Carpet or No Carpet in Truck?

venture582

New member
Hi All!

I just finished putting in my order for a F350 Tremor with Granger and have been going back and forth on whether to do the carpet delete. The vinyl should be more durable and easier to clean. I wonder if the carpet would provide greater insulation and sound deadening. I like to run weathertech or similar but looks like you lose the mounting posts when you go with vinyl. Anyone with any real world experiences or arguments for or against? Thanks in advance.
 

Tudor Tanase

Active member
Definitely NO carpet. I can open all doors and blow my cab clean with a battery powered blower in 30 seconds, or use a small broom and maybe a wet rag, vs hand picking grass and other seeds, dog hair etc out of the carpet, as the vacuum cleaner is hopeless getting those out. Never mind stains, water, mud, smell... And I don''t want to take a vacuum cleaner with me travelling. The landcruiser has a kind of felt UNDER the vinyl so it is insulating just the same as carpet, if not better.
I never understood vinyl with carpet on top or generally carpet interior and then heaps of vinyl mats everywhere so you don't even see the carpet much? Pay extra for nice quality carpet, pay extra for mats, etc And it's a bit like grandma's polished hardwood table protected by a sheet of glass and then a thick tablecloth on top to protect the glass, and maybe another tablecloth just in case...
 
I used to be firmly in the vinyl floor camp, but I'm less opinionated about it now. If your truck is going to get muddy frequently, then definitely get vinyl. If not, a shop-vac cleans carpet and vinyl at about the same speed. Weathertec floor mats make it so you can dump out loose stuff and spray them down whether or not you have carpet.

If I was picking between two trucks that were identical except for the flooring, I'd choose vinyl, but even little things like exterior color are more important to me.
 

rgv

New member
With vinyl floors in very wet and snowy conditions, if you do not have some sort of tray to catch water, it will run under the plastic door sill, and then wick back through and soak the underlay under the floor where it will stay trapped until you peel it up and expose it to heat and dry air, where carpet will dry on its own.

That aside, I can’t think of a reason carpeting in vehicles is even a thing.
 

Ozarker

Well-known member
I bought a loaded XL because it was vinyl.

I had those Weathertec mats in my XLT but they don't cover the entire floor and took a lot of work to get a coffee stain out.

My dog likes the vinyl, has a good cushioning feel, wash it out......done!
 

SDDiver5

Expedition Leader
I think carpet looks nicer and I'd think it has a higher resale value if/when that time comes.

Unless you're in a dirty trade or have a specific need for vinyl, I would do carpet.
 

ThundahBeagle

Well-known member
Definitely NO carpet. I can open all doors and blow my cab clean with a battery powered blower in 30 seconds, or use a small broom and maybe a wet rag, vs hand picking grass and other seeds, dog hair etc out of the carpet, as the vacuum cleaner is hopeless getting those out. Never mind stains, water, mud, smell... And I don''t want to take a vacuum cleaner with me travelling. The landcruiser has a kind of felt UNDER the vinyl so it is insulating just the same as carpet, if not better.
I never understood vinyl with carpet on top or generally carpet interior and then heaps of vinyl mats everywhere so you don't even see the carpet much? Pay extra for nice quality carpet, pay extra for mats, etc And it's a bit like grandma's polished hardwood table protected by a sheet of glass and then a thick tablecloth on top to protect the glass, and maybe another tablecloth just in case...

A hand/fingernail scrub brush will actually help move those annoying dog hairs, etc. Especially tilted at about a 45°
 

ThundahBeagle

Well-known member
With vinyl floors in very wet and snowy conditions, if you do not have some sort of tray to catch water, it will run under the plastic door sill, and then wick back through and soak the underlay under the floor where it will stay trapped until you peel it up and expose it to heat and dry air, where carpet will dry on its own.

That aside, I can’t think of a reason carpeting in vehicles is even a thing.
That's the case with carpet as well. It just seeps under. And does not always dry on its own.

Either way, carpet or vinyl, best thing to do is get nice, deep tray type weather resistant floor mats
 

phsycle

Adventurer
I don’t think it matters. I always get WT or Husky mats. Keeps the carpet or vinyl clean.

I used to think if I were to order new, I’d definitely get vinyl. But now, I’d get carpet. Mainly for the resale appeal.
 

spot

Member
If I was going to for sure get into mud and water I would get nothing. No carpet or vinyl. Take delivery, remove the seats and spray lizard skin sound deadened over the entire floor then Bedliner on top. No insulation to get wet and tough.
 

Photomike

White Turtle Adventures & Photography
I bought a 2017 Ford Transit that came without carpeting up front, and I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about it at first.

Now, I absolutely love it!

In my area, we deal with snow for over half the year, so floor mats are a must to catch the melting mess and protect the carpets in most vehicles. For another two or three months, those mats are battling mud instead of snow.

Without carpet, I don’t have to worry about any of that—it’s so much easier to clean and maintain. As for noise, I haven’t noticed any difference at all!
 

Ozarker

Well-known member
In my XLT I had cloth seats, they were nice but you do need to take care of them, food, drinks, dogs, and the elements take a toll. I could have gone with an XLT in leather, but I tend to care for leather more than cloth to keep it nice. Vinyl seats are more durable than they were long ago, they do get hot and cold but that doesn't last long and they are easy to clean and less worry. Besides, you can always get seat covers.

I agree that resale is higher with carpet and cloth/leather, but it also costs more up front. Changing seats out can be done, that can be pretty expensive even at a salvage yard. You can always add carpet, OEM or a custom installation isn't hard.
 

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