Why does the Radian have install issues?

I was just wondering, why is it that the radian has some install issues with some vehicles? Is it the different shapes and sizes of the vehicle seats, or the way the seatbelt or latch is in different vehicles?
Doesnt it seem like any car should be able to get a tight fit with any car seat since they have latch now and/or most seatbelts retract if you pull them all the way out when installing?
What is it that keeps some seats from installing in certain cars?

My guess, and it's only a guess because I haven't actually had to install one IRL, based on what I've read from other people...

It seems like the belt path on the Radian is lower &/or closer to the back of the seat than "usual." This means that vehicles with belts front of the bight are going to be incompatible or at least difficult to get tight at a rate much higher than for other seats.

It is because the belt paths are lower. If there is a belt stalk in the car, I have to twist it down. With latch, it is really easy, atleast I think.

There's really no easy answer to that one, as the reason for the incompatibility varies on a case by case basis. Here are some on the common reasons for why Radians *can* have problems.

Not all cars have latch, even the ones who do have it, do not generally have latch anchors strong enough for a child to continue using the latch instillation past 40-48 lbs.

Not every car has latch in the position that the car seat needs to go into.

A lot of times, latch does not allow the seat to be installed as close to the door as the seatbelt will, so parents needed to put two seats next to each other may have to use the seatbelt even though the cs is in a seating position that does have latch.

Contours of vehicle seats vary, as does the placement of seat belts. Just because the seatbelt locks, it doesn't mean it can tighten enough around the seat to install it correctly without an extreme amount of work. If a seat takes 2 techs, and a really big fireman to install it correctly, the parent will never be able to recreate it on their own. The round peg may be able to be forced into a square hole, but unless the parents are going to carry all the people needed to do it around in the trunk, it is better to just pick a seat that doesn't cause so much hassle.

Latch and lockability standards were intended to cure car seat incompatibility issues, unfortunately, they are about as successful at making all car seats fit all cars as shoestrings are at making all size 8 tennis shoes fit all size 8 feet. There is just way too many variables, and unfortunately, the features that make seat belts safer for humans, make them harder to use for car seats.

Personally, I have not had the Radian not fit in any of the cars I have needed to use it in. But I am not your average parent either. I have a few (well, a lot of) tricks up my sleeve to help me out. Plus, I'm WAY more stubborn than most.

Kimberly

I think it's a combo of low belt path and no base. The seat is just so close to the vehicle seat that it can be difficult to get the belt tight enough depending on the width of vehicle seat belts and the contours of the vehicle seats. For instance, in my truck, the middle location has a narrower width between seatbelt anchor to buckle. This position is hard to tighten because the belt ends up coming from just slightly behind the seat. On seats with bases, the belt has a chance to come up and out to the belt path, so it's not as hard. So while it's difficult to get in in the middle, outboard I have a much easier time.

I think another issue is that depending on the length of your buckle stalks and where it is in relation to the belt path, it's hard to actually tighten the belt through the buckle. Once the belt is tight enough, it tends to scrunch slightly in the buckle - which is perfectly fine - but if it's scrunched a bit before you have the seat tight enough, it becomes difficult to tighten further and sometimes you have to unbuckle the belt and start again.

The base is also very smooth, and I've found that my biggest problem in some seating locations is front to back movement even when I have no side to side movement. Although I don't have that problem when installing it rf'ing. :shrugshoulders:

I think for the most part though, the Radian is compatible with a lot more vehicles than it seems, it's just a matter of knowing the right tricks - and in some cases the right combination of tricks, to get it in tight.

I've also found that is installs very well with locking latchplates, but not necessarily well with switchable retractors. The belt path is so low that a locking clip is needed mecause the seatbelt retracts to the point that it unlocks the seatbelt.