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You mean those red/black Recaros, right? Got those from a salvage Nissan Juke RS. They were absolutely gorgeous in person. And just amazing to sit in. They come up on eBay, or you can just buy the Recaro Sportsters CS, which are the same seat. To get the airbag you would have to import the Recaro RS from Europe or get the Jukes.
Yup, my bad. Was referring to the Nismo Recaros. I was hoping you had a Canadian source. There’s an eBay seller in German or Poland who will do up custom Sportster CSs however you like, but might have a rough time convincing the wife to let me pull the trigger (but my riposte to that is that she must have way more than the cost of a set of Sportster CSS in handbags, and you can’t drive a handbag lol....)
Yup, my bad. Was referring to the Nismo Recaros. I was hoping you had a Canadian source. There’s an eBay seller in German or Poland who will do up custom Sportster CSs however you like, but might have a rough time convincing the wife to let me pull the trigger (but my riposte to that is that she must have way more than the cost of a set of Sportster CSS in handbags, and you can’t drive a handbag lol....)
The thing with the Recaros is this...
You can find a used set or get brand new with the fabric for about $2500 USD. You will likely have to pay for duties, shipping and taxes, since you are in Canada like me.
Then, youll have to get the brackets/rails for mounting in a 997. Or go custom. Either way you are looking at another $800 USD or so.
If you dont want the airbags, then you're OK. But if you do, then it starts getting really complicated and expensive. At a certain point, you are probably just better off searching for a set of GT2 seats. They are plug in play, and install in about 20min. No airbag light, no hassle. And, you can use them for 5 years and youll probably get more for them when you sell than what you paid.
There are a few guys that did the Recaros, and I found one who did the airbag Recaros. However, there are weight sensors in between the frame of the seat and the rails on the OEM passenger side, that I dont think youll ever get right with the Recaros. So, youll have one working airbag on the driver at best, and to get even that youll have to figure out the wiring.
Dont get me wrong, the Recaros are incredible. But youll be in for at least 70% of the cost of the GT2s by the time you are done the project. And when you go to sell you wont get that money back. Nevermind potential insurance issues in an accident for deleting the passenger airbag.
I guess that is the reason why the GT2 seats have such a high resale. They are pretty much the only bucket seat that can fold forward for back seat access and have airbags that you can get for the 997. And it seems that the manufacturer releases very limited quantities of brand new ones for sale, which keeps the prices high.
I almost bought a pair of GT3 seats with alcantara centers, but got screwed over after the seller provided the wrong Paypal email address. So happy now that it happened like that, as I dont think the 997 GT3 seats would have provided a significant improvement over the 997 sport seats that I already have.
Bottom line... save up for a set of GT2s. And... dont tell you wife
You need to finish it off with a factory TT tail. (hahahaha).
Looking good man! I got some work done on my ride and the service advisor told the mechanics at the dealership, 'This is how you do it.....a factory TT tail without the hydraulics. Does the job without the $4k bill.'
Thanks for the insight. I didn't realize there were airbag vs. non-airbag Sportsters. I thought everyone who put aftermarket (or even the OE 996 and 997 GT3 buckets) seats in just disabled them with Durametric.
I've seen 'artificial leather' Sportsters on eBay around the US$2,500 range, but then I'd want to add heating elements. I'm still kicking myself or not grabbing a pair of Sportsters on kijiji a while back. If memory serves, they were leather. Ah well.
Another option is Bride or Edirb. The Canadian importer is actually in Edmonton, and they've got a pile of them set up to try out, but total cost with leather is about C$7,000. JRP has also told me about C$3,000 per seat for leather and heated Sportsters.
In the end, I may take the easier route an add OE sport seats. My car has standard, but crested seats. It's one of the only parts of the car I wish had been built differently, but you can't build a used car I guess....
You need to finish it off with a factory TT tail. (hahahaha).
Looking good man! I got some work done on my ride and the service advisor told the mechanics at the dealership, 'This is how you do it.....a factory TT tail without the hydraulics. Does the job without the $4k bill.'
Hahahaa... so true. The 997 turbo wing with the fixed hardware is a great setup. I definitely miss it. When I sold it I never thought I would be this long with the stock decklid still installed. But, thats just the way these project cars go sometimes.
Lately, replaced the 295/40/18s with NT01 335/30/18s in the rear. The 335s definitely fit and look better on the car. The stretched 295s handled a bit better driving around town, allowing a bit more controlled playful feeling with the rear of the car.
Also test fitted a 997.1 GT3 RS replica wing. I had forgotten how much of a visual impact a wing makes on these cars. It really brings everything together.
335s
gt3rs replica wing test fit
looks pretty crazy from the rear
That’s mean and aggressive! I assume the wing is functional even if a replica can you feel any additional downforce, or is this mostly for looks?
I too am curious about the functional side. Yesterday I took possession of a 2010 997.2 3.8L C2S (I'll post pictures at some point soon) and the reason why I even bought the car was because I plan on tracking it. Now while adding aero is not a high priority at this time, if I can add aero mods in the future that actually work, I am very must interested in them. I love the look for the newer GT3 wings but even the older GT3 wings are fine (if they actually work). I also love the look of the GT3 RS wings, but that is too much. I think I would stick to the GT3 wings (newer or older styles). But one thing missing from this posted pictures here is the existence of front splitters. Are they coming soon? If they are then no need to say more, but I am under the assumption that front splitters need to be paired with a rear wing and then there is the topic of side skirts.
This is a replica of an OEM wing made by an unknown manufacturer. That being said, I have no idea how much downforce it would provide, if any. The thing is friggin huge, and shaped similar to an actual 997.1 GT3 RS carbon wing that I have. But, from what I can tell there is no provision for adjusting the angle, like there is on the OEM wings. The car has never seen the track, and probably wont this year. So, I cant tell you what a before and after is like at 100 miles an hour.
All the 997 OEM wings that I have ever seen provide actual downforce. Even that puny little wing on the declid on the base model that pops-up over 70 miles an hour provides downforce. In general, the bigger the wing, the more downforce you will get. If you want a lot of downforce for the track, get a Cup car wing. Or get any big wing from Porsche or a company that has a proven record for making solid track tested gear.
I have a 997.1 GT3 RS front bumper with Cup front lip. Not sure when I will actually get it on the car, as I have to do the fenders at the same time, and I dont want to give my car up in the summer to the bodyshop for an extended period. In any case, there is no noticeable huge imbalance with the stock front.
Great build. You got lucky with the GT seats. I was looking for RECAROs for my other project, but I was told they were on back order, as the airbags came from Takata. Then I heard from the supplier that RECARO was trying to engineer a new side air bag from another supplier. And then, no news. Eventually, I gave up. I'm now planning to fit non air bagged lightweight FIA approved bucket seats for the summer/trackday season (which are half the weight of the RECAROs) and just swap them out for the annual inspection.
04-26-2018, 10:44 AM
