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I'm in the process of having a set of Sparco SPX carbon bucket seats and RSS harness bar installed in my 991.1 GT3.
I'm aware of the SRS light that will inevitably illuminate, but I'm being told by the shop installing them that because of that light, all the airbags will be deactivated. Is there any truth to this?
I'll be running harnesses and HANS on track, but I still plan to drive the car on the road with the factory belts from time to time, so this obviously won't fly, if true.
I'm in the process of having a set of Sparco SPX carbon bucket seats and RSS harness bar installed in my 991.1 GT3.
I'm aware of the SRS light that will inevitably illuminate, but I'm being told by the shop installing them that because of that light, all the airbags will be deactivated. Is there any truth to this?
I'll be running harnesses and HANS on track, but I still plan to drive the car on the road with the factory belts from time to time, so this obviously won't fly, if true.
I believe I've read through all the RL threads on the topic. This thread only talks about defeating the light, nobody seems to know the implications to the other airbags when the light is still on.
I believe I've read through all the RL threads on the topic. This thread only talks about defeating the light, nobody seems to know the implications to the other airbags when the light is still on.
My thought is if you defeat the light then you do not have to worry about the implications of the airbags as the reason for the light not being on is because all is well with the system.
You are lucky enough to live close to Pacific German where they claim they can defeat the airbag light.
It will post a SRS Light because the car is expecting the side airbags in the factory seats. It should not defeat the drivers wheel airbag. The passenger dash airbag is a tough call since the occupancy and weight sensor in the OEM seat will be not be in play. Not sure what the car will default to in that case.
It will post a SRS Light because the car is expecting the side airbags in the factory seats. It should not defeat the drivers wheel airbag. The passenger dash airbag is a tough call since the occupancy and weight sensor in the OEM seat will be not be in play. Not sure what the car will default to in that case.
Thanks for the info. To update you guys, I got in touch with Pacific German in Laguna Hills, CA. Apparently they have a Bypass Kit to simulate the side air bags for the 991. It's also necessary to swap over a couple wiring harnesses from the stock seats, as well as the passenger occupancy sensor, to fully pacify the SRS light.
I'm going ahead and ordering all the requisite harnesses/occupancy sensor direct from Porsche, so I can fully outfit the Sparco buckets with the necessary bits, and have two fully-functioning sets of seats, should I ever choose to swap my 18-ways back in. Will keep you guys updated on the progress.
Thanks for the info. To update you guys, I got in touch with Pacific German in Laguna Hills, CA. Apparently they have a Bypass Kit to simulate the side air bags for the 991. It's also necessary to swap over a couple wiring harnesses from the stock seats, as well as the passenger occupancy sensor, to fully pacify the SRS light.
I'm going ahead and ordering all the requisite harnesses/occupancy sensor direct from Porsche, so I can fully outfit the Sparco buckets with the necessary bits, and have two fully-functioning sets of seats, should I ever choose to swap my 18-ways back in. Will keep you guys updated on the progress.
Update the thread with the costs and energy required. Seems like a lot of effort just to eliminate a single light on the cluster.
Update the thread with the costs and energy required. Seems like a lot of effort just to eliminate a single light on the cluster.
Only alternative would be to pay the exorbitant aftermarket rate for the Porsche LWBs, which I wasn't prepared to stomach! Cost breakdown so far:
Sparco SPX Buckets (LE with red stitching) - $5500
Planted Seat Brackets - $260
Sparco Seat Sliders - $120
Assorted Seat Harnesses and Occupancy Sensor - $1436
Right now that puts me at $7316, before labor. Still a big savings over LWB, plus I get to explore some uncharted territory, which is always entertaining
Originally Posted by nstymatt
What are the implications of just leaving the light on? My track wheels don’t have tpms, so a warning light is already on for me
I've heard mixed things. The shop that installed my roll bar, as well as Pacific German, told me that the light would disable the entire airbag system, and that they would not deploy in a crash. At the same time, a buddy of mine, who's a certified Porsche technician, told me he was "99% sure" that the remaining airbags would function as intended. Since I don't know who to believe, the only place I'll be the driving the car in its current state is straight to Pacific German.
in the situation you describe. The driver's seat belt pretensioner should still deploy too.
The passenger bag won't deploy as the seat occupancy sensor is disconnected, and this is a critical part of the system. In a crash, the SRS control unit would be unsure if the seat is occupied or not. It would also wonder if an under-weight child was in the passenger seat. I suspect the passenger seat belt might still get a pretensioner deployment if buckled.
Bottom line: this would be very dangerous for any passenger as the OE belts are designed to work w/ a deploying passenger airbag.
in the situation you describe. The driver's seat belt pretensioner should still deploy too.
The passenger bag won't deploy as the seat occupancy sensor is disconnected, and this is a critical part of the system. In a crash, the SRS control unit would be unsure if the seat is occupied or not. It would also wonder if an under-weight child was in the passenger seat. I suspect the passenger seat belt might still get a pretensioner deployment if buckled.
Bottom line: this would be very dangerous for any passenger as the OE belts are designed to work w/ a deploying passenger airbag.
Agreed, and I'll certainly take no passengers in the car as long as the SRS light remains lit, and the occupancy sensor hasn't been installed in the Sparco seat.
Figured I'd update this, in case anyone tries this swap in the future! I was traveling abroad for a few weeks, but I'm finally back home, and I was able to drop the car off at Pacific German to install the airbag bypass. Here's the final tally:
Sparco SPX Buckets (LE with red stitching) - $5500 (got these from Vivid Racing) Planted Seat Brackets - $260 Sparco Seat Sliders - $120 Assorted Wiring Harnesses and Passenger Occupancy Sensor - $1245 Labor to install seats and airbag bypass - $620
Total - $7745
One point to note is that Pacific German required me to remove a module related to the occupancy detection system from the original factory passenger seat, so they could "copy the coding" from it onto a new module they had ordered. This was apparently necessary to ensure the occupancy detection worked 100% and the airbag light was fully defeated. I was able to return the module to my factory seat afterward, so I still have a fully-functional set of 18-ways (anyone looking? )
I'm happy to report that the light looks to be 100% resolved, and Pacific German was insistent that the system will work 100% as factory-intended in the event of a crash, with the exception of the side bolster airbags, which are missing in the aftermarket seats. At the same time as the buckets, I had a roll bar and Schroth 4-point harnesses installed, and I'm ecstatic with how everything came out. I'd definitely recommend these seats to anyone looking to add carbon buckets to their GT car without breaking the bank.
Figured I'd update this, in case anyone tries this swap in the future! I was traveling abroad for a few weeks, but I'm finally back home, and I was able to drop the car off at Pacific German to install the airbag bypass. Here's the final tally:
Sparco SPX Buckets (LE with red stitching) - $5500 (got these from Vivid Racing) Planted Seat Brackets - $260 Sparco Seat Sliders - $120 Assorted Wiring Harnesses and Passenger Occupancy Sensor - $1245 Labor to install seats and airbag bypass - $620
Total - $7745
One point to note is that Pacific German required me to remove a module related to the occupancy detection system from the original factory passenger seat, so they could "copy the coding" from it onto a new module they had ordered. This was apparently necessary to ensure the occupancy detection worked 100% and the airbag light was fully defeated. I was able to return the module to my factory seat afterward, so I still have a fully-functional set of 18-ways (anyone looking? )
I'm happy to report that the light looks to be 100% resolved, and Pacific German was insistent that the system will work 100% as factory-intended in the event of a crash, with the exception of the side bolster airbags, which are missing in the aftermarket seats. At the same time as the buckets, I had a roll bar and Schroth 4-point harnesses installed, and I'm ecstatic with how everything came out. I'd definitely recommend these seats to anyone looking to add carbon buckets to their GT car without breaking the bank.
Nice job, the seats/harnesses/cage look killer all installed!
04-10-2019, 10:00 PM
Sparco SPX Bucket Seats in 991.1 GT3
Driver's bag should still deploy w/ light on
