Alan Smithee

Airbags for the US are different. Everywhere else in the world, airbags are designed with the assumption of a belted passenger. Here, because of the need to protect ourselves from ourselves, airbags have historically been considered a 'passive restraint', and therefore required to protect unbelted passengers. However, due to the greater force required, smaller/lighter passengers have been injured. So airbag technology evolved into 'smart' or 'advanced' airbags that deploy with varying force depending on the size of the occupant, whether he/she is belted, and possibly position of the seat. This is nothing new for 2014 - I believe it was required in 2007 - so the sport buckets in the 987/997 had this feature. However, as I mentioned in a previous post, because the interior of the 991 is otherwise completely different, the electronic communication between seat sensors and airbags are not plug-n-play.

Alan Smithee

...and this still may be a US dealer issue. As I suspect was the case with mandatory sunroofs on the 997.1, if US dealers lobby PCNA not to import the car configured a certain way, they will not bother to certify them.

StirlingMoss

Thanks for the explanation

mike2727

Good point, further confirms that Porsche did not bother to certify the 991 for the buckets
We are just a good audience for their track car marketing videos and interviews, but if we actually want to use it on the track and hence need these buckets, they say NO

SAD , SAD, SAD
Mike

Alan Smithee

As others have pointed out, we may yet see them. For instance, if the RS has carbon fenders, they probably have to crash one. Would conceivably save them a wrecked car by putting the sport buckets designed for the 991 in at that time.

While most people here are track-oriented, the take rate for the sport buckets in the US has not been great on any model.

montoya

Exactly! The new sports buckets in the soon to released in the new 918 are one possibility IMHO. Have to be released in the new 918 first, then maybe in the RS. Pure speculation, but because of the cost of US certification, totally logical.

mike2727

Certification has to be done for the 991 chassis, that a seat is certified for the 918 does not mean it is certified for the 991
Also they might have received an exemption for the 918 due to low production like what was the case for the CGT

They should have certified a bucket when they released the 991 C2, in that way we would not have the issue at hand and Porsche could have offered it as an option for any 991

Mike

montoya

^ No kidding, obviously a seat in one vehicle is not certified in another.

Point remains that there is a chance (logically) that another variant of the 991 chassis will introduce a new sport seat that will be certified through out the range.
We just have to wait until then.

mike2727

Not sure where the "no kidding" was aimed at, but I interpreted your 918 seat as becoming the seat to be used for the 991 as well
If that would/could have been the case we could/would have had the CGT seat s in the 997

Mike

mike2727

If Porsche wanted us in the US to have bucket seats, they should have had them certified when they introduced the 991 C2, so in that sense I call it a fail on the part of Porsche, that they "might" still be in the process to certify them for the 991, which IMO does not make a lot of sense, because it would be cheaper to wreck a 991 C2 opposed to a 991 GT3RS, besides the fact they could have sold more bucket seats, and could have preventedbthis whole discussion

I know I am trying to use logic, which seems far fetched these days

Mike

montoya

I don't know if the 918 seats have side airbags or not. Sorry to confuse the whole issue with what seat is going to be certified. It doesn't matter, just that something is different causing PCNA to wait for certification until that something is released to the market. That could be:

- Subtle chassis differences on future models0- such as wider fenders or different door structures

- Different seat than what is currently available due to be released with a new 991 variant.

Again this is all my speculation, but it makes perfect sense that this is the case given the hundreds of thousands of dollars to certify new seats.

Z356

If you think the very 'special' 918 sport bucket seats will be offered in the upcoming 991 gt3 RS or any other 'pedestrian' 911 model...I could give you 845,000 reasons why you would be dead wrong!

Correctamundo!

It will have air bags! They don't want to risk the life of such a precious customer, who has shown a predisposition to spend $845,000 base plus options on a production Porsche! They need these rare specimens to be safe & sound so they can ante-up for the next 'special' million dollar model developed by Weissach's 'skunk werkes'! Many (or most) of the US prospects with deposits on the 918 Spyder are present or former Carrera GT owners! There is a method to this madness, you know!


Or it could simply be that they just don't want to encourage US customers to employ the car for recreational track use (not racing)!

Saludos,
Eduardo

montoya

Well Eduardo you are clearly glass half empty as to why the new GT3 doesn't have the option for sport buckets.

I (glass half full) am just trying to propose a logical reason why they may still be coming.

LotF

Winner

1) No race derived engine
2) No factory sport buckets
3) PDK only
4) Race Track button for show


Definite slap in the face. The bond has been broken. Time to vote with the wallet. That will get their attention.

Z356

I am hoping I am totally wrong! Sir Peter Ustinov used to say that 'The point of living, and of being an optimist, is to be foolish enough to believe that the best is yet to come'. I am afraid I am getting a little jaded in my old age, especially with regards to Porsche! Being associated with the hobby since I graduated from college in 1972 has been one of the high points in my life and something that has kept me seriously involved for over 40 years! It pains me to even say it. Yes, I hope I am mistaken...and that you are right re: sport bucket seats!

Saludos,
Eduardo