Hooniverse Asks- What’s Your Favorite Car Seating Surface?
Leather, velour, polyester blends, car seats, in fact much of their interiors, can be swathed in a multitude of materials. Some of these- the buttery soft cow hides that swaddle you in a Rolls for example – are so nice you might want to drive naked, but please don’t. Others, notably the petro-chemical covers on most any entry-level American car of the ‘70s are like sitting on a dead narwhal’s flaccid skin. Of the ones that aren’t that creepy, which one’s your favorite?
I once sat in a car whose seats were upholstered in the skins of thousands of frogs. I’ve also shined the seat of my pants on ostrich, horse, and of course, cow. There’s also been denim (AMC) fake mouse fur (most American cars from the ‘80s and ‘90s) and that Velcro-like tweedy fabric that VW uses to keep you firmly planted in the GTI’s seats.
Those are only the tip of the iceberg as there’s an entire Project Runway season’s worth of materials out there from which automakers choose to cover there seats, and as I noted some of those are really nice to sit on, while others feel about as creepy as a French kiss from grandma. Are you a fan of the leather? Or do you prefer the sure grip of wide wale corduroy? Do you like to mix and match your materials, or are you the mono-fabric kind?
So, when you drive, what do you like to plant your ass on?
Image source: [Miata.net]
Related posts:
<img src="http://images.classictrucks.com/tech/0402cl_oldsc_35_z.jpg" width="600">
I have always been partial to a nice old Mexican blanket. Not exactly stock though, but covers up sticky vinyl well.
Screw cows. My hogs needs ostriches.
<img src="http://www.woodstockcustomleather.com/pics/exotic%20hide%20pics/fullsize/ostrich%20seats.jpg" width="720">
Plaid seats of the GTi, of course. IIRC it was a very comfortable, huggy seat. I kinda wished the headrests weren't emblazoned with the GTi logo just so I could place them in other cars.
<img src="http://image.motortrend.com/f/17982417+w750/112_0906_05z+2010_volkswagen_GTI+front_seats.jpg" width="500">
BTW, how'd you guys up top find this article even before it's posted on the front page? I feel like a Hooninja all of a sudden. Which is awesome, of course!
sometimes the link pops up on the previous article before it's posted on the front page
I love that VW tartan pattern but I HATE the way those seats work. They expect you to operate an awkward hand crank placed behind your back just to recline? Those sadistic Germans
Similar seats were one of the few things I liked about my Golf. With the typical release doodad on most cars, the seat back would always spring back then forward a few times until I was able to get it in the right spot. They were comfy firm seats with about the perfect shape too, almost as good as Volvo 850 seats, which were in fact perfect.
Oh I like cloth the best since I live near Chicago, it works well in cold and hot.
It popped up in Google Reader whilst I was reading the post before.
Cowhide in the Packard El Paso concept wagon (photo by me at this years Keels & Wheels; too bad they had the windows up)
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4015/4573578016_56219cf462.jpg" >
1940 Chrysler Highlander: (Photo from http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1940-1942-chrysler-…
<img src="http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/1940-1942-chrysler-new-yorker-highlander.jpg">
Ford F150 KR Leather "Buckets" are like sitting in your favorite old baseball mitt.
<img src=http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/05_kingranch_1.jpg>
img from TheTruthAboutCars
Not as baseball-y as the Audi TT roadster "Baseball Optic" option:
<img src="http://www.canadianautoreview.com/tt-seats-680.jpg">
Picture from <a href="http://www.canadianautoreview.com/audi_tt_roadster.htm” target=”_blank”>http://www.canadianautoreview.com/audi_tt_roadster.htm
my 93 Lightning seats are probably the nicest seats i've ever sat in..
the terminator and 01 cobra seats are a close second…did a road trip in them, most confortable seats of all time, and that suede just grips you!
Agreed. Those Lightning seats are incredibly supportive and comfortable.
Any fabric that breathes/circulates well, like the seats in my Impreza. Keeps your back from getting sweaty both in the summer sun, and in winter when you've got a coat on.
Alternatively, something waterproof/hose-downable, like those in the Element.
When driving around with a little honey in the passenger seat, vinyl bench seats are the best. Take a right hander a little fast and she slides right over to me. Hey, when you're a nerd, you use centrifugal force to your advantage.
[youtube PkgXArxRxy8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkgXArxRxy8 youtube]
This was more my luck… my Polara actually tries to kill everyone but me.
[youtube mXWXGFMa1hA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXWXGFMa1hA youtube]
Hell yeah! I forgot about that song…
Stopping short. That's my move.
Good move. I might use that. With your mom.
A quick review of the fleet suggests my answer must be "steel springs jutting through decades-old sisal and/or foam, loosely restrained by rotting tatters of fabric." I wouldn't have guessed that, but the evidence is fairly conclusive.
One that will last, especially on side bolsters. Being a typical fat American I seem to wear out side bolsters in about 25k miles.
These were some of the worst:
<img src="http://www.tocmp.com/brochures/Chev/1972/Full-Size/images/Impala72_%20%2805%29_jpg.jpg"width=500>
That textured nylon crap got stiff and scratchy. I remember mom had a 72 Caprice with this in it. Probably one of the reasons I never wore shorts as a kid.
How about this interior? or lack thereof…
<img src="http://images112.fotki.com/v1534/photos/9/9586/6324536/8WheelerFarmCarShowMurrayUT448-vi.jpg" width="550">
Did you see this at the GoodGuys show in Texas a couple of weeks back?
No but I'm pretty sure I've seen this or something quite close to it in an article before. Of course the WW2 aviation theme is popular among rat rods.
Silver "metallic" leather in the 1967 Lamborghini Marzal concept:
<img src="http://www.lambocars.com/archive/highres/marzal5.jpg">
Photo from <a href="http://www.lambocars.com/archive/others/marzal.htm” target=”_blank”>http://www.lambocars.com/archive/others/marzal.htm
skinned from space cows no doubt
I liked the Recaros in my BMW but got tired of the leather and I got even more tired of it in my 929. Now I have the new cloth VW seats, which I love. Nice soft and slightly sporty. The problem I have with leather is how it retains hot in the summer and cold in the winter.
I will have to say that my least favorite surface is vinyl seats. There was nothing worse then those red vinyl seats in the 100+ Atlanta heat in my parent's old Caprice Wagon with those massive metal GM buckles. You had to put a towel down on the seats and if your leg touched any exposed seat, burned like hell.
Fuck you GM….fuck you
The first car with leather seats I had was my Explorer. It didn't have heated seats…a must in Michigan. So I had them install a remote car starter. My Mustang has heated seats, and the F150 had a remote car starter. I won't get leather any other way.
When I was in Florida last summer, a remote starter for the rental cars would have been nice. There's nothing like going out to the parking lot at the end of the day and getting scorched by the seats, seat belts, steering wheel, AC control knob, shifter, etc.
The '67 Dodge Charger not only had skin-peeling vinyl seats, but it also had a metal ornament thingie in the middle of the seatback that would work on your back on a hot day like a branding iron.
<img src="http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Dodge/1967_Dodge/1967_Dodge_Charger_Brochure/1967%20Dodge%20Charger-07.jpg" width=400>
Neoprene
<img src="http://www.shinynewmachine.com/tutorials/detail/images/milkcrate.jpg" >
RED VELOUR BABY!
eagle, lots of eagle
In Florida, cloth is definitely more comfortable than leather to me. It doesn't get hot and sticky plus it breathes. But no plaid, please.
Here's an interior that would get PETA up in arms – the 1951 Kaiser Safari show car was trimmed in zebra and lion skins. Another Kaiser show car, the Explorer, used polar bear fur.
<img src="http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/1951-1953-kaiser-dragon-4.jpg.jpg">
I. Want. Polar Bear. Fur.
Seriously. That would be awesome. I would also let my smug Prius-driving coworker know.
How many quarts of whale oil did it take to fill the crankcase…?
For the LeMons Mustang…
<img src="http://www.ogracing.com/images/products/924-KIRKEY-INTERMEDIATE-ROAD-RACE-SEAT-COVER.jpg" width="300">
I find those Kirkey seats so uncomfortable. I'm glad I sprang for a nice Corbeau in our LeMons ride.
I like a nice grippy cloth bucket seat like my Challenger or my T-bird. My Dakota has leather with minimal side bolstering, and it can be a chore staying put while hooning it.
I can't say I enjoy one surface over another. It all depends on the mood and if it is 100°F outside.
Just something subtle:
<img src="http://www.studioghibli.net/public/GSG/Cars/Pontiac/HW_03.jpg"width=500>
Ahh Hank Williams' whip
I went to a nightclub with my friend. We took his Lotus Elan.
When we were leaving, two beautiful young ladies asked for a lift to some nearby destination. We pointed out that the car only had two seats, but they said that it didn't matter.
I was their seating surface.
I'm sure they'll list you above plaid.
The red cloth in my cooper S attracts stains like you wouldn't believe. It also doesn't breathe very well.
Anything in red leather is good for me. I want the inside of my car to look like an explosion in an abattoir.
I've got your car right here. Lotus Esprit Turbo.
<img src="http://www.carpictures1.com/var/resizes/Classic_Car_Lotus_Esprit_Turbo_Interior_Red_Leather_1253x944.jpg" width=500>
The "denim" on the Levis Gremlin was actually a spun nylon dyed to look like denim. AMC tried real denim but it didn't have the right wear characteristics plus it was too flammable.
Too flammable hah! And I never thought I could refer to my levi's as hot pants
James Brown has something to say about hot pants.
[youtube a1U-EBVuLt0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1U-EBVuLt0 youtube]
MB-Tex (though it helps if you have working A/C)!
<img src="http://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/1981_Mercedes_Benz_240D_Diesel_W123_Sedan_Interior_1.jpg" />
I really like my MB-Tex, too. Yeah it's not real leather or anything but, hey, the original MB-Tex seats in my W108 are nearly 40 years old and they still look great (really – there are absolutely no rips, tears, cracks, whatever). And I made it pretty comfortably through 100 degree weather this summer
The only downside is that they seem to be rather slippery and my stuff always slides around
I was about to say anything natural (cotton, leather), but then I realized that I have no idea what the "micro fibber" fabric in my Roadster is made of… So there you have it: even though leather is nice, objects (hats, briefcases, etc) slide around and fall off the seats. The micro fiber seats hold you and your stuff in place. They are also surprisingly insensitive to sunlight: even in an open top car parked in direct sunlight, the seats stay reasonably cool to the touch.
Coarse "belting leather" in the 2007 Ford Interceptor concept (+ "squircles"):
<img src="http://image.motortrend.com/f/9485185+w750/112_0707_02z+ford_interceptor_concept+interior.jpg">
Picture from http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/112_07…
Woven leather in the 1997 Jeep Dakar concept:
<img src="http://www.allpar.com/cars/concepts/photos/jeep/dakar.jpg">
Photo from <a href="http://www.allpar.com/cars/concepts/jeep.html” target=”_blank”>http://www.allpar.com/cars/concepts/jeep.html
I'm rather partial to the Ford GT seats with their wacky ventilation holes.
<img src="http://www.autopressnews.com/2005/m11eng/ford/ford_gtx1_seats.jpg" />
I didn't get to sit in the GT very long, but those seats fit me perfectly. Like it was made for me. I wrote a letter to Bill Jr. telling him this, and that I should be given a GT for this reason. I'm still waiting to hear back from him.
<img src="http://thegarageblog.com/garage/wp-content/uploads/800_1976chryslercordobasportcoupe.jpg" width="500/">
Why of course The Soft Corinthian Leather™
Movable seats in the 1935 Stout Scarab. William Stout hadn't yet learned the value of restraint:
<img src="http://barista.media2.org/wp-content-apr2007/scarab3.jpg">
Picture from <a href="http://barista.media2.org/?p=3063” target=”_blank”>http://barista.media2.org/?p=3063
When I was a kid my quarter midget had a bare fiberglass seat! That car was the cats pajamas!
<img src="http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/autopia/2009/11/dartz.jpg" width=500 img>
Umm, I was hoping for something with a little wang to it.
Pic from Wired.com
I like how they get puffier when you engage the massage feature.
For our college Baja SAE team we made a carbon fiber seat from an aluminum seat shell mold for our competition car last year.
Leather is great, except when the leather is tired and completely beat to shit. My recently totaled ES300 had the hardest leather I think I've ever sat on – like sitting on skin-tone beef jerky. My father's Cadillac has supple leather that's nice, but if I was ordering a car I'd go with cloth (or "leatherette").
Vinyl. I'm serious, sure it can rip the skin off your legs, or give them first degree burns. Yes, I know it breathes like an asthmatic on mars . But they give you memories, not always pleasant, but just the mention of it gets people talking about their horrors and about alternatives. Its also the cars they were in, lots of good cars from the 50's and 60's had them, yet you still love them.
Its easy to clean, you don't have to take care of it like leather.
Also the names when it came out were cool, like Naugahide, it sounds like it came off some ancient and noble beastie.