Radian wouldn't fit RF in my car :(

I went to my local baby store yesterday and tried to fit a Radian RF in my car (2004 Honda Civic.. passenger side).
It hovered 3 inches off the seat.
Was I doing something wrong or is that just how it is in some cars? I REALLY liked how roomy the seat looked for my son and love how compact it is width-wise.

Will it fit RF in the middle? I know it fits between the seats in the Vibe/Matrix w/ the seats all (or almost all) the way back.

tam

Here is someone who got one in a 2004 Civic:
http://www.car-seat.org/showpost.php?p=1111426&postcount=384

Here is the Radian succssfull install thread. You can search for more civic results. Many people have had success with it: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=18235

I am fairly certain the Radian will fit in the Civic. Is there a tech that works at the store that is familiar with the Radian? Or one that could meet you there? Also, what do you mean by hover? Was the rear facing boot on it?

Sent from my iPhone. Please excuse my auto correct.

I had the passenger seat all the way forward (might not have been totally upright though?)
The rear-facing boot was on.
I couldn't even get the bottom of the Radian to touch the seat, there was 3 inches of air where it hovered, touching the headrest from the front seat.

The salesperson at the store told me she wouldn't recommend the Radian anyway.. she said she wasn't a fan of it.

I sort of tried it in the middle but it looked like it would require the driver's seat be pushed forward more and we're both tall people. We can be a little bit cramped in the front seat as a passenger, but not as a driver to be safe.

My husband liked the big bulky sides of the Britax Advocate, says it looked safer to him.

I'm wondering if the seat was pushed all the way up and folded up? You should be able to get the passenger seat out of the way to install-- I have stood behind a radian in a 2004 civic, so I'm certain you can at least ge it in there before you check to see how far back the seat can go. Were you attempting a 45 degree angle or something more upright? The radian can be as upright as you can get it.

I have the Radian installed in the center of my '05 Civic. I'm pretty sure the back seats are the same between the '05 and the '04. They changed them with the '06 model year.

When it is installed in the center, it reclines A LOT. When I first put my Radian in there I was sure it didn't fit. Then I found out that the Radian can be forcefully braced/shoved against the backs of the front seats.

As it turns out, I actually have to keep both my front seats pushed ALL the way back in order to keep the Radian from reclining more than the 45 degrees which is allowed. This is OK because we are all tall; I normally would drive with my seat up one or two clicks, but I'm ok with it being all the way back. DH likes it all the way back anyway.

I hope the angle adjuster works well for us so we don't have to keep the seats all the way back forever, but for now it works great for us.

You can shove the seat against the front seats as hard as you need to as long as it does not actually lift the Radian off the vehicle seat. I have not been able to fit mine outboard either (although, again, I hope the angle adjuster which is due out soon solves that problem) but it is perfect in the center.

I just installed my radian on the passenger side in my brother's 2005 civic last week, and while the front passenger seat wasn't super comfortable, it was usable. It installed fine with either latch or the seatbelt, but the stalk had to be twisted with the seatbelt. When you install, push down at the front of the seat and pull the back toward the back of the car while you tighten. I got a great angle without bracing, but the pushed the front seat back so it could be used.

I wanted to update that we went back to the store, saw that it would fit in the middle just fine so we went ahead and bought it.
I did find it very uncomfortable to sit next to it (I'm a big lady).

Anyway, I wanted to attempt a passenger-side installation since I knew it was possible (thanks to you ladies). I got it in, the front seat is usable though not extremely comfortable... I have to wait and see what my carpool friend says tomorrow since she has to sit there every day for 20 minutes each way and my husband says he refuses to sit there. But then again my husband prefers to drive anyway.

I got it installed in a matter of minutes and that thing will not budge at ALL. Its rock solid! so happy!!!

Now I just have to contact them for a new infant head support since mine got snagged in the base when I unpacked unfolded it and it has a hole torn in it. I also might have to remove the shoulder pads since we have it tightened to the limit with those on and I don't know if it was snug enough (we were rushing the basic belt position adjustments before his bedtime).

Thanks so much ladies!! I now just have to find time to have it inspected, but I'm very confident its in there correctly.

By the end of the week, the company should have an accessory that will help with your installation and front seat passenger space. Look for something called the Diono Angle Adjuster at Amazon . It's not there yet, but it should be there any day now.

Or maybe they can send you one when you call about the support cushions.