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14 Way Vs 18 Way Seats - Long Distance Comfort

911Time

Well-known member
Joined
25 Sep 2018
Messages
1,172
Hi all,

I'm trying to progress my dream of owning a 911 and having now driven a couple of 997.2 and 991.1 models (C4S, GTS & C2S) I'm currently leaning towards the 991.1 for its greater comfort - unfortunately I have some serious health issues nowadays (skeletal damage from the big C) so I need a sportscar in which I can enjoy the drive AND feel comfortable as well.

The car would mainly be used for day trips, sports touring and driving holidays, typical journeys of 200 - 300 miles min on A and B roads (Wales/Dales etc) plus longer trips on the motorway and abroad.

I'll probably fit the DSC Sport module, as recommended here (thank you) for better wheel control/ride but seat comfort is another issue I need to address.

I spent several hours at my local OPC on Saturday, trying different seats but neither the 4 way Sports nor 4 way Sports seats Plus offered me enough lumbar support and as you know, there's not even a manual lumbar adjustment, which I was a little surprised about.

Unfortunately my local OPC didn't have a car with 14 way seats but I found the 18 way comfortable (if a little tight at the hips) with sufficient lumbar adjustment however, from what I can see on Autotrader/Pistonheads etc there seem very few cars specced this way.

I realise seat comfort is a personal and subjective issue but I've read comments elsewhere that suggest the 14 way seats are less comfortable than the 18 way, with some people saying that the padding on the seat base is thinner on the 14 way??

Can anyone shed any light on this - I'd be interested to know other people's experiences with the 14 and 18 way seats, whether the padding on the seat base differs between them (personally I can't see why it would) and whether either seat is comfortable on long journeys - no point enjoying the drive but stepping out in pain and with a numb bum :sad:

I've even looked at the cost of swapping the seats but this seems prohibitively expensive.

For comparison, I'm 5' 10", slim/athletic build and about 12 stone.

All thoughts appreciated :)
 
I had some back issues which led me down the path of a Cayenne but I wanted 14 or 18-way seats to get the lumbar etc you describe.

18-way are the dogs gonads but over the 14-way I think they only offer the option to move the side bolsters?

Trying to find your ideal spec used is hard and hence I settled for 14-way seats which I found were great for me with extending foward seat base and up/down/in/out lumbar adjustment.

Try both but I don't think you'll be disappointed with 14-way. Be advised when you sell only the key options will have the value as most buyers don't seem as interested in seat options so won't add anything to par-ex values. :what:
 
Everyone is different but the they make seats for everyone.

The main difference is that the Sports seats have elevated side bolsters on squab and backrest, which adjust.

You need to see if you fit better into the normal 14 way seats or the sports 18 way seats.

14 Way.

Driver and front passenger seats featuring electric adjustment of backrest angle, seat height, fore/aft position, squab angle and depth, lumbar support and steering column.

Includes memory function for seat position settings (driver's seat), steering column and other personalised in-car settings.

18 Way.

Driver and front passenger seats with elevated side bolsters, more distinctive curvature in the shoulder region and electric adjustment of all seat functions: backrest, seat height, fore/aft position, squab angle and depth, lumbar support and seat side bolsters on squab and backrest.

Memory function for seat position settings (driver's seat), steering column, both exterior mirrors and other personalised in-car settings.
 
I have had lower back issues and have had both - 14 ways in my C4s (3 years) and now have 18 ways in my C4 GTS (18 months). I find the 18 ways much more comfortable. I wouldn't go back (no pun intended).

But just to muddy the waters, the GTS seats at alcantara centered Vs all leather and I suspect that has as much to do with it. I now sit in them rather than on them which was always the case with the 14's. people will say the only difference is the sport back but i am unsure...

I used to struggle on journeys over 2 hours in the C4s - that is probably more like 3-4 hours in the GTS. So an improvement but not night and day.

Then I wound out the lumbar so it is entirely deflated. Since doing that I get no issues at all. Which is kind of the exact opposite of what you are thinking you need!!!

Seats are a minefield. There are so many variants and actually relatively little factual info on the relative sizes etc.

For me I would go 18 way alcantara and fully deflate the lumbar.
 
Thank you all for your comments :thumb:

Zingari: You're right: Trying to find a used 991 that includes my wish list items AND 14 or 18 way seats seem very difficult - I can only hope that one is out there and comes onto the market soon. I'm not so worried about values down the line, more about enjoying the experience now.

This may be sacrilege to say but having sat in a Macan with 14 way at the weekend, I found the seats in that to be so comfortable and supportive, I wish they were fitted in the 911 (should I get my... :coat: ).

911UK: Trying the 14/18 way back to back (pun intended) would be ideal but my local OPC at Wolverhampton didn't have any 911 with the 14 way seats fitted and most cars seem to be specced with the manual/part electric standard seats or sports seats plus.

Even looking further afield they seem to be rare.

wee jimmy: Totally agree - even with the same density of foam, the type of covering makes a big difference - I've also found that with seating in other cars, leather is more rigid than Alcantara/fabric and the latter tends to feel that bit softer.

I know the latest cars have had the option of Sport-tex (which also 'gives' nicely) and that would be ideal if I were looking at a nearly new car but that's not an option within my current budget. Better still would be a 50th Anniv with Houndstooth....but then we're back to the budget issue :D

Obviously I'll have to travel further afield and try a car with the 14 way seats but I will also keep an eye out for any fitted with Alcantara centres.
 
Mark, the better option is to go for 18 way as then you have more adjustment options
 
Well I agree obviously but finding one seems to be another matter :)

From what I've seen so far, on Autotrader/PH the incidence of adverts for cars with 18 way seats on 991.1 cars appears to be circa 1 in 10 and circa 2 or 3 in 10 for the 14 way version, so not exactly common in either case.

Trying to find a really nice, low miles, 2012/13/14 C2/C2S with PDK and a good spec (PSE, PASM, Bose etc) AND 14 or 18 way fully electric seats, is harder than I'd imagined, so I guess I may have to compromise either from 18 to 14 way or on other parts of my spec.

I'll keep hoping that the right car comes along soon.
 
Another vote for 18-way seats.

If you are speccing a new car and you haven't passed out at the cost of adding 14s; then the price premium of the 18s over the 14s is quite modest.

This is in part because of what they bundle with the seats - IE the memory function and the electrically adjustable steering column. (The two work together to ease exit / entry when you switch off.)

I think on 911s and Boxster /Caymans these are the only way to get lumbar support. Crazy really as you may not want all the other stuff.
 
FWIW I chose 14 ways over 18's in my C4s as I was worried that the higher shoulders of the Sports Seat Pluses would round my shoulders in. I also couldn't get anyone to confirm if the side bolster range of the Pluses went wider than the Sports Seats in both directions (so narrow and wider).

For my GTS I thought I'd try the other seat type and I prefer it.

So I think your choice is really about Sports Seats Vs Sports Seat Pluses rather than 14's Vs 18's. Having now had the 18's I think they do go wider and broader than the basic Sports Seats and are more 'sit in' than 'sit on'.

So maybe also try the 4 Way Sports Seat Pluses? Extra adjustability isn't necessarily a benefit if the basic seat shape doesn't work for you. If anything it means you end up either constantly fiddling or never making use of all the buttons you've paid for!
 
Then I wound out the lumbar so it is entirely deflated. Since doing that I get no issues at all. Which is kind of the exact opposite of what you are thinking you need!!!
Funny old thing, that's where I end up with most cars. The initial extra lumbar support seems good but after a short while it gets annoying as I can always feel it. When looking at the seat settings at the end of a drive, I have likely removed most, if not all of the lumbar.

You know you've reached optimum comfort level, IMHO, when you forget you are in a seat and feel part of the car. My glider is the same...
 
tim 993: I'm looking at a used 991.1, so don't (sadly) have the choice to option what I want. The lack of even a manual lumbar adjustment on the standard seats was a surprise on a vehicle of this sort but then I guess that would've left Porsche with a missed opportunity for profit.... :roll: why they couldn't just fit a simple lever and give people the choice of whether they wanted to pay extra for an all singing all dancing electric version is beyond me.

weejimmy: I've tried the standard (manual) Sports and Sports Plus seats but the shape of the lower backrest didn't suit me and with no lumbar adjustment I couldn't do anything about it. I wasn't always 100% comfortable in my two previous cars (BMW & Merc) both of which had lumbar adjustment but at least I could change the position of the lumbar pad, which was sometimes enough to ease the discomfort.

The 18 way Sports Plus that I tried last weekend were comfortable regarding the backrest, if a little on the firm side compared to other sports seats I've been used to but I've still not been able to find a car with the 14 way Sports seats.

Interesting that you mention about the higher shoulders of the Sports Plus seats - I prefer them myself but they're not that common.

I keep trawling through advert after advert and every time I find a car with the right seats it doesn't have the rest of the spec or vice versa... :sad:

EdTheDuck: It is interesting because I'm not sure (for me) that it's so much about actually having support for the lumbar region itself but how that affects the attitude of my shoulders and the thoracic part of my spine. It's as if not having some kind of support in the lumbar region upsets the upper part of my back/shoulders (and even my neck on really long journeys). Driving is better than being a passenger because holding the wheel forces my shoulders backwards but I need a seat where the basic position comfortable and having a lumbar adjustment seems to help achieve that.

My other half has an old Toyota Yaris that she's attached too and despite its age/mileage refuses to part with (just goes on and on for ever.....and the car does the same :D :D ) - she finds it comfortable but anytime I travel in it for more than an hour, I find the upper part of my back aches. The only solution is to push my shoulders back and maintain that position, which leaves a 3 - 4 inch gap between my lower back (lumbar area) and the seat - not ideal!

Seat comfort isn't only about adjustability but having a greater number of adjustable parameters certainly helps.

I hate the thought of having to write off the dream of owning a 911, just because I can't find one with the right seats/ride comfort but then there's no point having one if it's not comfortable and I can't enjoy driving it :sad:
 
doesn't even look as though one can filter on cars with 14/18 way seats on the used car search. :dont know: Oddly the first one I picked at random had them!

May I ask which model you want or what other options are must-haves?
 
Hi Tim,

I know - the used car search doesn't seem to offer the facility to filter by option.

Ideally I'm looking for the following (ranked by priority):

Vehicle: 991.1 Model: C2S/C2 (maybe C4/S/Targa) Year: 2012 - 2015 (budget wise)
Mileage: Low - ideally >35K with FPSH
Transmission: PDK
Colour: GT Silver, Platinum Silver, Carrera White, Agate Grey, Guards Red
Interior: Black over Red, Black, Agate/Pebble, Agate

Preferred Options (ranked by priority):
18 Way Sports seats Plus with memory or 14 Way Sports seats with memory
PASM (if not an S model)
PCM incl Nav
Full Bluetooth
Bose Surround Sound
LED or Xenon Lights
Park Assist Front & Rear/Rear only
Steel or Glass Sunroof
Porsche Sports Exhaust

Nice Options (but not a deal breaker):
Sport Design Steering Wheel
Sport Chrono Package
Power Steering Plus
Cruise Control

I'm not just looking for 'a 911' but (after 44 years of waiting) the 'right one' - am happy to look at OPCs and independent Porsche dealers and willing to travel if the car is a really nice, well cared for example, with the right spec and a reasonable price for its condition/age etc.
 
I think if I were looking for a 991.1, I'd have a similar list!

We did a long trip down to Monaco and back earlier this year sitting on 18-ways and they are fabulous for both driver and passenger.

Yes, the used search is just too vague - you can filer for sports seats, but not other kinds
:dont know:

Wish they'd allow the specs to be dumped down into XL, then one could do an easy compare and contrast!

FWIW though, if a car has 14 or 18 ways the rest of the spec is likely to be pretty good as well.

The very best of luck to you!
 
tim993 said:
We did a long trip down to Monaco and back earlier this year sitting on 18-ways and they are fabulous for both driver and passenger.

And I can confirm you never complained about your Chalfonts once :thumb:
 

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