ferak

So I bought my Turbo a few months ago and love the car but am dealing with disc issues in my lower back and I think the car may be contributing to it. My car has Bilsteins and H&R lowering springs along with standard seats and I'm thinking I may need to switch out both or move into another car entirely.

As far as the suspension goes I've been looking at picking up a set of OEM springs or switching to coilovers, I'm curious to hear from the community what offers the most comfort along with raising the car back to stock height (or higher). Being 6'2 the way the H&Rs sit I have to bend over just to open the doors and sit on the door sill just to enter the car. I'd love to just safari the car but dropping $20k into elephants kit and wheels/tires isn't an option at the moment.

On to seats, the seats in this car are horrible for my frame. I'm 6'2 195lb and all legs, it's incredibly uncomfortable trying to get in and it's even worse adjusting the seat. I currently have the seat maxed back and maxed tilt up which is adding unnecessary pressure on my back but is the only way I can fit in the car. I really need a flat seat with lumbar support so I've been looking at the Recaro Expert seats. Is there anyone out there with experience in upgrading seats for their lower back? I'm curious to know what else is out there that helps.

Thanks in advance for any help,I'd hate to have to sell so soon but if I can't figure out how to make things more comfortable I think I may have to trade her in for a Macan or Panamera.

Carlo_Carrera

I hate to say it but this is probably your only option. Even a Panamera might be too difficult for you to get in and out of and get comfortable.

Bernard IV

Macan Turbo is kickass too.

Scrh1

Others have chimed in saying get rid of the car which I can respect as the ride is not for everyone. If you did want to try and see if you can make it work …


Around the seats:

I would look at these rail extensions as the reviews seem to be positive…

https://extendmyseat.com/porsche-911.../#user-reviews

Seat comfort wise I’m not sure swapping them will yield much in the way of comfort. Perhaps make sure the seat carrier etc and cushion are all in good shape without internal cracks

around the suspension :

I run bilstien pss0’s and on the soft settings is a pretty comfy ride.

theprf

I am also 6' 2" plus and 190 pounds and I agree the seats are not very good.
I installed the seat extender linked above and it's a lot better. It gives 1.5" more room.
If you have a single DIN radio look at the GT3/Boxster center console delete. That opens up a lot of room in the knee area.
The stock suspension isn't particularly forgiving either. I had Bilstein PSS9 coils on one of my 6TT's and set toward the softer side they ride better than stock and handle better too!
Some people have swapped in 997 seats which fit nicely and are better to sit in. I can't comment on the difficulty of this.
I find the 18-way seats in my Cayenne are kinda lousy too. So another Porsche might not get the seat comfort you would like.
The best stock seats ever are the seats in my '93 Corrado. It's like they were designed for me. Which is why I've been driving it for nearly 30 years.

ferak

Kinda shocking that that's the case, I used to have a 99 c2 and had no issues getting in and out or with the seats, something with the turbo has made it incredibly difficult to get in and to sit comfortably. I'm surprised the Panamera would be bad too, I'm not old or out of shape just injured my back over time from sports.

I spent two weeks with a GTS, they're fun for a CUV but felt like such a compromise. Unfortunate that I may be requiring compromises now.

For lower back issues you just need flat seats and lower lumbar support, the OEM seats have too much tilt which is what I was looking to get away from. The rail extensions may give me the room to lessen the tilt though, I'll look into it.

Can you set the PSSs to stock height? It sounds like the seat extender is worth looking at. Those Corrado seats look like factory Recaro's. They look very similar to the Recaros I've been looking at.


Thanks everyone for the advice.

Flat6Music

I could drive my 99’ C2 cab from San Diego to Phoenix with zero comfort issues. The suspension was stock and the seats comfortable. My turbo has pretty stiff jic magic coilovers and other suspension mods that work great in the twisties, but I feel every road surface imperfection in my spine. After an hour on the freeway, my back is done in the turbo. Both are 6spd cars and run on 19” tires, but the difference in comfort between the two is night and day.. My turbo seats were modified and recovered and offer better bolster support and that doesn’t help with comfort, but I wish the rear of the bottom seat cushion went higher to change the bottom cushion angle without pushing my head into the headliner. I’m thinking 997 seats and 18” tires with slightly more sidewall are in my future. Meanwhile, the back pain is worth it.

theprf

The PSS lower the car somewhat, not a whole lot though. Something like 25-30mm. The Corrado factory seats are made by Recaro and are a derivative of the LS-C that's 1" narrower and has a seat bottom that fits into the 1980's design VW floorpan seat tracks. There's little chance they could fit anything else; a pity as they're fantastic.

First generation Audi TT seats should also fit the 996, the Audi TT seat tracks are the same as the 996.

sullivs

I have the same issue with my '02 TT. The seats in my old '93 911 were great. Why the seats in the 996TT are different, I don't know. A chiropractor friend suggested I get a 1/4th inch thick piece of foam rubber and put it behind my back. So I got a 6 by 18 inch piece of packing foam and placed it behind my butt. Made a world of difference. Can't tell you why, but it was a cheap fix for long trips. Just my two cents worth.

Thanks,
Steve

paopao

I really liked the support and adjustability of 991 seats when I sat in them at the dealership. They have adjustable thigh support and lumbar on the 14ways and 18ways add adjustable bolsters.

I ended up installing 14 ways first and then 18 ways most recently. They are direct bolt in and I made a simple harness that uses on OEM plug to the chassis and spade terminals to the seat connector so it's easy to revert or sell the seat if needed.

Diego

That’s one of my main compliments about my 01 turbo as well. Love the car but not a fan of the seats, not very comfortable, I just have the standard seats. Not much later support either for a car like this, always have the feeling of sitting on them rather than in them. I just have the stock suspension as well, our city streets are absolute crap, after a couple of hours out with my car I have had enough. Couldn’t imagine putting larger wheels and stiffer suspension, would be brutal, at least where I live anyway.

BAD.TAG

Has anyone ever looked into new foam for the seat bottom ? At the age these cars are at you'd have to assume the foam itself has collapsed and there has to be something better developed in the 20+yrs since these were made

theprf

I replaced the seat foam and the fabric "spring" which did improve the seats somewhat. They're still rather underwhelming. It's a cheap investment if you DIY.

tucker8235

Wow, direct fit? That's awesome, I would love to see a picture of this.

My factory seats do not have lumbar and I wish they did. The seats in the pre 1998 porches were great looking and comfortable or maybe I was just much younger...

paopao

Willing to sell this set pictured with the adapter harnesses I made as well.