[chrisbalich]

Originally Posted by PeteKz

Seats are the biggie. Some years ago, I was a planning to substitute sport seats for my OE comfort seats in my 1973, but then decided to keep it looking like it was, and rebuilt those. They are so much more satisfying for 99% of the driving I do.

After that, noise reduction. Lots you can do here, but I think the most important is eliminating all the wind noises you can find, because they all add up to a fairly uncomfortable amount of mid- to high-frequency cabin noise. Highest on this list is closing the gaps around the door and window frames. Obviously make sure the door seals are in good shape and making contact ll the way around. In particular, make are there are no gaps at the front of the door where the window frame joins the door. Later models have a small plastic fairing intros gap to smooth it out and let the seal make even contact. If your car doesn't have those, buy them or fabricate something. If you took out the sound-deadening padding in the back and bottom of the car, put that back or install Dynamat or something similar.

HINT: You can use painter's tape or something like that to temporarily seal various gaps and see/hear how much difference those make. You can also lay out and tape in place a bunch of heavy blankets in the back of the car to see if that reduces engine noise before pulling everything apart to install sound deadening.

The seal around the hood prevents air and noise coming into the frunk and then into the cabin, so make sure that seals all around. Bonus: It will keep the crap you store up front dry, and help your heat or AC keep the cabin temps comfortable. Make sure all the grommets in the front panel and inner fenders are tight.

Basically, it's about paying attention to a bunch of little things that add up, not one or two big things.

I agree that seating position is vastly overlooked when considering the (dis)comfort of a sports car. My Sparcos are more comfortable than the stock seats in Kelly's A3...and not by a little. They will get wrapped in leather at some point, but they're not the problem.
The wind noise is the biggest problem I have. The new (Borla) muffler is pretty quiet in the car. But the wind & road noises are significant.
I sealed up every opening in the trunk while the car was apart for paint and the trunk seal itself is a new OE part installed last year.
I made and installed moisture barriers in the doors this Spring and that made a big difference in noise and air-intrusion.
I realize I'm attempting to undo a death by 1000 cuts. Just working my way through them as I conjure up clever solutions.

Originally Posted by MFX

Sound deadening is often the first thing that gets ditched when people are trying to save weight, but a really loud car really wears you down on long trips.
So many people think I am nuts, that I want to quiet down my ITB's. The noise is amazing when I am on it in the tiwisties and that never gets old, but the constant intake drone on the highway gets old FAST.

I've installed DEI Boom Mat on the interior surfaces below the carpet and there is some MLV on the backseat and parcel shelf. I'm not entirely convinced any of it has really made a difference. I have some ideas on how to restore some sort of sound barrier without the 40lbs of crap the factory used.
I agree the ITBs make a lot of noise on a road trip. Do you have room to put a 964/993/996 manifold over the top of them? The difference in throttle response is negligible, but the gain in mid-range and reduction of noise make it worth the effort/expense. If I find myself considering ITBs again, they'll be fitted under the 964 manifold I have now for those reasons.

Originally Posted by AG81

I haven't been stuck in mine more than about 2 hours Chris. I am on the same page however. 2 hr's is about my limit in this car. 5-6 hours in a car with all the creature comforts. I found the drone of my original exhaust (loved it on short trips) was the worst. Fixed that with a new exhaust system. I did go with the light battery and it has been trouble free since 2017. I am not sure I'll ever be in a situation where I can get a classic car, of any kind, comfortable enough for a 5-6 hr trip.

Good Luck with that......

The furthest I've traveled in the 911 in a day is ~700 miles. Ear plugs mitigate the windnoise and weigh much less than sound deadening, but make conversation very difficult. One of these days, I may buy a modern Pcar for long hauling. But right now, I need the versatility of the Q more than I need to be comfortable a few weekends a year.

Originally Posted by Showdown

Noise canceling Bluetooth headphones make all the difference once points of contact have been upgraded like seats, pedals, steering wheel, etc…

One day, I'm going to find a way to make this work and be mad it took me so long. But I really don't like the idea of wearing these anymore than I like wearing earplugs. :/

Originally Posted by Mixed76

My 76 is very comfortable with stock suspension, stock seats, stock 78SC exhaust, and all original sound deadening materials in place. All it lacks for driving comfort is cruise control and a wheel that's a bit closer to the driver.

Leans about the same as a new Miata in turns, weighs ~2550#

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk

This is the obvious answer to comfort in a 911. But it's also the polar opposite to my disposition.
I'd sooner sell the SC and buy a 991 than revert the SC to stock.

Originally Posted by ryans65

I've had my e30 bmw for almost 20 years, at one point it was an auto cross/ track day sorta car with two seats and a steering wheel. I stubbornly drove it with two fixed back seats for a number of years until I couldn't bear the noise, vibration and harshness any longer. I collected a nice black interior for it along with some leather sport seats and never looked back. I still rock the harness bar/ roll bar but aside from that it's stock inside, quiet and comfortable even on long road trips. The wanna be race car look is ok around town but it just got old after a while ..... that's what I'm getting at lol. I do like your car and commitment to weight savings though.

Ben Franklin said something about, "...all things in moderation..."
I'm just tinkering with that concept...attempting to maintain balance as my needs change.
Life would be easier if I had the SC savage and raw and it rode on a trailer to its various destinations and I had another car for long cruising. But I'm not that guy. I want it all, and I want it from one car. So my project continues as I learn new things and try them out.