Porsche 911 (997.2) Child Seat - DEFINITIVE ANSWER. - Page 4 - 911/Carrera GT - PistonHeads UK

Hello, I've recently become the proud owner of a Porsche 997.2 2009 Carrera 2 Coupe. I'm also a proud father of a 2 year old girl. On searching for car seats the forums are littered with information recommend various seats. Here So 100% confirm fits properly in the rear seat of my car, with out removing the seat pad. Britax-Romer Evolva 1-2-3 https://www.britax-roemer.co.uk/car-seats/toddler/... And for a buggy that fits in the front boot with loads of room for a couple more weekend bags. Britax-Romer Holiday Stroller https://www.britax-roemer.co.uk/pushchairs/strolle... Notablly Britax-Romer are the suppliers of Porsches child seats. Car seats that i've tried based on forum recommendations that do NOT fit. Britax-Romer 1-2-3 SL SICT This is very similar to the one stated above, but is a massive 2cm wider due to the increase side impact protection. It does just about fit, but it's a little off centre. Close but not right. Britax-Romer Duo Plus. This physically fits in the seat, but the seat runs through the back of the chair. With the push buckle being on the side rather than the back it has no tension what so ever so the chair moves way too much to offer any protection. Maxi Cosi Tobi This just about physically fits, but needs the seat pad removed, and needs wedging into the rear pillar. It also obscures visibility in that corner. The chair is actually listed on the website as fits a 911 Cab, but doesn't mention the coupe. Good luck to all those committed to a 911 family car. Tim.

Excellent first post, really appreciate the information. What is the age / weight range of the seat, I'm a proud father of 12 week old girl. I presume the gen 1 and gen 2 back seat space is the same?

Good work! By the way the official Porsche seat is aka the Britax Romer "Safefix plus" (without leg). Any views on that one, or maybe it wasn't readily available in shops?

Yep great first post, the info will be very useful to many I'm sure! Does it also fit well with the seat base removed? (in case you didn't want to mark the leather)

Excellent. Very helpful. I use the Halfords one which looks very similar indeed - not as good as your one, though. Edited by ScienceTeacher on Monday 19th March 12:49

Ive got a 4 year old who refuses to sit peacefully in the child seat at the back but sat peacefully in the back with the seatbelt on. Not sure about the legality of it although once a policeman did say she was the only age size which the rear seats were made for

Great to see some actual first hand experience. The number of threads on these things I have Googled and only found theoretical answers!

Good post - unequivocal. As an aside, the issue for any child sitting in the back of a 911 legally without a high backed child seat is that the lack of a headrest in the 911 is dangerous. Which makes the sweet spot Group 2 ages with the OP’s recommended (high backed) car seat. As an aside, would the pram also fit into an AWD 997? It looks like it would, however I recall the AWD drivetrain reduces the amount of space in the bonnet.

I bought the Porsche branded car seat from my dealer, fits and has lasted 7 years and two kids....

Just fitted seat belts in my 991.2 GT3 - now my kids loving the ride too... (and head restraints catered for also.) Edited by notsomadmick on Sunday 20th January 22:36

I spoke to Porsche and it was around £400 to fit the gear to deactivate the airbag so I went to Halfords to try a few seats. This fits like a dream and only £35. https://www.halfords.com/kids-zone/car-seats/toddl...

If it help I have been using a Britax Romer for several months. My 2.5 year old loves it and the mrs happy as its ISOFIX and provides a secure fit for our daughter. Very happy with it and good price at £180. Britax Römer car seat 9-36 kg

jklondon said: If it help I have been using a Britax Romer for several months. My 2.5 year old loves it and the mrs happy as its ISOFIX and provides a secure fit for our daughter. Very happy with it and good price at £180. Britax Römer car seat 9-36 kg Depends on sizes of people but does the front passenger have enough leg space?

SidewaysSi said: Depends on sizes of people but does the front passenger have enough leg space? Yea my wife sits up front an she is fine with it. If it was behind me it would be OK but not optimal.

Does anyone have a "definitive answer" for the 0-15 month age bracket? (back seat, rear facing) Checked with Porsche, it'll be £162 + VAT for the parts and £250 + VAT for the installation of the deactivation kit for the airbag... so think I'll opt for the back seat, if at all possible. Let alone impossible to get the deactivation kit installed during the lockdown and my to-be-born baby won't exactly wait... Thank you

jberg123 said: Does anyone have a "definitive answer" for the 0-15 month age bracket? (back seat, rear facing) Maxi Cosi cabriofix, using the seatbelt (and with child in the seat when you put it in and out of the car). I used one for a couple of years in my 997.

I hope this isn't going to be your main child transport vehicle? Getting them into the back of a 911 on a regular basis would be a right nightmare. I gave up trying to find a seat that was high quality and fit well because even when I did then getting him in and out would not be fun. I'm about to have the airbag de-activation kit installed next week.

Sold my 997.2 because of child seat challenges - it did't work comfortably enough. Still don't know why Porsche don't make the rear seats replaceable with parts specific for children... side protection + better seat belt positioning.

Hi all, Just wanted to share my experiences on this. After reading this I bought a Romer 123 (not the SL SICT) but it really doesn't fit well at all. It's just too wide so it won't sit properly. After much manipulation, the best position I found is OK but it's angled away from the centreline by a few degrees and can rock a lot. I considered packing it out with Styrofoam (the rocking is in the rearward direction) but would really rather just find a seat that fits better in the first place. Anyway, I don't want to dispute the OP's statements, but just to share that I found it very different. Now on the hunt for a better fit seat. Will report back if I find one!

JohnT993 said: Hi all, Just wanted to share my experiences on this. After reading this I bought a Romer 123 (not the SL SICT) but it really doesn't fit well at all. It's just too wide so it won't sit properly. After much manipulation, the best position I found is OK but it's angled away from the centreline by a few degrees and can rock a lot. I considered packing it out with Styrofoam (the rocking is in the rearward direction) but would really rather just find a seat that fits better in the first place. Anyway, I don't want to dispute the OP's statements, but just to share that I found it very different. Now on the hunt for a better fit seat. Will report back if I find one! From memory when looking up iOS fix and switching off airbags in the handbook I think Porsche mention which seats fit. Not sure if seats models will still be in production though! Hope I didn’t dream this

JohnT993 said: Hi all, Just wanted to share my experiences on this. After reading this I bought a Romer 123 (not the SL SICT) but it really doesn't fit well at all. It's just too wide so it won't sit properly. After much manipulation, the best position I found is OK but it's angled away from the centreline by a few degrees and can rock a lot. I considered packing it out with Styrofoam (the rocking is in the rearward direction) but would really rather just find a seat that fits better in the first place. Anyway, I don't want to dispute the OP's statements, but just to share that I found it very different. Now on the hunt for a better fit seat. Will report back if I find one! Have a look at the 'Halfords essentials high back booster seat' and the maxi cosi rodi. Both of these are narrower at the base.

How can the same seat fit one car but not the other? I'm confused

Did they remove the seat base? This makes a huge difference to fit

David W. said: From memory when looking up iOS fix and switching off airbags in the handbook I think Porsche mention which seats fit. Not sure if seats models will still be in production though! Hope I didn’t dream this That will be the front seat... child seats are not designed well for the rear. When people say they fit - we all have different interpretations of how well it needs to work to fit. Isofix became possible on 991 onwards (as far as I know) and the 991 is bigger in the back. The 997 models are not easy in the rear whatever you use IMO.

jklondon said: If it help I have been using a Britax Romer for several months. My 2.5 year old loves it and the mrs happy as its ISOFIX and provides a secure fit for our daughter. Very happy with it and good price at £180. Britax Römer car seat 9-36 kg This is a 991??? the thread is for 997.2. Isofix didn't exist on 997? Also - anyone tried removing the back rest and finding extra space for the child seat?

I did remove both the base and seat back before fitting the Romer 123. Appreciate everyone's interpretation of fit is subjective, but it really wasn't a good fit, it was at a noticeable angle off centre and rocked a good 2-3 inches back diagonally when weighted up! Cheers for the responses, I'll have a look at those alternatives!

Is there any difference between the 997.1 and 997.2 regarding child seats? I would not have thought so, but thanks for confirmation from somebody that knows for sure.

On German Porsche forums this seat is mentioned multiple times as fitting well in a 996 non-cabrio (which should be very similar to a 997 in the back) https://www.adac.de/rund-ums-fahrzeug/tests/kinder... I will buy one in the coming days for my 2 year old and fingers crossed it works....

isofix does exist on the 997.2(unsure on 997.1)-front passenger seat only and the need for an airbag deactivation switch to be fitted. if fitting in the rear seat then seatbelt retention only. I have a genuine porsche seat used in a 997.2-it has isofix and seatbelt retention options-if anyone interested message me, cheers

Me again, so I bought a 'Maxi cosi Rodi air protect group 2/3 car seat' and the fit is a lot better, but still not perfect (as good as the old Porsche one we have, but which is very old). It sits well, but would wobble rearward, but with a small block of grey Styrofoam cut to shape behind it, it sits really well now, and looks neat and tidy. My 3.2 Yr old loves it, although he's at the bottom end of the size that seat would suit.

JohnT993 said: Me again, so I bought a 'Maxi cosi Rodi air protect group 2/3 car seat' and the fit is a lot better, but still not perfect (as good as the old Porsche one we have, but which is very old). It sits well, but would wobble rearward, but with a small block of grey Styrofoam cut to shape behind it, it sits really well now, and looks neat and tidy. My 3.2 Yr old loves it, although he's at the bottom end of the size that seat would suit. Can you confirm what 911 you have?

997 gen 1 c2s

Is there a seat that fits the folding front bucket seat? Without damaging it?

Yes. The Britax Romer Kid II seat fits the folding buckets like a charm. Main things are that it’s quite narrow, and the lap belt guides are very small, so they don’t foul the edge of the seat and the seatbelt release. In the Britax, my son can undo the belt himself, essential in the event of an accident, but this wasn’t possible when I tried the Recaro out of our Cayenne. Britax also make the Porsche branded seats, which seems apt.

This thread is still delivering value so thanks to the OP. Just ordered for my 4 year old and my gen 1 997. I bought a Maxi cost Tobi after been recommended it specifically for the 997 and I have never been happy with the fit and its actually scraped at the leather cover on my pillar which I now need to fix. Really great thread this and just highlights the problem with hearsay on the internet.

notsomadmick said: Just fitted seat belts in my 991.2 GT3 - now my kids loving the ride too... (and head restraints catered for also.) Edited by notsomadmick on Sunday 20th January 22:36 sorry but how did that quiet bombshell go unnoticed there.. how did you manage to do that ? I only read of one UK guy that had taken his car to Germany to get the rear seats and belts retrofitted, when i had my Touring I asked a few specialists and they all refused to do it hiding behind liability.. As to the seats, I was also under the impression the Britax Evolva 1-2-3 was a good fit, had read it elsewhere.. but now a second user seem to say the opposite !!

I’ve a 997 turbo, with the car being AWD, I imagine there is less space for a child seat to fit correctly. I’ve a 2&3 year old. I’ve the Halfords budget 123 seat, which fits badly. Happy to pull the trigger, is there a definitive answer for the AWD version of the 997.1/2? TÍA

Our neighbors lent us their small seat (Cybex Cloud Z) which is rear-facing and anchors using seatbelts and I gave it a try in the 997 Cabriolet, happy to report that it fits really well! I removed both the bottom and the lower back seat parts (the ones that are velcroed in) and the seat fits super snugly in almost every way. That said, the foot end of the seat is still allowed to move down slightly and so I rolled a small towel underneath just to make sure the seat cannot move in any direction. For full disclosure, the front seat must be moved all the way forward for this seat to fit. If like me you're a new dad with a few weeks of shared parental leave ahead of you (aka you don't need to fit any other passengers), this chair will do! PS: mine is a C4 (AWD) which obvs makes no difference to the rear space, but just noting in reply to the previous poster. Edited by icekay on Saturday 18th September 19:31

NAS said: On German Porsche forums this seat is mentioned multiple times as fitting well in a 996 non-cabrio (which should be very similar to a 997 in the back) https://www.adac.de/rund-ums-fahrzeug/tests/kinder... I will buy one in the coming days for my 2 year old and fingers crossed it works.... Did you have any luck with this seat? Actually I'm not sure it's available in the UK anymore, is it? I've had a Cybex Aton 2 in the back of my 997.2 C2S which I think fitted well, but my daughter has never been to happy in any car and I'm hoping that changing to a front-facing seat might help her enjoy the ride, which means I'll be able to drive the car more. My daughter is only 14 months and around 10 kgs so the Maxi-Cosi Rodi isn't an option for us yet. It looks like the Evolva 1-2-3 has had mixed reviews as to whether or not it fits. Perhaps I'll have to park up in my local Halfords and see what works. Does anyone else have any other options we could consider?

I ended up with a Maxi-Cosi Tobi which *just* fit in my 996 C2 Coupé. It really worked well and it was rock-solid and safe. The only topic to consider is to be carefull not to have it hit the roofline and make a dent in the c pillar covering. It could be done, but the buffer was measured in millimeters. Edited by NAS on Friday 3rd December 10:37

Nice. Thanks for the reply and the advice. I'll check out the Tobi for sure.

Bumping this thread as I am intrigued as to how capable a "family car" a 997 carrera could be. As outlined in this thread it seems that getting the right child seat is a challenge. My son is currently 18month old, and my main questions are:- Between what ages are the rear seats actually useable before the lack of leg space become an issue? For reference both me and my wife are 5'8", so might enable the front seats to be further forward that the average powerfully built director. Is isofix to the front passenger seat and airbag deactivation switch an option on both the 997.1 and 997.2? Is the front boot on the 997 C2(s) the same as a 987 Cayman which I had in the past? Are roof bars for them still available, or is it a case of waiting for them to come up on ebay etc 2nd hand? And does anyone use a roofbox on a 997 and how much of a racket does that make from a wind noise perspective? And lastly, am I being completely unrealistic thinking I could use one for weekends away etc with small children?

It's worth reading up on some baby or car seat forums. It's recommended that due to bone structure growth kids stay rear facing until at least age 4. https://youtu.be/WA-G7AKYeXM Edited by edc on Friday 6th May 21:57

edc said: It's worth reading up on some baby or car seat forums. It's recommended that due to bone structure growth kids stay rear facing until at least age 4. https://youtu.be/WA-G7AKYeXM Edited by edc on Friday 6th May 21:57 Thanks, thats a good consideration. My son is still rear facing at the moment which wouldnt work I assume due to limited space and access, and will probably remain so for at least a further 18 months.

JackReacher said: edc said: It's worth reading up on some baby or car seat forums. It's recommended that due to bone structure growth kids stay rear facing until at least age 4. https://youtu.be/WA-G7AKYeXM Edited by edc on Friday 6th May 21:57 Thanks, thats a good consideration. My son is still rear facing at the moment which wouldnt work I assume due to limited space and access, and will probably remain so for at least a further 18 months. Personally I have Axkid seats (not in my Porsche) and Britax Maxway Plus for grandparents car. They pass the most stringent Swedish tests and will rear face up to circa 7. Generally if you can fit a baby carrier with base in then most 18-25kg rear facing seats will fit space wise. It might seem OTT and yes I was born when my dad's car didn't even have rear belts and remember my sister getting her head stuck under the driver seat when she fell off once but in the grand scheme of things the seats aren't that expensive. I doubt you will find many approved and tested seats for the rear of a 911 but many don't need to be approved as such as long as you get a good fit. Some require to be braced again the back of the front seat and some don't.

It’s not a practical car with a child. Even for day trips you have no space, I had a 911 C2S and ended up leaving the 911 at home if my Wife and Son were coming. I brought a Maserati Granturismo S which suits the family requirements.

I just bought a new car seat for my 997.1, based a german Porsche forum. It is the Recaro Tian Elite and short first drive was rather pleasant, until the little one decided to vomit the whole bottle of milk all over the seat and car In true "Taxi" style, not until the car has stopped and I wanted to take her out of the car. Fortunately the Porsche only caught some side spills (I managed to catch most of it with my sweater)and I thoroughly cleaned the whole interior, treated the leather with leather conditioner and shampooed the carpets. Hopefully the car is fine. The £250 Recaro seat has been deep cleaned, but a lot has gone into the buckle and in every other last crevice..... Let's see whether I get the smell out, or if it has been a very expensive 30 min drive .... ETA Not least because of this thread I bought a Britax Evola 1-2-3, even before the little one was born. I don't know how others got it be fit, but I couldn't fit it securely enough for my liking! Also I can confirm, that a Cybex Cloud Z baby infant carrier fits rather well. The passenger seat has to go forward almost completely, but it works! Edited by Filibuster on Wednesday 11th May 15:23

I have a 997.1 I've fitted the Halfords G2/3 high back booster for my 3yr old. This was based on some older forum reviews i found. It seems to be one of the slimmer options to get access to the seat belt My 5yr old is using the booster base only (weight dependent) https://www.halfords.com/baby-and-child/car-seats/...

I bought a baby seat from Porsche in 2008 that doesn't anchor but its more of a booster with a back on it. passed it on to my sister who used it in her 964. never had any issues with fir. I'm 5 foot 11 and my sister 5 foot 8.. My wife bought 996 roof bars from EBAY and we use those for distance trips and bicycles. Wind noise is about the same as before and ive loaded enough stuff for two weeks in France .

I thought I'd update this thread with what I've found. I thought I'd found the answer to all my prayers by buying the actual Porsche Junior G1 Isofix seat which says it's suitable for a 997.2 on the Porsche site and on the Design911 site it specifically says it's suitable for the rear. Only trouble was it was a terrible fit. One of my friend's was actually going to get rid of his Maxi Cosi Tobi, as suggested by previous posters, because his daughter has grown out of it. I tried it and it is a much better fit than the official Porsche seat, although you do have to watch the C-pillars as others have said. Even better news was that my friend gave me the seat. He promises it has not be involved in any car accidents so I think it's okay to use, although someone here might tell me otherwise! I have just googled and found that car seats have expiry dates, so I'll have to check that. For those that have the Tobi, any suggestions of what to protect the C-pillar with? I guess it should be non-marking so it doesn't colour the leather.

Could anyone recommend a toddler seat that is suitable for the front passenger seat? I'm thinking the Britax Romer Evolva 1-2-3 should be fine but as ever it is hard to judge. This would be for a 991.1 if that makes the difference. TIA

So keeping it relevant to the 997.x as per title of the thread. I have ordered the Britax Romer two-way elite https://incarsafetycentre.co.uk/2-way-elite Based largerly on feedback from this thread but also info on 911 U.K. https://forums.tipec.net/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1... I will let you know how it fits.

Shanksy87 said: Could anyone recommend a toddler seat that is suitable for the front passenger seat? I'm thinking the Britax Romer Evolva 1-2-3 should be fine but as ever it is hard to judge. This would be for a 991.1 if that makes the difference. TIA I've had my children on these (although not in a Porsche) and they didn't find them very comfortable at all. They much preferred the Halfords Essential 1-2-3 surprisingly.

JackReacher said: Is isofix to the front passenger seat and airbag deactivation switch an option on both the 997.1 and 997.2? From the research I did (via the usual forums) I found that for the 997.1 there was no ISOFIX option for the front seat. For 997.2 it was an option as was airbag activation but you needed to order both if you wanted to have both; they didn't come bundled. As always it's hard to be 100% sure of these things so if anybody's knows otherwise I'll be happy to hear it.

According to the German 997.1 price list from 05/2005, all 997 came with the preparation for a ISOFIX retrofit to the front passenger seat and airbag deactivation.

Very helpful, thanks.

Was there a definitive outcome to this in the end?

Sorry if I am dragging up an old thread, but does anyone know if the cybex m-fix seat fits in the back of a 996 gen 2. I'm hoping to be getting one in a week or two and my kids are are a small 8 and 5 year old and I know I am pushing it here, but this is a second car blah blah blah. I'm asking about this seat as we have four of them (two in each car) plus a Britax Roamer, which still just about fits the youngest.

I would think isofix fittings will make the seat too large for a 996. Go to Halfords and try fitting their basic 123 model.

beware !!! I bought the Britax Römer 1-2-3 Evola based on numerous claims on here. It doesn’t fit my 997.1 C2! it is physically too wide for my car for a secure fit. I use this seat in my F56 Mini Cooper S, where it fits fine. How many of those suggesting this seats have actually bought one and tried fitting one themselves?? The best seat I could find and I fitted myself and I seat my 2 year old child is the Recaro Tian Elite. See my posts earlier or my readers car thread for more info.

Hello, So I had the same issue with my 997.2s and even went to Porsche and got quotes to deactivate the front airbag and install iso fix. That was £300 from Porsche Bristol about 4 years ago I tried loads of car seats and even went to in car safety centre who have loads of seats including the axkid, britax and tobi seats. None fitted or if they did weren’t secure enough. So I didn’t find a workable solution. Many have tried a high back booster front facing but that’s your own choice and not something me and my wife wanted to risk but that works. In terms of being practical - yes these are easily practical daily cars and long drives 4 up.

From here: https://www.safelytravelled.co.uk/pages/child-car-... safelytravelled said: Seats that fit in the rear Britax Duo-Plus Britax Evolva 1-2-3 Britax Evolva Plus Britax 2-Way Elite Britax Kid Plus BeSafe iZi Comfort X3 Mamas and Papas Pro-Tec (Discontinued) Maxi-Cosi Tobi (Discontinued) Recaro Tian Elite As I have stated before, I have the Recaro Tian Elite I bought based on a review from a german Porsche forum. It's the best fitting one I tried myself and is a 99% fit and one I feel comfortable using for my own child. Also have a look at this Youtube video regarding the Recaro Young Hero in a 997: Or this one regarding the 997 being a a practical family car, including rear and front facing child seat:

Britax two way elite is a very old seat and hasn't been sold in the UK for a while now. Other seats like the Evolva get updated to new versions but keeping the same or variation of the name.

Does anyone know what the seat is in the second video? Looks a decent fit. Thanks!

Thought I would weigh in on this one. I just bought a 997.1 C2S. Lots of the recommendations on here unfortunately we’re discontinued so thought I would share. I found this one at Halfords and it fits very well. R129 Sable https://www.halfords.com/baby-and-child/car-seats/... I took out the seat base and it seems pretty solid and my daughter was very happy with it.

I have a seat that fits perfectly. I remove the bottom cushion and it s nice and secure. Has own belts and car belts secures it. I sold the car the seat saw probably 20 of total use, as usual I massively overestimated how often I would take my boy in the car with me.. before ultimately selling as I just didn t use the car :-( Seat is free. Collect in north London or a little contribution to P&P. Would rather it went to a petrolhead than to the recycling centre. Especially as it s new ! Britax TWO-WAY ELITE https://www.britax-romer.co.uk/on/demandware.store... Edited by rosino on Sunday 17th May 13:21