Rules about bracing Britax seats

ekjohnston · Apr 2, 2012

I have seen mentioned many places (forums, etc) that Britax seats can be braced if the vehicle allows it, but I haven't been able to find any information from Britax that specifically outlines this. I did not see any mention of touching at all in my manual (totally possible I missed it, but it wasn't anywhere that seemed logical). Is bracing something that is assumed allowed if not prohibited? Does Britax have a separate publication that has addressed this?

I have a 2011 Boulevard 70 and it seems like bracing is allowable from what I've read (in my 2000 Jetta), but I haven't actually found a definitive answer. I am considering moving the BV outboard to see if I can improve some installation issues (it's just a royal pain to install center with the flat, slick, firm leather and the crack where the seats fold and I have a Groupon for a car detailing that will require me to take the seat out and re-install it soon anyway). It will need to be braced for that to be feasible, though, since my husband and I are both relatively tall.

Pixels · Apr 2, 2012

I don't think it's in writing anywhere. You have to call and ask them.

Britax and Diono are the only two companies that allow bracing. Most others allow gentle touching only.

A 2000 vehicle predates advanced airbag sensors, so it's fine to brace in that vehicle. How old is your little one? You may be able to install the seat a bit more upright, which will also buy some front to back room.

ekjohnston · Apr 2, 2012

She is almost 13 months - the install in the center is fairly upright already (closer to 30 than 45), and I think about perfect for her (she can sleep with no head slump, but doesn't struggle against the straps to sit up when she's awake). I can see by eyeballing that it'll be close behind the passenger seat, but I think it'll work if we can firmly touch/brace.

I will call Britax customer support and see what they have to say! It would be nice if they had their policy in writing somewhere.

ekjohnston · Apr 3, 2012

I thought I would update - I spoke with a Britax representative and she told me that touching is okay, but bracing is not recommended. She gave some examples of bracing as anything that might lift the CR up off the rear vehicle seat or cause a dent in the front vehicle seat. I think I can probably install within those parameters - I will at least give it a try!

KaiLing · Apr 3, 2012

ekjohnston said:
I thought I would update - I spoke with a Britax representative and she told me that touching is okay, but bracing is not recommended. She gave some examples of bracing as anything that might lift the CR up off the rear vehicle seat or cause a dent in the front vehicle seat. I think I can probably install within those parameters - I will at least give it a try!

I believe this is a different definition of bracing than I've seen on Diono's facebook page and cited around here. Lifting up off the seat is often cited as too much, as in, it's past 'bracing.' Just a semantic difference, but an interesting one.

ETA: a brief googling yields this, in a comment from Diono's "tech talk" from January: "You may brace the seat up against the front vehicle seats as long as Lexus does not state otherwise. Be sure the Radian does not come up off the bottom of the vehicle seat. "

( http://www.diono.com/techtalk/home/entry/we-got-the-angle-right.html )

ekjohnston · Apr 3, 2012

That is interesting. I think the Britax rep's exact words were that "gentle touching" was okay (and then she listed the aforementioned examples as no-nos). I wouldn't be surprised if I got a slightly different answer from a different Britax rep, since the language is kind of subjective.

I also asked about tethering to a structural bar under my seat, because the website FAQ gives "a strong structural point of the seat frame in front" as an option. However, the rep said not to tether to anything that wasn't directly bolted to the floor (which isn't an option in my car due to the way the seat track and seat belts are installed). I assumed it would be because the seat can potentially be moved and yank on the CR, but she said that if the seat comes loose in a crash, it would take the CR with it. Which, true, though I don't know how likely it is for car seats to rip out of their tracks in an accident.

Pixels · Apr 3, 2012

Rip out of their tracks is unlikely. Move forward on the track is not unusual.

Rules about bracing Britax seats

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