Carbon Fiber, Racing Seats and Alcantara

Sport seats were the first thing I looked for when buying my 458 and in particular I wanted the sport seats with alcantera centers.


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I get what you’re saying and, although I’m not quite as passionately against Alcantara, knowing what I know now, I would spec my 458’s carbon fiber racing seats in all leather configuration (I’ve got Alcantara in the seats and doors). The novelty of Alcantara wears off quickly, imvho.

Kind regards,

Nuno.

 

Alcantera was a must for me bc I greatly enjoy hard spirited driving on winding roads and you just slide around on leather. I will admit though the all leather racing seats look good too!


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I can’t argue with that. That they do, they offer noticeably increased grip. My problem with Alcantara is that it’s quite more difficult to take care of, maintenance-wise, than leather. Leather products shouldn’t be used on Alcantara and vice-versa, and when you have both materials on a seat, side by side, it becomes a pain. At least to me, but I’m admittedly lazy and I don’t work on my car for lack of time and skill. To the seasoned owner, I bet it’s not that difficult.

Kindest regards,

Nuno.

 

I hear ya. I just treated my seats leather portions. Used painters tape to tape off area where alcantera meets leather. And all went well. I actually think alcantera is easier to take care of as you really just have to vacuum it a couple times a year and contrary to popular belief it holds its look longer. Leather will easily get surface cracks which show use and after longer use the top layer of leather wears off. But again.....some leather is a very good look!


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I have found the sport racing seats to be more comfortable than the electric seats.

I like the alcantara over leather for it's feel and look , leather cracks , gets worn , color fades. So far I have not seen alcantara worse.

 

I have a 488. I'd prefer to have an alcantara headliner vs the material it has now but probably wouldn't want it anywhere else. I love my race seats and carbon fiber. My car has every CF option Ferrari makes. Love it. Just my taste.

Scott

 

Agree with your view on alcantara, which looks like an old bath mat, and wears horribly.

Seats for me depend on the type of car and it’s intended usage, I get how GT3 guys insist on the stupid ingress/egress fixer buckets.....which personally I wouldn’t buy.

Now your take on CF is just nuts.....most I know love CF parts with any color combinations both interior and exterior, huge upgrade over parts that are usually plastic.

 

CF - Structural / weight saving purposes only; not bling, so n/a to a street car.
Racing seats - a modern car deserves a modern seat. A must have.
Alcantara - Somewhat indifferent, but given a choice I'd chose leather.

 

Carbon Fiber interiors are just the 2020 version of billet aluminum bling on classic American roadsters... a tacky trend that will hopefully pass sooner than later.

 

Horses for corses. By that I mean a car for grand tours and those items ain’t really well matched. Track/sports yeh I get it. But anyone specing a car gets to pick pretty much whatever they want and there is enough variance in choice for the second hand market to have all types of spec flowing through.

My current order is for a tourer for long road trips. So the only carbon is the wheel to get the leds. If I’m lucky enough to be in a position to spec a track car or for short spirited blasts the spec would look very different (it would also be a different car from the range).

It’s not a cost thing though. Try asking for all the trim in non-standard colours and it’s getting on for carbon trim costs.

 

Hmmmmm. I have experienced the opposite with alcantera. My alcantera has always been more durable than leather. Yes it can stain easier if you don’t treat it annually but other then that it holds up a lot better. No cracks or top layer to wear off showing lighter leather underneath. I also hate the surface cracking in used leather and how leather gets loose from stretching over time. My uncle is a custom interior tradesman and always prefers alcantera or imitation leather over leather as it looks amazing 5-10 years later vs leather. But then again if you are buying a car that’s $100k+ you can afford to re-leather the seats when they do crack and stretch.


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Alcantera in a racing seat is for grip not show. Unless you get sport seats, leather just sucks & won't hold you in place, especially on the track.

I hated my (reg) Daytonas in my F12, was swimming all over the place in those. After a day at the track, just felt beat up the next day.

When I looked for a GT3RS I foolishly bought the sofas as getting in and out of the buckets was a PITA. (And as one gets older the progression: don't trust a fart, squatting down, a cough or burp and don't trust getting in/out of racing buckets!!!)

Huge mistake with the amount of grip in that car- its getting OMP racing seats right now.

But if one doesn't track the car- who cares!!! Spec the car as you want. So what if you don't track it......

 

I’m into the aluminum and leather. Beautifully done combo.

My sport seats (in leather) fit better and more comfortable than Daytona’s in my 360.

not really into the carbon for looks but do like it’s lighter weight.

Robb

 

Racing seats were a must for me because they afford me more headroom, they look better (to me), and most importantly, they were much more comfortable for me!
I do have alcantara in the middle, and I do like the smooth and grippy feel, but leather would be just as nice. When I drive the car side by side with another that has Daytona seats, my car just makes me feel more connected. The seat of the pants feel is just better.

As far as carbon fiber goes, I also am not crazy about it. I have a hard time replacing a nice solid aluminum piece, with what is essentially, a cloth wrapped in a resin glue, lol. When you grab the vent housings for instance, the aluminum ones feel solid. If you do the same on a car with CF, they make a creaking noise, and that drives me nuts. Even worse....I HATE the carbon fiber shifter paddles. I feel them flex, and they don't feel nearly as nice, solid, strong, or precise as the standard aluminum (or whatever they are made of) ones. As you can imagine, I catch a lot of slack for my opinion at the morning cars and coffee. But anyone who is willing to listen and do a side by side comparison will say "yeah, I see what you are saying...but I like the CF look". To me, these cars are made for driving, so I need it to feel right.
All that said, I do really like the look of the carbon fiber, but it's not a necessity for me (especially for the price), and I also have a fear that it may be a passing fad, and make the car look dated eventually.
These are Ferraris that we drive, and as far as I'm concerned, there is no bad choice! It's just personal preferences.

 

Alcantara has one unique feature I love- it feels warm in the winter and cool in the summer- and if you love spiders-those leather seats get quite hot sitting in the sun-and if you are wearing shorts-ouch!


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