Britax Frontier 85 harness height adjustment?

Anifan

New member
Sorry if this post is redundant, but I just purchased 2 Britax Frontier 85's as these seemed to get better reviews overall than some of the other FF harness/booster seats. I'm a bit bummed that the harness height, although they say it is "no-threading" still requires that the seat be uninstalled to adjust the harness height. Is this correct, or am I missing an easier way to do this? Just installed the seat and was expecting to adjust it similar to how we adjusted our TFP or CA, and no such luck as the adjuster is in the back of the seat. Is it a total PITA to adjust when you have several kids using the same seat?

Thanks for any input!!! :)
 
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PikkuMyy

New member
It depends on how difficult it is to install in your car since you'd be uninstalling/installing a lot. :) The harness height adjustment itself is simple. You don't need to rethread the harness.
 

aept

New member
Unfortunately it's not as easy as some other "no rethread" seats to adjust.
What seat(s) in what cars will it be installed in? I have our Frontier 85 in the third row center of our dodge grand caravan. I would personally disconnect the top tether, recline the vehicle seat-back without unbuckling the seatbelt (so not totally un-install), adjust harness height, return vehicle seat to upright position (requires some effort), and re-do the top tether. Kinda a PITA but not as bad as completely undoing the install, IMO.

But really what I would hope for is that the kids sharing would have similar torso heights and then I would make a parental decision to have the straps possibly a bit too high for the smaller kiddo. I figure some other seats have their harness slots 2-3 inches apart so I am personally comfortable with that amount of room above the kid's shoulders if needed in a seat-sharing situation. Not much more though.
 

Keeanh

Well-known member
Depending on the vehicle seat, you might be able to get at it by loosening off the top tether. I can get to it in one particular seat, but not in any others. But yeah, the no-rethread isn't much good on the Frontier :rolleyes:. If it's in a seat that reclines, you might be able to carefully recline the seat, adjust, and put the seat back up. But you'd have to make sure the seatbelt didn't ratchet back (if you have a locking retractor) to avoid putting undue stress on the seatbelt when you put the seat back up.
 

MommyShannon

New member
Yeah, I love our Frontiers but the no rethread harness isn't convenient to switch for different riders. I've checked though and my 4.5 DS fits fine in my almost 7 year old DD's Frontier with the harness set for her.
 

Athena

Well-known member
I think a lot of us find that frustrating.

However, I've been told here it's okay for me to let my younger DD ride in my older DD's seat with the straps a bit higher than they need to be set for younger DD. So unless the kids have a huge range in torso height, it might still work okay.

Although the other issue with seat sharing is whether they are using the same crotch buckle slot. My kids are, but if not, you'd have to be switching that back and forth too, a larger pain and something a different height adjuster would not fix. Hopefully this is not an issue for you.

Otherwise, we have been really happy with our Frontier 85s. I hope yours works out for you.
 

Anifan

New member
Thanks everyone!!!

That's kind of what I expected. One is installed in my DH's Chevy Malibu, so I don't think the "reclining seat" trick with the tether strap unhooked is an option there, but it may be in my Prius V :)love:).

Oh yeah, didn't even think about the crotch buckle -- total PITA to readjust! LOL! Why don't they make the FF harness/booster seats as adjustable as the convertible seats seem to be???

DS1 is the main rider -- I was just anticipating the need as he gets older, his younger brother DS2 may want to occasionally ride in it. I guess this will be a good excuse to tell him "no!" lol! ;)

The Frontier for my car is still in the box and I can return for free back to Amazon, as I was thinking perhaps the Graco Argos 70 would be a better choice? Or do most of you still have more love for the Britax Frontier 85 (not the SICT version)?
 

Brianna

New member
I have a Malibu and I like the Argos in it- I can fully adjust the height while it's installed, with a child in it. For some reason I couldn't tighten the harness at first, but now there's no problem. The buckles are not easy to do though- so definitely try before you buy. If you want pics, here's my album http://www.car-seat.org/album.php?albumid=231 (this is the new 08 version, not classic 08)
 

Anifan

New member
I have a Malibu and I like the Argos in it- I can fully adjust the height while it's installed, with a child in it. For some reason I couldn't tighten the harness at first, but now there's no problem. The buckles are not easy to do though- so definitely try before you buy. If you want pics, here's my album http://www.car-seat.org/album.php?albumid=231 (this is the new 08 version, not classic 08)



Thanks, Brianna! Those are great pics! :)

Ugh - decisions, decisions ... :D
 

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