Alcantara Bobbling/Fuzzing

My original inquiry is here:
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=176785

 

Rob will be along any second know to explain how to shave your car!

 

Had the problem on mine - i took an electric razor to it and problem now solved

Quite normal

http://forums.mg-rover.org/archive/index.php/t-195357.html

http://www.imoc.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=77028

http://www.bmwland.co.uk/talker/viewtopic.php?p=507235

 

Dear Comrades,

What is alcantara. I had presumed it to be suede but seemingly this is not the case?

With kind regards,

512 Tea Are

 

Dear RB

Alcantara is the name given to a composite material used to cover surfaces and forms in a variety of situations and applications.

The material was developed in the 1970s by Miyoshi Okamoto, a scientist working for the Japanese chemical company Toray. In 1972, a joint venture between Italian chemical company ENI and Toray formed Alcantara SpA in order to manufacture and distribute the material.

Alcantara is created via the combination of an advanced spinning process (producing very low denier bi-component "islands in the sea" fibre) and chemical and textile production processes (needle punching, buffing, impregnation, extraction, finishing, dyeing, etc.) which interact with each other.

The appearance and tactile feel of the material is similar to that of suede, and it may be incorrectly identified as such on occasion

Roberto

 

Wow......the complete history and process of Alcantara.

 

Sounds like a headache which I do not need.........I think I will stick with technical fabric for my Scuderia seats.

Thanks Rob.......you've been a great help.

 

I wouldnt get too concerened, a seat can be re trimmed for less than £1k. In the scheme of things, I think you coud consider what is the more appealing in terms of looks and comfort rather than wear. If i were speccing a 430 sud, i would be looking at a leather/alcantara mix...

just my thoughts mate.

 

I do prefer the looks of Alcantara, but was worried about the wear of Alcantara, as it seemed to wear much faster than other materials.

 

Dear Comrade Robert,

Thank you. You've certainly anwered all my questions.

With kind regards,

512 Tea Are

 

I really wouldnt worry about the wear mate.....my old stradale did 12000 miles and had no seat wear whatsoever. Just this current one doesnt seem to be wearing so well,could just be that it has a beige interior and shows the wear more than the black/red of my previous one

 

Thanks Rob........I'll go with Alcantara........if the seats wear, I'll just have them changed after 2 years. That's it, I'm not going to think about this issue anymore......I haven't slept for two days .

Tell me something......would you go for a 4-point harness in the Scuderia or just the standard 2-point seat belt? Never used a 4-point harness before......I guess you have one in your CS.

 

I dont think you will regret that decision...you have to have what you want, rather than what is sensible!

Personally........you have to have a harness! The sensation of strapping yourself into the rocket is part and parcel of the whole enjoyment thing.. I also think from a resale point of view that a harness is more desirable on a track biased car.

 

Thanks.......you are a good advisor .

 

Dear Comrade Tarek,

Not to cut across Rob's comments here but the thing I don't like about the four point harness is that one cannot lean forward at all. This can make for difficulty at junctions. I may be a little more sensitive on this as the F-40 is left hand drive of course. The other thing, is that I do find it a pain to keep plugging four points in all the time.


Let's see if Rob has anything more to add as he has had numerous Ferrari's - I think three or more Stradale's and perhaps one of those may have had the more normal type of seat belt. So he may well be able to offer a little more feedback.

Why not, if possible, try a car with the full harness?

With kind regards,

512 Tea Are

 

Tarek, if you are going to do loads of trackdays get the harnesses, if not have belts, harnesses are a royal pain in the butt on normal roads, your movement is heavily restricted to the point you cant lean forward to see at junctions...my Strad has seatbelts and I am soooooo glad of that. If required harnesses are a piece of cake to retro fit.

 

Both of my Strads have had Harnesses and they really suit the car. Graham , they are a simple single point in the CS rather than your 4 point ones. That said they can be a pain in the 4rse for everday driving and hence in the 430 I retofitted normal belts as well. I will probably do this in the CS as all the mointings points are already there and it is £400 for the parts and then I have the best of both worlds. I would order with both already fitted.
james

 

Thought of that, but might look quite odd with two systems in the car. Where shall I place the 4-point harness when I'm using the normal seat belt.

 

Why can't 4-point harnesses be mounted on reels, same like standard seat belts.......I am sure it is possible.

 

You can leave the belts with slack on the street, like Dale Earnhardt at Daytona high banking......OTOH, maybe not.......

 

I do exactly that, leaning forward is no problem.

 

Very solid advice.......thanks for the suggestion Big T. .......I'll do exactly that.

 

Excellent..........I have solved most of my problems today.

 

I need to find a safe method of removing glue/vinyl from paintwork... can you solve this for me

 

Don't hurt yourself, I don't have many friends left.....!!!!!!