alexb76

I am thinking of getting a set of 996 GT3 seats for DE and track days, while keeping my comfort seats for daily drive.

Just wondering how difficult it is to swap them back and forth?

Also, if it's ok to drive with Airbag error message (due to lack of it in 996 seats), and would the message go away after putting the OEM seats back?

Thanks

machina

I have changed seats and it is not something you want to do more than once.

Easy to scrape or scratch sills and issues with airbags are not something worth messing with on a regular basis.

Just get the GT3 seats and enjoy them.

quickxotica

Generally I'd say you're being unrealistic if you think you'll actually swap seats back and forth between every track day. The GT3 seats are perfectly comfortable for the street... but that's not the problem --the main issue is you are losing the thorax airbag that was designed into the total saftey package of your car. That's not great.

But it's a free country so...
Swapping the seats for each event is a pain. Plan on one hour per side the first time you do this... after which it will go faster. It will be easier if you buy 2 extra front inboard seatbelt receivers to leave installed on the GT3 seats. Otherwise you have to disconnect them from the stock seats (which involves opening the plastic box under the seat to seperate their "seatbelt in use" wire lead from the other connections under there). It's pretty fiddly and annoying to do more than once a year.
The airbag fault light will remain on even after you swap the correct seats back into the car (at least that was my experience when I did this). Any shop with a current PIWIS system can reset it for you. It's possible that disconnecting the battery for a few minutes may also re-set it for you, but I am not sure about that.

zanwar

I bought a set of Porsche folding sport bucket seats. It takes about two hours for my tech to swap them for the power comfort seats. I have the swap performed at the beginning and end of the summer season.

Mike in CA

+1. The GT3 seats are perfectly suitable for everyday use comfortwise. The only downsides are the lack of thorax airbags and the fixed seatbacks. You might consider spending the extra couple of grand for the current 997 sport buckets. In addition to being airbag equipped, the seatbacks are hinged, and the carbon fiber finish looks good. They work great on the track or street and no need to swap seats back and forth, which having done it before, I wouldn't want to do on a regular basis.

Mike in CA

I think if the key is in the ignition when the swap is made, the computer is alive and will note the disconnection of the airbag circuit, triggering the warning light. As you say, this requires a dealer reset. I was warned about this when I swapped the seats in my 996 for GT3 seats. I made sure the key was out, swapped the seats, reconnected the airbag sensor, and had no problems with the light. If you had the key out and still got the light maybe this has changed for the 997.

alexb76

Darn! I thought it's a much easier process than what you guys experienced! What about twice a year? Like around summer time switch to GT3, and then swap back to comfort seats for winter? If it's 1-2 hrs per seat, that shouldn't be a big issue, I just don't wanna cause any damage to interior by doing this the wrong way!

alexb76

Is it easier to just get myself a set of sports seats (not bucket) and be done with it? I just found the sport seats a bit uncomfortable for my body and not as supportive as I thought they should be!

zanwar

I've had the swap done a couple of times, and no damage so far. There's always next time though.

You can buy the new sport buckets from Suncoast. They are very comfortable once you get used to them, and they look great in the car. I went with the leather versions and I regret that a little. I think the cloth versions would be a better option for the track. I don't know if it's Alcantara though, might just be ordinary cloth.

Mike in CA

I can only speak for myself, and others may differ, but I personally would not want to keep swapping seats back and forth, even just twice a year.

You make a good point. The thing about both the GT3 seats and 997 sport buckets is if you fit, they are great, but not every body type is going to fit and be comfortable in them. The regular sport seats might be a reasonable compromise support wise, but realize that you will not be able to properly (read safely) fit a harness for track work without the pass through for shoulder belts that both the GT3 and sport buckets have.

Carrera Mike

Here's my DIY on my ex-996. Its 90% the same for the 997. If you have the OEM GT3 seats, the harness that comes with it is plug and play.

http://gallery.rennlist.com/gallery/album651

RonCT

All it's going to take is one "oops" and you'll have a damaged seat, sill, etc. I went from Sport seats to Sport Buckets and quite honestly am amazed at how comfortable the Sport Buckets are. I would not even consider 996 GT3 shells because they lack the required / federally approved thorax air bag. If it was a track-only car where any passenger signed a liability waiver, maybe. But in a street / DE car where I'll have people sitting next to me I would not chance it. Imagine you get in an accident and your passenger is hurt and it's discovered that you changed the seat from the approved one with airbag to one without. Read Pete Stout's article from a few months ago in Excellence about this issue.

ivangene

GT3 Euro's?

I think once you sit in them - you wont be taking them out EVER ! - I had Euro's in the 996 and I'll be damned if I was ever taking them out.... or driving my car without them is more likely the reason !

alexb76

That's why I wanted to swap them after events, but doesn't sound like that reasonable.

Ok, what about a set of racing seatbelts that works with non-bucket seats? I remember on Audi we had a solution, by connecting rear seatblets over to an extender to allow for very tight hold. Is there such a thing for Porsche?

Mike in CA

I'm not familiar with the "extender" you're referring to or how it's configured, but you might be interested in this article at the SFI Foundation web site. There's some good info here about the correct angles for installation of racing shoulder harnesses, and the risks if it's not done properly. Among other things it talks about how the attachment point for the harness should be straight back from, and not be too far above or below, the driver's shoulders.

http://www.sfifoundation.com/seatbelt.html