Choosing floor mat for car
Car interior mats are necessary to provide protection for your car floor from dirt, damage, and corrosion. Most cars are equipped with mats initially, but over time you will need to upgrade this accessory. We have prepared some basic rules for choosing car mats for you.
Rules for choosing car mats
Differentiation of mats by material
Manufacturers offer in the market automotive products a variety of materials that are used in the creation of attributes for the interior. Let’s understand in detail each material separately.
Rubber mats for car
Rubber car mats are attractive at an affordable price. Such products are easy to cut, to give them the necessary dimensions for your car. They can easily be cleaned from dirt. There are also no problems with drying, unlike textile products.
Rubber mats have a significant disadvantage: in frost they become stiff, subject to wear, fractures on the sides, cracking. Such mats are usually sold as a gift with the car, to make the interior look more presentable.
Although much depends on the quality. On the market, a number of manufacturers decently present not bad rubber products that meet the requirements of the owner of the vehicles.
Polyurethane mats for car
For those wishing to purchase improved mats, experts will recommend buying polyurethane models. The material belongs to the medium price segment and features an improved formula of the composition.
They no longer harden in the cold, unlike rubber ones, and easily take the desired shape under the seats. The design style makes the interior different from other cars, emphasizes the thrifty nature of the owner and the ability to properly invest in the protection of your car.
The advantage of this type of material is the ability to protect the floor from moisture from the boots for a long time. The disadvantage many drivers recognize the high price. The cost is justified by the more resistance compared to the rubber character to temperature changes and the absence of a characteristic odor. For those wishing to save money, the following type of auto products is invented.
Textile mats for car
Textile mats differ from the above “congeners” with a neat appearance. On their pile surface, it is pleasant to put your shoes down. The nap absorbs moisture quickly. Boots do not squelch in a puddle, stained shoes.
Manufacturers offer a variety of colors so that the owner of the vehicle can choose an option for the interior design of the interior. Such options are affordable.
The main disadvantage of these models is called the lack of sides, so they can be used in dry weather.
Combination mats for car
These mats are made of different materials, they are very practical and do not differ in high price. There are different options, for example, rubber non-slip with a textile accent. The textile part is easy to unclip when you need to dry or clean it. Their advantages are practicality, the possibility of use in different seasons; and the disadvantages are the rapid wear of the fasteners with which the textile layer is attached and separate storage from the textile.
3D mats for car
3D textile mats are made using innovative computer modeling technology. They are gaining popularity among progressive drivers, who actively follow the novelties from the sphere of car accessories.
This type of car mat is one of the most expensive but justified. They reliably cover any surface of a car from the influence of chemical substances, moisture, dirt, and dust particles; have an attractive appearance and antiskid base. These models are not often changed. The only disadvantage of 3D mats maybe their high price.
Universal or special mats for cars
Car mats should be chosen according to the size of the car. To do this, there are two categories – you can stop at the mats universal or choose special to order and for a particular brand.
Universal mats include inexpensive models. Their choice is simple, but they almost never match your car. It remains to trim, to adjust to your format of transport.
Usually such mats are made of heavy rubber, increasing the load on the floor. Price and practicality – the main advantages of this way to shelter the floor of the cabin from moisture.
Special car mats are designed for foreign cars and are purchased for specific models. To distinguish such products is simple: they are marked with the logo of the car for which they were designed.
Plus the bottom of these variations endowed with locks, which secure the mat to the floor. This way they prevent the mat from “moving away” while moving a foot on it, as it happens with rubber in cold weather. Branded mats will last longer – it’s a proven practice.
In addition to the interior, there are models for the trunk. You should not neglect them, because the trunk floor also needs a similar “protection”. For the luggage compartment more suitable modifications with thickened rubber. Boards are not necessary for them.
The beautiful neat look of the trunk with this attribute – the pledge of dry space, cleanliness. Having laid a mat, you can not worry about dust, debris, which is hammered into the corners. For summer, you can choose rubber, for winter – polyurethane.
High sides of car mats
Returning to the subject of interior mats for the floor, it is worth noting – the convenience of operation and durability of metal on the floor depends on the presence of sides in the car mats.
Products with edges prevent the liquid, flowing down from the shoes, from getting on the metal surface. They trap dirt particles and don’t let the trash get stuck in the car frame. The optimal height of a rim is 3.5 cm.
You may choose mats without boards only for the summer period, especially for stable dry weather. These include velour and textile mats.
Summer and winter mats for a car
The caring owner will choose for winter and summer different options mats.
Winter: pile textile mats on a rubberized base will do. The choice is due to the fact that in winter the evaporation processes are slower. Wet textiles shed water faster than rubber or polyurethane.
Summer: it is optimal to use rubber – it is easy to wash and dry.
Now let’s take a closer look at the materials used to make mats.
Material for making car mats
Currently, the most popular are two materials for the manufacture of car mats: textile, rubber, and EVA. They differ significantly from each other, and their properties affect many characteristics of the final products.
Textile Car Mats
Textile is a synthetic material that is made from flexible and soft fibers. In the case of car mats, textile mats necessarily have a standard rubber base.
Car mats made of textile, which we will talk about below, are divided into two types: regular and 3D. If everything is more or less clear with the first, the latter are volumetric products without cut-outs, consisting of three layers:
- The top pile.
- The middle layer, which performs the function of waterproofing, thermal insulation, as well as is responsible for giving the mat a volume.
- The bottom antiskid.
3D textile mats are made using the innovative technology of computer modeling. They gain more and more popularity among progressive drivers, who actively follow the novelties from the sphere of car accessories.
Textile car mats have numerous advantages. In particular, they:
- Provide comfort in the cabin. This is the main advantage of textile mats over rubber ones. They create a pleasant feeling of coziness in the car. Such products look expensive and presentable. They are most often found inside expensive cars and show the good taste of their owners.
- They can have any color of stitching. This again distinguishes textile mats from rubber mats, which are usually only completely black. Of course, textile mats are also made exclusively of dark material, but the choice of stitching for them is almost unlimited. You can match the stitching of the textile mat to the color of the other accessories inside the cabin. For example, it can be yellow, beige, or even pink. Due to such a variety of colors, a textile mat becomes not only a functional element of a car but also its additional decoration.
- They are perfectly resistant to moisture. The fabric mat perfectly absorbs water, which gets inside the salon. In this case, its surface remains dry, as all moisture is absorbed by the rubber base. As a result of such water absorption, the floor of the car does not get wet. By the way, the moisture that gets on the textile does not lead to its rotting.
- Show resistance to temperature extremes. Textile car mats can withstand both low and high temperatures, as well as their sharp drops. They do not melt in the sun and remain soft even in the most severe frost.
- The mat is easy to get. The textile mat can be quickly and easily taken out of the car and cleaned. This distinguishes such a product from other varieties of car mats, which are fixed in the cabin and therefore have certain difficulties with the dismantling.
- They are characterized by ease of operation. You do not even need special means to take care of the textile mats. You can apply dry cleaning with a brush and vacuum cleaner, as well as wet cleaning, that is, remove dirt with a stream of water under pressure.
They remain aesthetic even if the cabin is very dusty. Textile mats perfectly retain their original color, and the dust on them is almost not visible. More on these mats do not remain footprints from shoes. - Do not cause fogging of glasses. This is achieved due to the peculiarities of textile mats’ surfaces. The moisture evaporates from it very quickly, and this does not lead to unwanted fogging and other similar inconveniences.
- They are equipped with anti-slip coating. Absolutely all textile mats are equipped with a special surface, which effectively resists slipping. This property is retained even at especially high travel speeds and sharp turns.
- They don’t emit any unpleasant odors. Even very high outdoor or interior dampness does not cause a stench. Smell comes from neither new nor old textile mats.
- They are lightweight. Textile mats weigh very little. This advantage may seem insignificant to you now, but you will definitely appreciate it when washing the floor in your car.
- Lasts a long time. A textile mat is a long-term investment in your car. If you take care of this product in a timely manner, it will last you for many years without losing its original properties. The textile mat will not become brittle, will not tear or erode even during intensive use. Its appearance also will not deteriorate over time.
Naturally, textile car mats have their own disadvantages. The main one is that they are not able to collect too much water. In particular, in winter, such products can leak due to the abundance of snow, which gets into the cabin with the driver and his passengers.
Separately, it is worth noting the fact that textile car mats do not dry out quickly. You will not be able to place them in the cabin of your car in a few hours after the end of wet cleaning. This is not too critical, because you can use dry cleaning instead of wet cleaning. By the way, to make the textile mat dry faster, it is best to put it in a warm room.
Another disadvantage of textile mats lies in their price. Such products do cost more than their many alternatives. On the other hand, mats made of other materials do not offer half of the benefits of textile products.
Rubber floor mats for car
Rubber is the traditional material for making car mats. Rubber floor mats for cars have a number of outstanding qualities. Among them:
- Low price. Mats made of rubber cost less than many other products to protect the car floor from dirt. Of course, there are also relatively expensive car mats of this type, but their price is still on the average market level.
- The ability to protect the interior from dirt and water. Rubber mats do a good job with their main task of keeping the floor in the car dry and clean. They prevent premature deterioration of the carpeting and keep the underside of the car from rusting.
- Easy cleaning. To clean a rubber mat of dirt, it is enough to wash it with ordinary water from a bucket or a hose. The product of rubber will quickly dry out and again begin to perform its main protective function.
- The main disadvantage of rubber mats is that they are not presentable. Such products not only do not add to the interior aesthetics but even spoil its appearance. They visually make the car look cheaper. A rubber mat looks out of place in any premium car that is trimmed and furnished tastefully.
Rubber mats also have a significant functional disadvantage. As we already spoke above, such products really do not allow water and dirt to penetrate to a floor, however, it does not mean at all that they absorb it. All contaminants together with moisture accumulate on the surface of the rubber car mat, which is right under the feet of the driver or his passengers. It is not very pleasant. In addition, the accumulation of dirt causes squelching and creaking during travel.
Car mats made of rubber are easy and quick to wash, but they need to be cared for on a regular basis. If you don’t wash the mat after a rainstorm, the dirt will tear under your feet and spread all over the car interior. Of course, manufacturers of rubber mats are trying to counteract this. In particular, they equip their products with special notches and drawings. The car owners assure that this approach only partly solves the problem.
Also, some rubber mats can hardly withstand frost. They simply become stiffer at low temperatures. As a result, the surface of such products becomes slippery and dangerous. In addition, some car mats made of rubber begin to crack at sharp temperature drops, that is, they are particularly durable in operation.
Motorists note that moisture, which accumulates on the surface of rubber mats, does not evaporate for a long time. Because of this, in winter, the car windows start to get very foggy. Sometimes, due to the lack of evaporation, they are even covered with frost.
Rubber mats are sold exclusively in black without any edging. Of course, not every motorist seeks to ennoble the interior of his car with a mat, but we must admit that the purely black rubber looks gloomy and uninteresting.
Mats made of rubber have a lot of weight. The weight of a set of these products can reach an impressive eight kilograms. Of course, this is not the main disadvantage of rubber mats. But it causes a lot of inconvenience for their initial installation, washing, and subsequent replacement.
Unfortunately, not all people tolerate the smell of rubber well. Due to high humidity and increased temperature, mats made of this material sometimes begin to smell bad. This is especially common at the beginning of the use of such products.
Universal or special mats for cars
Car mats should be chosen according to the size of the car. To do this, there are two categories – you can stop at the mats universal or choose special to order and for a particular brand.
Universal mats include inexpensive models. Their choice is simple, but they almost never match your car. It remains to trim, to adjust to your format of transport.
Usually such mats are made of heavy rubber, increasing the load on the floor. Price and practicality – the main advantages of this way to shelter the floor of the cabin from moisture.
Special car mats are designed for foreign cars and are purchased for specific models. To distinguish such products is simple: they are marked with the logo of the car for which they were designed.
Plus the bottom of these variations endowed with locks, which secure the mat to the floor. This way they prevent the mat from “moving away” while moving a foot on it, as it happens with rubber in cold weather. Branded mats will last longer – it’s a proven practice.
In addition to the interior, there are models for the trunk. You should not neglect them, because the trunk floor also needs a similar “protection”. For the luggage compartment more suitable modifications with thickened rubber. Boards are not necessary for them.
The beautiful neat look of the trunk with this attribute – the pledge of dry space, cleanliness. Having laid a mat, you can not worry about dust, debris, which is hammered into the corners. For summer, you can choose rubber, for winter – polyurethane.
High sides of car mats
Returning to the subject of interior mats for the floor, it is worth noting – the convenience of operation and durability of metal on the floor depends on the presence of sides in the car mats.
Products with edges prevent the liquid, flowing down from the shoes, from getting on the metal surface. They trap dirt particles and don’t let the trash get stuck in the car frame. The optimal height of a rim is 3.5 cm.
You may choose mats without boards only for the summer period, especially for stable dry weather. These include velour and textile mats.
Summer and winter mats for a car
The caring owner will choose for winter and summer different options mats.
Winter: pile textile mats on a rubberized base will do. The choice is due to the fact that in winter the evaporation processes are slower. Wet textiles shed water faster than rubber or polyurethane.
Summer: it is optimal to use rubber – it is easy to wash and dry.
Now let’s take a closer look at the materials used to make mats.
Material for making car mats
Currently, the most popular are two materials for the manufacture of car mats: textile, rubber, and EVA. They differ significantly from each other, and their properties affect many characteristics of the final products.
