Nick

I posted a question as to why buckets seats were not available for the 991GT3 in the US. Here is what one posted and was backed up by another. Both are very knowledgeable about Porsche and live in Germany.

Maybe a misunderstanding I understood that you can't order the narrow non-foldable bucket seats (which came with the Club Sport package in previous GT3 generations) anymore. Instead you can order the foldable bucket seats (which first were introduced in the 997 GT2). These are the seats displayed at the auto shows. Indeed there is a legal reason: the foldable bucket seats come with thorax airbags. I have those in my 997 GT3 and IMO they are excellent for both street and track Of course I am not sure about the situation in the US but maybe it's worthwile for you to double check which kind of bucket seats are not available in the US.

The second poster indicated that the foldable bucket seats were designed and approve for the US market. What do the foldable look like?

Dan39

And, more importantly, the daily/weekend driver issues: How hard is it to get in and out of them without ripping your pants? Also, what about the wear of rubbing against the door side of the seat getting in and out after a year or two?

kyrocks

If you're really worried about that kind of stuff, don't get bucket seats.

TRAKCAR

See below, the 997 GT3RS they came standard, optional was the useless sporty seats for street use only.


It's impossible to get in and out of.
991 are much easier with the sporty seats, you are going to love the car.
I know this because the 997 track seats rip almost immediately, after I found out I duct taped the seat sides and we all have bolster protection and head reest protection to protect the seats from the HANS device and 6 point seat belts. But who wants to drive around like that?

Mike in CA

Bucket seats have been discussed at great length in this forum so do a search. The fact is that the folding back bucket seat, also known as the GT2 seat, is not currently available in the US in either the 991 or the 991 GT3. Theories as to why range from a plan by PCNA to keep GT3's off the track, to a certification issue, to rumors that a new bucket seat is being designed. Since no one who actually knows the reason is talking, feel free to speculate on your own.

I have the GT2 sport bucket in my 997.2 S and love them. They hold you in place, have pass throughs for a shoulder harness, are lighter weight, and look great. The seatbacks fold for access to the rear of the car, unlike the earlier fixed back Euro GT3 buckets, but they otherwise have no adjustment except for fore and aft. If you are wide in the torso, you may not fit them very well, but if you do fit they are quite comfortable even for longer trips. It takes more effort to get in and out but I find it possible to do it without wearing the bolsters, Peter's comments above notwithstanding. And ripping your pants is not an issue.

frayed

Nick why are you focusing on 997 buckets? None will mate with the 991 chassis so you have to wait till porsche introduces a U.S. bucket for the 991 gt3, or see if Gert at Carnewal can get the 991 GT3 clubsport seats and have them imported into the US. In this last respect, I think it remains to be seen whether the euro spec buckets will mate with the electronics in the US spec 991 GT3.

Larry Cable

what makes you believe this to be the case, looking at the GB car configurator it appears as though the Sports Buckets are a CS package option and "appear" to be the same seat as in the 997 variants?

Nick

As is my wont, I thoroughly investigate all options before buying a car. If buckets seats will be made available before my spec date, I want to consider them.

frayed

IIRC, there's another thread where a 991 owner tried to mate the 997 GT2 buckets fit the 991. The electronics interface was entirely different so they scratched the efforts; they were not 'plug and play.' I don't recall if this was here or on Rennteam.

Possibly you could do surgery on the wiring and make it fit but that doesn't sound like a savory prospect.

EDIT:

Larry, here you go.

https://rennlist.com/forums/991/7492...d-991-gt3.html

Larry Cable

The RoW Clubsport seats (derived from CGT) were never offered as an option in the US, I believe they were not DoT legal. The (GT2) Sports Buckets were offered as options on the (997) GT2, GT3 and even the Carerra, Boxster and I think the Cayman up until 2012 or so... they were std (I think) on the RS, Boxter Spyder and Cayman R?

They are available (according the the UK configurator) for the 991 GT3, but they are no longer available for US spec cars.

I *suspect* that this is because, either they are no longer DoT compliant, or PCNA decided not to offer them for business/legal/marketing reasons.

unless they are now no longer electrically compatible I would imagine that one could (as we have been able to do previously) buy a set aftermarket from Suncoat etc and retrofit them in a matter of an hour or so...

frayed

Using history as a guide, don't count on them becoming available anytime soon. But we could be surprised.

For me it'll depend on how much I actually do get to the track. I used to go all the time but other things have chewed up my bandwidth. If I become a regular again (especially with the Circuit of the Americas 40 minutes from my house, and access to it through a few clubs), I plan to get a pair of buckets and retrofit; sell them off when I sell the car.

Larry Cable

I vaguely recall that thread also ...

Larry Cable

they typically introduce such with a "new" model ... so I would guess that these may appear when an RS model does...

Nick

This doesn't make sense. If the 997's had them and approved by DOT why not offer them for the track dedicated model. Very strange.

Larry Cable

it could be that the DoT conformance rules changed... or simply that PCNA decided for market/business reasons not to offer them in the US.

Anyway... once the cars and their parts become available I am sure that Carnewal and Suncoast etc will be able to order the seats as they do now
for both the sports buckets and the CS seats... it will just cost us all more