advantages
Durable
cleans easily
fluid channels
cons
Expensive
Rear liner removal
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When I was a service advisor, our parts department sold WeatherTech FloorLiner mats. Both customers and employees spoke highly of them, but I never had one until now. For the past year, we’ve been driving around Detroit with a set of WeatherTech floor mats for our beloved “company car,” a 2014 Ford Focus. Here’s a quick rundown of our experience with them.
What makes WeatherTech unique?
Founded in 1989, WeatherTech can accommodate almost any vehicle interior, designing its floor mats using computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software. As described by WeatherTech, all mats are laser measured to protect the front, rear and sides of your vehicle’s footwell while remaining flexible in extreme temperatures. We felt our Focus’s liners were sized up correctly, covering the vital areas of the car’s interior that would be most susceptible to dirt, mud, snow and grime.
WeatherTech liners are famous for their “channels” that transport liquids and debris to a lower reservoir to keep them away from shoes. Aside from the occasional spill, the most common fluid will be water from melted snow. This is a significant advantage that WeatherTech has over a standard rubber mat. Although nicer than your average cloth mat, water can still “pool” on a rubber mat. During the winter, that puddle of water is also likely to contain salt and dirt, which typically soaks your shoes and pants while you ride.
WeatherTech’s design is meant to prevent this, and for the most part, it does the job. In our experience, wearing sneakers means your jeans will get wet in the winter, even with the water channels, but less than a rubber mat. If you wear a heavy-duty work boot, such as Red Wings, Carhartt, or Wolverine, the added weight of the sole, along with fluid channels, should keep your pants dry.
Quick Install
The process is quite simple and only takes a few minutes. Retaining eyes and hooks are included to secure the liners to your vehicle’s floor (make sure the liners don’t accidentally rest on the accelerator or brake pedal). The rear liner is either one or two pieces depending on the vehicle (for our Focus, it’s one long piece).
WeatherTech FloorLiners are primarily designed for vehicles with carpet flooring rather than vinyl, unless otherwise noted.
Easy cleaning
Since the fluid channels catch everything, WeatherTech mats are easier to clean. Just pull them out and throw them away. If you want to shine your floor coverings, WeatherTech sells a biodegradable kit with one bottle of cleaner and one bottle of protectant. This will also keep the WeatherTech liners smelling pleasant, which can be a challenge with a standard cloth mat.
During the summer, we spend a lot of time camping and hiking in Warren Dunes State Park on the shore of Lake Michigan. We always inherit a lot of sand and food crumbs on the way to and from Detroit. Channels within WeatherTech mats catch everything, making them easy to empty or vacuum.
Are WeatherTech FloorLiners worth it?
We recommend a set of WeatherTech FloorLiners if you want something a little better than your standard mat. However, one potential concern we saw over time was how the driver’s side liners wear down in one area if you’re wearing high heels. My wife often wears boots with heels, so there is a twisted circular indentation in the lining under the accelerator pedal. Admittedly, that would probably happen with any mat, so it’s not a deal breaker if you’re considering WeatherTech liners.
However, we recommend comparing prices and reading customer reviews before purchasing WeatherTech mats. Other popular brands include Husky Liners and Lloyd NorthRidge, both of which are less expensive. If, after taking a look at the competition, they sell you WeatherTech FloorLiners, visit their official Amazon store to choose a kit for your vehicle.
Carl Anthony is Managing Editor of Automoblog and a member of the Midwest Automotive Media Association and the Society of Automotive Historians. He is a member of the board of directors of the Ally Jolie Baldwin Foundation, a former president of the Detroit Working Writers, and a loyal fan of the Detroit Lions.
