Question Planning to buy another Radian while on sale, SL or XTSL?

The Sunshine Kids Radians are 20% til the end of the month. Add an extra 5% at elitecarseats.com and you've got a killer deal. Even better at Buy Buy Baby with a new email subscription 20% off coupon for in store. (They said over the phone they will honor it and even drop ship in the pattern I want.)

So, I have some questions:

1. I've only ever owned the regular, not the XTSL. I read things back and forth about the side wings and am still up in the air over them. The seat would likely go to my 5 year old 47lbs, but possibly my 3 year old 40lbs. (Both FF.) Are there any real life situations where a child was more injured having NOT had side wings? My biggest concern with them is I've heard they push the child's head forward in the FF position. At one point we were looking at the Frontier and the Nautilus, and my son tried both and liked whichever one didn't push his head forward. (Think it was the Frontier.) I've not been able to try him in an XT yet, and won't until I'm in the store which is a heck of a drive for us.

Please comment as to whether your FF child has complained about the XTs head rest. I also read somewhere you could possibly take the pillow out of it so as to not push forward??

2. Patterns!!! Please see poll on separate post. (This one timed out on me before I could post a poll. Kids interrupted!) Here's the Poll thread: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=168519

We have no way of knowing if, in any given crash, a child would have been more or less injured if they were in a different seat.

I haven't found that they push the child's head forward significantly. They do seem to help hold the head up better for a sleeping kiddo. There is no pillow in the headwings to remove.

I guess that makes sense. But, there has to be a reason for the push towards head wings and there are many people who won't buy anything without them. I've tried watching crash test results and no side tests show a head actually hitting anything in a 5 point harness. Maybe it reduces whiplash if it is better contained?

I'm a firm believer that wings do provide a theoretical benefit. I don't have firm proof of that, but the human head was not designed to snap sideways (very bad things happen) and it makes sense that the less the head is able to move, the less significant the damage would be.

The problem is that most side-impact crashes don't happen with one car just sitting there and another car hitting it directly on the side. What typically happens is that the car that's hit is already moving forward (say, in an intersection), therefore causing frontal motion for the passengers in addition to the sideways motion. This means that a forward-facing kid's head might be thrown forward of the wings.

That doesn't mean they CAN'T help--and I doubt they would hurt--but I imagine wings play a more practical role rear-facing than forward-facing.

As the PP said, we have no way of knowing whether a crash would have been worse/better with a seat that did/didn't have wings because we can't replicate exact situations.

Given a choice of seats with or without wings, I'll typically choose with, but it's a personal preference.

While we're at it, If I do get the one with wings, can you guys help me figure out which child should go where in the suburban (and who would benefit the most from the wings?)

I have 3 kids, 5 yr old son who is about 48 lbs. 3 1/2 year old son who is around 39 lbs. (May return to RF as he recently asked for it, but not sure, so give me scenerios for both options.) Both boys currently FF. My oldest only turned about 6 months ago when his head was pushing the RF limits. 3 year old turned about 2 months ago for crazy reasons, but mainly because he's pushing the RF limit I think. I am not sure if it's 40 or 45. We have the older seats without the side metal bar, and the more recent, but not newest with the side metal bars, but not with SuperLatch. I know they at least meet the 40 limit, but not sure about 45. They are 80s.

And my 19 month old baby girl is 27 lbs and will rear-face for a long time to come. She is currently in a Marathon in the suburban and radian in the car.

Currently, baby is in the second row, drivers side. Just realized I could likely put her in the middle in second row, since my boys like the back. Unless I turn the 3 year old around.

I keep the flip seat flipped down for easy access to the 3rd row. My boys ride back there, and the 5 year old can buckle himself. I don't worry too much on outbound in the back as the way the row is, they are about a foot from the windows due to the tire wells/cup holders. I can tether the outbound, as well.

Oh, And major missed detail, is there will be a carpool kid (37 lb 5 year old girl) come August. My thought was to FF her in the back row in the Marathon between my two boys. But she could also go on the side. Since she will only be in the car for a short, lower speeds trip to or from school, I don't mind placing her in the least protected position.

Your older seat without the side metal bar does not have a 40 pound limit. It's 35 or 33, whatever is in the manual. If the seat has the side metal bar but not SL, then it's 40. Only 80SLs and XTSLs have the 45 limit.

Your arrangement of the kids sounds fine. The carpool girl would be in the most protected position in the center.