Re: +1 what Pedro said

I love my 05 Boxster but I hate the standard seats. They have got to be the most uncomfortable seats I have ever sat in. But I am afraid to get aftermarket seats because I will lose the seat airbags. Ah suggestions? If I do go the aftermarket route any ideas on cost or while seat to replace it with? Maybe I should just sell the car and get a 911?

Thanks in advance for your help!

... the 987 seats are different?
Porsche.shares the same seats across its platforms but there are standard seats, sports seats, electrically adjustable seats, ventilated, plush, etc.
Seats are quite expensive so replacing them is not cheap.
You can also go to an experienced upholsterer who can modify the cushioning to your liking.
Out of all the complaints I hear from Porsche owners, seat comfort is not generally one of ghem.
Happy Boxstering
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

---

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"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions. Maybe I am getting old but when I had a 986 the standard seats seemed to fit just fine. Now with my 987, I feel that I am constantly fighting the car. A little tough to enjoy especially in traffic. I think perhaps the 987 standard seat has a different seat bottom angle and all the weight is being shifted to my lower back. I have driven a loaner with full power seats and that seems to help a lot. I have try to get an upholsterer to add more seat cushion but it didn't seem to help too much. Maybe I'll give it another try with a different upholsterer and ask for memory foam. How much should I expect to pay for this type of work? I am 5'6" and 160lbs. Thanks again for the help.

If you weight is shifting to the back of he seat, try raising the seat a bit - it raises the back more so it shift your weight away from your back.

Too narrow? Too hard? Too soft?

Most aftermarket seats are a) harder; b) more confining with bolsters, c) have limited adjustments. That said, many are well shaped.

Porsche also sold many seat types as Pedro noted. You might be able to find on.

I'll echo Pedro's comment though - i do several long trips (500-600 miles in one day) in my base boxster 986 and its pretty comfortable (considering). You need to get the adjustments right of course.

I know some people find the 987 sport seats to be too confining across the lower shoulders. We hobbits fit in them very well.

Grant

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com

I find the 981 standard seat ever so slightly tight at the shoulder blades, but otherwise superb. My recollection of test drives in 2001 was that the Sport Seat felt a bit narrow for my back, more so than the 981 seat. I think the 981 squabs are a bit shorter than the 986 standard seat, which allow my legs below the knees to pivot more freely. For reference, I'm 5'6" and not fat, though I can stand to lose a few pounds, hopefully by Thursday.

Minus 40 degrees... Is that Fahrenheit or Celsius?

I agree with what others have said. The 987 and 997 use the same standard seats, sports seats etc. You wouldn't find any difference in seats by switching to a 997 with standard seats.

I find the standard seats in my 06 Boxster very comfortable - even on long trips (700 - 950 miles in one day). I like firm supportive seats.

I imagine that you've tried different adjustments. I find a little bit of adjustment can make a big difference in the comfort - specially on a long trip.

If you're going to change seats, I'd recommend sitting in - and driving a car with any seats you're considering buying to see how comfortable they are for you.

Guenter
2014 Boxster S
GT Silver, 6 Speed Manual, Bi-Xenons, Sports Suspension (lowers car 20mm), Porsche Sports Exhaust, Porsche Torque Vectoring, Auto Climate control, heated and vented seats, 20" Carrera S Wheels, Pedro's TechNoWind, Sport Design steering wheel, Roll bars in GT Silver
[www.cyberdesignconcepts.com]

An uncomfortable seatback has been a problem for me for years. That's the bad news; the good news is it can be fixed by giving your seat a custom fit.

In each of my last 4 cars, I've had the seat cover (of the upright portion) removed and the foam re-contoured.

The last two of those, I've done myself - including my current 987.

My 987 has electric seats, with power lumbar adjustment. The problem was - even with the lumbar support completely retracted, there was too much for my lower back.
I removed the leather cover, cut out some of the factory foam, replaced it with memory foam, and voila - bliss!

As Pedro said, a good upholsterer can do wonders, and it doesn't take a massive alteration to make a huge improvement. Don't be afraid to buy some memory foam to use, rather than the standard stuff. It will likely take 2 or 3 tries to get it perfect, but it will happen.

Buying another seat may not fix your problem at all. Having your current seat modified to suit YOUR back (or wherever else you don't quite fit), will likely make you a happy camper.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/19/2012 09:51AM by Roger987. (view changes)

Quote
Roger987
An uncomfortable seatback has been a problem for me for years. That's the bad news; the good news is it can be fixed by giving your seat a custom fit.

In each of my last 4 cars, I've had the seat cover (of the upright portion) removed and the foam re-contoured.

The last two of those, I've done myself - including my current 987.

My 987 has electric seats, with power lumbar adjustment. The problem was - even with the lumbar support completely retracted, there was too much for my lower back.
I removed the leather cover, cut out some of the factory foam, replaced it with memory foam, and voila - bliss!

As Pedro said, a good upholsterer can do wonders, and it doesn't take a massive alteration to make a huge improvement. Don't be afraid to buy some memory foam to use, rather than the standard stuff. It will likely take 2 or 3 tries to get it perfect, but it will happen.

Buying another seat may not fix your problem at all. Having your current seat modified to suit YOUR back (or wherever else you don't quite fit), will likely make you a happy camper.

Good advice; I can't say I know of any companies that repair/renew stock Porsche seats, but there is a cottage industry that does it on C5/C6 Corvettes because of the failings of the stock Corvette seats.
It would make sense that an experienced upholsterer should be able to handle the job on a Porsche.

Of the seats I've worked on, the 987's were pretty straightforward. The biggest hurdle (often the case with any work) is getting past the mindset that it's over one's head. The guys to whom you might otherwise pay $100 per hour probably aren't any brighter; they've simply done it before. If you can, get the guy who works on your seat to show you how it's done - you'll be able to do it next time, should you want to fine tune it a bit.yes, you might brake a fastener, but guess what, so do they.

Now, there are some jobs - for example, brain surgery (particularly on one's self), and building nuclear weapons - that one may not want to tackle on his on, without guidance from someone who's done it before, or at least has seen it on youtube.

Quote
Roger987
An uncomfortable seatback has been a problem for me for years. That's the bad news; the good news is it can be fixed by giving your seat a custom fit.

In each of my last 4 cars, I've had the seat cover (of the upright portion) removed and the foam re-contoured.

The last two of those, I've done myself - including my current 987.

My 987 has electric seats, with power lumbar adjustment. The problem was - even with the lumbar support completely retracted, there was too much for my lower back.
I removed the leather cover, cut out some of the factory foam, replaced it with memory foam, and voila - bliss!

As Pedro said, a good upholsterer can do wonders, and it doesn't take a massive alteration to make a huge improvement. Don't be afraid to buy some memory foam to use, rather than the standard stuff. It will likely take 2 or 3 tries to get it perfect, but it will happen.

Buying another seat may not fix your problem at all. Having your current seat modified to suit YOUR back (or wherever else you don't quite fit), will likely make you a happy camper.

sorry to revive this thread. Roger do you have any tips on removing the center seatback to access the lumber foam? much appreciated!

NVM - i figured it out. for those finding this thread. There is a single wide latch on the very top of the center cushion. Pull the cushion directly up as hard as you can and gently pull the cushion towards the front of the car. There are plastic wings on each side that need to inividually be carefully pull out from behind the side bolsters. you will see three barbs on the seat cover at the top that can be removed. Then, there are two bars on each side of the back of the center cushion that need to be VERY carefully slid to the inside of the seats before they are pried outward to fully release tension from the seat cover. if you try to rip them out without pushing toward the center the seat skeleton, you will break the clips on the skeleton frame. After this, the plastic skeletal frame behind the foam can be removed by carefully pushing the three barb clips backward from the cushion side then carefully pry the catches open and the hooks can then release from the bar. be careful pulling too much on the seat cover as you can rip stitching. from here, it's pretty straightforward to remove the seat cushion itself for shaving. it will leave the bottom of the seat somewhat baggy, but its not aesthetically noticeable (at least if your seats have the heating/ventilation element like mine did). this mod works and i can now drive more than 30min without back pain from too much lumbar support.

Wow, you went to a lot of trouble but obviously was worth it for you. I have to say my 05 seats were great - they were the all electric jobbers so capable of mucho adjustment.