There's no question: Leather with armor is best for protection. (Ever seen a pro racer in textiles?) To my knowledge, nothing has the abrasion durability of leathers. IMHO, the warm weather option of perforated leather is a great second option.
All that said, textile with armor is a good hot-weather option and WAY better than forgoing serious riding apparel which so many riders choose to eschew in higher temps. However, so much textile is made of "poly*" materials that can melt under the heat of a high speed slide which could cause burns. I've thought for some time that Aerostich has a good take on the consideration of leathers vs. textiles. The following is from their FAQ in their current catalog (
http://www.aerostich.com/media/pdf/aerostich_2013.pdf):
"Crash and Abrasion Considerations?
Compared to leather of the same weight and thickness,
Cordura® nylon is a stronger material. But
hides are thicker and heavier so they offer greater
abrasion resistance. We repair about twenty or
thirty Aerostich garments a month. About a third of
these were in crashes that produced some abrasion
damage. Several common themes have emerged.
Though Aerostich suits are not as abrasion resistant
as racing leathers, they offer significant and useful
protection, especially at typical street speeds.
Aerostich wearers often think of their suit as “sacrificial”
in the same way a car’s airbag gets used
up by its deployment. These garments are lighter,
cooler and easier to use in bad weather (etc...), but
less crash-durable than leathers. On average, street
riders seem to crash only at infrequent intervals.
How gear feels and works during the intervening
years of use and the tens of thousands of miles of
riding is very important. Most street crashes occur
between 20 and 50 mph, not between 50 and 100.
For each Roadcrafter suit that was in a 100 mph
crash, we get dozens that need smaller repairs
because the rider fell down at 35 mph. For these
kinds of everyday spills, even the fanciest leathers
do not offer protective advantages. We make gear
to help you use a motorcycle more and be better
protected. It has to be safe, easy to use, and comfortable
for everyday riding.
Nylon and Friction?
Although we have not conducted tests comparing
the friction coefficients of Cordura® suits to
leathers on various pavement surfaces, we have
collected a significant amount of relevant information.
We repair many Aerostich suits every year, and
most of these are damaged by sliding on all kinds
of pavements. Many of the wearers (testers....?)
had previous crash experiences with leathers.
Post-crash wearers typically comment that their
Aerostich was “slipperier” than their old leathers.
The consensus is that Cordura slides a little better
and tends to roll and tumble the wearer somewhat
less than leather. After studying hundreds of
accidents, former Motorcyclist magazine editor
and professional accident reconstructionist Gordon
Jennings believed that more crash injuries (broken
shoulders, etc..) were caused by tumbling than
by the incrementally increased chances of hitting
something due to sliding farther."
As with most things, "value" lines usually compromise on one or more of materials, construction/durability and features while higher-end lines lean more towards performance.
The old adage "Ya get what ya pay for." is true more often than not. In the end, I recommend that you buy the best gear that your budget allows and that the gear that you choose is gear that you WILL wear. For some, only leather will do. For others, if it's not comfortable enough they just won't wear it. Most of us fall somewhere in the middle and lean towards lowering the risk of injury without excessively compromising comfort.
Best of luck and safe riding!
