Cayman GT4 - Which Seat Option?
Discussion
franki68 said:
I have the 918 seats ,and they are for me and my physique (6 foot ,12 stone )... pretty crap.Backache,leg issues .They are brilliant to look at ,a pain to get in and out of and are the reason I will be selling the car.Every time I go for a good drive I come back with backache .
It seems everyone has different experiences and just because one person finds them comfortable does not mean everyone will.
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Drove a rather lovely 981 S fitted with lightweight folding carbon buckets yesterday. Suffering EXACTLY the same backache/sciatic/leg issues as you (same height, same weight, though short legs and long torso) It seems everyone has different experiences and just because one person finds them comfortable does not mean everyone will.
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It’s such a shame such a stunning looking seat/concept, has been so poorly executed.
Whilst sitting in the passenger seat, my back/legs were fine. I suspect because the further back the seat is, the lower it is (and it no doubt changes the angle of your knees relative to your pelvis) but as soon as I sat in the driver’s seat and moved the seat forward (which also raises it) my back/legs became painful within 10 minutes of driving the car
The real problem is the whole seat “base” assembly (not the mounts/side mounts) is too deep, and thus can’t be mounted low enough in the car.
I ended up selling my Cayman R because the back/leg pain became untenable (this despite importing and fitting lowered side mounts from The States)
Bringing this thread back...
So in the market for a GT4, but seats are a sticking point.
• LWB - seem way too upright, narrow in the shoulders, and lacking lumbar support.
• Folding buckets - spent a day in a mates 981 GTS and felt they were too high and not really that comfortable.
• 18 ways - mega comfy (actually able to relax in these) and go low, but they're just so boring to look at and the cars with them are often low spec and not really that much cheaper than a all boxed ticked car.
So do you go LWB and mess with bits of diy bits of foam, and brackets from the US to tip them? Or just accept I don't have a 'GT' back and go sofa.
For context I'm not going to track day the car, as I have a Caterham R300-S racer, so want the car for say early morning runs to donnington park etc.
Tim
So in the market for a GT4, but seats are a sticking point.
• LWB - seem way too upright, narrow in the shoulders, and lacking lumbar support.
• Folding buckets - spent a day in a mates 981 GTS and felt they were too high and not really that comfortable.
• 18 ways - mega comfy (actually able to relax in these) and go low, but they're just so boring to look at and the cars with them are often low spec and not really that much cheaper than a all boxed ticked car.
So do you go LWB and mess with bits of diy bits of foam, and brackets from the US to tip them? Or just accept I don't have a 'GT' back and go sofa.
For context I'm not going to track day the car, as I have a Caterham R300-S racer, so want the car for say early morning runs to donnington park etc.
Tim
Try fixed buckets before you make your decision. I’m 6ft 2, 15 stone, with a 34 inch waist. No problem with shoulders but a lot of drivers who are not regular track drivers find the position too upright. From my instructing days I found that most drivers sat with the seat back very inclined for driving which was always a culture shock to them. They are the closest to a GT car race seat which track/race drivers would find most comfortable as they do not want to be concentrating on holding themselves into position whilst pushing on. If you are coming from a Caterham (I started racing in Caterhams) you will probably find them very nice. Folding buckets are a reasonable compromise but ideally fixed are better in my opinion - providing you are intending to track the car
Steve Rance said:
Try fixed buckets before you make your decision. I’m 6ft 2, 15 stone, with a 34 inch waist. No problem with shoulders but a lot of drivers who are not regular track drivers find the position too upright. From my instructing days I found that most drivers sat with the seat back very inclined for driving which was always a culture shock to them. They are the closest to a GT car race seat which track/race drivers would find most comfortable as they do not want to be concentrating on holding themselves into position whilst pushing on. If you are coming from a Caterham (I started racing in Caterhams) you will probably find them very nice. Folding buckets are a reasonable compromise but ideally fixed are better in my opinion - providing you are intending to track the car
But the 918 are more upright than race cars ! Jim - GTS doesn't really float my boat, in the same way a 135i vs say 1M
Steve - I'm 6ft, 14.5 stone and a 36 inch waist (seems your 2 inch height I've applied to my tummy).
Not going to track car, want something to get me to and from track, and after a day in a R300 want to be able to head home in comfort yet still have a car with dynamics to thrill. Currently that role is handled by a 2017 M3 Comp manual but I find the engine a little humdrum & well turbo'd, however seats in that are ace.
I usually sit low in a car, wheel high and forward (BTCC style) with the seat back quite upright (given that whenever someone else drives it, I have to adjust it again. Lumbar support is important to me, and it's something I spent a load of time getting right with my bead seat in the caterham (lowered floor car, again sat low and upright). If I were to track a GT4 I'd just get a proper motorsport seat in it, and mould an insert.
I got on fine with the lotus fixed back seats, and even ran a riverie carbon seat with no padding in my last track car no issues. However in the GT4 LWB I feel like I touch the base, and the shoulder, with nothing between. Merc's bucket seats are fine too (C63S / AMG GT)
Steve - I'm 6ft, 14.5 stone and a 36 inch waist (seems your 2 inch height I've applied to my tummy).
Not going to track car, want something to get me to and from track, and after a day in a R300 want to be able to head home in comfort yet still have a car with dynamics to thrill. Currently that role is handled by a 2017 M3 Comp manual but I find the engine a little humdrum & well turbo'd, however seats in that are ace.
I usually sit low in a car, wheel high and forward (BTCC style) with the seat back quite upright (given that whenever someone else drives it, I have to adjust it again. Lumbar support is important to me, and it's something I spent a load of time getting right with my bead seat in the caterham (lowered floor car, again sat low and upright). If I were to track a GT4 I'd just get a proper motorsport seat in it, and mould an insert.
I got on fine with the lotus fixed back seats, and even ran a riverie carbon seat with no padding in my last track car no issues. However in the GT4 LWB I feel like I touch the base, and the shoulder, with nothing between. Merc's bucket seats are fine too (C63S / AMG GT)
Get the 918 seats - Buy the brackets for £150 and 30mins to fit yourself.
https://www.trackspecauto.com/store/ts001
Or get the 18-way sofas - won't look as cool but you'll be happy and comfortable - the car will cost less, so you'll have some money in your pocket and therefore less likely to resent the car and be able to enjoy it with impunity and without prejudice.
https://www.trackspecauto.com/store/ts001
Or get the 18-way sofas - won't look as cool but you'll be happy and comfortable - the car will cost less, so you'll have some money in your pocket and therefore less likely to resent the car and be able to enjoy it with impunity and without prejudice.
Edited by TDT on Saturday 29th December 13:34
TheMuu said:
Bringing this thread back...
So in the market for a GT4, but seats are a sticking point.
• LWB - seem way too upright, narrow in the shoulders, and lacking lumbar support.
• Folding buckets - spent a day in a mates 981 GTS and felt they were too high and not really that comfortable.
• 18 ways - mega comfy (actually able to relax in these) and go low, but they're just so boring to look at and the cars with them are often low spec and not really that much cheaper than a all boxed ticked car.
So do you go LWB and mess with bits of diy bits of foam, and brackets from the US to tip them? Or just accept I don't have a 'GT' back and go sofa.
For context I'm not going to track day the car, as I have a Caterham R300-S racer, so want the car for say early morning runs to donnington park etc.
Tim
For your use, the 18 way seats seem like the best option. They are great and very versatile. I have them in a GT4 and use on both long road trips and also track days. Best of both worlds. As for looks, you don't spend much time looking at them when driving. However, mine are leather backed which do look nice compared to the grey plastic backs. So in the market for a GT4, but seats are a sticking point.
• LWB - seem way too upright, narrow in the shoulders, and lacking lumbar support.
• Folding buckets - spent a day in a mates 981 GTS and felt they were too high and not really that comfortable.
• 18 ways - mega comfy (actually able to relax in these) and go low, but they're just so boring to look at and the cars with them are often low spec and not really that much cheaper than a all boxed ticked car.
So do you go LWB and mess with bits of diy bits of foam, and brackets from the US to tip them? Or just accept I don't have a 'GT' back and go sofa.
For context I'm not going to track day the car, as I have a Caterham R300-S racer, so want the car for say early morning runs to donnington park etc.
Tim
TheMuu said:
On the plus side can put a car seat in them and take my daughter out too.
Don’t underestimate the value of this.. I loved being able to take my daughter out in my 981 Cayman GTS which had the 18ways... child seat in... and the open road.... people’s jaws dropping when I pulled in to the parent and child spaces in a two seater sports car, and then took the folding buggy out of the frunk. She used to love it and always fell asleep on the the way back home to the hum of the flat six behind us... I felt very privileged to be able to share this type of experience with her...like my Dad with me.
She now only gets to look at the GT4 and sit in its bucket seat in the garage... this is the only drawback to my current spec.
Edited by TDT on Saturday 29th December 20:17
I'm just going through the same process. I want a 'special' Porsche for a touring holiday with my wife. I have tried a 991.2 Carrera T, GTS & GT3 Manual. However the car that i liked the most to drive was a 981 Spyder with the folding buckets. My wife also approved of these seats which is very important. However the car we tried had 19k miles and I would put another 4k on in a month so not sure that's a wise move in terms of depreciation with the new model looming. . All the others have 918 style fixed buckets and I know these are not comfy. I just spent 9 months going round in circles deciding which McLaren to replace my 12C with and then decided I wanted a Porsche and now the seats have me completely confused! Why Porsche cant make an adjustable bucket I do not know but my patience is wearing thin.
Trouble is you need to drive 3 hours to know if the seats will be fine, i made that mistake with an Exige i just bought which my wife will now not go in. I don't want to do that again.
I will be watching this thread to see what owners say about fixed v folding buckets. I have not seen a single spyder for sale with 18 ways, if I did I think i would buy it! Is it possible to buy used 18 way seats and put in a GT4 / Spyder, will they fit??? Are electrics all there?
Trouble is you need to drive 3 hours to know if the seats will be fine, i made that mistake with an Exige i just bought which my wife will now not go in. I don't want to do that again.
I will be watching this thread to see what owners say about fixed v folding buckets. I have not seen a single spyder for sale with 18 ways, if I did I think i would buy it! Is it possible to buy used 18 way seats and put in a GT4 / Spyder, will they fit??? Are electrics all there?
I recently had this seat choice dilemna in my search for a GT3 991.2.
In my case I need access to the back - and the 918’s make it tricky. I've experienced the 918 seats previously, and it's fair to say I love them when driving hard. But as a daily, and for more relaxed journeys, they can be a touch upright, and my bum aches a bit after an hour or two. So the folding buckets? A comfy compromise - certainly. But at 6.0, I just feel I'm positioned too high - which I can't get on with. So I drove a GT3 with 18 ways. They don't look as good as the 918s but at least they let you sit nice and low, and they also fit people of different sizes better - particularly if you are a slimmer build. In my case (at 75Kg) I can crank the torso width adjustment to actually grip me tighter than the 918s (though the 918s held my legs better.) Yes, perhaps they are in part a compromise, but we all have different needs. However, what I would say; is that a car w/o buckets shouldn’t be poo poo’d just because a majority think: “It’s a must have.” ...Another bonus is that this allowed me to buy a gorgeous126K spec car for much less money than a car with 918s !
In my case I need access to the back - and the 918’s make it tricky. I've experienced the 918 seats previously, and it's fair to say I love them when driving hard. But as a daily, and for more relaxed journeys, they can be a touch upright, and my bum aches a bit after an hour or two. So the folding buckets? A comfy compromise - certainly. But at 6.0, I just feel I'm positioned too high - which I can't get on with. So I drove a GT3 with 18 ways. They don't look as good as the 918s but at least they let you sit nice and low, and they also fit people of different sizes better - particularly if you are a slimmer build. In my case (at 75Kg) I can crank the torso width adjustment to actually grip me tighter than the 918s (though the 918s held my legs better.) Yes, perhaps they are in part a compromise, but we all have different needs. However, what I would say; is that a car w/o buckets shouldn’t be poo poo’d just because a majority think: “It’s a must have.” ...Another bonus is that this allowed me to buy a gorgeous126K spec car for much less money than a car with 918s !
Edited by notsomadmick on Monday 31st December 08:14
TDT said:
Don’t underestimate the value of this.. I loved being able to take my daughter out in my 981 Cayman GTS which had the 18ways... child seat in... and the open road.... people’s jaws dropping when I pulled in to the parent and child spaces in a two seater sports car, and then took the folding buggy out of the frunk.
She used to love it and always fell asleep on the the way back home to the hum of the flat six behind us... I felt very privileged to be able to share this type of experience with her...like my Dad with me.
She now only gets to look at the GT4 and sit in its bucket seat in the garage... this is the only drawback to my current spec.
Yeah, I'd much rather be able to take my car out when we're doing the saturday kids party runs etc, rather than the wife's Audi S1. Plus she loves cars, and think would be thrilled to ride up front as neither my F80 M3 or the wifes car the seats in the front allow that.She used to love it and always fell asleep on the the way back home to the hum of the flat six behind us... I felt very privileged to be able to share this type of experience with her...like my Dad with me.
She now only gets to look at the GT4 and sit in its bucket seat in the garage... this is the only drawback to my current spec.
Edited by TDT on Saturday 29th December 20:17
Overall it doesn't look like I'm alone here. "full buckets" just not comfy for me, and when I climb into sofa's after it usually comes with a sigh and 'thats better'. Folding ones just too high, if more slightly comfy.
Tell you what, the GT4 better be worth it considering it's nigh on impossible to test drive one.
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