Spin9k

http://www.infomotori.com/a_332_IT_2451_1.html

ezrider55

Wow, nice find but it is still to hot for leather here.

shelleys_man_06

No ****. Italian girls, yes, Italian leather, no.

B-Nez

So, am I understanding this right - our leather seating surfaces are Italian?

truemagellen

yes...are there even cows in Japan? Cause there sure aren't any in Hiroshima where are cars are made...Nuclear Fallout isn't great for farming

B-Nez

Okay, let me clarify my post: our leather seating surfaces are Italian-crafted?

Spin9k

Unless this Pasubio site is a fabrication, which is highly unlikely..

"For a car with an excellent design and with very high performances, the Japanese Car firm wanted to offer very accurate insides, so it chosen the elegance and the comfort of selected leather of high quality from tannery Pasubio.

The new Mazda RX-8 and “Jaguar Poker” reinforce the position of Leather Pasubio, and we hereby would like to mark out that within the italian customers of the firm there are also Saab, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Fiat, Ford, GM, PSA and Pininfarina. "

So I would believe that we have do indeed have "Fine Italian Leather" in our cars! Where has this fact been hiding? Who would have guessed such a thing? Why doesn't Mazda use this in their marketing? Furthermore, what market gets the yellow interior shown? :D

Just one more reason we all enjoy such a 'feel good' car and its many surprises.

mysql101

Interesting. But how does this factor in with so many people saying their $1000 aftermarket leather seats are vastly superior to the OEM leather seats?

draco067

I actually didn't care for the leather in the 8 - I thought it was stiff and not very comfortable, and so opted for the Touring package rather than the GT. Maybe it just needed broken in, but first impressions sell, and I wasn't sold.

zoom44

yes there are cows in japan! where do you think Kobe Beef comes from? and no all you smart -asses i dont mean kobe bryant

mysql101

Also about cows and Japan, they have 100% testing for mad cow, unlike here in America where they're doing none.

ezrider55

Did you know that kobe beef comes from beer fed cows? At least they die happy. :D

epitrochoid

its never too hot for leather

Japan8

Kobe beef? HA!... Yonezawa beef has been ranked higher in recent years. Matsuzawa beef is also of the highest quality. A 200g pack of roast cut of beef will run about 3,000 JPY.

ezrider55

I got steak kobe dyan and if you asked for a knife they got really POed and recooked it. Then I found out you have to be able to cut it with a fork.

bam_bam_39

you haven't spent much time in Texas. Leather and the grade A a/c output aren't the best combo. I like to step out of the car, not peel myself out of it. :D

bambam

SuPerHerO::tOnY

what the heck. this thread turned into a meat thread!

Bankotsu

Leather is fine for me. I don't know what yall talking about.

mysql101

I'm here in Sunny Florida, and my leather is doing great.

But I have 18% tint on the windows as well as the OEM window shade in place when I park it.

DreRX8

I think that people say the aftermarket leather is better because it is more supple than the factory trim; and the entire seat is covered in leather--versus the pseudo ribbed rubber/vinyl that is on the bolsters of the GT spec RX8s. The ribbed rubber will undoubtedly last longer; but the leather that I am installing next week comes with a warranty to match the car.

Rob Tomlin

When I get my 8 (will it EVER actually happen?) I will probably only get leather if I decide to get the Velocity Red paint job since it just looks too cool with the two tone Red/Black interior.

If I go with the Sunlight Silver, I will probably just go with the cloth interior. It's 100 degrees here as I type this! Leather just isn't the best thing to have with that type of heat.

Riverside, California

Local Time: 2:56 PM PDT Lat/Lon: 34.0° N 117.4° W | MSN Map


Current Conditions
Updated: 1:53 PM PDT on September 08, 2004
Observed at Riverside, California
Elevation: 817 ft / 249 m
100 °F / 38 °C
Clear

TSi RX-8

sweet same leather company that Ferrari and Jaguar use thats impressive...

rotten42

Well there is alot more that goes into leather than where its from. The big point with Itailian leather is that they don't use barb wire fencing in their fields. This means that they don't get the scratch marks in the leather like you do in North American Leather. In coats or sofas that might be an issue...in seats, not so much.

The more important measure of leather is whether it is a full grain leather or a split grain leather. Full grain leather uses the whole hide whereas in split grain, they slice it creating a "Top" grain and a bottom grain. The top grain has the original surface on it and the bottom grain is usually textured through a process to give it a grain look. Full grain is the best and is what you will find on a high end sofa. Split grain is not as nice and its what you find in Ikea. Don't been taken in by top grain leather as opposed to full grain leather.

One more thing to consider is that many lesser manufacturers put a sealer compound on their leather. They do this to increase the wear on the leather. The problem is good leather needs to breathe. A good way to tell whether your leather has been treated is by touching it. Good full grain leather that hasn't been treated stays at room teamperature and is soft to the touch. Treated leather tends to magnify temperature...either really cold or really hot....just like vinyl.

So it really doesn't matter so much if our seat leather is Italian.

Astor

While there are cows in Japan, many Japanese companies own farms in Montana, as well as Canada, being they are on very small island, they need to reach out to other lands for resources.

Back to topic, I've read that Rolls Royce uses only cows and sheep from a more northern latitude whereas there are no mosquitos or barb wire, hence the supple unscared leather.

ptiemann

I'm always surprised how nice cool my RX-8 is even like last week when I had it sit in the sun for a few hours (mind you, I have a BLACK one).

The thermometer showed 92 degrees, climbed quickly to 98.

All I did when I parked it was keep one window open and the sunroof closed.

I'll agree though after driving for an hour in the heat my back is wet from sweat and it sticks to the seat more than it would on cloth. Maybe I should start using the A/C but I like to hear the engine as much as I can.. without distracting noise..

-Peter