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I finally got around to removing the 18 way sport adaptive seats that were in the car. I had a pair of Recaro Carbon Kevlar Profi Spas collecting dust for the last few years and now they found a new home. The swap is relatively straight forward. The only thing that really needs to be done is to remove the seat belt buckle from the sofas and transfer them to the Spas. The connector from the seatbelt buckle will clip in to the OEM connector in the car. The last thing that needs to be done is to program the car for the OEM carbon buckets to get rid of the airbag light.
It's a significant weight reduction, the sofas each weight in at 63.3 lbs for a total of 126.6 .bs. The Spas are 23.2 each for a total of 46.4 for a total weight loss of 80.2 lbs. The Spas are amazingly supportive, incredibly comfortable, and some of the lightest seats you can get. They are essentially the same shell as the Hans Pro Racer but without the Hans. They really fit the character of the car and make it a joy to drive. I have the Hans Pro Racer in my race car so having the Spas in the 3 is fitting in a weekend street toy.
Last edited by powdrhound; 12-05-2023 at 12:21 AM.
That is a PROPER modification my friend. More of a connection with the car and great weigh loss. Talk about a win-win!
Hey Steve! It's funny, I've had this 7.2 for over two years now and have driven it all of about 200 miles in that time span. Great looking car but a bit boring to drive. I had Chris Cervelli pull the engine and gearbox, get the coolant pipes welded, and while at it swap in the RS 3.89 R&P along with the RS taller 6th. He also installed the 4.0 LWFW and clutch. It totally changed the car basically putting the 7,2 RS drivetrain in the narrow body chassis. It's a hoot to drive now while being more under the radar without the big RS wing. The stock seats bothered me and with the Spas installed the driver is now one with the car. I'm also gonna swap in an Antigravity battery as I have one on the shelf and do the side muffler bypass. That will drop another 75 lbs and in conjunction with the seats in excess of a 150# reduction. I'm really enjoying the car now.
Last edited by powdrhound; 12-05-2023 at 03:53 AM.
I have thought about a set of these. How livable would they be on a road trip? I occasionally do 500 mile trips.
To me, the Spas are very comfortable once you are in them. They are naturally a little more difficult to slide into a you need to drop yourself into them to get over the side bolsters. It's rather easy to do when you grab the steering wheel with your right hand and rest your left on the doorsill as you lower yourself into the seat. I seats are rather narrow but fit me perfectly. I'm 5'10", 180 lbs, athletic build. My friend Chris is 6'2" and something like 220 and can squeeze into them. The seat are narrower than any of the OEM Porsche buckets. Here is a side by side comparison with them next to the OEM 996GT3 and CGT buckets. I would say the Spas fit very much like the 996GT3 buckets (also made by Recaro) but they are tighter and more body hugging all around. I use the thinner Pro racer seat pad with the drivers Spa. It's just a personal preference.
Last edited by powdrhound; 12-05-2023 at 04:29 AM.
Those look great, especially at that price point. The factory buckets have gotten out of hand. Question, does the 3-point belt actually fit snugly when buckled? It looks like the belt would go through the slot and then have to make a sharp right angle drop down to the receptacle.
Hey Steve! It's funny, I've had this 7.2 for over two years now and have driven it all of about 200 miles in that time span. Great looking car but a bit boring to drive. I had Chris Cervelli pull the engine and gearbox, get the coolant pipes welded, and while at it swap in the RS 3.89 R&P along with the RS taller 6th. He also installed the 4.0 LWFW and clutch. It totally changed the car basically putting the 7,2 RS drivetrain in the narrow body chassis. It's a hoot to drive now while being more under the radar without the big RS wing. The stock seats bothered me and with the Spas installed the driver is now one with the car. I'm also gonna swap in an Antigravity battery as I have one on the shelf and do the side muffler bypass. That will drop another 75 lbs and in conjunction with the seats in excess of a 150# reduction. I'm really enjoying the car now.
Some seriously potent modifications to really wake up the car. My 7.2 3RS has always been my favorite car to drive, and it sounds like you're busying making a narrow body version of the same car with some upgrades! Way to go buddy!
Those look great, especially at that price point. The factory buckets have gotten out of hand. Question, does the 3-point belt actually fit snugly when buckled? It looks like the belt would go through the slot and then have to make a sharp right angle drop down to the receptacle.
Those look great, especially at that price point. The factory buckets have gotten out of hand. Question, does the 3-point belt actually fit snugly when buckled? It looks like the belt would go through the slot and then have to make a sharp right angle drop down to the receptacle.
The lap belt actually fits perfectly. The top of the seat belt receptacle is located on the outside and about 1" or so below the level of the seat bolster but when clipped it the top of the buckle that the belt loops though is basically flush with the top of the seat bolster. When sitting in the seat my hips/waist is just above the top of the side bolster and as such the lap bels fits snug against it. (I have a 33" waist). On the outboard side it's not an issue as the lap belt is outed thought the side opening. I can take a picture of it sitting in the seat and buckled in next week when I get back in town.
Last edited by powdrhound; 12-05-2023 at 04:59 PM.
Some seriously potent modifications to really wake up the car. My 7.2 3RS has always been my favorite car to drive, and it sounds like you're busying making a narrow body version of the same car with some upgrades! Way to go buddy!
Exactly. I really love the more subtle understated lines of this car vs. the RS but I love the RS drivetrain so this is the best of both worlds for me. I have a set of 9/12 E07s with 245/325 MPSC2s that will bolt on to complete the package. Just trying to make it mine with some simple tweaks. This car will never see the track, it's strictly a weekend toy.
and to the OP, which slider and side mount did you use? it looks good, the slider adjustment looks oem
The stock length seatbelt receiver from the 18 way sofas is perfect for these seats. The longer one would not work when routed on the outside and these seats are too snug to route it on the inside.
The sliders are OEM 996GT3/Cup manual sliders and the side mounts are Brey Krause. Pic of the sliders is at the bottom of this post. I actually have another pair of these exact BK sidemounts for sale in the link below if anyone is interested going down this route.
I had a pair of sliders that sold but those have been deleted from the listing above. The 986/996 OEM manual sliders can be bought for about $120-150 on eBay pretty easily.
When using the BK sidemounts, the seatbelt mounting is very seamless and virtually OEM looking. You can add the BK sub bar if adding 5 pt harnesses to the mix.
Last edited by powdrhound; 12-12-2023 at 01:24 AM.
12-04-2023, 11:37 PM
Sofas had to go, these are more like it...
