln Navigator that is now going on it's 11th year have leather seats as did our S.O. 1995 Pontiac Firebird Formula.  Personally I have always loved leather in car seats and have never had a problem in any way. 

The black leather seats in our early build 2007 GXP have met all expectations as they are very comfortable, provide great support, ( I am tall 6'4" and weight 192 pounds) and the seats certainly have not begun to wear or pucker.  In fact they fit my frame perfectly.  Maybe it is because of my build, but have been comfortable since first sitting in them way back on December 27th, 2006 when I drove home topless from the Dealer with the top down and refreshed with the 33 degree's temperature.

I must say that the leather seats in our 95 Bird were better support wise than the GXP leather seats and were I believe a higher grade of leather and workmanship!  So, I guess I have not experienced the same feelings as some of the other posters to this thread.  If you have a different opinion please continue the discussion.

[smartin]

A story: I ordered mine with cloth seats because I didn't like the leather options and hoped that I would redo them in the future. That being said, our last Kentucky weekend, we were driving the 6 hours home, hubby was tired and so he started eating chocolate covered coffee beans, we made a pit stop and as I watched him walk into the store I noticed a pile of brown dripping from his butt, now I knew he had to "go" but really!!!!! then I turned and looked at my seat!!!!! chocolate smeared all into the seat...I tried to clean it up in between laughing that my hubby had tons of stuff dripping off his butt...... needless to say, the car seat is stained from the cleaning products to get all that chocolate out and hubby is banned from eating in my car for ever more...... leather here we come soon!!!!! I might also add that that same weekend he ate a meat product and instead of putting it in the garbage he left it in the trunk when we cleaned out the car and 4 weeks later I got in to drive it for the first time in those 4 weeks and the smell was nasty, look in the trunk to find thousands of maggots all over the area that said husband left his food......can you say barf    a little while scooping maggots out of the trunk.......took weeks to get the smell out and the stain in the trunk......One hubby in the dog house!!!

One more reason not to get married. This would have almost qualified him for divorce court.

J/K - We love you, Robert. But not with melted chocolate all over your seat!

[SolNut]

I have, and prefer cloth seats on my 09 coupe.

Had Cloth on the first one too. 

Steve
 

[Craig]

I guess I don't have this problem with the leather seats in my car but there are two tricks that I use.  First I use the seat belt and second I don't Armor All the damn seats.

Seriously though how many people have so much room in their kappa that they can slide all over the place?

I'm sure street driving is fine with the leather.  I would prefer something more supportive at the track.

Aeroroot cookies combined with baby drool will surely destroy any interior!

[MARVIC 1]

I'm sure street driving is fine with the leather.  I would prefer something more supportive at the track.

Don't know about other drivers but, Jeff Gordon and Jimmy Johnson use leather seats on their race cars... maybe they are not going fast enough......
Ever notice the old days high-speed trill rides use Pleather seats on their amusement rides, I guess they want you to slide off...
If the seat is made well with side supports, Rag or leather your going to stay there....

[Craig]

Don't know about other drivers but, Jeff Gordon and Jimmy Johnson use leather seats on their race cars... maybe they are not going fast enough......
Ever notice the old days high-speed trill rides use Pleather seats on their amusement rides, I guess they want you to slide off...
If the seat is made well with side supports, Rag or leather your going to stay there....

But our seats are not made well and don't have good lateral support.

[MARVIC 1]

So that means our car were NOT made for racing... Stay off the track! 
Like you said in one of your post "I'm sure street driving is fine with the leather".....  

[wspohn]

As you know, these cars were made for one thing only - to sell.  I doubt they've ever made a race car that had a top speed artifically limited just because it made it look good..... 

No one would put up with seats made for racing, on the street, and leather seats can be used for mild competition only if you cinch yourself in pretty tight.  Most racing seats are some form of cloth, but all are designed with support to prevent you sliding around.

I helped a new guy figure out how to slalom once.  He wanted to build killer engines and get big sticky  tires.  I told him to buy a proper seat and he didn't want to believe me. I told him I'd pay for it if it didn't improve his times.  He picked up 2 seconds on a long course by not having to brace himself all the time, so I was safe.

I repeat - the leather seats are made with the same care and attention to detail as the rest of the cheap plastic interior - which is not enough.  Look at different cars sometime and see the variation on the stitching and how the headrests, for instance, have the stitched panel a little crooked quite often.  When the seams start to wear, they are going to look pretty shabby.  I restore old cars with leather seats, so maybe I am overly picky.

Mind you, the cloth seats may also deteriorate judging by what the others are saying.

I have well over 200,000 km. on my cloth Fiero seats without undue wear. If they did a poorer/cheaper job on the cloth seats for the Solstice, shame on them!

[Gentleman Jack]

I don't think anyone here thought they were buying an expensive luxury car.  We bought cheap, fun fast converts / coupes.  If we really wanted fancy we would have bought fancy.  Does that mean I think GM did the very best job they could have?  No.  But I didn't buy a Bently.  What's that old saying?  Cheap Fast Good - pick two?

GJ

[wspohn]

I don't think anyone here thought they were buying an expensive luxury car.  We bought cheap, fun fast converts / coupes.  If we really wanted fancy we would have bought fancy.  Does that mean I think GM did the very best job they could have?  No.  But I didn't buy a Bently.  What's that old saying?  Cheap Fast Good - pick two?

Maybe I am spoiled, but the seats in the Kappas wouldn't pass muster for even the cheapest British sports cars of the 50s and 60s. Anyone turning out a seat with that quality of finish would have been out of a job.

Maybe I am one of only a few people with experience of quality leather seats and these seem acceptable to everyone else?

Of course I figured it was the beginning of the end when I recently sat in a friend's Jaguar and noted the fake wood on the dash!

I'm sure the stock leather seats will satisfy most people, but if you take a good look at the various redone leather seats for these cars, you can see real quality.

And I know the cars were built to a price and that compromises needed to be made (I would note that in the interior they are a bit more...compromised...than is the case in several other contemporary sports cars), and I am obviously willing to put up with these as I own the car and enjoy it.

If it is any consolation, I'm not happy with the Corvette interior either!

On the whole, I'd rather have at least decent cloth seats for $1000 less than unsatisfactory leather seats. If and when they die, I'll put the money into having soem really nice recovers done.

PS - of my list of currently owned cars in my sig, 6 out of 9, that is all but the two Pontiacs and one Britihs car, have leather seats, and the other, the race car, has had leather replaced with a competition Recaro that really holds you in place, with cloth cover.

[ChopTop]

Dear Vicki: TGIF!  By Monday I'd like you to design and finalize a seat that fits anyone from a 100lb 5'0 female to a 350lb 6'5 male, cost less than $100 dollars to manufacture, will be used from everything from daily commuting to hardcore racing duties, and meets all federal and export safety regulations.
P.S. Also, pick up doughnuts & coffee to discuss your Monday's morning evaluation briefing.
Have a great weekend!
Signed; BL