Rear facing car seat question

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We have a Britax Marathon and have it installed rear facing. My son meets the requirements to turn it forward facing but I would like to keep him rear facing as long as possible. I was just wondering if the seat still has to be fully reclined (I believe it's a 45 degree angle) or if we can have him sitting upright a little more since he's older (15 months). I looked in the manual and I wasn't really sure - it says it has to be fully upright for forward facing but doesn't say much about rear facing.
Any ideas?

[mommaon112903]

Kuddos to you for keeping him RFing to the max!

It must be in the recline postition for RFing, but you can install it more upright now that he is older and has good head control.

I am sure someone with some photos will be along, so you can see what exactly the above means.

Also, it would be a great idea if you could take your seat to a car seat tech and let them teach/show you how to install it more upright.

[crunchierthanthou]

The base has to be in recline mode, but as long as he is comfortable and has good head control it can be as upright as 30 degrees (measured from vertical). There's a diagram in the manual showing acceptable rear facing angles in the rf installation section (pages 13, 15 and 17). To get it a bit more upright push down over the front of the seat as you tighten the LATCH connectors or seatbelt. If you need it even more upright, pull the base back from the vehicle seatback an inch or two. Just be careful not to get it too upright, which is very easy to do if you combine the two methods.

[natysr]

Here is a picture in my signature block of how I normally have it in my car. It is more upright than 45 degress, but has a nice, lay-z-boy comfort angle.