Radian LATCH Limits

dhardawa · Mar 26, 2010

Someone please explain this to me.

The NEW Radian SL series car seats offer the first NCAP tested, high capacity LATCH system up to 80 pounds without the use of a seat belt!

Exactly how can a parent use LATCH up to 80 lbs when no vehicle allows LATCH over 48 lbs (that I know of)? I was trained that if the car seat says you can do it AND the vehicle manual says you can do it, then you can. If either says no, the answer is no. Is this just Sunshine Kids blowing sunshine out their butt to try to make their seats look superior and confuse parents or am I missing something?

wendytthomas · Mar 26, 2010

After September 1, 2005, car manufacturers were required to change the type of LATCH anchor they used. Which is all fine and dandy and means nothing, since the connector will break long before 80 pounds. However, SK went and made a super connector (if you see one you'll understand). It can actually hold the weight of the seat and the child to the limits. So 105 pounds total. If your car is made after September 1, 2005, you can use LATCH in a designated position to the limits of the seat, if you have an SL Radian.

Wendy

dhardawa · Mar 26, 2010

So, it is a little of both. A little truth and a little sunshine out the butt. It would be nice if they would market it with that little bit of differentiation.

I went out to look at the new testing done. How high of a weight did they actually test the anchors to? I can't find that anywhere. Also, why aren't vehicle manufacturers saying it is okay to use the LATCH to a higher weight? It seems like, at the very least, everyone would go to 48 lbs instead of 40.

wendytthomas · Mar 26, 2010

Barely sunshine. If your car allows it so does SK. Same as any seat. Before this the Radians were 48 pounds. If your car allowed it. If you had a Honda, Saab, Mercedes, Acura, or Porsche, or if your child weighed more than 35 pounds a Subaru, you had to stop using LATCH at the weight limit.

The NCAP is a bit of sunshine, I guess. NCAP is like saying that an aftermarket product was tested to FMVSS213. There are no standards for carseats in NCAP testing. But they can test to those standards.

Wendy

dhardawa · Mar 26, 2010

wendytthomas said:
Barely sunshine. If your car allows it so does SK. Same as any seat. Before this the Radians were 48 pounds. If your car allowed it. If you had a Honda, Saab, Mercedes, Acura, or Porsche, or if your child weighed more than 35 pounds a Subaru, you had to stop using LATCH at the weight limit.

The NCAP is a bit of sunshine, I guess. NCAP is like saying that an aftermarket product was tested to FMVSS213. There are no standards for carseats in NCAP testing. But they can test to those standards.

Wendy

So, they are putting that blurb out there and using it to market new functionality of their seat, but there isn't a vehicle on the market that you can actually use it to 80 lbs with? THAT is what irritates me and that is where the sunshine comes in. I bet there are hundreds or thousands of Radians installed with LATCH over 48 lbs in vehicles that don't allow it because you have to go to the fine print to realize that they left out a critical "if" in their marketing.

bobandjess99 · Mar 26, 2010

dhardawa said:
So, they are putting that blurb out there and using it to market new functionality of their seat, but there isn't a vehicle on the market that you can actually use it to 80 lbs with? .

No, not at all. Some vehicle manufacturers default to the carseat manufacturers. Like my car (Hyundai/Kia). So, since SKJP says I can use the superlatch up to 80 pounds, and my car allows me to latch a carseat up to the carseat manufacturers limit, I can technically latch to 80 pounds in my car. (of course, the darn SL connectors are incompatible with my car, but that's a whole nuther issue.......*grumble*...)

wendytthomas · Mar 26, 2010

dhardawa said:
So, they are putting that blurb out there and using it to market new functionality of their seat, but there isn't a vehicle on the market that you can actually use it to 80 lbs with? THAT is what irritates me and that is where the sunshine comes in. I bet there are hundreds or thousands of Radians installed with LATCH over 48 lbs in vehicles that don't allow it because you have to go to the fine print to realize that they left out a critical "if" in their marketing.

No. EVERY car made after September 1, 2005, can have the SLs used up to 65 or 80 pounds. You have a 2009 Honda Civic, great! LATCH up to 80 pounds, no problem. However, you still cannot use LATCH in the center of that Civic, that'd be a seatbelt install. So provided the car allows that position to be used with LATCH, it's a dedicated position, then if it was made after September 1, 2005, and you have an SL Radian, you can use it to the limits of the seat.

Wendy

golden17 · May 25, 2010

So, since I have a Honda Odyssey and the middle seat in the 3rd row is a latch seat, then I can use a Radian with Super Latch up to 80 pounds in that position, right? Or either of the Captains Chairs in the second row too, right?

soccer_widow · May 25, 2010

golden17 said:
So, since I have a Honda Odyssey and the middle seat in the 3rd row is a latch seat, then I can use a Radian with Super Latch up to 80 pounds in that position, right? Or either of the Captains Chairs in the second row too, right?

Yes. IF it was made after September 1, 2005

golden17 · May 25, 2010

soccer_widow said:
Yes. IF it was made after September 1, 2005

Thanks, it's an 07.

Radian LATCH Limits

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