The truth about GT3 seats for tall drivers

[Mike_Yi]

I got my GT3 seat yesterday. I couldn't put it in until today. I took the stock seat out and set them on the ground side by side. The GT3 is as it came from Sunset Porsche with the rails and sliders. The stock seat is the same. I then took a box and set it on the floor in front of each seat. I placed one end of a level on the top of the box and held the other end above the seat (obviously level). I then measured from the bottom of the level to the center of the seating area (about 3" from the back of the seat). Your butt is exactly the same height off the floor in both seats.

So then I thought, "Well, the foam padding is definitely different. Maybe one is more compressible than the other. The GT3 seat certainly has less foam." So I decided to test it. I put the stock seat in as close to the same vertical position as the GT3 seat. To do this, I sat in the GT3 seat with my behind all the way back and my shoulders pressed firmly against the back of the seat. I had both legs stretched out straight in front of me. I then reached forward with my arms as much as possible while still keeping my shoulders pressed firmly against the seat. I marked on my knees where the tips of my fingers hit (actually, my wife did). I then sat in the stock seat in the same position and adjusted the seat until I was reaching the exact same spot. I then put each seat up against the wall. I sat as far back as possible (butt & shoulders) and sat up as tall as possible. I then had my wife set the level on my head and level it, then mark the bottom of the level where it hit the wall. Then I switched seats and did it again. The lines were identical.

So this tells me that if you are a tall guy looking to get more head room, the GT3 seat is not the answer by itself. You are going to have to spring for the BK tall man brackets and the floor mount adapter. If you want sliders, you are apparently screwed. As far as I can tell, if you removed the sliders from the GT3 seats, you would gain approximately 1" in headroom. Another option would be to remove the padding you sit on in the GT3 seat. This does lower you about an inch (I'm guessing). However, you are then sitting on the hard floor of the seat. That wouldn't be that bad, but there is an angle down right under the front part of your behind. I think that would get uncomfortable after sitting on it for about 10 minutes.

I am 6'4" with about a 35" inseam. I have been told by a few people that the only seats I could use would be the GT3 seat or the Recaro SPG XL. All other seats would have the harness holes too low, and I would be susceptible to spine compression in an accident. However, after sitting in the GT3 seat, I can see that the openings for the harness are just at the top of my shoulders. If you have a longer torso than I, the GT3 seat would be a problem in that regard also.

The upsides of the GT3 seats are that it is a racing seat; it will keep you from sliding around while you're driving hard, you can use it with a harness, and it is safe. Some people like the look of them; and for a racing seat, they don't make you look like a ricer. The downsides are: It won't give you any additional headroom without other mods, it's expensive, it's fairly narrow (I wear 36" waist pants and it's comfortable, but snug), you cannot adjust the seating angle, and some people don't care for the way it looks.

Now I just have to figure out if I should put the GT3 seat in, or sell it and put the stock seat back in.

[ChrisZang]

very informative, Thanks
You saved me a lot of money as the main reason for me to get these seats would be to sit lower

The one thing I did not understand: did you get your seats from Sunset or from China (eBay)?

[Mike_Yi]

Originally Posted by ChrisZang

The one thing I did not understand: did you get your seats from Sunset or from China (eBay)?

I got them from Sunset. Sunset had the best price on them that I could find. I guess Porsche just raised the price on them about two weeks ago. The leather are up around $1500-1700. Sunset is selling the cloth (which I prefer) for $1166.05. Shipping was about $140 for me. It may be more though depending on how Porsche ships the seat to Sunset. I think it could be as much as $30 more.

[Jaxonalden]

Mike,

How's the back angle? I'm 6' and I find that I'll sacrifice leg room and slide the seat forward and then lay the back down a little for a more comfortable ride. I'd hate to buy a set of seats and find I can't stand the fixed position. I'll stick with my stock seats, thanks for the heads-up.

[Mike_Yi]

Originally Posted by Jaxonalden

How's the back angle? I'm 6' and I find that I'll sacrifice leg room and slide the seat forward and then lay the back down a little for a more comfortable ride. I'd hate to buy a set of seats and find I can't stand the fixed position. I'll stick with my stock seats, thanks for the heads-up.

That's a hard question to answer. I can't put a number on it because, like the stock seat, the GT3 seat back is not a straight line. I have always sat with my back at a pretty large angle too because it usually helps with the head room. However, I do find the GT3 seat to be very comfortable. It does feel very upright, but it's not so upright that it is uncomfortable.

To try to give you an idea of the seat back angle, I found a way to measure it. I set the stock seat as described above. I looked at the seat back for a flat surface, and the only part that was flat was the back side of the head support. I put a protractor on that part with the flat side against the seat. I then put a small level on the arm of the protractor. The angle it gave me was 96 degrees. If you imagine the protractor as a backward D, the arm of the protractor is pointing down at 6 degrees. That means that the top of the headrest is leaning slightly toward the front of the car. That seat position is, as far as I can tell, the same seat back position as the GT3 seat. They feel the same, or very close to it.

[Mike_Yi]

FWIW, I VERY carfully test fit the seat in the car. I am so far from fitting in the car with that seat, it isn't funny. Because the seat back angle is so much more upright, I can't even sit with my head upright (it's tilted on an angle) because it pushes through the headliner on the hardtop and up into the roof. Even if I took the sliders out, I still wouldn't fit in the car with the GT3 seat.

I guess that makes my mind up. I will be putting the stock seat back in.

I contacted BK to ask if the Recaro SPF XL with their mounts, or the GT3 was lower. They gave me the measurement from the seat pan to the top of the seat, which is useless. I wrote them back asking about distance from the floor to the bottom of the seat. I never got a response. So now I have no way to figure out if the SPG XL would even work for me.

[johnsimion]

Hi, and thanks for the informative post. You are 6'4" with about a 35" inseam; I am 6'4" with a 34" inseam. I have only two problems. First, I have plenty of headroom but I worry about hitting my head on the roll bar if I get rear-ended (it would be a glancing blow but still . . .). Second, at times my leg will contact the cruise control stalk and my hands sometimes hit my knee when turning.

For the first problem, I am thinking of doing what Nurvus did in this post: http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=11222&st=40&p=130404&#entry130404
and photos: http://s289.photobucket.com/albums/ll216/j...nt=rollbar1.jpg

By the way, I have checked the BK web site and I can't figure out what brackets would make the stock seat any lower. Suggestions? Worthwhile?

For the second problem, there isn't much I can do other than take out the console, which I don't want to do since it isn't that big an issue. However, I have wondered whether it would be possible to use a hair dryer to heat the cruise control stalk enough to soften it and move it upwards an inch or two? Has anyone tried this?

[Mike_Yi]

I forgot. I meant to post this additional information.....

I sat in the car with the seat out. In other words, I was sitting directly on the floor. He eyes were about at the top of the dash. I reached up to feel how much headroom I had, and the first thing I noticed was that my head would still hit the roll bar. Did you know that in the maintenance manual they describe the plastic part on the rollbar as "padding"? I imagine that it is some sort of energy absorbing material. Yeah, you'll have a headache, but you'll be alive.

Get the GT3 delete kit. It really helps. I was skeptical about it until I drove on the track. My right hand kept hitting my right knee while turning. I got the GT3 delete kit and my hand never hits my knee any more.

[teutonic986]

Originally Posted by Mike_Yi

FWIW, I VERY carfully test fit the seat in the car. I am so far from fitting in the car with that seat, it isn't funny. Because the seat back angle is so much more upright, I can't even sit with my head upright (it's tilted on an angle) because it pushes through the headliner on the hardtop and up into the roof. Even if I took the sliders out, I still wouldn't fit in the car with the GT3 seat.

I guess that makes my mind up. I will be putting the stock seat back in.

I contacted BK to ask if the Recaro SPF XL with their mounts, or the GT3 was lower. They gave me the measurement from the seat pan to the top of the seat, which is useless. I wrote them back asking about distance from the floor to the bottom of the seat. I never got a response. So now I have no way to figure out if the SPG XL would even work for me.

Great Thread! Thanks for the detailed information.

I am (was) contemplating buying a 986, but at 6'3" with a 34" waist, the seat was going to be my first modification. Since my seat will need sliders, I think a 987 may be my only option (or a tall girlfriend).

Since Porsche designs the car, airbags, knee bolster, etc. for a wide range of body types, I think there is very little wiggle room in the driving postion.

Also, spinal compression due to improper belt height is a real issue. I had a T12 L1 burst fracture after a collision in a race due to an improper seat.

Thanks again for the great post!

[RandallNeighbour]

Originally Posted by teutonic986

Since my seat will need sliders, I think a 987 may be my only option (or a tall girlfriend).

A 987 is going to be a high maintenance vehicle for sure, but nothing like the cost of keeping a tall girlfriend happy.

Get the 987. It may want more of your attention, but you'll never hear about it unless you have a loose belt, a worn pulley roller, or a wheel bearing that goes out on you.