drdonger

Alcantara is a cheap synthetic material. Leather is more expensive and feels a lot better to touch. For the track I use gloves, so grip is not an issue. Alcantara has always looked cheap to me. I wish I could have spec’d the LWB seat cushions in leather at no cost. I don’t mind the lower dash area and headliner being alcantara because those areas aren’t touched.

BLAM

Alcantara is an expensive synthetic material that is lighter than leather and is the preferred choice for performance cars. Leather sometimes looks good when new but does not retain its new look like Alcantara. I just wish I could get the full interior in Alcantara.

MaxLTV

I think some of the concerns about Alcantara longevity are overblown. My GT3 has Alcantara wheel, and after 4 years and 22K miles, it looks brand new. No shiny areas, no discoloration, no visible wear of any kind. I'm not babying it much. I do not use gloves and I clean it once a year with Sonax Alcanatara cleaner. It needs to be cleaned in a special way but it takes less than 10 minutes per year. Based on the wear it had so far, it would last well over 10 years, unless there is some acceleration of wear at some point (e.g., some kind of protective coating wearing off). Interstingly, Alcantara on the steering wheel on my driving simulator gets shiny after about 2 track days equivalent of driving, while the real GT3 wheel takes about 5x-10x as long to show same degree of dirtiness, so the quality of Alcantara is definitely not the same everywhere.

lfish

"Alcantara is an expensive synthetic material that is lighter than leather and is the preferred choice for performance cars. Leather sometimes looks good when new but does not retain its new look like Alcantara. I just wish I could get the full interior in Alcantara."
"I do not use gloves and I clean it once a year with Sonax Alcanatara cleaner. It needs to be cleaned in a special way but it takes less than 10 minutes per year."

Fully agree and thanks for the cleaning info! Love the tactile feel of the GT3 steering wheel in Alcantara

Drifting

Lapis

It’s just a matter of personal preference, both cosmetically and in term of feel.

from a cosmetic point of view, one consideration is whether you like to see more contrast between the steering wheel / shifter booth and the stitching on them. The black leather makes deviated stitching in platinum silver, red, or other lighter colors pop much more than does the alcantara, which looks more medium-dark Grey.

Personally i I like leather both for looks and feel, but agree the alcantara looks racier if that’s the attitude you’re after. Alcantara is also only way to get center marker in red on steering wheel without spending a fortune on CXX custom tailoring the steering wheel.

GrantG

I find Alcantara only provides a good grip when I’m wearing Sparco race gloves (then it’s amazing). But driving around on the street with race gloves makes you look like a d-bag and you can’t use the new touchscreen in the GT3 while wearing them.

Nacelle

motorwerksgroup

Leather....looks better with the red stitching....lasts longer

BLAM

Alcantara last longer and looks better. Leather get shiny and looks terrible in a short time in my opinion. It is 2017 and Alcantara has replaced leather as the best interior material. Performance car = Alcantara interior.

silverrules

If you get leather and want to change later to Alcantara it will cost you $1700 from Suncoast. Ask me how I know.

drdonger

bccars

Great tip on the Sonax, thx !
I prefer Alcantara in a sporty car and leather in a luxo barge. I do use driving gloves though, but when my SW does get dirty for some reason, I'll give the Sonax a try !

motorwerksgroup

Not always true. The alcantara will break down and get hardened before that leather wheel gets shiny. See the video above....very much the case. I had 16416 miles on my 991.1 GT3 with a leather wheel. The same miles on an alcantara wheel and it would have been trashed.

I feel the leather wheel and shifter/shifter boot go better with a leather-optioned Porsche. The stitching is more consistent looking with the rest of the dashboard and it exudes a bit more quality than the cheapness of alcantara

Slip

I’m a fan of both. I have alcantara in the GT / track cars and leather in my daily G63. I wouldn’t put leather in a GT car just as i wouldn’t put an alcantara wheel in my G63. Different wheels for different purposes.