Hi I am in the market for a 2009 C4S.
I go to the track around 10 times / year.
In my current car (Boxster S) I have GT3 seats during the summer. They are OK, but when I put the original seats back in, my back feels the difference.
Specially getting in and out is a pain.

I see a few cars out there which have the carbon fiber race seats and I am wondering how they work in a daily driver (with some track use)

Anyone wants to share?

Thanks

 

I got the CF seats, put them in this summer and been driving on them for 3mos or so.

They are actually very comfortable AFTER you're in them, and even provide great back support in long drives and road trips. It is not easy to get in and out though, specially in tight spots where a car is parked close to you.

I am about to put my regular seats in for winter, much easier to get in and out and I won't need that much extra bolstering in winter.

 

I replaced the stock seats in my 996 with the earlier Euro style fixed back GT3 seats and ordered the newer version GT2/GT3 CF sport buckets in my '09 Carrera, so I've lived with "race seats" in a more or less daily driver for a long time. I love them and find them very comfortable even for trips. Getting in and out is a bit more of a challenge but definitely worth the effort, IMO. But then, I don't having any physical limitations like a bad back, etc.

You've had the GT3 seats in your Boxster so you know what they're like. They don't fit everyone, and the degree to how well they fit you probably determines their overall utility. If you felt a big difference in comfort when you replaced them, maybe they wouldn't work for you year round. Personally, I think they are fine for that purpose, but YMMV.

 

If you are looking for an '09 C4S with sport seats, you are in luck as that's how the launch cars were optioned. Not everyone's cup of tea so you should be able to find one at a discount (never mind that the dealer will try to convince you that you should pay a premium). dave

 

I replaced the stock seats with carbon GT2 seats recently. Here's what I've found: comfortable but lack of recline or tilt puts you in one position for long trips which can become uncomfortable, they are fixed in a more upright position than what I usually have the stock seats at unless I'm at the track.

They are also a little higher, surprisingly, than the stock seats. Getting in is more of a plop than slide, getting out I brace myself against the bolster and also slide the seat back, but it's not a big deal. If you get the GT2 seats be sure to get the bolster protectors.

 

I've used the GT2 seats in two cars and it wasn't all that bad. The longest one way trip I took in them was a 350 mile drive. It didn't kill me but it did feel good to get out of the car. My current car has the factory sport seats and I have no issues with them. If I were ordering another car today as a daily driver I'd pick the sport seats again.

On my last car I used a Sparco EVO II seat and took it in and out for track events. The car had a roll bar and was set up for a 7 point harness. I could switch the seats in about an hour. On my last trip to the Glen I put the Sparco in the passenger seat, upside down with the top forward, and drove up with the factory seats in place. Switched out the driver seat at the Glen and stored the factory seat in a friends trailer for the weekend. Reversed the process for the trip home. It makes for a much more comfortable road trip.

 

What is the bolster protector?

 

Are you referring to these seats? If so, Nugget put them in our GT3 RS, and... I don't get along with them. They're ok-ish on track, but they push my head too far forward when using the helmet and the HANS, which is a significant distraction. They are too tight on my shoulders (I'm 5'5 with a short-ish torso, so they're still narrow at my shoulder height). The 5 hour drive to Cresson is horrible in these seats. They're tolerable for short drives, but for things longer than about an hour, I really need padding under me to lift me up, so the right parts of the back of the seat are on the right parts of my back. I'm looking into alternative neck protection that doesn't have the high upper behind my head. Unfortunately, the extra padding I have for race cars doesn't fit these seats, either, so I'm looking for alternative padding for the longer drives out to tracks.

I don't mind the added height of the side when getting in or out. I'm sure it's tougher, but I don't really mind - it's not bad enough to make date night a problem (I could get in and out sufficiently gracefully in skirts). If you don't have the limitations I do, they're great seats - great lateral support and the like - but there's certainly the potential for compromises.

 

Yes, that sounds like an option.
But that means that after every swap you'll have to reset the airbag light with the Durametric - right?

 

...

 

I put the GT2 seats in my car this summer.
They made a world of difference on the track so I'm willing to put up with some inconvenience on the street.

 

best seats for track are racing shells, GT2 seats that fold but do not recline are next best. i tried recaro shells but was unable to use them for daily driving and went with recaro sporster cs that reclines and has sliders - for usual driving and track it is a good compromise. it all depends of your spine condition and of how well it can tolerate lack of comfort in the proper upright solid racing bucket shell seat. if you can handle it with no pain - get 996 gt3 shells or any recaros like pole position or spg or similar. gt2 seats are also great but they cost a lot.
as i could not drive 2 hours to a track and back in such seats i got myself sporster cs and love it.
http://www.recaro-automotive.com/us/...rtster-cs.html
also, it takes just 10min to swap a seat. if you do less than 10 days a season you can get yourself a bucket seat and just swap it for track day and for rest of year use your stock seat.

 

you need piwis (can be done in any race shop) and you just disable weight sensors on the seat for airbag light not to come. at same time you can ask to disable a chime sound from unplugged seatbelt so it would not annoy you when you use racing harness.

a downside of it that after this i now drive with no seatbelt in my car, just as i drove for all my life in all other cars i owned.

 

Anyone's got this bolster protector?

 

Check them out here:

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-gt2-...ter+protection