Question about the retroactive Radian rf limits

Tara

New member
I've been meaning to ask this for a while, I just keep forgetting. Hang with me as I try to word it in the least complicated fashion.

So they started with the 33# rf limit on the Radians. Then they went to 35#. That change was retroactive to x point, right?

Why?

So, those were the same seats, no change in style, structure or anything. Same seat, just retested to the higher weight limit, right?

Ok, then they did the same thing all over again, going to 40# rf. Is that right? Again, calling it retroactive to x point.

Is the seat today not still the same exact seat they started with? Has there been changes in the manufacturing or structure of the seat since the beginning? I was under the impression it's been the same seat all along, it's just undergone new testing to higher limits. Passing those tests, therefore it gets a new rf limit label.

If it's the same seat, why then are the retroactives only to x point? Why does that only go back a year or so. Or stop at x month?

Essentially...if I bought a brand new Radian today with a 40# rf weight limit...how is it different (aside from the testings, I'm talking the seat itself) from the seat I bought 3 yr ago. Why is my '07 seat not under the retroactive clause allowing it to rf to 40#?

Hubs keeps asking me about this too. I'll say something about wishing I could still rf the Radians because both of my Radian users are below the 40# and I hate the ff belt installs I get in my van. But I say that I can't because neither fall under the retroactive clause, one misses it by like a month or two. He, also under the impression they're all the same stinkin' seat, rolls his eyes and says he doesn't 'get' it. And he's very cool about this whole car seat/safety thing. He doesn't roll his eyes at everything. When I get onto one of my obsession kicks where I talk and talk and talk and talk, well, yeah, he glazes over after a while, but he really is very patient and understanding and willing to learn and all that good stuff. He really is great. Just this....he doesn't get and I can't give him anymore than "that's what was tested".
 
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joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
Pixels once did this great side by side comparison showing the old and new seats...like the new ones have the removable harness, reinforcement bars at the head area, and maybe even metal tabs on the RF boot (those are missing from my '06 model, mine are just plastic)...so yeah, the seats did have some changes here and there, likely coinciding with the dates where the weight limits went up. It's been so long and my seat is so ancient I've forgotten all the details, though...
 

Pixels

New member
The 9/07-8/08 (I think) seats were stickered 33 but manuals read 35. They were supposed to be stickered 35, but there was a SNAFU or something.

Seats 9/08-8/09 were stickered 35, and retroactively made 40. There are definite structural differences. I had a whole thread on the externally visible differences at the time. Just a couple of examples: Bar wrapping around side of newer seat. Different bottoms, different harness channel depths. That's a 8/08 on the left, 9/08 on the right in both pics.

The SL seats came out in 9/09, and are stickered 40 or 45. Again, there are definite changes to the seats. There were more changes (though not to weight limits) in 9/10. It seems SKJP releases their new "model year" in September.
 

vonfirmath

New member
My guess is that they HAVE made all-along the way changes.

The Evenflo Maestro had a change as of April 11 (Or was it April 10?) of this year that caused the ones before that day to be recalled and the ones afterward not to be)

So they may not have tested your three year ago seat to the new limits and don't know if it passes. but the seat actually tested was identical to those they started making whatever the date they will retroactively allow is.
 

Mae

Well-known member
I've been meaning to ask this for a while, I just keep forgetting. Hang with me as I try to word it in the least complicated fashion.

So they started with the 33# rf limit on the Radians. Then they went to 35#. That change was retroactive to x point, right?

Why?

I'd imagine because there were newer seats with higher weight limits coming out (35lbs), so they decided to up their weight limit (see next answer by me). That's a guess, but an educated guess.



So, those were the same seats, no change in style, structure or anything. Same seat, just retested to the higher weight limit, right?

Right. From 33lbs to 35lbs, they did nothing different -- just tested the seat with a higher weight limit.



Ok, then they did the same thing all over again, going to 40# rf. Is that right? Again, calling it retroactive to x point.

Kind of. See my next response.



Is the seat today not still the same exact seat they started with? Has there been changes in the manufacturing or structure of the seat since the beginning? I was under the impression it's been the same seat all along, it's just undergone new testing to higher limits. Passing those tests, therefore it gets a new rf limit label.

No. The newer seats, the 40lbs and + RFing seats, did undergo some changes.



If it's the same seat, why then are the retroactives only to x point? Why does that only go back a year or so. Or stop at x month?

Because from the 35 limit there were structural changes. ;)


Here is an outline, date by date, of what Radians have what weight limits. If you ever doubt what RFing weight limit your seat has, give SKJP a call. :thumbsup:

Radians before 12/07 are rear facing to 33lbs.
Radians between 1/08 - 8/08 have stickers that say 33lbs rear facing, but SKJP says that they are retroactive to 35lbs.
Anything after 9/08 has as least 40lbs rear facing.
 

Tara

New member
Thank you...reviewing this thread to continue to better wrap my head around it all.

I saw Mae's mention of the dates/versions which is what reminded me I had wanted to ask this question in hopes of obtaining more specific answers.

So...there *have* been some changes. Ok.
All I was certain of was the 33# mislabeling. I have one of those. That's the only thing I could make sense of. Sticker said one thing, manual/or SKJP said another, just a typo type issue.

But those are the two seats that ARE the same..the 33 and 35s? From there changes have been made?

(reviewing this thread and all links) Thanks so much for heading me in the right direction. :)
 

Mae

Well-known member
But those are the two seats that ARE the same..the 33 and 35s? From there changes have been made?

Yep, you are right. :)

The 33's and 35's are the same (structurally speaking) seat. The 40's+ are not. :)
 

Tara

New member
but then....there were 35s retroed to 40, right? were those 35s not the same as the previous 35s?

LOL

I'm sorry if I'm making this more complicated than it needs to be. I'm tellin' ya, I'm just having a heck of a time figuring this all out. And I've been kinda sick and all around 'off' this week and I'm losing brain cells as we speak due to this pregnancy.

I really do apologize for talking in circles. Please bear with me and thank you for your patience and repeated explanations :) :eek:
 

Mae

Well-known member
but then....there were 35s retroed to 40, right? were those 35s not the same as the previous 35s?

Oh, I see what you are saying. :D

No, there were not any Radians that were retro'ed to 40lbs. The ones that were made after 9/08 were allowing of 40lbs RFing. This is when the structural changes were made. So it wasn't that the Radian was retroactively changed to 40lbs, but it was an entire redesign of the seat. :)

Does that make sense? :eek:
 

Pixels

New member
The seats that were stickered 35 were retroed to 40. Those are all the seats made 9/08-8/09. The seats that were stickered 35 are not the same structurally as the ones that were stickered 33 but 35 in the manual. See the pics I linked above.
 

Tara

New member
Ooooooooooook

I think I'm wrapping my head around this now. I kept thinking about it last night. Things were slowly coming together LOL

Again, thank you so so much. Sorry for complicating things, really, I am. :)

I'm good now.
 

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