Keeping You and Your Car Cool This Summer

From strategically maximizing your air conditioning to throwing a couple towels on the seats to stave off the leather burn, we've got all the tips right here.

By Sarah Portia - June 19, 2018

 

One of the reasons I love my truck is the cloth seats. They are pretty well made as well, the cloth is decently high quality and durable. I looked at and almost bought a different Tundra, but it was black on black leather, and I really didn't want to burn my *** every time I hopped in it this summer.

Really wish plush cloth velour or some other high end fabric would make a comeback in luxury cars. I know people hate the malaise era luxury barges of the 70's/80's, but the seats in those cars were great. Plush and very ornate cloth was all the rage back then, you could get it in a variety of colors. It felt great, wore like iron, didn't get hot in the summer or cold in the winter like leather, I mean you'd see cars in the junkyard, bodies are rusting, faded paint, but the interior still looked mint, those cloth seats still held up over the years.

Now days cloth seats for the most part are cheap feeling, itchy, nylon based crap that doesn't last. They are so cheap feeling the idea is to get you to spring an extra grand or two to the next trim package that has much nicer leather(or imitation leather vinyl) that feels/looks much nicer. I've noticed in Ford and Toyota trucks the cloth seats are actually pretty nice, don't feel cheap and wear pretty good with the miles. Dodge and Chevy/GMC could take some notes.

 

You should not buy an expensive car if you don't have a garage. Daily drivers are meant to be parked outside and take the heat of sun on full blast. I also don't take my car outside before 7-8pm where there is still light outside but not enough give me and my car a shot of uva/b rays.

 

I'm also going to say, living in Nashville TN, a convertible can be too hot during the summer. I had a 1998 Camaro Z28 drop top, fun car with the LS1 V8/six speed manual, it straight up hauled *** and looked *****ing. That car was white paint, black top, very dark grey leather interior along with a lot of other dark grey plastics that soaked in the heat.

That car was miserable to drive in summer with the top down unless you were moving, even then it got pretty hot with the dark grey/almost black leather/vinyl/plastic interior.

Still though driving that thing around sunset, man it was sweet, the air cooled, the sun wasn't constantly beating down on you, it was just a ton of fun to cruise around in, even if it was really hot out still. Driving it at night with the top down, on warm summer nights, man that was the ****.

 

Great post. Agree 100% with everything you say here.

I caution people, over and over again, about the miseries and problems of unsheltered black vehicles in the summertime, but a lot of buyers are just enamored with the Darth Vader look.

 

I know, they get really damn hot. I kind of wish I had bought a lighter color truck, but I'm a sucker for navy blue(3rd car I've had that color). Still though the lighter interior isn't nearly as hot as that damn black leather. Also I like the two tone black/grey look inside, all black interiors are just too much black IMO.

 

I make sure to park in the shade when possible. When that isn't an option, I also always use a quality sunshade and crack the windows down an inch or so. Even with tint and sunshade, the interior will eventually get hot after hours in the office parking lot. Leaving your windows cracked open or sunroof tilted open will allow the accumulated hot air to rise and exit the interior. Just make sure there's zero chance of rain in the forecast.

 

65 and raining for the past several days...some summer where I live.

 

I disagree. Cloth and velour smell like **** after some time. I frankly feel disgusted sitting in any car with cloth. A man-made product produced in a factory will never be "luxurious" to me. I'm not a fan of all the fake leather either but it's way better than cloth. Lexus' NuLuxe feels almost like the real thing.

I'm a stickler for leather. It's a pain to maintain but if you do it will always look and feel the best.