Agree with the others, it's not the seats that are at issue, but the road noise which increases as the tires age and get miles on them on different road surfaces.

I did 5 hours back-to-back one weekend in my .1 with my wife. Ride was great, enough room for the "short" trip, but the road noise at times was incredible.

Here in Dallas, you can be on the road for extended periods due to sprawl and traffic; and I am never fatigued by the interior.

Dave

 

My girlfriend gets motion sick on longer, curvy mountain road drives in my car.

 

Although it may seem obvious, I really think the "Comfort" seats are different than the "Sports Seats", which are different from the "Adaptive Sports Seats", which are different from "Sports Buckets" - they each have their own personalities. For me, the Sports Buckets are great seats but I can only tolerate them for a couple of hours; they are in a car that is not a DD and longest distance I usually drive it is to the track (Laguna, Sears Point, Thunder Hill) so it's not a big deal. The only adjustment on them are fore-aft and I tend to get fidgety (a small pillow slightly above my coccyx alleviates the discomfort). For me (and my 50 y.o back), I'd never get Sports Buckets if I did a lot of long distance driving. I had Sports Seats in another 911 and they were more comfortable for longer trips, say three to four hours or so. They were adjustable fore-aft and height, manually and forward/backward tilt electrically. I had no problem getting and staying comfortable with these limited options. I've read raves about the adaptive sports seats which seem infinitely adjustable and are electrically operated. I test drove a 911 once with comfort seats (for about an hour) and didn't like them due to what I felt was a lack of support. I suspect they are fine seats, particularly for longer trips, but I was used to sports seats and it was hard to get used to them.

 

Thanks everyone - I definitely need to bring my wife along for a test drive. Sounds like there is a strong possibility that we'd be comfortable enough for a couple of long hauls each year if I get the right seats.

Thinking I'll likely want to avoid the sport seats if they're anything like what we've experienced in other sport seats. In the X3 for example, the sport seat bolsters are really tight and felt like it was squeezing our sides in too much, even with the adjustment let all the way out. I get why you'd want that if you're ripping around a track, but not for daily driving. I'm sure they would have softened up a bit with time, but neither of us liked them and we got the regular ones instead. I'd consider myself a medium build (6'2" 195lbs) and my wife is fairly tall and thin, so it's not like we were pouring out over the sides either. My G37 had sport seats but were at least wide enough on the back between the bolsters to not feel like your kidneys are being squeezed, though they were fairly firm.

Since winter is right around the corner though and my 5 is a great winter car, I'll likely wait until at least the Spring to make a move. Until then, I'll do what every good car guy does, and obsess about 997s, read lots of forums, and browse a zillion cars so that I'll be well informed when the right time comes.

 

I am amazed at how comfortable the seats are. I used to drive a friends 996 and my back would hurt after 30 minutes. In my 997 I frequently drive over an hour and I'm just as comfortable as I was in my Lexus.

 

I love it on the long haul but then again my other ride is a d90.

 

+1 I've done multiple 20hour rides and was very comfortable. First time was from FL to MI, got to Michigan and couldn't believe it. No craps, Nothing, seats were very comfortable.

 

My '07 C4S is a daily driver and definitely took some getting used to with the road noise. It's amazing the difference my winter tires make...they are much quieter. I have a 25 min commute and have also taken the car from the Chicago area to south Georgia with no issues on long drives. I'm tall (5' 10" and not so thin) and find the seat length is perfect. The legs don't go numb after an hour driving. My husband, on the other hand, doesn't find the seats very comfortable. He's not a big lumbar fan and probably needs to spend some time adjusting the settings. He's around your build and loved his BMW 650i seats, but then he also liked Corvette seats which I loathed!

For marital happiness, it's best that we keep separate cars.

 

My sport seats are very comfortable for about 4 hours max. After that I am ready for a break. My wife says that they aren't very comfortable for any length of ride though. Oh well, it is my car!

 

Just picked up my car. 6 hour drive from the dealership. Seats were comfy, started to feel a little firm by the end of the drive. But as others said, it's probably the road noise that will get to you more. I found myself turning the stereo up higher then I do in my BMW.

 

I routinely clock in 1,000 mile runs to and from various colleges attended by my adult children. At 6'6" and 20 stone, I've never had a comfort issue. Go for it.

 

Old age is a *****!!!!!

Best,

Tom

 

Might want to start incorporating some fiber into your diet.

Sorry, couldn't resist. That's a serious road trip. Which seats do you have?

Thanks for all the replies everyone. Sure would love to become a part of this club!

 

LMAO, nice catch. NO CRAMPS!!!

 

Well, old age has it's up side. A few years ago, listening to an NPR segment on some gathering of 100+ year-olds, the interviewer asked one gentleman what the best thing about being 100+ was; the response was, in a total deadpan tone, "Lack of Peer Pressure!" I sort of like that idea!

-Tim