Rear seat - no cost option

[Tom]

I just learned the rear seat is a no cost option in the new 911 Turbo S. I get that rear seats are fairly pointless in a 992, but I'm thinking no rear seats might be a little too raw in a turbo? Seems like that would be more in line with an GT3/RS car... Anyone see or drive one yet without a rear seat? Thoughts?

[blueline]

I just learned the rear seat is a no cost option in the new 911 Turbo S. I get that rear seats are fairly pointless in a 992, but I'm thinking no rear seats might be a little too raw in a turbo? Seems like that would be more in line with an GT3/RS car... Anyone see or drive one yet without a rear seat? Thoughts?

Initially I was going with the rear seat delete on my build but after thinking it through and reading a few opinions on the matter I changed my mind for several reasons. These are just my take on the matter and my opinion - there is no wrong answer to either choice.

One is that I didn't care for the look of the rear area without the seats - it looks unfinished and out of place to me - like an afterthought.

Second, and more importantly, the rear seats aid considerably in insulating and helping to mute the road noise which is greatly increased with the 305/30 performance summer tires in the rear. No reason to go with a high-end audio system if it's going to be even more unlistenable due to the high road/tire noise from a 911 made worse by the rear seat not being there.

Another reason is that with the rear seat backs folded down they make a flatter, more usable space. They don't weigh much either so no significant gain by leaving them out and at least they will still be there for kids/very small people if ever needed.

I'm sure Porsche likes the delete option - probably a big savings on the seats, hardware, seat belts and leather they don't have to install. Lol.

[WillyDaP]

I agree Tim, because as a fellow TrackRat I liked the idea of less weight especially towards the rear of the car. But, seeing the look of the deletion I have to agree it looks odd, unfinished and not even up to Porsche's normal detailing. Since it is often discussed by those who do track their cars , the figure of 10-15% often comes up as a figure of drivers who actually autocross or take their cars to road courses. Even if Porsche drivers are slightly higher in that aspect, that would still leave 80-85% of people who never enjoy destroying rubber, so optioning out the back seat means it only appeals to a small group. All said , if Porsche made it really clean and maybe had panels for a built in track rollbar I would order one, ha! As is you made the right decision, imho, and as the years go by the value of your Porsche will benefit from that back seat for folks that are 3ft 6 inches, ha.

[Tom]

Thanks guys. I thought it was just a turbo s thing -- didn't realize they were offering it across the 992 line. That makes me feel even more like Porsche is mostly just trying to make an extra buck by removing parts as a 'feature.' It's got to save them quite a bit of money, especially on a deviated stitching car.

I deleted the rear seats in my 944 and was very surprised about the noise. Even dynamat didn't dampen the driveline noise anywhere near as much as the rear seats. I'm thinking Porsche must have some something to address that to some extent, but I think I'll pass on this particular 'no-cost' option...