So, I pulled the trigger on a set of GT2 bucket seats and will be getting them later this week and install next week.

Now, question is, should I also do a 6-point harness, and if so, which one to get?

- Does Bucket seats provide enough support not to require harnesses?
- If not, what are options for a harness bar that do not require any drilling in the car or mods that are permanent?
- Between harnesses, Porsche or Schroth? (interestingly Porsche is cheaper!)

Thanks

 

Alex, I have the Schroth (Porsche GT3 style) 6pt harness. It comes with fittings that will mate to the attachments on your GT2/3 seats and you will be able to keep your stock belts installed for the street. The sport buckets provide much better support than any of the other OEM Porsche seats, but IMO there is still no substitute for being properly cinched in with a harness.

Brey-Krauss http://bkauto.com/porsche/porscheindex.php has several options for harness bars that do not require drilling, and can be easily installed and removed. They also offer a sub strap mounting bar for your harness. If you have a Bose stereo in your car, like I do, you'll need the harness bar designed for the Cab as the bass speaker box interferes with the normal across-the-shock-tower mounting. There were some concerns that the vertical mounting bar might not clear the seat backs on the sport buckets as my application was one of the first they had done with Bose and sport buckets. But I worked with Brey Krause taking measurments etc. and while it is a close fit, there have been no problems with contact, even with the seat all the way back. If you don't have Bose, you can choose one of their other bars and this won't be an issue.

I'll be glad to answer more specific questions if you have them. BTW, congrats; you will love those seats.

 

I agree that the support offered by the Sport Buckets is excellent however due to variances in people it will never be an exact fit which is why belts are a good idea if you're tracking. You might also post your question on the 987 Forum or GT3 Forum to get answers from others who frequently track their cars.

 

You'll benefit the most from the harnesses during braking. This is the direction in which the sport buckets have the least benefit over any other seat. The two together will keep you firmly planted in all directions.

 

Thanks Mike.

Why did you pick Schroth over Porsche one here? http://www.suncoastparts.com/product...ode=997S_Seats

I don't have Bose! So, I guess I could use a smaller harness bar, right?

 

I'd previously had a Schroth harness and don't remember seeing a Porsche branded one when I bought my new Schroth (didn't buy it from Suncoast). But that Porsche 6pt harness looks almost exactly like my old Schroth harness (same push button buckle release; my new Schroth is a twist lock). I wouldn't be at all surprised if the Porsche harness was sourced from Schroth. The real Schroth harness shown on the Suncoast site has clip-in attachments for the sub belt. If you're going to use a sub belt mounting bar, rather than bolting clip in mounts to your floor, you'll want to remove the clips so you can wrap the subs around the bar. One advantage of the Schroth is that you can get it in different colors; looks like that Porsche model is only in red. If that doesn't matter, you might as well save some money with the Porsche one.

The BK harness bars for the coupe without Bose aren't smaller, but they do mount differently than mine. You're going to want either model R-1030 or R-1035. R-1030 is all stainless steel with a black crackle finish, similar to my pic above, while the R-1035 is an aluminum truss with a stainless steel mounting bar. Pics and descriptions are on the BK web site.

 

You might want to check into the Safety Solutions 7 point harness. I crash tested one last October and it does work. I picked mine up from US Race Gear. You can order it with their new forged hardware which is the easiest adjusting hardware I have ever used.

 

I love the gt2 seats, great pick up....my brother has these seats and actually has new (or almost new) harnesses that he hasn't installed yet. I think he might be sell them, let me know if you interested and I can give you his number being that we're local

 

Alex, you don't mention if you're tracking the car. If you're tracking the car, then get a GMC half cage. It bolts into the seat belt holes and strut mounts or rear seat belt holes if you rather. You have to specify what you want. No drilling. Then get the Shroths from Suncoast and you will need the Ray Krause sub bars. This is my set-up and it works and looks great. If you're not tracking the car, then what's the point of the six point harness?

 

I do track ofcourse, otherwise none of this was needed. However, this isn't my track car and I just do typical DE events. This is my daily car, and I just wanted more support to hold me in hard cornering. Don't plan to catch GT3 cars per se, just a mild street/track setup. I'd swap out to street seats for winter.

 

IMHO, if you're going for harnesses/bar, go for a proper roll bar, not harness bar. yes, the chance of rollover is minimal but it CAN happen (i have seen 4 in only a few years of doing DE's, across all skill levels, incl novice), and the stock roof is strong. 3 point belts are made so you can "slump over" in case of a roof cave in, but harnesses hold you in place/head up - a roof cave in would be none too fun should you be strapped in. just sayin.

and FYI, i went thru the same research months ago. i have GT2 seats, schroth, HANS, and a DAS roll bar. FWIW, the DAS i found to be the least invasive - with the GMG and RSS bars, recommended installation is to pull back the rear carpet near passenger footwells to cut a bit around a plastic electrical conduit. the DAS design does not require this.