gtred

I pulled out the seats to have the leather re-upolstered and was shocked at how heavy these were... I'd estimate 75# on the passenger side and closer to 100# drivers side.

If I'm going to have to re-do the seats anyway, then are there tasteful options for a lighter seat? (eg. 914, Lotus Elise, or aftermarket).

Aside from going to a full on race seat, what seats have you all used?

davidnyc

Interested in the responses because I thought any aftermarket seat throws an airbag code/error?

Race car or dedicated track car... who cares. But for a street car that needs to pass state inspection, this is an issue.

Quadcammer

I run the 996 GT3 euro fixed back seats. NO error codes thrown on my 986 as the side airbags are in the doors and there are no seat airbags. Just disconnect the battery when making the swap.

Trouble with these seats are that they are $3k. With respect to fixed back seats in general, its a matter of how little comfort you are ok with on the street. Best bet is to go to your local race shop and try out a couple seats in person to get a feel for them. Or take a longer trip with a buddy who has them to see how your back feels after an hour or so.

Nickshu

I just went thru this. Your single best option are the GT3 euro seats. They bolt right in, allow use of the 3 point belt still, and Schroth makes a "GT3" version of their Profi harnesses that has eyelets sewn in to easily connect to the GT3 seats.

I wish you could get a set for $3K. A decent set now runs about $4500-5500. There's a nice set in dark blue now on Ebay for $5200. I paid $4700 shipped for a black set in excellent condition...Ouch! but after searching this appeared to be the best option.

Another seat that is recommended for the 996 is the Recaro Profi SPG. You have to figure out the rails and mounting but you can get a pair of them for maybe $2500 not including rails/mounts to bolt them to the floor.
Again the GT3 seats are the best option b/c they are on factory rails and easy to bolt in.

spruden

There is a wiring harness under both of your front seats. You can remove your factory seats - bolt in any other seat and be ok as long as you don't plug in the "seat side" connector of that wiring harness.

You can plug in only the harness for the seat belt so that your seat belt light is not illuminated when you start the car.

Best seats for you are the factory 996 GT3 seats. Pricey but they don't depreciate.

Kris Murphy

Rather than compromise, I use both the stock seats and race seats. It's 5 minutes per side to swap them out. 4 Bolts and 3 connections (less if you do not have power seats).

I typically do one event per month April - October. Depending on how many weeks between events determines if I swap them out or not. I did set up the race seat to also use the stock receiver so I can use the 3 point if needed.

Palting

No, replacing the seats does not throw an airbag error code. You do want to make sure you reconnect the seatbelt wires to avoid the seat belt warning light.

I replaced my power seats with the GT3 seats. Bolts right on. Comfortable enough for the long drives, and holds you well on high G corners. My wife, however, now refuses to ride the car. LOL.

I also installed the Porcshe Tequipment roll bar and Shroth 6 point harness. Found out I prefer the original 3 point seatbelts to the harness, and the roll bar is now simply a mount for the camera.

strathconaman

If you have a roll cage, then full race seats with a 6 point harness makes sense. You won't have to worry about a hinged seat because you won't have anything/anyone in the back.

If you don't have a roll cage, and you are strapped in to a race seat, if the car rolls it will kill you as your head has nowhere to go.

All of that said, the Sparco SPX looks like a great street-able HPDE seat.

https://rennlist.com/forums/991-gt3-...l#post13687842

dkraige

I don't think the off-the-shelf Sparco SPX has sub-belt holes so it would be incompatible with a 5- or 6-point harness. I could be wrong and it could be an optional feature, but it's not shown here:

http://www.sparcousa.com/product/spx

strathconaman

That's what I thought too, but GMG makes a rail system. Maybe they cut the seat?

https://rennlist.com/forums/991-gt3-...-progress.html

Quadcammer

I recently bought a set of decent, not super nice, seats with some extras for under $3k. They are out there and $3,500 should definitely get you a nice set if you watch the classified.

Kris Murphy

I sold a complete set with sliders, receivers, fire mount, sub belt mount for $3K. The set was in amazing shape. I did sell them to someone local that I knew so there was very little hassle.

I see people list them for $5K, but they tend to hang around for a long time unsold. Between $3K-$3,750 seems to be the sweet spot for them.

I agree with Quadcammer, hold out, and you will find a set for not stupid money.

gtred

Thank you for all of the links and recommendations. The suggestion of swapping in/out a race seat for a track day seems like a more equitable option for me.

Until then, my lead heavy butt is going to have to sit in those lead heavy seats and learn to enjoy it!

alvinl

How to deal with the sensors? I heard there is a weight sensor

knfeparty

Euro GT3 seats. Just re-use the existing seatbelt receptacles or buy a new pair. They are expensive, but they are worth it. Definitely comfortable enough for long trips.