GT3 seats in a 993

[Robert Greaves]

I have a 1997 C2S and am considering putting in a set of GT3 buckets - have any of you guys done this, if so did you go for the original GT3 or ano such as Designtek or Sparco pole positions. Are there any particular problems with runners, brackets etc. Thanks guys

 

[Guards Red]

Hi Robert,

this used to be pretty tough in a 993, lots of fiddling and messing around but I understand Brey Krause in America do mountings just for this apllication making life much easier. Might be worth a look. Here's a link:

http://www.bkauto.com/porsche/r9082.php

Hope it helps.

GR

 

[Robert Greaves]

Cheers GR - will have a look

 

[tertius]

Quite funny to see that BK link ...

I have done this and as mentioned it is a pain. Eventually I had a pair of custom mounts made which look astonishingly like the BK ones ...

A few thoughts:

1. Adjustability: by the looks of them the BK mounts (and indeed mine) will have no adjustability once fitted: the seat will probably be perfectly placed, low down, but it won't move. This is fine if no one else uses the car.

If you want adjustability and have the headroom then the GT3 runners can be used - I have these on the passenger side.

2. Harnesses: if you also want to fit harnesses then you need to think about where they will be mounted, in particular: shoulder straps (I have the BK harness truss which carries the shoulder straps) and if 5/6 point the crotch straps (I have the GT3 bar customised to fit but it is not ideal. I think there is a better solution by fitting eye bolts to the rear seat runner mounts.)

If you are in the London area I would be happy to show the arrangement I have and would strongly recommend it - forewarned is forearmed and may save you a lot of effort (and money).

 

[Robert Greaves]

Maurice - read your note ref brackets in PP about 20 minutes after placing post - must be divine intervention or something (told missus it must be a sig that I should have them fitted!!!)


Tertius - am keen to retain backwards and forwards adjust - are the GT3 brackets off the 996.

Again guys thanks for taking the time to post replies it is appreciated.

 

[tertius]

The runners are from a 996 GT3, however, even fitting these to a 993 is not straightforward: some modification is called for to retain full adjustability.

For me, the main reason for the bucket seats is for track days and I needed as much headroom as possible - the runners take too much, which is why I do not have them on the driver's side. However I fit and remove the seats for track days so the loss of adjustment is not critical for me.

I also missed the question about which seats - I have the DesignTek carbon seats, which are light and comfortable, similar but not identical to the GT3 seats - e.g. the mount spacing is different.

They suit the car very well, but if I were doing it again I would buy a seat with more head protection - like the Cobra Evo S.

 

[IndischRot]

I went with a GT3 seat, BK brackets (http://www.bkauto.com/porsche/r9078.php) and Sparco sliders. The Sparco sliders are lower profile that the factory GT3 sliders and the BK brackets put the seat a fair bit lower than the factory GT3 seat brackets.

 

[LeoSayer]

I've got OEM GT3 seats in my C2, I bought them from someone on Pistonheads and they had been fitted to a 993 before, so the seats fitted fine. They are trimmed in marble grey leather, which matches my car's interior colour and they look absolutely awesome. I just did a 2000 mile trip around France and they were very comfortable and of course, held me in very well around the twisty bits. They are, of course, not as comfortable or easy to get into as comfort seats, but if you ever do track days or drive around bends "˜enthusiastically' then you will be very glad you bought them. I can confidently drive much faster around bends since having them fitted and they generally make me much more relaxed behind the wheel.

The comfort and 95-on sports seats are, in my opinion, crap for sporty driving. Of course, the GT3 seats don't recline so just get the one seat if you need access to the rear.

The fitting was hampered by missing bolts for the seat belt buckle recievers and this proved to be a pain in the a*** to and the whole thing probably took me 7 hours, spread over a month or so. It took a while to find a parts supplier who knew what I was talking about and I still had to file the bolts down to make them fit. The seats went in and out many times whilst I was learning what goes where, making mistakes, trying out different things etc. To be honest, it was a real case of trial and error and in spite of asking a few experts I never felt confident about their advice so ended up working a lot of stuff out myself. Having said that, I can't imagine anyone else taking longer as I'm a complete mechanical numpty.

There is no adjustment possible for seat height or rake but they all seem to be set fine for me, even though I'm 6'4" with long legs. A big plus for me is that the seat cushions are velcroed on so I can remove them for track days when I may not fit in with a helmet on.

If you want minimum hassle then go to somewhere like Southbound motor trimmers who will supply, trim and fit the seats for you. They may also size you up in order to put the rights amount of trim and padding.

I had previously bought a set of designtek seats which sat in the loft for ages I never tried to fit them and ended up selling them when I bought the GT3 seats. They don't feel as rigid and they looked like they would be a bitch to fit in the car, so I never bothered.