are the new Britax more "flexy?"

teekadog

Active member
I'm playing with seats to buy today so I'm going to be on here a lot LOL.

I have an Advocate 70 installed in a captains chair next to a classic Marathon installed in an identical chair, both rfing with LATCH. The Advocate is looser than the Marathon. I have reinstalled them both (MA twice, Advo 4x!) so they are in as tight as I can get them. But the Advo is just not "rock the car" tight like the MA always is. And it just feels flexible. I can grab near the had on the Marathon and it's still rock the car tight, but if I grab the same place on the Advo, really only the upper half of the Advo wiggles.

I'm okay with this if it's how the seats are designed, I get that, but it surprised me. Is it the safe cell technology?
 
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leighi123

Active member
It it moves less than 1" along the belt path, you are good. Most rf seats will move some at the top of the seat and that is normal.
 

teekadog

Active member
Oh, it's definitely in there acceptably, but it's not installing AS tightly as the classic, and that surprises me. Also, there is flex in the Advo that there just ISN'T in the MA. Now I've got them both installed rock the car solid: if I shake the top of the MA's shell back and forth, the whole seat shakes in unison, but if I do the same with the Advo (yes, the shell, not the SIP), I get more play, especially at the top of the seat vs. the bottom.

Like I said, I'm okay with this, I'd just like to know WHY :)

P.S. Top tethers not in use.
 

Kegracin

Active member
No idea if true or not....but i figured they decided the seat didn't have to be as ridged and wanted it to give a little more. I was thinking on the lines of new car crash vs old car crash. But again just my thinking....because i noticed this too. I wonder if you called Britax if they would provide some input.
 

teekadog

Active member
Glad I'm not the only one who noticed! I don't know if I'll take the time to call Britax about it. I'm sure they know, and did it for a good reason. I was just curious.

Thanks all!
 

Meg

Well-known member
I have a RA 55 and there is definitely some flex to it. There's a bounce to the shell of the new seats that the old seats don't have.
 

Athena

Well-known member
Interesting. I think you're saying two things: (1) the new 70 is not as rock solid tight as the classic, and (2) the new seat itself has a bit more flex in the pastic than the classic. Is that right?

As far as the installs, I found the same thing. The new seat still installs nice and tight and does so fairly quickly and easily, but the old one installed rock solid did not move at all and really quickly. Of course, part of it for me might be that the classic seat had been in there a long time and had that nice groove already compressed into the seat. ;) I haven't installed the new enough to really compare.

As far as flexibility of the material, I know they did change the materials and would be curious to hear Britax' answer if you decide to call, but I haven't compared them in the way you're describing. Hmmm, I do have a classic and a new seat both in the next room and I have to "dress" :D them anyway so maybe I'll play with them a bit.
 

Minnesota

CPST Instructor
The install is not affected at all by the flexibility of the top of the seat/seat back. I had two classic MA's, and just got a MA70, and the seat back is definitely more flexible than the older style.

But when you check how snug the install is, you're only checking at the belt path, and that feels exactly as solid as the old MA's always did. Don't ever check your installs by grabbing the top of the seat, that will tell you exactly nothing about how secure your install is.
 

Meg

Well-known member
Interesting. I think you're saying two things: (1) the new 70 is not as rock solid tight as the classic, and (2) the new seat itself has a bit more flex in the plastic than the classic. Is that right?

For me, the new seats install just as quickly and rock solid. The flexibility/bounciness to the new seats has no effect on the install. The base of the seat stays put and doesn't move the slightest bit if I push and pull and make the shell of the seat jiggle around a bit. I figured that probably has something to do with the SafeCell technology.
 

cpsaddict

New member
The 70 is definitely more flexible than the older models, but it still installs perfectly solid. It's just a difference in design and I think some of the movement has to do with the SafeCell technology. Of course, some of it is the more flexible shell materials, too.
 

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