Materials to Maintain Your ZHP IIIII Hand Protection IIIII Tools to Maintain Your ZHP
Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 24
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Atlanta GA
    Posts
    1,279

    Keep NB or switch to Alcantara?

    So i have my mint NB interior but lately after driving with it, it just feels cold and I slide around a lot. i saw in a Alcantara car and the seats just felt much more inviting and plush and firm with out the sliding.

    there was a slight cloth odor in the car so I can assume the interior smells will need to be addressed more frequently than leather cars.

    the Alcantara interior i'm considering is Mint with 0 issues and looks wonderful but i'm just not sure on getting rid of the Natural brown.

    What say you mafia
    2003 ZHP 332i | S54 6 speed
    2002 ZHP Touring | M54 6 Speed

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Baltimore, MD
    Posts
    6,940
    NB for sure. Treatment with leather rejuvenating serum should bring it back to soft and supple.

    Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
    Porsche 944 Turbo Build

    One ride and you'll understand why most rocket scientists are German.

    My ZHP Build 2004-2014 RIP


  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Atlanta GA
    Posts
    1,279
    Quote Originally Posted by Hornung418 View Post
    NB for sure. Treatment with leather rejuvenating serum should bring it back to soft and supple.

    Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
    thats not what I mean. my leather is as soft as its going to get for aged Dakota leather. Dakota leather is not that soft to begin with compared to Nappa leather in the newer cars.

    my seats have been leatheriqued and rejuvenated 3 times so far. they are good but they are just cold overall compared to the alcantara.

    i love the rare aspect of the NB and the 2 tone look but there was just something about the Alcantara interior that really grabbed my attention.
    2003 ZHP 332i | S54 6 speed
    2002 ZHP Touring | M54 6 Speed

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Chicago area
    Posts
    1,920
    I like my cloth seats. They're good in the winter, and good in the summer. Spills would be a bigger issue. That said I haven't sat in the leather seats for comparison. There's obviously some trade-offs. Natural brown looks better, but I think the cloth seats look pretty cool.
    Last edited by holyc0w; 11-30-2017 at 09:47 AM.

  5. #5
    Switching between my NB and my friends alcantara every once in a while, we both prefer the NB I think. Cloth is much better in the winter and feels more comfortable on the body. I just hate how alcantara looks when it wears.

    Does the cold leather bother you even with your seat heat on?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    22841
    Posts
    9,921
    Everyone seems to be nutty about Natural Brown Leather. So most likely you will get alot of responses to keep it.

    Personally I prefer the cloth/alcantara and I think it is more fitting to the zhp package. Only concern is wear if you are not careful.

    Plus Alcantara was available only with the Performance package but Natural Brown was an option for the 3 series. Exclusivity here lol

    His - 2004 Imola Red / Alcantara 330i | 6MT | ZHP |

    Her's - 2005 Black Sapphire Metallic / Black Leather 330i | 6MT | ZHP |

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Atlanta GA
    Posts
    1,279
    Quote Originally Posted by Vas View Post
    Everyone seems to be nutty about Natural Brown Leather. So most likely you will get alot of responses to keep it.

    Personally I prefer the cloth/alcantara and I think it is more fitting to the zhp package. Only concern is wear if you are not careful.

    Plus Alcantara was available only with the Performance package but Natural Brown was an option for the 3 series. Exclusivity here lol
    did Alcantara cars come with a leather arm rest?
    2003 ZHP 332i | S54 6 speed
    2002 ZHP Touring | M54 6 Speed

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    22841
    Posts
    9,921
    Quote Originally Posted by nextelbuddy View Post
    did Alcantara cars come with a leather arm rest?
    Correct. Leather arm rest, alcantara shift boot and steering wheel ( until it was replaced towards the end of production to leather )

    Most leather arm rests now though are in rough shape. The coby wheel alcantara arm rest is a nice upgrade IMO.

    His - 2004 Imola Red / Alcantara 330i | 6MT | ZHP |

    Her's - 2005 Black Sapphire Metallic / Black Leather 330i | 6MT | ZHP |

  9. #9
    Consider the pros and cons.
    The NB is much better/premium looking, less maintenance.
    The alcantara feels much better, but will show more wear, require more gentle cleaning.
    If you're a generally clean person and take care of your interior, I would go alcantara.
    I owned 1 zhp maybe about 4years ago and can't get over how much I loved that interior.
    So now all this time later I'm looking for another!

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Branford, CT
    Posts
    16,055
    I say keep the NB.

    I got rid of my alcantara/cloth interior because alcantara doesn't wear well. There's only so much fabric shaving you can do before there's nothing left. Without the shaving, you get these ugly piles of clumped up alcantara. I wish the entire interior was just cloth with no alcantara; I might've kept it if that was the case. Since I drive so much, it didn't make sense to keep the more wear-prone alcantara interior.

    As far as leather being cold goes - that only happens for all of 2 minutes, and in my experience, is only cool, not cold. Once you've sat in it for 2 minutes, it has warmed up to your body and feels no different than the cloth/alcantara.

    Dunno; I don't really see enough of a reason to switch, but that's just me.
    BP
    2005 330i ZHP / 6MT
    Imolarot / Naturbraun
    2003 330iT / 6MT
    Orientblau / Naturbraun




    It's not the car you drive, it's how you drive it.

Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. Why switch (back) to ZHP from ///M?
    By JanMatt in forum General -- ZHP Related
    Replies: 45
    Last Post: 02-09-2016, 03:19 AM
  2. Trunk Lid Switch
    By das boots in forum General -- ZHP Related
    Replies: 16
    Last Post: 12-07-2015, 06:56 AM
  3. Window Switch
    By WOLFN8TR in forum DIY
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 04-17-2014, 11:19 AM
  4. WTB: window switch
    By static667 in forum ZHP-Related Parts & Accessories (no vehicle sales)
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 06-04-2013, 05:15 PM
  5. Valet Switch
    By Pooters in forum DIY
    Replies: 17
    Last Post: 12-14-2010, 04:13 AM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •