So what is everyone getting to cradle their buttocks in the new RX-8? Keeping it simple here people, cloth or leather.

I do not have the money for a RX8, but if I were to purchase one it would have cloth because it is cheaper, lighter, and in my opinion more comfortable. This may be untrue with the RX8 leather, but in my experiences with leather I am not very fond of it.

If leather was available without all the extra gewgaws of the Grand Touring package, then I might consider it. But since I'm opting for the Sport package, cloth it is.

leather is the only way to go

took cloth, mostly cause im not a big fan of leather, it gets bloody hot here in los angeles during the summer and the idea of peeling myself off leather seats is and was unappealing

Originally posted by lefuton
took cloth, mostly cause im not a big fan of leather, it gets bloody hot here in los angeles during the summer and the idea of peeling myself off leather seats is and was unappealing BLOODY HOT compared to London????

london? no, but it can easily break 100F in los angeles during the summer unless you happen to live shoreside, but 10 miles inland and it'll make toast sweat.

-nate

Originally posted by lefuton
... it can easily break 100F in los angeles during the summer unless you happen to live shoreside, but 10 miles inland and it'll make toast sweat.

-nate

Oh I fondly remember those days well ;) (spent almost 20 years there, althought the last 5 was in Laguna Niguel :D commuting up to LA ...but now for the last 5 years I'm in Dallas, where it can easly reach 114 degrees (F) not including the humidity ... :p

So I'll take cloth please! I've alwasy liked the feel better than leather - but I'll admit that leather looks better.

(I do wish that there was colored inserts with the cloth too :( )

Originally posted by lefuton
took cloth, mostly cause im not a big fan of leather, it gets bloody hot here in los angeles during the summer and the idea of peeling myself off leather seats is and was unappealing

Leather does get really hot. During a hot day in Anahiem, the leather seats in a Q45 get very hot. Not only that leather starts to crack after a year if not taken care of.


Cloth... More grip, less weight... the only way to go.

Leather... because it rhymes with 'Heather'.

Agree with the cloth arguement BUT leather will look better and sell better later.

rael.

Amen to resell value, though I have no intention of ever selling mine -- unless the 2006 RX-8 is that much of an improvement.:D

selling aside, im not going to compromise on what i prefer for however many miles and years just so i can sell it for a lil bit more later on. seems kind of silly to me to get something you don't want just because you might get a better price on it later on.

I agree with you 100% lefuton. I failed to mention that I DO love leather. I love it and wanted it so much, that I was willing to accept the stuff I did NOT want long with it: moonroof, heated seats, etc. I wanted it so bad, I rationalized the extra fancities plus the leather would help the residual value (or at least the appeal), should I ever decide to sell it.

I've got leather in my Miata and not only does it look very worn, I also slip around like crazy in them at the track. I think I'm going to go cloth. Of course, I'll want to see the two in person, first.

Originally posted by rael
Agree with the cloth arguement BUT leather will look better and sell better later. That depends on alot of things. Check out midpriced cars that are over 5 years old, and see how well the leather has lasted. In some cases, it gets torn and worn, and looks worse than cloth.

---jps

I got leather simiply because I needed the power seat. I don't much care for leather seating. I hate getting out of a car and my back and leggs soaking wet from sweat. Nor do I like ripping the skin from my legs when I where shorts in the summer. My problem is that both my wife and I are short. I have never found a car with a manual that I could get positioned right with just a sliding seat. I always end up to close to the stearing wheel. I only wish I could have gotten the power drivers seat on one of the lower packages.

Leather smells better, importantly it cleans up better (remember, this is a 4 seater family car with little Johnny throwing up in the back), you won't slide as the seats are very grippy and cloth seats remind everyone of cheaper car ("leather would have finished it off nicely"). Additionally cloth can start to smell wierd as more and more dirt is embedded. Leather, if cleaned and protected periodically will last forever (although I will be selling again in 2 years time).

I fully understand the heat/ sweat arguement but in he UK that does not really stand.

rael

Texas heat + no garage at my house x grip and lightweight = cloth :)

Originally posted by jtdwab
I hate getting out of a car and my back and leggs soaking wet from sweat. Nor do I like ripping the skin from my legs when I where shorts in the summer.

On the plus side if you race you can get the leather and autocross naked. You'll stick to the seat like glue.
:D

What is the weight difference and what difference does it make to the cars performance? I cannot believe that difference is so big.

real.

I prefer the leather, but as many manufacturers do they have "bundled" it with a lot of useless shit so they can make a lot of money. If I remember correctly it effectively is a $3,500 option. What BS.

I would like the leather. As rael said it does not make much difference with the heat/sweat argument here in the UK

Originally posted by Vaillant
I've got leather in my Miata and not only does it look very worn, I also slip around like crazy in them at the track.

Of course this is just one person's experience with Mazda's leather but if it's any indication of Mazda's track record with leather then I'd pick cloth. Can anyone else comment on Mazda's leather seats?

Besides, cloth holds ya to the seat better.

You guys sure you had leather and not vinyl :confused:

I have had leather seats in my car for last 15 years and have never had a problem with sweat/heat, etc. -- yes it gets over 100 degrees here with 90+% humidity. On the other hand - my wife's car with cloth interior was terrible in the summer -- hot hot hot -- main reason we got rid of it and bought a car with good leather seats.

Looking forward to leather in my RX-8 -- just hope they use the quality of our Volvo brothers not our Ford corporate masters.

Wow, this poll is closer than I thought it would be. I was expecting to see more like 75/25 (leather/cloth).

I'm getting cloth, but only to keep the cost under $30,000. It would cost another $3,000 to get leather with the grand touring package.

Inittab,

I had leather in my 1988 RX-7 conv. After awhile (can't remember how many years) the left side of the driver seat cracked pretty bad. The passenger seat never did that, however. I would guess it depends a lot on how much sunlight the car is exposed to. If I were in a very sunny location I would probably get cloth (especially if the car was not going to be kept in a garage).

Originally posted by inittab
Of course this is just one person's experience with Mazda's leather but if it's any indication of Mazda's track record with leather then I'd pick cloth... Ya know, that's going to be the experience with a lot of convertible cars with vinyl or leather seats.

---jps

gotta have the hides. And besides, the RX-8 has air-conditioning, even if it does get hot out.

Cloth for me! Thats cause I need to keep the price down on the car. But from what Ive heard, In Canada, I can only get the GT Option with Leather. That sux

I got it becuase I love the smell,feel of leather. I plan on getting tints to protect it from the sun and it will be in the garage.

Does anyone know, if you get leather the seats come with heaters, but do they all heat up or just the driver side?

typically it's just the two front seats.

I was just wondering if you get the touring package with cloth seats, do we still get the rotors and big brake kit along with the 18's etc...

N/M just found the answer :D It's nice that the 6 speed comes with LSD, 18" rims, etc.... Does anyone know what it says on the big brake kit for the name, Looks like it starts with the letter R. Be nice if it said Brembo.

I think the brakes are made by mazda. Yea it would be nice if it said brembo, but then again the rx8 stops faster then the 350z and the g35 coupe which both have brembo breaks.

My choice is only one...Cloth.
My "lovely"dog eats leather.:D

Does anyone know what the colours of the two-tone are with leather? The photos show a red car with read and black leather. I've ordered a silver car. The dealer thought it would be all black but wasn't sure.
I want leather because with young children and a dog it's much easier to clean.

Originally posted by AsianStyle
I think the brakes are made by mazda. Yea it would be nice if it said brembo, but then again the rx8 stops faster then the 350z and the g35 coupe which both have brembo breaks.

as far as braking technology goes, it's not too difficult to design and build a system which would far outstrip a car's stock tyre's grip (as is the case for all three of those cars you mentioned)...

the Brembo name (as far as most street cars go) is nothing more than having a name brand on the brakes.

Talking about brakes once the brakes wear out what would be a good replacement and how much do you think they will cost? So the brembos on the nissans don't give any advantages other than the name? Does that go for all brembos or just the nissans?

Simon, UK ordering only allows for black interior in the silver car.

Originally posted by AsianStyle
...So the brembos on the nissans don't give any advantages other than the name? Does that go for all brembos or just the nissans? No, that's not quite right. The Brembos on the Nissan are an upgraded brake system versus the base 350 brakes (both in performance and weight). His point was more that just having the "name" on it or not doesn't determine a system's capability.

---jps

How many of you are planning on modifying the car? Do you think by lowering the RX-8 we will loose handling capability or any other side effects, since the car was designed for the suspension they use? I know that by lowering the car you probably will loose ride comfort, but I was thinking more in terms of full coilovers.

enough about the brakes! this thread was about cloth or leather.

here is a pic of them all together. the cloth still looks black and gray to me

Yes, but luckily the black leather seems to be two different shades giving the illusion of black/grey (see Japan Site (http://www.rx-8.mazda.co.jp/interior02.html) ). That'll suit my Titanium exterior nicely.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/phil.white1/RX8/seats.jpg

and i think the cloth will look real nice in my sunlight silver car. Mazdausa continues to say they are all black, contrary to what is seen in this pic

I have a feeling that the center inserts of the leather seats will be a synthetic suede material. Probably similar to what I have on my 10th Anniversary Miata seats. Has anyone herer sat in the leather seats of a production car?

I dunno now.. I was set on cloth until I saw JSG's Tit.G and Red and just sat/smelt leather in a ES300. I am torn.. I doubt I can change it now, but if I could I might..

How long does leather typically last?

I'm sort of afraid of leather because I had it in my 84 GSL. And I used to drip in it. However I bought it used, the leather was pretty hard and cracky AND I had no A/C..

Are today's leather seats better?

Originally posted by zoom44
and i think the cloth will look real nice in my sunlight silver car. Mazdausa continues to say they are all black, contrary to what is seen in this pic

All the cloth seats I have seen are 95% black. there isn't much gray/silver to them... I believe that what you are seeing in that picutre is a photographic illusion.... common when seeing a pattern of lines in 2d format.

see this :
http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/rx8/images/build_order/chip_bui_rx8_int_cloth_black.gif

that is the most true representation of the cloth seats I have seen.

:D

hope this helps

Originally posted by zoom44
and i think the cloth will look real nice in my sunlight silver car. Mazdausa continues to say they are all black, contrary to what is seen in this pic

If this is the true color of the seats, I will be very happy.:D

... Thanks to East Moon (I copied them from another thread) here's a picture of his cloth seats ...
http://www.egroups.co.jp/files/eastmoon/rx8_001/rx8_030502_room4.jpg

I'm still not sure if the seats are grey or or black?

The seats color looks pretty close to the top post that zoom44 placed ...

okay i think i have it now. to mazda this is an all black cloth seat. however as can be seen by the pics of eastmoons seats, there are at least three different fabrics with three different textures. because of the differences in fabric and texture the various sections refract and reflect light in different ways and look like different colors in pics even though mazda considers them all to be "black". What we need is for East Moon to say whether or not his seats look in person like his pics show or if they look more like the small pic posted above by Drkilljoy(which by the way is how they look in a similarly small pic in the new brochure)

flashes from cameras always discolor things a little. They make it different textures or "shades" so people can differentiate the seat's contours. I sat in the rx8 with leather and it felt, very nice... leather is sexy, but on the contrary the performance aspect of it isnt so hot. if the cloth interior ends up looking like in those pics of the japanese mazda site, I will reholester them with rockcotton and suede :) I hope that metal thingy on the top of the seat doesnt hit my head... my precious brain :p

I am choosing cloth, lowers the cost and I dont have to spend approx. +2 grand for leather... and a bunch of stupid things like wind deflector, heated seats? (I live in Southern California - its like never THAT cold here...)

Leather all the way.

interesting... those larger pictures of the seas appear a much more lighter shade of black than the ones I saw... -- maybe I was a pre-production seat ? **shrug**

East Moon has added a few more pics of his seat ...http://www.knowledgelink.jp/user/tk/rx8_room002.jpg

but I'm still in the dark about if the seats are grey or black?

you guys should really look in the other parts of this forum. there are two great pics of the cloth seats in "boowana's rx8 quest" section. whatever the heck that section's supposed to be. i've reposted them here:
http://home.att.net/~superotter/rx8cloth1.jpg
http://home.att.net/~superotter/rx8cloth2.jpg
the only thing i have with the cloth seats is taht the side ribs look like they'll crack really easily.

feel really sorry for the cows that were skinned....give me cloth any day! BTW, i'm not Australian with a 'special' fondness with sheep

Originally posted by knihc2008
you guys should really look in the other parts of this forum. there are two great pics of the cloth seats in "boowana's rx8 quest" section. whatever the heck that section's supposed to be... Those were related to the Detroit Auto show, and Boowana's ability to get behind the curtain before the RX8 was revealed to the public.

---jps

Still not sure if the cloth black seats are black or grey?

:confused:

But if looking at the carpet and it's suppose to be black, than we can be sure that all of these posted picks look grey due to the camera's flash going off ...

I'm going by the fact that my 2003 MP5 has black cloth seats and the carpet is very black! Anyone know for sure?

Originally posted by bwayout
Still not sure if the cloth black seats are black or grey?

:confused:

But if looking at the carpet and it's suppose to be black, than we can be sure that all of these posted picks look grey due to the camera's flash going off ...

I'm going by the fact that my 2003 MP5 has black cloth seats and the carpet is very black! Anyone know for sure?

The pictures I took at Detroit came out looking the same, but the color was actually much closer to black than it appears. See here (http://www.elysianplains.com/album/mazda/rx8blackbackseatmazda.JPG) and here (http://www.elysianplains.com/album/mazda/rx8blackcheryedrivemazda.JPG) to see the difference the light makes. Same car, but because of the angle with less light that the second one was taken, you can see how black the seats actually are.

Originally posted by Elara


The pictures I took at Detroit came out looking the same, but the color was actually much closer to black than it appears. ... but because of the angle with less light that the second one was taken, you can see how black the seats actually are.

Thanks, so much!

:D

Somehow I like the gray color of the cloth, looks not too bad in Ti Gray or Sunlight Silver.

Welp, as my first post I say cloth. Living here in Miami has convinced me I do not want leather on a car. My fiance's Inifniti has leather and I hate getting in that car most days, even worse when I'm in shorts (often in this muggy swamp).

Of course, the only problem is I wont buy a car I havent driven yet and seems all the dealers in the area only got the cars with the grand touring package. So looks like I will have to wait until much later to get the car I want. Oh well. It will be mine!

Originally posted by Genom
Welp, as my first post I say cloth. Living here in Miami has convinced me I do not want leather on a car. My fiance's Inifniti has leather and I hate getting in that car most days, even worse when I'm in shorts (often in this muggy swamp)....
Yep, we got that same problem here in Texas
;)

And by the way, hello and welcome!

When I bought my Legend, I was pleased it came with leather, seemed the high quality choice.
After a year or two, I was finding it hard, slippery, cold, cracking and wearing badly. High quality vinyl (if thats not too much of an oxymoron) would have been better. I found leather to be the absolute worst of both worlds.
Put some custom made sheepskin covers on the fronts, then after another couple of years they really started to smell 'funny',
(if you know what I mean.)
So cloth it was for me, a no-brainer.
Then the pricing from Mazda Canada made leather almost a no cost option with the GT package - if you total up the options, it is really cheap - so even though I 'wouldn't-have-it-as-a-gift'
I guess I'm getting the leather with my GT (red/red)
.
.
.
doc

actually I changed my mind, I think the red/black leather looks SOOO hot. I really love the leather look, and I know wear is not a concern for me because I detail my car well. I just dont like that ugly cloth look...

Originally posted by Efini 8
I just dont like that ugly cloth look...

Why you say it is ugly? It looks fantastic. In about a year mine will turn into MazdaSpeed seats :D . Those are cloth and they look great!

If we get one of these cars within the next year, we'll be getting the cloth seats. If only the leather seating surfaces were available WITHOUT the moonroof...

Cloth all the way, though I do live in TX if that might have somethin to do with it...

I needed the power seats and they were only available as part of the Grand Touring package. I thought about waiting for '05 to see how the options changed, but ... didn't. Living in Michigan, with the ongoing cold weather, the heated seats are going over very well. When I was test driving cars, I did notice that some leather seats were slippery, I didn't get that sense from the RX-8 leather.

The upper part leather seats seem to be a lot wider than the cloth seats in the RX8. The leather side bolsters made shifting a real problem for me. I prefer the cloth.

personally i like both, but i went the cloth...my 03 tib was leather and comparing the two i just think the cloth is more comfortable...but then again i shouldnt compare those two cars to eachother...

I would go with leather. I like all the bells and whistles that comes with the GT package, leather being one of them.

Leather with the lot, defintely bang for your bucks!