allegretto

Will have to soon decide to go with alcantara or full-leather (then deviated stitching in orange, and then...).

I think alcantara looks great in the showroom, but how long will it take for the seat/steering wheel to start looking like ****e? I would think they are the first to go, but do other parts besides the obvious?

robmug

Alcantara is VERY hard-wearing and can be washed, scrubbed etc. With regular cleaning it'll both look and last great.

robmug

Care instructions are on www.alcantara.com

Given that it's machine washable...

Dave 86 930 Fl

I installed Cobra seats w/alcantara in my car last year and so far they are holding up very well. Easy to clean and no wear patterns visible to date.

Regards, Dave

Nordschleife

Alcantara is fine on low use areas. It quite quickly shows wear on gearshift levers and steering wheels.

I just don't think there is a place for synthetic fabric in a quality motor car. Its just second grade ultrasuede, which is a cousin of the nylon shirt when you come to think about it.

I like real metal, real leather, real suede, real carbon fibre. I don't like plastic or fake wood or fake carbon fibre inside an expensive car.

When you strap a Black Hawk helicopter onto your back, look at the seat material - shorn black lambskin that has been fire resistance treated. Sikorsky just might have a point. Its natural, it breathes, you can sit in it for hour after hour.

R+C

JohnnyBahamas

I want to strap a Black Hawk onto my back. That would be a highlight day... of course it would be a short highlight day because I can not fly rotary wings and would quickly kill myself... but up until crashing on take off, it would be a highlight day.

BTW, isn't lambskin also Nappa leather?

Nordschleife

Lambskins are hides with the wool on it. Like a sheepskin rug

Nappa is fully treated leather, its fine because its from young hides/skins

R+C

SrfCity

I've seen it fade from a black to gray on F-cars that have been exposed to the sun.

prg

The alcantara steering wheel on my race car looks like like crap. It held up okay in the stradale though.

blueillusion97

Does anyone agree?

gerkebi

It is a microfiber. We use it on sofas as a "performance plus" fabric suitable for high use areas with kids, pets, etc. However, a sofa is one thing, a steering wheel is another.

blueillusion97

Ok let’s see if I got it right. So you are saying it’s a good fabric but not for a steering wheel? Because even if you will clean it, it will start looking like s*** pretty soon and you can’t help it? Then if someone is guying GT3 and plans to drive a lot they are better of with a real leather steering wheel and shifter? Sorry if too many questions but its interesting to know

SrfCity

Yea, don't get it for high use areas. You're probably better off with full leather.

vladie22

Alcantara seats are "grippier" than leather though . I have it in another car and it seems like it holds you in place going around corners a lot better than leather does .

arenared

I've had the RS Alcantara steering wheel and gear shift for about a year or so. They have held up very well. As well as leather? No, but I took a wet microfiber towel, and the "less soft" areas returned a lot of their way towards new again. I think if you are a slob and expect them to last for 100K miles, then leather might be a better choice. If I have to replace mine after 5 (or 10?) years because they are starting to look less than pristine, then they will have been perfectly acceptable to me.