To Suede or not to Suede, that is the Question???

OK, so I am going with this interior black w/grey instead of the red. I am going with leather, not vinyl. I cannot make up my mind if I want the grey inserts to be suede or leather. Its not my daily driver so I am not too overly concerned about wear and tear. I just cant decide... I thought maybe you guys could offer some opinions...

I just ordered my kit black and grey with suede I was told by Bill at SCP that suede does require more maintenance then leather that he didn't recommend it for a daily driver like mine. I don't have any experience with suede tho.

Definitely go with suede if you can afford it. Actually my preference would be for cloth over anything, but leather is hot and sticky in the summer, and cold and slippery in the winter. Suede is so much more comfortable, so especially if it isn't a daily driver, and since SCP doesn't offer cloth upholstry kits, I say go with the suede.

Everyone has opinions. Mine is I prefer leather. If you wear shorts in the car in the summer and want suede so it's not so hot, you'll find that your skin oils will ruin the suede. In fact skin on leather is the worst thing for leather too.

The original leather was coated in a polymer of some sort so it wasn't even true leather (on the surface). I've actually used brake fluid to peel the surface coating off the Ford leather for those who don't believe it.

When you get leather in the kit, it will be geniune leather which is much nicer to sit on than the original Ford stuff. I installed a Katskins leather kit in my car (black) over 10 years ago and it is holding up excellent. No wear/tears/cracks at all.

Again, this is opinion, but I don't like cloth seats. I don't like the "traction" of cloth or suede for that matter. But that's my opinion.

I will say this - do NOT order the leather rear surround. Real leather will dry up and shrink way faster than the original Ford stuff in the back window. Do yourself a favor and get the upper part of the seat back in vinyl so it holds up to the sun. If you order the "cheap" rear option then you get leather only on the seating surfaces and vinyl for the rest which is definitely the way to go.

FWIW: My car lost about 15HP when I changed my seats from leather to cloth.

Any interest in perforated cloth center section? Can they even do that?

The stock "mouse fur" upholstery on the early model cars is pretty decent, in my opinion.

Thanks for the input guys. If anyone has the suede inserts please post a pic.

thanks

I wouldn't do it.

I have alcantara suede on my seats from the factory in my 2002 Audi S4. This was really cool at 21 but twelve years later, I think it's pretty silly that this was one of my decision criteria (i.e.: get the sport pkg for the S4 to get special door trip, aluminum mirrors, aluminum vs wood trim, and yes, the two-tone seats).

My wife drives this car now and we'll probably have to get something else when we finally have a kid -- I'm sure they will destroy the interior. There's really no good way to clean suede. Sure, you can use water and maybe some mild soap but it's not a good idea to use chemicals at all. This makes cleaning the seats an even larger pain b/c I have to use leather-all for the seats and then just vacuum the suede (hoping my wife hasn't spilled anything on the seats).


My prius has a two tone interior (dark grey/grey) but its already kid friendly with wipable synthetic leather. I'm not in love with the interior but hey, it's easy to keep clean.
-g

PS. On the other hand, I really, really like the suede steering wheel I have in my tbird track car. Very grippy.

S4gunn said:

I wouldn't do it.

I have alcantara suede on my seats from the factory in my 2002 Audi S4. This was really cool at 21 but twelve years later, I think it's pretty silly that this was one of my decision criteria (i.e.: get the sport pkg for the S4 to get special door trip, aluminum mirrors, aluminum vs wood trim, and yes, the two-tone seats).

My wife drives this car now and we'll probably have to get something else when we finally have a kid -- I'm sure they will destroy the interior. There's really no good way to clean suede. Sure, you can use water and maybe some mild soap but it's not a good idea to use chemicals at all. This makes cleaning the seats an even larger pain b/c I have to use leather-all for the seats and then just vacuum the suede (hoping my wife hasn't spilled anything on the seats).


My prius has a two tone interior (dark grey/grey) but its already kid friendly with wipable synthetic leather. I'm not in love with the interior but hey, it's easy to keep clean.
-g

PS. On the other hand, I really, really like the suede steering wheel I have in my tbird track car. Very grippy.

Click to expand...

My buddy has an S4 avant and I love his blue suede... Its his baby... You make a good point with regards to cleaning it. I just thought what if I was wrenching on her and had grease on my hand and touched the suede... major suck!

I wouldn't do suede! JMO!

This is with the suede insert. Doesn't photograph that well due to the way the nap reflects the light, but in person it looks (and feels) great! Doesn't have that splotchy look to the naked eye.

Thanks for the picture!!

I'm with Dave full leather, though if perforated is an option get it. I don't like cloth either.

Mine has black on black suede and I wouldn't change it for anything. It is harder to take care of but it adds a look and feel to my car that few others have. However my car is a toy I only drive it in nice weather and don't put a lot of miles on it period which I knew going into it. With the soft leather on the outer and the suede on the inner portion it is a lot cooler in the summer than perforated seats. If you like comfort and something different I highly recommend them if you take care of your stuff.

Dave, that black on black suede looks awesome! I think I may go that route when I redo the seats in my Cougar.

Leather. Suede looks, well, cheap.

Ira