Porsche GT3 seat vs Recaro Pole Position review

I got my GT3 seat today so I now have a GT3 seat and Recaro Pole Position with BK 907x brackets in my basement. I posted the review at my blog is anyone is interested. I posted side by side pictures, weighed them and some comments regarding them both. Thanks http://www.devwebsphere.com/porsche/...e_gt3_sea.html

Nice comparison, I was surprised at the height difference. I love the GT3 seats and would never go back to stock seats. Since I don't have a back seat anyway I put them in both driver and passenger side. Now I just have to figure out what to do with two black Porsche sport seats sitting in my home office.

Great post! I assume the GT3 seat at 13kg (28.6lb) was with the factory aluminum side brackets and sliders. If I recall, mine were 29lbs with mounting hardware in an apples-to-apples comparison. I am surprised that the Pole Position plus BK brackets and sliders actually weighed more at 14.2kg (31.24lb). I thought conventional wisdom was that the leather weighed more which was to explain the difference between the GT3 seats and the advertised weight of the Pole Positions of around 6.5kg (14.3lb). Looks like, in reality, that's 7.7kg (16.94lb) that crept in which is more than the seats if you believe the advertised weights. I guess the GT3 seats are a lot lighter that I thought. When I swapped mine, the sliders felt very heavy, but I did not weigh them nor the side mounts/bolts separately.

YYYYEEEESSSS! pole positions FTW!!! looks like i've found the seat of choice for the 150lb 5'6" male

If you're looking for a Pole Position plus BK mounts/ porsche manual sliders then I just happen to have one I can sell you PM me if you're interested

I think the Porsche mounts are lighter than the BK + 996 manual slider combo also.

Good info, I have been thinking about both those seats. There has to be a way to get the Pole Positions to mount lower than that (I hope), anyone?

Apparently, Sam from BK suggested using 993 sliders with his strip mounts and the 993 pole position brackets.

Nice review. I am only 5'4" tall and find the GT3 seats uncomfortable in that they pinch my torso at chest level. My PP's don't do this and are very comfortable, but too loose to use on the track. They are mounted on the passenger side while I use a SPG for now.

Thanks for the write-up, good info. Any way to mount the Recaro's lower? $1600 is more than I want to spend on a seat. The price of the Recaros is more in line with what I want to spend but I am 6'1" so looks like I can't use your set up. k

1600 isn't so much believe it or not, you'll be spending probably 1200 a seat anyway and it just isn't as good. Besides the BK suggestion, Speedware Motorsports have a kit which uses their own floor plate, recaro sliders and their plates. They claim it's the lowest. I had it and didn't like it because it was a rough fit in the car, it didn't have the spikes on the rear of the plate to better secure the plate to the floor, the stock floor bolts won't fit it and need to be ground a little to fit. All of this put me off given it didn't look engineered for the car despite claims. The BK and Porsche stuff just bolts in, no screwing around. That BK setup with the strips is what Sam uses for a 6"2 driver in a Boxster so it should work for you also. It's tight though.

Billy, Good info. Are you going to be up at BIR next weekend? I completely forgot about getting together to talk harness mounting but I'll have my car at the track if you want to take a look. Jim

I strained my shoulder (football tackled the ground with my shoulder, I fell over running a week ago) so I don't think I'm driving but I'll be there. I can't turn the wheel past a 1/4 turn to the left right now without pain so that won't do on the track I reckon. John's Ferrari looks a possible no show also, still fixing the gear box from last year, you won't believe how much it's cost now...

bnewport, Thanks for the info. k

X2 - Cam

Just wanted to ask you a quick question regarding your adapter bracket and sidemount setup: Do you think that the height issue was because you were not using Recaro Adapter brackets + Recaro Sidemounts? It seems that the sidemounts in your picture in your blog were not height adjustable. Here is a picture of my Pole Postions with authentic Recaro Adapters in my Audi TT which clearly show that you can adjust the height of the seats: Here are pictures of the sidemounts with their adjustable holes. The FIA approved aluminum brackets weigh 1kg per side. (Thus the total weight would be 8kg/17.6lbs) and the dimensions of the seats: I'm 6'0, 220lb and the Pole Positions in my car is a great fit for me when I track.

I run the GT3 seats for driver and passenger. Great for the track, hurt on road trips if you have back issues. I am 5'10 190bs. Fits good with room. Hugs the sides! I think I paid about $1300 a seat.

Same for me. The Pole Positions are great track seats and my leather/suede combo looks great but... doing my daily drive commute of 100+ miles a day and they can be a little uncomfortable also. But i'm a slave of form and function.

The BKs are height adjustable on the front only. The problem is that rear isn't height adjustable so this doesn't let me adjust the belt angle for my shoulders and my helmet is uncomfortably close to the roll bar protection so my head would support the roof if I roll over. If I could adjust it on the rear then it'd be possible. The problem with these side mounts and the 996 sliders is that the 996 sliders use a 4 pin lock thats above the level of the slider. This means the side brackets need to be taller so the bottom of the seat clears the pins on the sides. This complicates life further as now the seat belt receptacle can't be pushed through the lap belt hole so the 3pt belt isn't usuable.

I believe using the Recaro Adapter+Slider kit with the Recaro Sidemounts will fix this issue. Are you in Newport Beach (CA?) by any chance? I think we have a spare Recaro slider and side mount we can use to compare with your GT3 seats then take a picture. We are off the 405/110 behind the Carson IKEA. Let me know!

Nah, I'm in Minnesota. The main problem with the setup is the Porsche 996 sliders which force the tall seat plates. I guess my gripe is that I have not seen a setup that just bolts in to the car. I've tried a few kits since last fall and the only ones that I was happy with were Porsche or Porsche + BK. If you're more than around 5ft 6/7 then the BK 907x + porsche 996 sliders are too tall. The GT3 ones are perfect. The BK strips + recaro sliders and plates should also work but to tell the truth, in the end I'm now sick of trying stuff that SHOULD work hence the GT3 seats which do work I think the GT3 seats use the 993 sliders with 996 mounting hardware. They fit perfect, they have the rear spike etc. That said if you put your seats on a floor with a tape measure standing up beside it, I'll do the same and we can compare. Thanks

Sounds good! I'll see what I can do from my side and post some pictures up! -daniel

Hey Billy, Here are some pictures of the PP with Recaro Side + 996 adapters. I'm curious as to how the BK setup compares. Side View Bottom of the base to the bottom of the seat, front. Front View:

interesting...any height figures for other seats as well?

Nope, not on hand. The electronically adjustable ones (Style,Sport,Trend) doesn't have this height issue.

Did you bend out the recaro slider arm, I found it is too narrow for the 996 slider spacing. Which components are you using exactly?

Not exactly sure what you mean... the Recaro 996 Adapter comes with the slider in a single kit. This Adapter+Slider kit is used on all Recaro's, from high end seats to race buckets. There was no need to adjust the slider arms. We then attached the added the Racing Seat Sidemounts + Seat onto the adapter and took pictures of it.

BNewport, Thanks for the valuable info. I have been curious about those two seats. You just saved me and a bunch of other listers time!

Here's the shots with a ruler of my GT3 and PP/BK 907x seats. http://www.devwebsphere.com/photos/p.../dsc00629.html Your mounts don't have spikes on the back? Glad to help Mike, but this hasn't been a cheap learning experience for me

Billy, There are small guiding spikes in the rear but nothing that will affect the height of the chair. Does your spikes in the back make your adapters float even higher? It seems that the PP with BK Brackets the seats were about 1" higher than the Recaro setup. However it isn't just the actualy height of the seat that matters; the angle of the seat is just as important. Unfortunately the BK adapters didn't allow for you to adjust your rear angle so that could have been a big issue. I wish I had known of this sooner. I would have been able to send you an adapter/bracket/sidemounts and tried to help you from our side. Like everyone else here I appreciate the information that you have provided us.

No, the spikes slide in to holes in the floor pan to secure the seats better, they don't impact height. Makes putting the adapters in to the floor a snap, drop the spikes in, then bolt everything in. The other thing is I'm not done yet. I can buy another GT3 seat or switch mounts on the passenger side to something lower. Your brackets are still taller than the GT3 ones, right?

Hey Billy, Sorry for the late response. If you are in need of a passenger mount, I can have one arranged to be sent to you to see if it works out alright. (Adapter, Slider, Sidemounts). The sidemounts make the seat sit higher then the GT3. The GT3 setup is similar to the Recaro Trend/Style/Sportline setup where the seat itself is on the slider bar without the need of sidemounts.

(posted this on my sticky also) FYI: Just wanted to let you know about a recent install we did on a 996 with the PP's. The PP's using factory Recaro Brackets and Adapter/Slider bars sit higher than the stock seats, even at the lowests bracket settings. To some drivers, this will be a dangerous configuration and I would not suggest purchasing PP's unless you can go to a shop which will install them for you to sit in them in your car WITH your helmet on. A fellow Rennlist'er named John (who is 6'3") was patient enough for us to try multiple configurations with different brackets on his 996. (big thanks again John! ). Unfortunately we could create any setup which will fit his needs; in worse case scenerios his helmet was touching the roof and his knees were grazing the steering wheel. I believe if you bolted the seat directly to the chassis floor (in a full time track car) you can alleviate the height issue. Just a head's up for everyone who wants to get the PP for a weekend tracker.

This is my experience also. I'm 5"9. My thighs were almost touching the steering wheel making getting in and out hard. The GT3 seat is better but I still may try lower it further using some BK bolt to floor kit.

ended up with the Euro GT3 seats