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Old 07-11-2012, 01:59 PM   #1
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Pulled the trigger on eBay GT3 seats- odd finding

I just purchased a pair of the cheapo GT3s on ebay but before I did I noticed that there are two different ~$500 seats on there. The main (and maybe only difference) is that one pair has cloth centers and are 90 bucks more. Judging form the pictures though I think one seat has a narrower top and smaller shoulder holes. The comparison is below

I purchased the seat on the left


Here are the links to the seats on eBay. What do you guys think? Are they different?

Wide top seats
GT RACING SEATS BLACK FRP 996 997 GT2 GT3 RS BUCKET 911 PORSCHE VW AUDI SALE | eBay


Narrow tops and more expensive
GT RACING SEATS BLACK FRP 996 997 GT2 GT3 RS BUCKET 911 PORSCHE VW AUDI | eBay

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Old 07-11-2012, 02:06 PM   #2
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They look different to me.... I guess both are manufactured in Taiwan, I hope you got the ones which are of better quality, I heard there are differences.
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Old 07-11-2012, 02:15 PM   #3
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They look different to me.... I guess both are manufactured in Taiwan, I hope you got the ones which are of better quality, I heard there are differences.
I went with the one that "looked" higher quality and used the American point of view that if its more expensive it must be better approach. We'll see when they get in. Worst case scenario I'll just get them recovered. I'm sure the material is crap
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Old 07-12-2012, 04:23 AM   #4
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I purchased the seat on the left


Here are the links to the seats on eBay. What do you guys think? Are they different?
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Old 07-12-2012, 06:00 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by Allen K. Littlefield View Post
Asian Darth Vader? Johnny D would know for sure.

AKL

I purchased the seat on the left


Here are the links to the seats on eBay. What do you guys think? Are they different?
The seat on the right is an older, wide headrest GT3 seat design vs. the one of the left which is the new 997 style (or at least tries to be ) .
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Old 07-25-2012, 12:24 PM   #6
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The seats and mounts are here! They appear to be identical to the cheaper $490+ free shipping ones. Maybe it was just a case of the angles. I'm very happy with the seats. They completely change the car. They are also incredibly comfy but very difficult to get in and out of. You have to warn people not to just plop themselves down on the seat or they'll end up a little sore. You really need to lower yourself in and push yourself out.

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Old 07-25-2012, 04:04 PM   #7
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Cool, looks great!

What kind of mounts/brackets did you use? And did they fit fine without modification?

Thanks!
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Old 07-25-2012, 04:33 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by truegearhead View Post
You have to warn people not to just plop themselves down on the seat or they'll end up a little sore. You really need to lower yourself in and push yourself out.
chairs with warnings, now why didn't i think of that

lol but seriously, what's the difference? Obviously now you have to warn everyone, which is a negative, and you have to push yourself out, another negative..... what's the positives? Are they considerably lighter? How much lighter?
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Old 07-25-2012, 05:11 PM   #9
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The shipping weight of the two seats together was 30lbs and the brackets were 4lbs a piece. The stock seats are around 55lbs each I would guess.

The biggest plus for me is that the seating position is perfect for a taller guy. I'm 6'3" and I actually sit down in the car now instead of feeling like I'm sitting on top of it. My legs are also support from by back to my knees. Before my butt was the only thing touching the bottom of my seat. Overall the car feels much more exotic.

I used the Brey-Krause mount and no they didn't work. The back bolts don't line up. Right now only the front are in and I'm having a local machine shop make me up something to work. I might take a bracket out and have them make a whole new set.
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Old 07-26-2012, 09:43 AM   #10
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Great! So nice.

Can anybody tell me the best trick to convince my wife so I can get me a set???
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Old 07-26-2012, 09:53 AM   #11
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I want these but I also love to keep the heated seat feature...
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Old 07-26-2012, 10:44 AM   #12
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Originally Posted by truegearhead View Post
The shipping weight of the two seats together was 30lbs and the brackets were 4lbs a piece. The stock seats are around 55lbs each I would guess.

The biggest plus for me is that the seating position is perfect for a taller guy. I'm 6'3" and I actually sit down in the car now instead of feeling like I'm sitting on top of it. My legs are also support from by back to my knees. Before my butt was the only thing touching the bottom of my seat. Overall the car feels much more exotic.

I used the Brey-Krause mount and no they didn't work. The back bolts don't line up. Right now only the front are in and I'm having a local machine shop make me up something to work. I might take a bracket out and have them make a whole new set.
Very Cool! Thanks for sharing.

Question: Couldn't you have pulled the mount and sliders off the OEM seats and install them on these seats?

Thanks again.
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Old 07-26-2012, 11:29 AM   #13
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Originally Posted by Boxster586 View Post
Very Cool! Thanks for sharing.

Question: Couldn't you have pulled the mount and sliders off the OEM seats and install them on these seats?

Thanks again.
I did, you still need an adaptor bracket to make it work though. Thankfully CrisZang put together a really nice write up to help with this. The link is below.

As far as convincing your wife, the seats sit much lower which hides you from the wind and puts you down closer to the heat and ac.



Installing GT3 seats - overview of options and hardware needed
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Old 07-27-2012, 05:55 AM   #14
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Originally Posted by ekam View Post
I want these but I also love to keep the heated seat feature...
can easily be done, cost me about $100 in parts
http://www.babblers.org/forums/showthread.php?t=12564&highlight=seat
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Old 07-27-2012, 06:00 AM   #15
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Originally Posted by truegearhead View Post
I used the Brey-Krause mount and no they didn't work. The back bolts don't line up. Right now only the front are in and I'm having a local machine shop make me up something to work. I might take a bracket out and have them make a whole new set.
Way too complicated.
Here's what I did
Use the REAR mount points to attache the B-K side mounts and then:
Carefully pull away the side padding (you first have to unhook the spring up front)
Now drill two holes in the sides of the seat where the holes in the B-K side brackets are.
Use two thick oversized washers and glue them to the fiberglass (inside of course)
Use two nuts to attach the bolts and when everything is tight glue them to the washers.
Put everything back together...

Voila

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