how tall are you in the seat?

[atm]

Hello

I'm 6' 1" with what I would say relatively long legs. If it helps I buy 33" waist jeans [if I can find them] and 34" leg.

I find the seat in my 986 is not good. I have the standard seats with standard adjustment ie electric for the back only. The problem for me is that my left knee gets in the way of my left hand. As I am in the UK it is a RHD. So when I have my left foot over the clutch pedal and my left leg hard against the lower centre console my left knee is almost touching the steering wheel. I have considered different seats but done nothing yet.

My plan now is to remove the seat/s to see if I can adjust them somehow. I think if I can remove some of the sound proofing foam behind the seats and adjust the runner in some way to sit further back then this may give me an inch or so which would help.

I am also going to remove the lower centre console since this may give my leg some extra space.

I used to get pains in my back until I realised this was due to me having the seat too low. Now I have it one notch up and all the way back obviously and tilted as far back as poss till it hits the carpet/foam behind.

I have tried a 987 with the standard seats and it didn't fel any different to me. I believe they have moved the pedals deeper on the 987/Cayman but for me the biggest improvement was the ability to move the wheel up. The seat backs are definitely higher too on the 987. I wander if these can be retro fitted to the 986.

I thought about getting the Recaro racing seats too but I am not sure how they would be for longer drives as they have very little padding. Its going to be expensive at £3000 to try them.

Has anyone used any other seats in ther 986? I know where there are a pair of Sparco Milano seats going begging but I have checked and Sparco do not list/make a runner for the 986/996 so if I wanted to use these I would need to get some brackets made up.

[AndyF]

I was lucky enough to get to the 2 day Porsche Driving Experience a couple of years ago and I recall Jeff Purner (who runs the PDE school) mentioning that all the 911s they have at the school have the "low seat" option to allow for everyone wearing helmets on the track.

I mentioned this to a friend of mine who is also a track instructor up in the Toronto area, he thought there were differrent (lower) seat rails that you could install to gain a couple of inches headroom.

Not sure if such a lowered seat rail exists for the early Boxsters, but that should help some if there is one available.

Edited November 27, 2006 by AndyF

[insite]

I mentioned this to a friend of mine who is also a track instructor up in the Toronto area, he thought there were differrent (lower) seat rails that you could install to gain a couple of inches headroom.

Not sure if such a lowered seat rail exists for the early Boxsters, but that should help some if there is one available.

i have seen these. i'd planned on buying them, but lost the link. i THOUGHT it was brey-krause, but i was wrong. at any rate, they do exist.

i'm one of those 'all torso' guys; 6'1" with a 32" inseam (midget legs). if anyone finds the link to the lowering seat rails, please post it. thanks!

[rsfeller]

count me in on the need for link too!

I need those rails to keep my skull from smashing to the roll bar and inch of lower seat would help emencely, although I'd be concerned it may push things up an inch too.

Shawn

[Nurvus]

count me in on the need for link too!

I need those rails to keep my skull from smashing to the roll bar and inch of lower seat would help emencely, although I'd be concerned it may push things up an inch too.

Shawn

Two years have passed -- is this thread still alive?

I'm another 6'1" guy who's head is lined up for a nasty glancing blow off the rollbar in the event of a rear end collision [or even a front-end collision] in my 1998 986. Cars like this with good brakes are candidates for such collisions -- I've had four in Acura Integras.

Lower seat rails sound good; but new seats are out of the question price wise. Anyway, a cheap fix is preferable. My plan is to stop by Home Depot and pick up some foam pipe insulation for 2" pipe. There is peel-and-stick for some sizes. I'll post photos after I work this out.

As for rollover collisions ... :eek: I'll try to remember to duck if my car becomes airbourne upside down ...

[rsfeller]

I believe that type of foam will do you brain little good in a harsh hit, maybe only assist is something minor. It's just not useful for high impact situations.

[johnsimion]

I believe that type of foam will do you brain little good in a harsh hit, maybe only assist is something minor. It's just not useful for high impact situations.

I am 6'-4" with 34" inseam. I fit quite comfortably in my '99 (true, there isn't exactly any extra room). After I bought the car (!), I noticed that when the seat is adjusted comfortably, the top of my head would contact the lower part of the roll bar in a collision. Stupidly, I didn't think to move my head backwards at the time I bought the car. Personally, if I had noticed that at the time, and if I had heard all the talk about IMS failures and RMS failures and the various gloom and doom in these forums, I wouldn't have bought the car (reading these forums has made me more scared of this car than any I have ever owned). Anyway, I am kind of stuck with the car now anyway because I would take a financial bath if I tried to sell or trade it. It's still a nice car, however, and so I may be rationalizing here to justify continued ownership, but this is my two cents' worth about my head hitting the roll bar.

What is the purpose of the head rest? It is not comfort, it is there to keep your head from jerking too far backwards in case of a collision. You are supposed to keep your headrests in your Chevy, Toyota, etc. raised up so that your head will strike the headrest in case of an accident instead of jerking way too far backwards and giving you whiplash in case of an accident. OK, the Boxster seats are clearly too short for us tall guys for that purpose and shame on Porsche for making such a dumb decision. However, let's play the hand Porsche dealt us. The roll bar actually serves the same purpose as a taller seat or headrest, even though it does so in a much less comfortable way; i.e., it prevents your head from flipping backwards in a collision causing whiplash. This simply cannot happen. I would say it is better for my head to move 4" and do a glancing blow against the rollbar than to flip all the way backwards and have a severe whiplash. There is rather stiff padding on the rollbar already, so it appears that the worst injury I would suffer in a rear end collision would be a bruise on the back of my head. Add the pipe foam to the stiff foam that came from the factory, and that might even prevent the bruising.

I was struck from the side in an old Toyota by this old witch driving 40 miles an hour through a red light. It caused me to strike my head severely against the door frame and glass. No harm caused at all, other than a headache. Therefore, I think a similar 40 mph rear end collision causing me to strike my head against the factory padding on the rollbar and the pipe foam padding should not cause any greater harm. Again, the point being, there will be no whiplash which is the real danger IMHO. I am thinking the pipe foam could be cut and dipped in Plasti-Dip for a more professional appearance before applying to the front of the roll bar.

Fortunately my head doesn't rise above the rollbar and so I am thinking I should be OK in a rollover, also.

[rsfeller]

We'll your comment assumes a "glance". I true high speed rear end would make my head explode like a water mellon with that roll bar. I purposely have to put my seat up a notch or two on the rails (more then I want) just to keep my head from the roll bar as you state, just to glance. If my seat is 100% back I can 100% contact that hard rollball, and it would split my head.

After driving volvo, saab and the likes by day (no whimpy asian head rests) I am not comfortable with my porsche headrest/bar setup.

Shawn

[Bill_SoCal]

All 6' 0" and 235lbs of me fit just fine in my Boxster...I would probably fit much better if I was 6' 0" and 205lbs or so... ;)

I enjoy the ride each and everyday! :drive:

All the best,

Bill B)

[bzzlink]

The lowered seat option on 996, is not lowered seatrails. It is infact less padding in the seat bottom. To my knownledge this option was not available on the 986.

I'm 6.1 and I have the same issues. I can't get enough leg room which results in my right hand hitting my right knee, if i keep 3 and 9 o'clock grip through tight turns. I am also alarmingly close to the rollbars. On "high hair" days my hair also touch the roof lining, when I have the hardtop fitted. (Admittedliy I do have high hair:)

I think we have to face the fact that Porsche built this car for women ;)

Edited January 12, 2009 by bzzlink

[Loren]

The lowered seat option on 996, is not lowered seatrails. It is infact less padding in the seat bottom. To my knownledge this option was not available on the 986.

I'm 6.1 and I have the same issues. I can't get enough leg room which results in my right hand hitting my right knee, if i keep 3 and 9 o'clock grip through tight turns. I am also alarmingly close to the rollbars. On "high hair" days my hair also touch the roof lining, when I have the hardtop fitted. (Admittedliy I do have high hair:)

I think we have to face the fact that Porsche built this car for women ;)

The 996 and 986 use the same seats.

I am only 6' but I have to open the the sunroof on my coupe when I wear a helmet.

[KenJ]

Didn't read the whole thread.... but, I have the Brey-Krause roll bar extension and the large pads installed/attached to it. Maybe that would help some of your concerns?

kj

[Lyn]

Guess I'll chime in too. I'm 6'2" with a 34" inseam and I'm a really tight fit in my 2003S. I put 2003 factory 996 GT3 seats in my Boxster late last year because the stock Boxster heated seats are like sitting on a brick. The GT3 seats are significantly more comforatable and are heated too. The bolsters are higher and the seatback seems more supportative and the two give the illusion of more room. I also put the GT3 console delete center kit in too and that was the biggest improvement. That center stack interferes a lot with taller driver's kneeroom and getting it out of the way really helps.

I worry about the rollbar/ seat height relationship, but mitigate it a bit by raising the seat just slightly. I've also found that driving without shoes seems almost the same as adding legroom. Anyone 6" or over tall has big feet and the Boxster footwell is small. Those cute little driving shoes aren't much better than bare feet in times of stress, so the extra room gained by taking off your shoes isn't much of a compromise on the street.

Lyn

[seafeye]

I am 5 10, my car has the electric seats and i have no where near 2" for the broomstick test.

Time to get a roll bar extension....

[Nurvus]

Just to update, I have temporarily taped on some Home Depot pipe insulation. Based on testing it with my head [without risking an extremely embarrassing head injury], it will certainly help a lot in the event of a rear-end collision, by augmenting the stiff padding in the rollbar.

John S, the plasti-dip is a good idea; but I'm going to cover the pipe insulation with leather, then lash it to the rollbar with a couple clear plastic cable ties. I have a quart of latex paint photographically matched to my interior color [boxster red; also from home depot], so I might paint the leather to match. And it sounds like you are experiencing the buyer's remorse I initially had. If you're like me, once you get used to it, and see how many smiles this car can bring, you'll feel better.

As Shawn points out, there could always be a worse collision, but this foam would protect my cranium in the most common rear-end collisions. Shawn, how did you put your seat up "a notch or two"? How can that be done? Or do you mean you just do not recline it into the rollbar?

I would strongly recommend not flipping this car [duh], and the roll bar extensions are probably a wise long-term solution.

[johnsimion]

Just to update, I have temporarily taped on some Home Depot pipe insulation. Based on testing it with my head [without risking an extremely embarrassing head injury], it will certainly help a lot in the event of a rear-end collision, by augmenting the stiff padding in the rollbar.

John S, the plasti-dip is a good idea; but I'm going to cover the pipe insulation with leather, then lash it to the rollbar with a couple clear plastic cable ties. I have a quart of latex paint photographically matched to my interior color [boxster red; also from home depot], so I might paint the leather to match. And it sounds like you are experiencing the buyer's remorse I initially had. If you're like me, once you get used to it, and see how many smiles this car can bring, you'll feel better.

As Shawn points out, there could always be a worse collision, but this foam would protect my cranium in the most common rear-end collisions. Shawn, how did you put your seat up "a notch or two"? How can that be done? Or do you mean you just do not recline it into the rollbar?

I would strongly recommend not flipping this car [duh], and the roll bar extensions are probably a wise long-term solution.

Nurvus: I like the idea about using the leather, except I think if you paint it, the paint will just flake off. Suggest you either dye it or just get pre-finished red leather from a place like http://www.sbearstradingpost.com/Leather.h...whideUpholstery. Please post photos once you get this project done. For me, I decided to wait until Spring, when Wal-Mart starts selling the foam tubes that kids play with in the pool. Those have thicker and stiffer foam than the pipe insulation we've been talking about and hopefully more protection. I suspect the Plasti-Dip finish will prove easier than trying to fix leather, but we'll compare notes later.

By the way, I wrote a letter to Porsche in Georgia and asked their expert opinion whether tall people have a risk of injury from the rollbar. No answer so far but it has only been a week.

[Nurvus]

That leather site is cool! Thanks for that.

Latex paint actually sticks well to leather. And I have some primer tinted to Boxster Red as well, which makes it adhere even better. My seats had been previously painted and were bad again, so I primered and re-coated them. I've done this on black leather car seats before with great results. I use the paint for other interior parts as well. Getting lots of compliments. If it holds up, I save $1000 for replacement skins/seats. If not, I'm out $10. I attach some before/after photos.

I think I'll just paint the insulation itself, then lash it to the rollbar with wire ties. But can't do the work in this weather!

"I wrote a letter to Porsche in Georgia and asked their expert opinion whether tall people have a risk of injury from the rollbar. No answer so far but it has only been a week." I really doubt Porsche will ever write back... but please let me know if they do! An admission would make for a very nice piece of evidence at a products liability trial against Porsche by me [or by my widow].

Edited January 16, 2009 by Nurvus

[Nurvus]

http://s289.photobucket.com/albums/ll216/j...nt=rollbar1.jpg