GrantG

That rumor doesn't seem to make much sense. If the Vette doesn't meet future fuel economy standards, why can't the rumored V6 and hybrid powerplants be substituted into the C7's frame when they are available? And if they can't, why didn't they just continue with the C6 for 2 more years?

neanicu

I guess I've jumped to conclusions not realizing it's April 1st...
Even so,I don't think it's such a funny joke from Carbuzz...

911SLOW

Guys about the seats:

The 996 GT3 used two kind of bucket seats. One in leather and one in flame-retardant material instead of leather for the RoW clubsport GT3s and 996GT3RS. These were not used in any 997 model from the factory.


With the first 997 GT3, Porsche introduced the optional lightweight carbon-fibre bucket seats without the thorax airbag and with an Alcantara centre section.
These included door panels with door pads without storage bin and were not available in the US of A.

Those seats originate from the Carrera GT (they are indeed the same seat), are produced in carbon fibre material and represent weight savings of approximately 24 kg in comparison to the standard sports seats. These too were also available with a flame-retardant material for the clubsport and RS models.

Hope it helps.

Best,

GrantG

Ah, they got me too...

mike2727

I agree, but it could have been a lot worse, imagine if they would have published that the 991 GT3/RS would come with a MT option, or the GT3 will have a bucket seat option in 2 weeks

Mike

neanicu

Nizer

You forgot to mention that these were the only seats truly suitable for real track work...

GrantG

And they offer much more headroom than the folding GT2 seats too...

barische

I hear its gonna be only offered with PDK and NO manual. Major Fail

StirlingMoss

Yes Thanks.

blake

Perhaps, though if the airbags function properly I would doubt the courts would side with the insurance companies. Personally, the car would be mostly a track toy. I like to run aggressive camber and toe - and that just doesn't work on a street car.

I'll bet money Porsche will create one SKU for the seat connections... Buying from Gert will plug and play with a US car, mark my words... As far as I can tell, fault codes are not currently region-specific. They are tied to the release version of the ECU firmware.

-B

StirlingMoss

Well, this "street car" features:

• Adjustable suspension height, camber and toe.
• Front/rear split lower wishbone for individual camber adjustment using shims.
• Front/rear anti-roll bars are adjustable (three settings).
• Control arms on the front and rear axle partially with ball joints.
• 10% increased camber stability compared to the outgoing model.
• Rear subframe corresponds to that of the new 911 GT3 Cup racing car.

What else do you need?

Z356

Frankly, John, it doesn't help...it confuses things a bit! I would like to pursue in depth a statement you made to the effect that the 997 Euro/ROW gt3 seats are the same as the Carrera GT seats. In particular, your quote that 'they are indeed the same seat'. To find out, I directed some questions to my contact at Suncoast Porsche in Florida: Ric Knab | Internet Parts Sales/Website Administrator, Phone: 941-923-1700 x 2028 / Email: rknab@sunsetautogroup.com

"Ric: Thanks for the email re: 2012 Parade and my 1970 911E Targa at the Concours! I have a question for you regarding Carrera GT seats vs European 997 gt3 seats. You have a product which is described as:"GT3 Seats (997) in Carbon Fiber. Derived from the Carrera GT and made from genuine carbon fiber. These are the same seats which are optional in the European market, commonly known as the 997 GT3 seats. Weighing around 25 pounds each, they are among the lightest seats available on a standard production car. They offer a valuable weight saving over the standard sports seats of approximately 53 lbs."

http://www.suncoastparts.com/product...=2010GT3_seats

I wrote (post #132) on Rennlist that: "Well, the 997-era gt3 Europe/ROW (non folding, non airbag) look somewhat similar to the Carrera GT seats. But like everything associated with the top production model, I doubt anyone who didn't already own a 'Carrera GT' could order an actual 'Carrera GT' seat from the factory and it has a different part number!

Note in the photos that the seat belt female attachment on the 997 gt3 seats are not the same as the one offered on the original 'Carrera GT' seats! There was no provision to have them come 'thru' the seat belt opening on the 'Carrera GT' seat, so they remain always on the 'outside'. In the 997 European gt3 non-folding sport bucket and the gt2 folding/airbag sport bucket, it was allowed to fit thru for a more secure adjustment, although it often damaged the leather or fabric surrounding this area! The 996 gt3 sport bucket seats had the old 'outside' set up for the female belt buckle, similar to the arrangement found on the OEM 'Carrera GT' seats on that model!"

https://rennlist.com/forums/991-gt3/...to-show-9.html

The Rennlist moderator John responded that: " With the first 997 GT3, Porsche introduced the optional lightweight carbon-fibre bucket seats without the thorax airbag and with an Alcantara centre section. These included door panels with door pads without storage bin and were not available in the US of A. Those seats originate from the Carrera GT (they are indeed the same seat), are produced in carbon fibre material and represent weight savings of approximately 24 kg in comparison to the standard sports seats. These too were also available with a flame-retardant material for the clubsport and RS models."

https://rennlist.com/forums/991-gt3/...o-show-10.html


Question #1- Is the Moderator correct in saying that Carrera GT and 997 GT3 are INDEED THE SAME SEAT? What are the part # for each seat? I find that hard to believe!

Answer from Knab: "Eduardo, the Carrera GT seat has completely different parts, top to bottom. There might be some hardware pieces which are the same, but for sure........the seat, cushions, frame, leather, mounting hardware are different."


*************************

I also took the opportunity to ask Ric Knab at Suncoast about the compatibility of the 'gt2' type seats for the US specs 991 and 981's"

Question #2 - RE: Fact that PCNA has not homologated any type of 'sport bucket seat' for the MY2014 991 gt3 or any US spec 991 or 981 for that matter!

A) Will the existing 997 era gt2 sport bucket seat you sell (airbags/folding type) plug into a 991 or 981 Porsche and work 100%? Airbags & passenger seat sensors work?

http://www.suncoastparts.com/product...=2010GT3_seats

B) If answer to #1 is 'no', will the current gt2 seat available currently in Europe/ROW be able to be imported by YOU, sold to us in the USA, & plug into US spec MY2013/MY2014 991, 981 or 991 gt3 and WORK (airbags, passenger seat sensors, and no fault codes to light up the instruments panel)????? If the answer to #2 is also 'no', can you give us an explanation as to why not? Is it the electrical wires on the 991 that are different? Is it BUS interface? What is the reason?

Answer from Knab: "We tested the 997 GT2 bucket seat into a 991, the wiring was incredibly different. Once we saw that, we decided not to investigate any further. I don't have specifics on this, but we made a wise decision to walk away, and not attempt to modify any wiring. We didn't check the mounting points to see if they were compatible. So again, my professional opinion is that it's not possible to install the 997 seats in a 991/981. I'm sure people will try, maybe it could be done with wiring modifications or PIWIS. I can't help with that sort of retrofit. I haven't heard anything official on the new sport bucket seats, but if Porsche won't ship a car to the USA with the seats installed, they probably won't allow us to order them. At the moment there are no retrofit seats, so I can't get a plug-and-play seat at the moment anyway. Building the seat, piece-by-piece wouldn't be possible for us, that's not something I can help with. If someone is interested in these seats, all we can do is wait and see if Porsche releases them in the future. Keep in mind, the 997 model was launched in 2004/2005, the GT2 seat didn't appear until 2008. So that was three years into production before the retrofit was available, and three years until it was an option for US models."

We have already touched on this result (Sunset trying to fit a 997 gt2 seat on a 991) on a different thread started by mdrums - 'Major Fail -No Sport Bucket Seat Option'. So where does that leaves us, PCNA's US 991/981 customers? Will Gert at Carnewal be allowed by Porsche to ship the Euro 991 'gt2 type' seat to US and will that Euro 991 'gt2 type' seat plug into a US 991, 981 or 991 gt3 & work correctly? Or did Porsche designed the electronics of the US spec 991/981 in such a way that the Euro 'gt2 type' seat will NOT work and will NEVER work with it? Indeed, no other 'bucket' seat will fully work until they decide to issue a US approved 'gt2 type' seat for this market? This is what I am afraid of and I think that is a topic for further discussion on this forum!

Saludos,
Eduardo

Mike in CA

Thanks, great post Eduardo. You've answered some questions, and your remaining ones above are at the heart of the issue. Anyway, all your work following up with Suncoast is appreciated.

Carrera GT

I'd have no problem bolting a 997 "GT2" bucket or the Carrera GT bucket into a 991, just use the correct sliders. Whatever you do, don't connect the airbag wiring!

If you bolt the 997 "GT2" bucket into a 991, even if the plug was compatible, I wouldn't suggest plugging it in. Arming an airbag without the car "knowing" the bag would be dangerous to say the very least. Fatal perhaps.

That the seats exist for the 991 GT3 in another country doesn't mean they're packed with the same electronics or the same airbag capsule from one model of vehicle to another, entirely different, model. I imagine it's all "one size fits all" but there's a limit to the insanity I'll go to for modifying a 911 that stops far short of putting a couple of remote detonation shotgun shells next to my lungs and relying upon the SRS processor (no smarter than an 8 bit wristwatch) to decide whether I eat my next meal with a fork or drink it through a straw while I'm lying next to a machine that goes "bing."