scott40

But they are not offered, so when you get your 991 GT3 this fall, add $7k to your price so you can have your sport buckets. That's how it is, assuming all the discussed fitment issues discussed above are taken care of.

mike2727

If they are not offered, or any other bucket seat option, I am out
A track oriented car (as per Porsche) should have the option for bucket seats

I am not going to add another $ 7k in order to get buckets that should be there in the first place as an option

Just my 0.02
Mike

Terry L

For around $300, alpha technics will sell you Alcantera covers with GT3 embroidered on the seatbacks. It is true that they don't fit quite as well as the OEM covers and therefore wrinkle. Oh, well...

mdrums

Yep +1000!!!!

mike2727

I'll try to see if I can make a deal with my dealer on the buckets, rollbar harnesses, if that works out for a reasonable amount that I can live with I will still do it, if and only if the CL, RWS and PDK maintenance schedules are not rediculous (based on track miles)

If not well than an alternative car is in the picture that does offer the things I am looking for in a track oriented car

Mike

Z356

Ortho:

a) Tells us again with details your seats swap story on your Spyder and what you went through to make the gt2 sport buckets work on that model since yours didn't come from factory that way!

b) Why do you doubt the gt2 seats currently being sold by Suncoast are not compatible to the wiring connectors under our US spec 987, 997, 991 or 981 with regular OEM sport seats? Does the Suncoast passenger bucket seat NOT have the required US seat sensors for weight? Does the Suncoast gt2 type seats NOT have plugs to wire the air bags into the car's computers?

Saludos,
Eduardo

911 Crazy

Oh well, just another price increase on 996 and 997 GT3's!

orthojoe

The most painful thing was looking at a car that you just paid a lot of money for, and not being happy with what it came with. The biggest issue is cost. I was ultimately able to find a great deal on a set, but you are talking about $6-7k extra just for seats. The installation is an plug and play affair, but you do have to bring the car into the dealer to have the DME reprogrammed to accept the new seats. The other problem is authenticity. My car should have come with alcantara inserts. I am not paying $3k just for seat cushions. My DNA won't allow me to. It was hard enough ponying up for the seats. You are not going to be able to get 991 GT3 bucket seats the way they were meant to be from the factory for $7k. Add $3k for the inserts. You are now at $10k. Now how about 'GT3' being embroidered into the seat head? You can probably make it work, but it's a compromise no matter how you look at it when it's not optioned from the factory.

I have no reason to doubt compatibility, but I think it would be premature to assume that is compatible. Just like it was premature and foolish for me to assume that it would be painless to swap out my seats. The suncoast bucket seats include the seat sensors as well as the harnesses to connect the car. However, those sensor and connectors worked for the 997 and 987s. We don't know if the harnesses are the same. We don't know if your local Porsche dealer will have the capability of reprogramming the DME to accept those seats on a 991 or 981. I don't like making assumptions anymore. I like to know definitively before making a decision on a purchase.

Z356

A) Joe, I understand your 'pain' and 'concerns'. But there are other folks willing to take the risk that if they order a US 991 gt3, they might be able to swap out the OEM standard seats to gt2 bucket seats with a pretty good chance of success! That is all I am trying to say to the members of this forum.

B) I believe that is the case because the gt2 seat you and I both use on our Spyders is an OEM option on the European and ROW 991, 981 and 991 gt3! So the chances that it's also 'plug and play' is rather good. See attached photos of three current models where gt2 sport buckets are offered as options by Porsche in Europe today!

C) Most folks in the US that are planning to swap their 991 gt3 seats for aftermarket gt2 sport buckets will not order the expensive 'Sport Plus' adaptive seats. These could pose a problem in compatibility of the plug, since they have many more electric (18) functions. Similar to our old 997 '***' (Adaptive Sport Seats) which had a few less functions than the latest adaptive seats. Most folks ordering 991 gt3's will just get the no-cost standard sport seat (4 way electric) which is pretty similar in function to the seat that came in your Spyder (2 way electric), except that seat height is done electrically on the new OEM gt3 seat. Fore & aft adjustments continue to be manual. The chances that gt2 sport buckets will plug and play are rather good. But you are technically correct, until you have a US gt3 and swap to gt2 sport buckets, you will not know 100% for sure. But I say 'Carpe Diem' and take the chance!

Saludos,
Eduardo

orthojoe

I hear you and agree with you, Ed. In all likelihood the harness will connect, and the seat rail mounting points are the same. My main concern is whether or not a dealership would be willing/able to reprogram the ECU to accept a seat which is not 'approved' for use in that car in the United States. I am skeptical that this would occur.

If someone is willing to be the guinea pig, all the more power to them. It won't be me. I will thank that person for being the brave soul. They would still be missing the alcantara cushions and the GT3 embroidering in the headrests.

The real issue at hand is WHY, and can the decision be influenced?
It would be great to get an official answer somehow....

Mike in CA

Eduardo, according to the configurator, seat height and backrest adjustment are done electrically on the standard Sport Plus GT3 seat, but fore and aft adjustment is manual. Is that incorrect?

Another RL member (jon70 I think) has contacted PCNA and obtained a case # from them on this issue. Supposedly they will be getting back to him this week. We're waiting for that feedback before we start flooding them with calls.

paver

Does PCNA have a facebook page? If they do, everybody go on it and tell 'em to offer the seats.

Mike in CA

Great idea. Just looked. There is a Porsche Cars North America page but it shows up as an auto dealership with some photos and no way to post comments. (I don't use Facebook much; I could be missing something). There is the regular Porsche page and you can post comments there.

Z356

Mike, what I see on both the UK and US gt3 configurator is a 4-way electric seat for the 991 gt3 as standard (see first photo) which they called a 'sport seat plus'. The only other option on the US gt3 is a 18 way 'Adaptive Sport Plus' seat. Porsche continues to offer a 2-way electric 'Sport Plus' seat where both the seat height and the fore & aft are manually adjustable. But that is only offered on the 981 (second photo), not the 991 or the 991 gt3.

I still believe that the gt2 sport bucket will be able to be adapted, without major issues, to the 991 gt3. But it makes you wonder why they would install as standard on the new gt3 a more complicated & heavier seat, with 4 instead of 2 electrical functions, on a vehicle that is supposed to be the lightest weight & most spartan, and intended for occasional track use! Unless....no, they wouldn't be that scheming, right? Oh, no!

Saludos,
Eduardo

Mike in CA

Eduardo, you may be right, and Porsche may indeed be scheming.

But I'm still unclear about something. In your post above (#149), both the Sport Plus seat, which is standard on the the new GT3, and the regular sport seat are described as having electric seat height and backrest adjustments and manual fore and aft adjustments. In your first post (#144), you said that the standard seats in the new GT3 had electric fore/aft adjustment so something isn't matching up. As described above, both seats have the same adjustment functions; the Sport Plus seat just has the higher bolsters which probably don't add much weight. Of course if the descriptions are wrong (which is part of my question) then all bets are off.