Hmmm, Leather orrr??????

[Lenie]

I've been researching leather for my interior and was wondering what to go with, leather or ultraleather? So, I'm thinking, what are the pros and cons of both? Those of you that have either or have used both in the past, lets hear your opinions. :_paranoid

[mazspeed]

I had this debate with myself about my interior, but I went with real Italian leather after sampling a few different kinds and ultra leather. But ultra leather is I think better then standard leather at less then half the cost.

[customcam]

Is Ultra leather even Leather? i dont think it is :question:

[Lenie]

No, it's a leather alternative.:wow: It's not the cost I'm debating, it's a few things. Value of the car, wear, comfort, smell, oh, and maybe alittle cost? But I don't want to take short cuts that will be less appealing if that makes any since.

[BigVin]

Italian leather and forgetaboutit.

[XcYZ]

Ultra leather is synthetic. I think it's really nice. The advantage of ultra leather is that it can be stretched in 2 directions, where as real leather can only really be stretched in 1 direction.

Maybe one of the experts like Tracy from Recovery Room will chime in. :thumbsup:

[Garage Dog 65]

Ultra leather the seat inserts and lower seat surrounds - and leave everything else real leather. That eliminates the leather wrinkles in the stretch zones - while the rest of the leather gives the look/smell your after. That's what Tracy recommend to me at Columbus - and I'm sure he'll set us straight when he jumps in.

Jim

[ccracin]

We have very similar concerns for our project. Great Question! How bout it Tracy? Thanks.

[HRBS]

We use Ultra leather (vinyl) for our projects.
The "alternative" material:
-stretches easier.
-more flexible
-wears better
-cleans better
There are good and bad vinyls. Some wear and clean better than ones that stretch better etc. and some have better (more realistic leather like) grain.
The only thing missing is that awesome leather smell ;)

[dookie]

So what to expect expense wise on the Italian leather , for a single interior , Who is a good supplier?

[sniper]

I've been researching leather for my interior and was wondering what to go with, leather or ultraleather? So, I'm thinking, what are the pros and cons of both? Those of you that have either or have used both in the past, lets hear your opinions. :_paranoid
Pros of leather:
It's a real.
Smell
Feel
easier to work with.
Color choices

Cons:
expensive
maintenence intensive
Must keep it conditioned or it'll dry out

ultra leather:
Pros:
Most people don't know the difference
Ease of use.
easy to clean and maintain
has a good feel
Cheaper than most leather

Cons:
Not real leather
Is more difficult to lay than leather on curvy surfaces.
Color choice while pretty good is limited

Ultra leather is synthetic. I think it's really nice. The advantage of ultra leather is that it can be stretched in 2 directions, where as real leather can only really be stretched in 1 direction.

Maybe one of the experts like Tracy from Recovery Room will chime in. :thumbsup:

Ultraleather is a 2 way stretch. Real leather will stretch any way you want it. Pro is to leather.

We use Ultra leather (vinyl) for our projects.

Not to be a stickler for details but ultraleather is not vinyl, it's a polyurethane.

Wear on ultraleather is superior to vinyl for wear. Most vinyls wear out at 100,000 double rubs ona wyzenbeck, whereas ultraleather goes for a healthy 400,000 double rubs. Impressive!

Either way is good. Think budget and how much use it's going to get.
Personally nothing does it better than leather. When you get in a car like mone that is nothing but leather, the smell is just awesome.

[BigVin]

Italian leather and forgetaboutit

[RECOVERY ROOM]

Sorry for getting in on this thread so late,each material has its own value.I like ultraleather for a car that is going to get driven alot,it also can be matched for color if there is a tear or changes later on down the road.Real leather interiors have a look that can't be beat,but it is more expensive than ultra and is harder to work with,we always tell are customers to order a extra half hide out of the same dye lot for repairs if needed.Ultra is the most workable of the two.Half of the cars we do every year are leather and the other half ultraleather.Real leather has to be cleaned carefully so that you don't hurt the coating on it because there are diffrent grades of leather.The feel of ultraleather is softer than the real leather in most cases because of the backing on it.To some it up after all this is, Ultra for a car that gets driven a lot,Real leather for cars that are used on a weekends and shows.Look at my website and see if you can tell which ones are ultraleather and which ones are real leather,I just put a disc in mail to my website builder with seven new cars on it, muscle cars and rods. recoveryroominteriors.com