Question Radian (XTSL/RXT) with wide tilt with RF shoulder-belt install

[Snag75]

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The title says it all.

Basically I have my twins' Radians (one XTSL and one RXT) installed RF in my '07 Prius using shoulder belt. Despite very tight install, I cannot seem to avoid seeing a kind of rotational 'tilt' in the seat. I've tried checking if it's the way it's sitting on the bench of the backseat or anything else...but I'm beginning to wonder if it's just because of the use of the shoulder strap pulling up one side of the seat more than the other. I notice the tilt is more noticeable on the seat installed by the manly CHP officer than the one I installed myself.

For the sake of full disclosure, I do have seat protectors and Diono Angle Adjusters under the carseats, plus the Prius has pretty narrow "slots" for the 2 outboard seats...but I'm not seeing any of these as the cause for the tilted carseats.

Just wondering if I might be better off using LATCH instead of shoulder belts because of this? What is the disadvantage to using the SuperLATCH in this case?

[KaiLing]

Mine tilted a bit in my parents' 2010 Prius with the shoulder belt and the angle adjuster. I just pushed it down and re-installed when it got too tilty for me. The key to that installation for me was pulling out the shoulder belt to the side as tightening, and then feeding back into the retractor from the side rather than straight up.

I prefer a seat belt installation just because that's what I'm used to. LATCH installations will likely solve the problem, if you want to try it. Some people had issues with the SuperLATCH loosening, but lots of people don't, so if you want to use the LATCH with RF seats, feel free, both Toyota and Diono allow it (in the outboard positions, not in the center).

If the SuperLATCH worries you, you could just get in the habit of giving the seat a tug right before the kids get in them every time. That's a good habit anyway.

[wendytthomas]

I'd pull the mats out, if you can, without uninstalling. Then see how much looser the install feels. I generally get a half inch to an inch more movement without the mat, which is how the seat would react in a crash.

However, that has nothing to do with your actual question. If you want to use the seatbelts, the locking clip would likely help. That way you don't have a locked shoulder belt pulling up. LATCH would also solve it, since again, no locked shoulder belt.

Wendy

[aept]

I think it's also partly from the way the car's seats are shaped. I get a little tilt (head of radian leans in towards the center) when using latch. I get a little more tilt with the seatbelt, but I thought that might be because I had it the radian scooched about an inch more outboard with the seatbelt install vs the latch install.
I am using angle adjusters with either install.
I rf tethered to the outer legs of the front seats to try to "counteract" the tilt. Not sure if that is a good idea, but it made sense to me at the time.

Sent from my iPhone using Car-Seat.Org

[wendytthomas]

I don't know if it's a good idea or not either (there are no rules against it as far as I know), but I've "counter tethered" as well.

Wendy