RF changes forcast for Canada?

[northernmommy]

Does anyone know if there's any chance Transport Canada will be changing the RF limit back to 35lbs anytime in the near future? (like before December?...)

Also, does anyone know why they lowered the limit a few years ago? I know our first AO had a 35lb limit, but sadly it was crashed and replaced with a newer 30lb one. (had I known then what I do now, I would have gone through every box in the store to try find one that had an older DOM...)

Thanks!

[snowbird25ca]

I have good news, and I have bad news.

The bad news is, I don't have any knowledge of rf'ing weight limit increases happening in Canada.

The good news is, our local instructor was at the seat check I volunteered at on Thursday and told me that the limit in CMVSS for rf'ing seats max weight is currently 35lbs. She confirmed that the standards are not limiting the weight limit at present, that it is manufacturers. She also said that when consumers start to demand them from manufacturers, that's likely when we'll start to see the return of them.

She wondered if there was a point in 2004 when Cosco re-did the molds for the 3in1 seats and that's why they switched from 35 to 30lbs. Other than that, she couldn't say specifically why the weight limits were lowered. Just that if they met standards they were allowed to go to 35lbs. She also confirmed that the crash test standard is max rotation of 70* - which is the same as FMVSS standards. She was very adamant (even though I never suggested doing so,) that we must assume the seats labeled to 30lbs in Canada didn't pass standards at whatever max weight they were rated to in the US and to make sure parents never believed that they could use their seat to the US limit.

My current theory though, based on this conversation & my understanding that FMVSS and CMVSS crash test benches aren't identical, is that TC is doing the crash tests with the seats always installed at 45* regardless of the dummy used, and maybe this is affecting whether the seat passes at the higher weights. OR, maybe there's enough difference in how flat/compressible the CMVSS bench is compared to the FMVSS bench that they pass the US and not the CDN one at the higher weight?

I really don't know... nothing more than theories based on tiny pieces of info... And manufacturers for the most part stick to the "we label our seats to whatever limit meets CMVSS standards" lines...

So, I don't know.... start calling manufacturers and asking for higher weight limits is all I can suggest at the moment. (Although the BRU Canadian site lists the true fit's max rf weight at 35lbs - although they're notorious for copying US weight limit info so it may not be accurate.)

But there's nothing definitive about rf'ing limits increasing in the near future. There's no 30lb cap and manufacturers can already go to 35lbs and they're not, so there's more to it than meets the eye...

[hipmaman]

I'll add to Trudy post...

The rumour when the new Cosco seat were dropped to 30 lbs rf limit was that the new AOE did not meet rf testing therefore it had to be dropped. And TC asked other manufactures (really on Britax at the time had 33 lbs limit and the Radian was not even in Canada yet) to drop their limit to 30 lbs to provide level playing field. Now, I personally do not know if this is true or not, but this was the rumour circulating at the time. I think there is also more to it than meet the eye, but there is probably some truth to this. Just which part is truth and which part is not, I cannot tell.

As far as the rf testing between CMVSS and FMVSS... Another example to tell that they are not the same as most thinks is that the Britax infant seat Companion, sold in the US, but not in Canada. It went through the Canadian test, but the rotation angle in the test while still w/in the allowable range, Britax was not happy that it was greater than the results in its US testings. So they would either have to tweak the design to get more satisfactory results or to sell as is. They made the decision not to redesign AND not to sell here.

And no change in rf limit in the foreseeable future. I know new Britax seats (Diplomat and Boulevard) will hae 30 lbs rf limit for Canada

[TechnoGranola]

My current theory though, based on this conversation & my understanding that FMVSS and CMVSS crash test benches aren't identical, is that TC is doing the crash tests with the seats always installed at 45* regardless of the dummy used, and maybe this is affecting whether the seat passes at the higher weights. OR, maybe there's enough difference in how flat/compressible the CMVSS bench is compared to the FMVSS bench that they pass the US and not the CDN one at the higher weight?

I really don't know... nothing more than theories based on tiny pieces of info... And manufacturers for the most part stick to the "we label our seats to whatever limit meets CMVSS standards" lines...I think you're on to something here. When I asked SKJP why the Radian didn't have a higher RF weight for Canada (I specifically asked which test caused it NOT to be able to be rated to 35 pounds), I was told that it was not testing that was the issue, it was TC regulations. They implied that the Radian passed the tests, just wasn't allowed to be labelled higher than 33" and 30 lbs. Since we all know these limits don't exist at these numbers, either the Radian (and other seats) don't actually pass the tests at higher weights/heights or the manufacturers are grossly misunderstanding TC's regulations OR there's something political going on here (as suggested by hipmaman).

[TechnoGranola]

(Although the BRU Canadian site lists the true fit's max rf weight at 35lbs - although they're notorious for copying US weight limit info so it may not be accurate.)I never saw a RF weight limit listed on the web site? I've only seen it say 5-65 pounds. Maybe I missed it? or maybe it's the catalogue that says that? No matter, I'll cross my fingers and hope it's true, although I won't get my hopes up.

[Shanora]

They also have the cards that are attched to the seat labled wrong as well.....I was looking at the Evenflo Titan today and it was labled to 35 pounds rf......