Seat change ... advantages?

[PShipman]

So our cab, like most 80's and later Porsches has partial leather 6 way sport seats. I have noticed that some of you have substituted 3rd party seats such as Sparco, Porsche GT3s, etc.

What are the advantages (other than COOL factor) of this change?

What are the disadvantages?

[pdy]

It's a big improvement, IMHO.

Often you do not realize ho much effort, energy,
and muscle it takes to brace yourself in a car
when driving hard. A good seat will support you
like you won't believe. You can steer with your
fingertips while at the limit - that's not an
exaggeration. That means you are able to be very
smooth and sensitive to the car. I can complete
five hours on a track in a weekend and not be
sore. In summary, I am convinced it allows me to
focus on getting into more subtle details of car
control. It has improved my car, and my driving.

Paul

[pdy]

Oh, the downside?

Difficult entry/exit (depending on how agressive
the seat is).

Usually non-reclining, and/or limited adjustments.

Usually doesn't flop forward (no rear seat access).


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Also, be sure to try a bunch out before you buy.

[PShipman]

So:

1) I loose the use "seating use" (NOT) of the rear area ... which I will loose anyway with the rollbar ...

2) I cannot recline the seats ... a loss if we are doing a x-country trip ...

3) BUT ... support improvement really helps relax driving techniques ...

Is there any wait savings??

[Jad]

You usually save 50-100 lbs! Depending on exactly which seats you have and which you buy. You also need harnesses if you buy new seats which are safer and hold you in better as well.

Most of the race seats are not terribly comfortable, but there are a lot of choices based on your comfort-wieght-practicality trade-offs to meat your needs.

[PShipman]

You usually save 50-100 lbs!

WOW ... that is a lot of weight ... especially given that the Cab is already up in weight by its very nature (will find out how much tomorrow)

You also need harnesses

Are there any around that aren't as intrusive, uncomfortable and hard to latch up?

Thanks for the ideas and help on this.

[Mike]

Get a chair that will connect you to the car.
Your car control decisions are only as good as the feedback your mind receives through your body from the seat in your car.
Imho a plush stock seat is great on the fwy but on the track it's about as useful as sitting on a beach ball.

[PShipman]

Great ... thanks

Beautiful paint job, by the way ... is this the old or the new? (new I hope because if not ... it must be REALLY COOL!)

[Jad]

You usually save 50-100 lbs!

WOW ... that is a lot of weight ... especially given that the Cab is already up in weight by its very nature (will find out how much tomorrow)

You also need harnesses

Are there any around that aren't as intrusive, uncomfortable and hard to latch up?

Thanks for the ideas and help on this.

Be prepared with a large crane to lift out the factory seats, they weigh almost a ton each. (well 60-75 lbs)

Some harnesses are easier and more comfortable than others. I think a camlock is a must compared to the rubix cube of non camlock styles. I also prefer the pull down belts to the pull up style. The first couple of times you use them they seem restrictive and uncomfortable, but after awhile, you feel safe and secure and even a bit uncomfortable in a little 3 point factory belt.

So, how is it starting down the slippery slope

One last thought, is an S2 cab the car you really want to start down the slope with? Shameless plug not intended but you might be better off buying a 944 spec or my turbo and selling the cab if you really enjoy the racing. Cheaper and easier in the long run. Ask anyone, buying a racecar is much less costly then building one.

[Dan Chambers]

One last thought, is an S2 cab the car you really want to start down the slope with? Shameless plug not intended but you might be better off buying a 944 spec or my turbo and selling the cab if you really enjoy the racing. Cheaper and easier in the long run. Ask anyone, buying a racecar is much less costly then building one.

Jad couldn't be more correct. I spent $5.5k to buy my 944. I spent another 5K to 10K to get it "track ready" as a street car, with some very, very nice improvements. I sold the car for ...... OMG .... $700.00 less than I paid for it.

Things I now know not to build myself (and will buy fully set-up next time):

-Race car/track car
-Boat. Any boat systems.
-911 Engine cooling system (ask me how I know )
-Electrical systems (only job I had where the guys called me "shorty." No; it wasn't about my height. )
-Business phone systems (Hello! Can you hear me now?!? F@#$%!!!)

If I were to do it again, I'd buy a fully sorted 944Spec or Jad's ride for a fast, inexpensive hootin' good time at the track. If you guys haven't slid too far down the slope, I'd say "stop the belay", and go find a 944Spec car (or ... gasp! ..... a 911SC) for around 12K to 16K and go have a great time on the track. To really set up a 944S2 Cabriolet, you'll wind up spending near the cost of a 944Spec car in parts and labor to really do it right.

BTW: No one mentioned it: the "more aggressive" seats have less bottom-padding and can be b*tt-Numbing on a long freeway drive; requiring an extra pillow down-below for the rumpis-numbness affect. If you drive long-hauls, be prepared to augment the seat cushion on the bottom. And ... would you really want to jostle and bound across-country in a loud, cold (or hot), b*tt-numbing "racer cabriolet"? Just a thought.

[kurquhart]

We are a bit off topic, but the cost of building a race car is not the only consideration.

I learned a huge amount in getting my car competitive. I tried to do at least one event after each modification so I could learn what exactly that mod actually accomplished.

Additionally, the mods are exactly the ones I want, no more and no less. For example, my driving compartment fits me perfectly because it was built specifically for me.

Plus, for me, prepping the car was at least as fun as driving it.

YMMV, of course.

[PShipman]

S2 cab the car you really want to start down the slope with?

Perhaps ideally no ... but I really love this car and like to do things that folks say is impossible

(or ... gasp! ..... a 911SC)

I've heard of those before ... hmmmm ... but Dan(Jad .. you should take note here, too!) isn't the only engine in a SC just a spare ... located in the trunk????

[kary]

I agree with Dan (did I say that out loud, no I wrote it ) on most points. While it is clearly less expensive to buy a car that is already set up because the previous owner is selling the car and parts at 30 cents on the invested dollar, it is also important to realize what a good track car is. A car for auto-x or time trial or club racing maybe different depending upon the rules and the type of driving you want to do.

Regardless of those parameters, very few if any cabs are good for auto-x and or aggressive driving as compared to the coupe counterparts. some are too flexible, others are too heavy, while all are simply dangerous beyond auto-x level without a full roll cage. What's the purpose of having a full rollcage with a cab at that point....I thought cabs were for open air driving and with a roll cage you do not quite get that feeling any longer

I picked a car that I liked and if I had to do it all over again I would not have purchased a used race car. I have seen many people poor big bucks into a used "race ready" car because it was not maintain correctly or misrepresented. I built my car from a street car and know all about the car having gone through it. I know how it is maintained. Is it more expensive than a already preped race car?, "yes", however it was not as expensive as an already "race preped" car that needed even more dollars to keep it on the track. Also I did not outlay all the money at once, I spent the money over a 10 year period slowly building up the car as well as my own driving ability. Most people get the driving bug and want a car that is far above their driving capability and then they add big mods tot he car or buy a car with many mods on them and they cannot figure out why they are not going faster. It is in fact the "nut" behind the wheel, not the car.

Bottom line, do not use a cab as car for the track. Find something that has a track car heritage (a coupe) and build upon that. Find a track car already built that has a good history and one that you can track, one that you can verify the car has been maintained. Or buy a car like mine and build it out having your own fun with the basis that the car is good to start with. Ultimately it is up to you to decide what makes you happy, but do not use a cab as a basis for a track car....do not.

[PShipman]

Also I did not outlay all the money at once, I spent the money over a 10 year period slowly building up the car as well as my own driving ability.

And in my case I have a LONG way to go in building up that ability. I am not really thinking of this as a racer ... rather I am forced by the rules to put in a roll bar if I want to move to DEs

Bottom line, do not use a cab as car for the track.

But I love this car!

Actually this is very good advice from all of you ... just hard to take since we have so much fun with this car.

[Steve Grosekemper]

I have to agree with just about everything said here.
No cabs and search for the right car but do a lot of research first as this club in itself has a huge amount of information to offer.

I have a 911SC cab that I bought because it was a deal I couldn't pass up. Would I trade it for a like coupe? In a minute. I drive this car as my daily driver 90% of the time and love it. I have even auto-crossed it a few times. But modify it for DE or TT, not a chance. If you do every thing to it and an equal coupe the coupe is going to be 20% better in all areas.

So my advise... Keep the cab and drive it on the street and AX. When you are ready to go racing by a racing car. A 944spec or spec in process is a great fun car and relatively reasonably priced.