JerryU

From the number of posts of issues with 3LT interior dashes, have to assume it is made with GM's coinded name Mulan "Leather" vesus 1LT and 2LT that are vinyl. Had a 3LT 2014 and recent posts validated why all you can find GM as saying is: the 3LT "seating surfaces" are Napa leather and other areas use "soft touch" materials that they define as Mulan "leather" and vinyl. In fact a recent poster who worked for GM said they tested seat bolster material for durability and real leather was worse that others. So it appears even the 3LT seat bolsters are other than "real leather."

When I had my Street Rod interior done I had asked for "real leather" and this Shop owner who I had interiors they designed and fabricated on excellent show cars, said he could do that BUT could do a better job with UltraLeather. The fixed price was the same. He said he would have to "split the leather" to accomplish what he thought he'd like to do. He was very creative so took his advice. Had to wait 6 months for this three man team to start my interior as they did one car at a time! Had no idea they were going to use the flame exterior on the inside. The headliner and door arm rest were a big surprise! Wondered why when I said, "I'll made the arm rest," he said don't bother, we'll do it! They made the arm rest into a flame shape with a recessed pull needed to close the door as there are no door handles inside or out! The Street Rod is now 18 years old and that interior still feels and looks like the best woman's glove leather!

Decided I would look up the various products for my own edification. Below is a short summary:

Real Leather:
Made from animal hides, leather was used from 2000 BC.The hides are first treated with lime, hair removal, degreasing, bleaching and pickling. It’s a nasty process often done in 3rd World counties!T Tanning stabilizes the proteins of the raw hide so it does not putrefy, making it suitable for a wide variety of end applications. For the typical process tanners load the hides into a drum and immerse them in a tank that contains the tanning "liquor" that slowly penetrates the full thickness of the hide. There are many different steps and chemicals used.
"Crusting" is the next process that thins and lubricates leather. It often includes a coloring operation. Crushing may use chemicals to fix (stop) the tanning process. Crusting culminates with a drying and softening operation, and may include splitting, shaving, dyeing or other methods.For some leathers, tanners apply a surface coating, called "finishing". Finishing operations can include oiling, brushing, buffing, coating, polishing, embossing, or tumbling among others.
Napa (or Nappa) leather refers to the way the hide is processed.

Bonded Leather:
GM’s coined name "Mulan" is Bonded “Leather." It contains real leather scraps – the leftover pieces that would normally become waste from tanneries. These scraps are ground into very small pieces. These pieces are then spray glued onto the back of a man-made material like vinyl. These ground leather bits make the back of the material feel like suede, and this backing can also have an effect on how the material "feels" and upholsters. A poster who interviewed folks at Bowling Green said they stated Mulan has about 40% ground leather scraps.

Vinyl Upholstery
Vinyl upholstery is made from two separate synthetic materials. The fibers of the upholstery are constructed from strong polyester fibers. The fibers are then coated with vinyl, made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and plasticizers (phthalic acid). This vinyl is melted onto the surface of the fibers, sealing them closed and making a virtually waterproof surface that is still flexible and tough.

Ultraleather
Ultraleather is a trademarked proprietary product although there are now several similar brands. It is synthetic leather fabric material has the luxurious look and feel of the finest European calfskin, with durability and resistance to soils and stains on vinyl fabrics. It is made with a polyurethane molecular structure (versus PVC as most vinyl upholstery fabric) that acts as a foam barrier providing additional cushioning to your upholstered seating. Although the fabric offers extra cushion and softness, it exceeds the industry standards in wear and tear. In test conducted to determine heat retention using vinyl, leather and Ultraleather™ for seating applications it was determined that Ultraleather™ was 20% cooler than vinyl and 13% cooler that leather.

furious427

I just purchased a 2015 Z51 A8, its supposed to be a 3LT, how would I know for sure it is 3LT ?

JerryU

^^^
C7 VIN Decoding:
5th Character will tell you!

=startThis is an example of a VIN # for a 2017 Corvette Coupe (3LT, Z51, MN7):=start
=start
=start...….. 1 G 1 Y L 2 D 7 X H 5 1 0 0 0 0 1=start
=start
=startThere are 17 characters. Starting with first character on left the codes are: =start
=start01. "1"= Built in US=start
=start02. "G"= General Motors=start
=start03. "1"= Chevrolet=start
=start04. Denotes the car line: Corvette is a "Y" body.=start
=start05. Provides more info about the car:=start
=start.. A=1LT M/T=start
=start.. B=1LT A/T=start
=start.. C=2LT M/T=start
=start.. D=2LT A/T=start
=start.. E=3LT M/T=start
=start.. F=3LT A/T=start
=start.. G=Z51 1LT M/T=start
=start.. H=Z51 1LT A/T=start
=start.. J=Z51 2LT M/T=start
=start.. K=Z51 2LT A/T=start
=start.. L=Z51 3LT M/T=start
=start.. M=Z51 3LT A/T=start
=start.. N=Z06 1LZ M/T=start
=start.. P=Z06 1LZ A/T=start
=start.. R=Z06 2LZ M/T=start
=start.. S=Z06 2LZ A/T=start
=start.. T=Z06 3LZ M/T=start
=start.. U=Z06 3LZ A/T=start
=start.. V=Grand Sport 1LT M/T=start
=start.. W=Grand Sport 1LT A/T=start
=start.. X=Grand Sport 2LT M/T=start
=start.. Y=Grand Sport 2LT A/T=start
=start.. Z=Grand Sport 3LT M/T=start
=start.. 1=Grand Sport 3LT A/T=start
=start.. 9=export (Non US, Non Canada)=start
=start06. Body style: "2" = Coupe, "3" = Convertible=start
=start07. Restraint code: D – AJ7 Active Manual Belts, Airbags – Driver & Passenger and Seat Side=start
=start08. Engine: LT1 = "7", LT4 = "6" =start
=start09. Check Digit – 0 to 9 or X=start
=start10. Model year: H (2017)=start
=start11. Plant: Bowling Green = "5"=start
=start12-17. Production sequence number that starts with the #100001 for each model yr. Z06s will start with #600001

furious427

Thanks, mine is M. This forum helps so much.

Borntorun04/17

Yes !

Too Slow '90

Not a fan of the bright Adrenaline Red but Spice Red is fantastic. Very subtle and classy.

Thunder22

Same here,but I can't justify $5k upgrade to 3LT just to get it.

Too Slow '90

Bringing this back to the top. Were changes possibly made in mid production? I have looked at a '16 Stingray 2LT/Kalahari and the entire dash (including the portion over the gages and handle to the console) was black. The only Kalahari components were the arm rests, seats and console. Same year Z06 (2LZ) has the dash over the gages Kalahari as well. Is it the difference between a Z06 and Stingray or mid year changes?

JerryU

It's a year change, all C7's are the same!

GM got cheap after 2 years as I recall. That is why I would not consider a 3LT when I bought my Grand Sport! Had a 3LT 2014 that looked great. Looked like the interior the wife had in her Porsche Cayenne at the time. Now the 3LT looks like a patchwork quilt, IMO!

If you get Spice Red it still has the full leather but the exterior color must be right to use it.

karlm

2015 3LT Kalahari is exactly the same as the 2014

JerryU

Yes, I thought it was 2016 they got "Cheap" with all colors accept Spice Red and I think Blue on a special model.

karlm

That's the main reason I'm still in my 15 instead of getting a new GS.

mschuyler

Or you could say they went from color overkill to a more subdued look. Aesthetics is always personal, so this is just IMO, but I prefer the current 3LT treatment over covering the entire dash and all surfaces in color. Some people don't like this and call it a checkerboard look, but I think the full color dash is too overwhelming. I once had an all-red interior and I got very tired of it pretty quickly. The current 3LT is just right, and for that matter so is the current 2LT, which except for the glove box, is just like a 3LT. They added an additional panel for 2019.

JerryU

^^^

As you say it's personal. But my 2014 Z51 looked like my wife's Porsche Cayenne. It fact the Cayenne had tan leather right to the windshield. My 2014 had a black strip in that area and near HUD. Stopped reflections which some said was their reason! I feel the current 3LT looks patchwork.

I decided on a 2LT Grand Sport for that reason and almost got black so all surfaces were the same color. Wife liked Red so got that and spent the extra $s on a Stage 2 Aero option and machined face aluminum wheels. As noted, Spice Red still uses the 2014/2015 full color but at a premium cost.

To each their own.

Too Slow '90

[QUOTE=JerryU;1598480135]It's a year change, all C7's are the same!

GM got cheap after 2 years as I recall. That is why I would not consider a 3LT when I bought my Grand Sport! Had a 3LT 2014 that looked great. Looked like the interior the wife had in her Porsche Cayenne at the time. Now the 3LT looks like a patchwork quilt, IMO!

If you get Spice Red it still has the full leather but the exterior color must be right to use it.


Both of the cars I quoted above are 2016's but they have different accents for the same 2LT package.

JerryU

[QUOTE=Too Slow '90;1598483232]Might look at the door post for the build month. Perhaps they had some more expensive 2015 interiors and used them for early 2016s??