Question Bracing question

momof12010 · Jul 31, 2011

I've just read about bracing and I'm even more confused than I already was!

I have a Mazda 3 and according to the manual it looks like bracing is not allowed against the front passenger seat because of the air bags.
What if no one ever sits in the passenger seat?
But what about the driver seat? Can you brace against the driver seat?

I have on order 2 seats from Amazon figuring I would try both out and figure out which fits better:
One is a TrueFit Premier, which may or may not allow bracing, I don't know yet
The other is a Radian XTSL, which allows bracing I think.

Does anyone if either of these seats will puzzle with a Keyfit 30? We're hoping to try for another baby and would love to use our KF30 again for the next infant.

If you have no answers for my question, maybe you can wish us luck on our convertible installs! :thumbsup:

Pixels · Jul 31, 2011

If nobody ever sits in the front passenger seat, then you don't really care if the airbag goes off or not. It would be a slightly increased repair cost if the airbag goes off when unneeded, but I think by the time your air bags are deploying, that's not a huge priority.

The risk of bracing when you have airbag warnings is that the front airbag will deploy at the wrong speed or under the wrong circumstances, putting the front passenger at risk.

Most, but not all, cars allow bracing against the driver's seat. Re-read your vehicle manual and see if the warnings apply to both front seats or if they specify just the passenger's seat.

The TrueFit allows touching but not bracing. The Radian allows bracing.

The TrueFit is a pretty wide seat and it doesn't really puzzle with anything. I don't know about the KF specifically, but the Radian is pretty narrow and puzzles well with a variety of seats.

momof12010 · Jul 31, 2011

Thank you for your answer.
I'm pretty sure the manual only talks about the passenger seat, but I'll double check.
Also, what is the difference between touching and bracing?

I see you're in Worcester county, MA, I'm not too far away (i'm in Framingham)

Pixels · Jul 31, 2011

Touching is light contact. Bracing is more forceful. If you can get a piece of paper to slide between the child restraint and vehicle seat, then it is not bracing, only touching.

If you would like help working your puzzle or to have your seats checked, I would be happy to do that for you.

momof12010 · Jul 31, 2011

Good to know. Thanks!
And I would love it if you would check our seat, that would be awesome! Thank you for offering.

KaiLing · Jul 31, 2011

My 2005 Mazda 3 does not allow bracing on the passenger seat. I would be comfortable bracing on the driver's seat, as the only sensor tells the computer where the seat is front-to-back, not weight. I could not fit a Radian RF in the Mazda 3 and fit a passenger in the front. I did not try the driver's seat, as my husband could not drive, but I think it would be too far forward for non-short adults.

Do, please, get someone who is Radian savvy to help you with the Mazda 3. Three different techs tried to help me with that combination and we didn't ever come up with an elegant solution. But we are extra tall.

momof12010 · Jul 31, 2011

My husband is 5'6" and I'm 5'2" so not short-short but definitely not tall, will that help our case with the Radian? Also, I always sit in the back when DH is driving and the last time I sat in the front passenger seat was when the in-laws were watching our son. So it's very rarely that we ever have someone sit in the front passenger seat.
After discussing it with my husband we'd probably upgrade to a Mazda 5 if we ever have another child.
Will the TF fit better in the Mazda 3 than the Radian?

Pixels · Jul 31, 2011

The TF generally takes up less room front to back, but it's not three across friendly. I have both a TrueFit and a Radian in my car right now.

KaiLing · Aug 1, 2011

momof12010 said:
Will the TF fit better in the Mazda 3 than the Radian?

I haven't had a TF in the Mazda 3, but if you're considering a 35 lbs RF seat, I think anything would fit better than the Radian, and the only thing you're gaining with the Radian is the 45 lbs RF.

Pixels · Aug 1, 2011

KaiLing said:
I haven't had a TF in the Mazda 3, but if you're considering a 35 lbs RF seat, I think anything would fit better than the Radian, and the only thing you're gaining with the Radian is the 45 lbs RF.

The Radian also has the second-highest shell for RFing, higher FFing limits, is low profile, narrow, and folds for easy travel. Even if one isn't interested in the higher weight limits, there are a number of other features that may make the Radian desirable.

KaiLing · Aug 1, 2011

Pixels said:
The Radian also has the second-highest shell for RFing, higher FFing limits, is low profile, narrow, and folds for easy travel. Even if one isn't interested in the higher weight limits, there are a number of other features that may make the Radian desirable.

I totally said that wrong. I completely agree, just not for my Mazda 3 (which is a 2005 sedan, the hatchbacks might be different). The Radian's shell height was wonderful for my kid--the only thing he fit!--but it meant no front seat passenger. So if you've got any other option for ERF, I'd weigh those other options more heavily *in the Mazda 3*. Generally I'm a big radian fan for tall kids.

KaiLing · Aug 1, 2011

I tried out the Radian RF behind the driver's seat in my 2005 Mazda 3, with a fair amount of success. Without bracing I can not drive, because my knee hits the steering column. But with a seat belt install (LATCH put it in the wrong place) and a rather small amount of bracing I can get the seat far enough back for me to drive. It's a tiny tiny bit closer than I'd like, two clicks leaning back and I think I heard 6 clicks sliding the seat back (they're very close together). The seat bight was just a teensy bit towards the back seat from the vertical column of the door (does that make sense? Just a little bit past right in line with each other). My boobs were 12" almost exactly from the steering wheel. I am tall, but with short legs.

I could have smooshed it back even more, but the Radian was touching the seat between the seat and the head rest and I didn't love putting a bunch of pressure there.

It was a very upright angle: 32, maybe? Not acceptable for a newborn at all, but fine for a toddler.

momof12010 · Aug 3, 2011

That is great to know, thank you for trying it.
The 2 car seats I ordered (Radian and TFP) will be arriving in the next 2 days and we'll be trying installs over the weekend.
Do you have any recommendations as to what our process should be for a good, solid install?

mommycat · Aug 3, 2011

Just confirming that the Radian works fairly well in the Mazda3 and can be put in more upright. I have put a Radian in a Mazda3 for a friend, pass side, and she could still sit up front (though not quite as comfortably as she would have liked). I think she is fairly average height, I think I did post it in the Radian Successful Install thread. We had to work for a while to get it in more upright but we did manage to get it much better with me standing behind the seat and managing the recline while she pulled the latch strap through the RF beltpath from the side of the car. Putting it center pushed the seat forward more and made it a bit more unstable (center hump and leather seats) so outboard worked better. She needed the driver's seat free to slide back as her DH is very tall.

KaiLing · Aug 3, 2011

I think Mommycat described well the way to get it more upright. If you're installing by yourself, check out Defrost's avatar picture: she's demonstrating there how you put pressure both down and back by yourself. I have much more success in general with two people so that's my first choice. Also do first try the LATCH and then try the seat belt.

That said, I on many occasions have not had the kind of success in my Mazda 3 that Mommycat is describing, so maybe it differs from model year to model year, or maybe I'm just too tall for the passenger seat without bracing, or maybe my kid was too heavy for it to stay there... lots of factors, but nice to hear that there's hope. Good luck: trying sounds fun to me, but I'm crazy.

Pixels · Aug 3, 2011

KaiLing said:
I think Mommycat described well the way to get it more upright. If you're installing by yourself, check out Defrost's avatar picture: she's demonstrating there how you put pressure both down and back by yourself. I have much more success in general with two people so that's my first choice. Also do try both LATCH and seat belt.

That said, I on many occasions have not had the kind of success in my Mazda 3 that Mommycat is describing, so maybe it differs from model year to model year, or maybe I'm just too tall for the passenger seat without bracing, or maybe my kid was too heavy for it to stay there... lots of factors, but nice to hear that there's hope. Good luck: trying sounds fun to me, but I'm crazy.

I know what you were trying to say, but for anyone who doesn't realize:
Never use both LATCH and seatbelt together. KaiLing meant to try LATCH, and if that doesn't work to try seatbelt instead.

KaiLing · Aug 3, 2011

Oh no, great catch, thank you!

momof12010 · Aug 3, 2011

Pixels said:
I know what you were trying to say, but for anyone who doesn't realize:
Never use both LATCH and seatbelt together. KaiLing meant to try LATCH, and if that doesn't work to try seatbelt instead.

Of course! I understood that : )

@ Pixels: If I wanted to have you check our install, how would I go about it? Can I pm you my details?

Pixels · Aug 3, 2011

Yep, PMing me is probably the best way to get a hold of me. Then we just figure out a date/time/place to meet up.

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