Foonf Install

monica-m

CPST Instructor

• Dec 17, 2012

• #1

I did a seat check today for a family with a Foonf and a 2006 Malibu. It came to me in the box in forward facing mode with the harness in the second slots. Baby is about 28", 19ish lbs and is 1 year old today. Little man has lots of leg room.

We installed it rear facing in the center seating position with the vehicle seat belt. Mom gave me permission to post pictures.

Putting the rear facing foot on was not difficult. Putting the ARB on was more of a challenge. You have to hit it pretty hard to get it in to place. In order to get the pins that hold the ARB on in place, the LATCH mini connectors had to be removed from their storage spot.

The manual is not well written. It will tell you that you have to have the ARB installed to rear face and that for install of the ARB you need to see that section of the manual but they do not give a page number so you're constantly flipping back and forth and trying to find things in the table of contents. I was not at all impressed with the way the manual is written. It is not written in a manner that will make it easy for an average parent to read and do the installation.

When I went to meet Chris and see the Foonf, it was my understanding that the ARB would not be required in RF mode and that rear facing tethering would be allowed. I did not see anything in the manual that indicated that this was the case. Mom wanted to use the ARB so I didn't look that hard because I was too busy flipping around the manual trying to figure out the installation.

I did sit in the front seat and take a few pictures to see if my view was blocked. I did not feel like it was. Mom made a comment about how the seat wasn't as big as she expected it to be once it was installed.

 

J

JaniceO

New member

• Dec 17, 2012

• #2

Ok, you have just fueled my desire for a Foonf instead of a Radian. Dang it!

 

hrice

New member

• Dec 17, 2012

• #3

That is very disappointing about the manual.


Thanks for the post. I am doing a check with one this week.

 

TechnoGranola

Forum Ambassador

• Dec 17, 2012

• #4

So they ship them in FF mode on 2nd slots?

Did she happen to check her visibility with the headrest raised? I think she's lucky her seat is flat. My vehicle, the centre seat is raised and forward compared to the outboard seats so it creates a much larger blockage than your pics.

 

monica-m

CPST Instructor

• Dec 17, 2012

• #5

Unless Mom changed the harness but I don't think she did.

 

Phineasmama

New member

• Dec 17, 2012

• #6

That looks really really nice!!

One thing I did notice was that the headrest is in a pretty low position. It looks like you can see just fine out the rear window, but the kid in the seat is just a little guy so I wonder if the view would still be okay with a larger RF child and the head rest up further?

I keep having the urge to buy one but I don't think DD2 would like the wings, she gets so pissy and annoying in seats with big head wings

 

monica-m

CPST Instructor

• Dec 17, 2012

• #7

We were rapidly loosing daylight so I wasn't able to play with it as much as I wanted to. I wanted to try DS in it to see how he fit and if I could still see over it but we just didn't have the time.

 

tam_shops

New member

• Dec 17, 2012

• #8

Installed, would you compare it to the size/space/height of the classic MAs?

Thanks for sharing!

tam

 

Ozella21

New member

• Dec 18, 2012

• #9

I was able to install my Foonf, today. Here are some quick pics I took. Please excuse the mess.

 

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monica-m

CPST Instructor

• Dec 18, 2012

• #10

tam_shops said:

Installed, would you compare it to the size/space/height of the classic MAs?

Thanks for sharing!

tam

Click to expand...

It's larger but I don't think it's by much. It's probably a different story with the headrest extended though.

 

Persimmon

Active member

• Dec 18, 2012

• #11

As far as using the ARB being optional my Foonf manual states:

"Clek is working toward the ability to allow for an alternative Extended Rear-Facing use mode which will allow Foonf owners to keep their children rear facing longer in small vehicles.
This Extended Rear-Facing use mode will make it easier to install the Foonf rear facing with older children in smaller vehicles without interference between the child seat and the back of the front vehicle seat and will be intended only for children who are at least 1 year old and have good head control."

It then gives you a link to check for updates:
http://www.clekinc.com/support/ERF

When you go to the link it says:
Foonf is currently under testing for ERF (extended Rear-Facing) installation. We will provide guidelines as result of that testing soon.

 

O

orwell1984

New member

• Dec 18, 2012

• #12

Persimmon said:

"Clek is working toward the ability to allow for an alternative Extended Rear-Facing use mode which will allow Foonf owners to keep their children rear facing longer in small vehicles."

Click to expand...

Can someone explain to me why the alternative mode is needed in small cars? I am not a tech, so I may be missing something obvious to most of you. I get that the bar is somewhat in the way, but does it prevent people with compact cars from maxing out the RF time?

I ask this as a Honda Civic owner who just got my new Foonf today.

 

TechnoGranola

Forum Ambassador

• Dec 18, 2012

• #13

orwell1984 said:

Can someone explain to me why the alternative mode is needed in small cars? I am not a tech, so I may be missing something obvious to most of you. I get that the bar is somewhat in the way, but does it prevent people with compact cars from maxing out the RF time?

I ask this as a Honda Civic owner who just got my new Foonf today.

Click to expand...

Before it was released, I was told by Clek there were 2 recline modes RF. One with ARB, more reclined and one without, less reclined (for the USA, Canadians would only be able to use the more reclined mode as the ARB was to be required in Canada). The less reclined mode would take up less space.

After one of the last delays, a friend of mine emailed asking about the reclines and was told there was actually 3 recline positions for the USA and one for Canada with the ARB. She was also told something similar to what was quoted above from the manual, that they were looking into options to have the 2 less reclined options usable in Canada by way of a different ARB bar or some other method. It sounds like all of this is applying to the USA now as well though.

 

O

orwell1984

New member

• Dec 18, 2012

• #14

TechnoGranola said:

The less reclined mode would take up less space.

Click to expand...

Ah, that makes sense! Thank you. Yes, I do see in the manual that RF requires not only the ARB, but also to be on the 3rd recline position, which is the one that is fully reclined.

As an aside, is there ever a point at which it would be unsafe for an older child to stay at that incline even though they continued to meet height/weight RF requirements? I don't know if older children are less reclined strictly for comfort or also for safety.

 

N

nospam

New member

• Dec 19, 2012

• #15

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uO10Y95Y5q4&sns=em"]Clek Foonf Prototype Installation - YouTube[/ame]

33" front2back RF fully reclined with ARB
26" front2back RF in upper position no ARB

 

J

jubgulia

Active member

• Dec 19, 2012

• #16

Clek said on their Facebook page today that you can now use the second recline position WITH the anti-rebound bar RF. They will be adding a manual addendum on the website at some point.

 

monica-m

CPST Instructor

• Dec 20, 2012

• #17

I don't know that will work in many vehicles because of the angle the ARB is at in relation to the vehicle seat back, especially when the seat back is not adjustable. I really wish they were allowing RF tethering like they said they would.

The seat itself is great but there at many little things that seem like not much effort was put in to and that disappoints me with how long we have had to wait for this seat to come out.

 

Ozella21

New member

• Dec 20, 2012

• #18

I installed mine in the 2nd position, as per clek and it did not give me any problems.

ETA: to add not.

 

Last edited: Dec 20, 2012

monica-m

CPST Instructor

• Dec 20, 2012

• #19

Ozella21 said:

I installed mine in the 2nd position, as per clek and it did not give me any problems.

ETA: to add not.

Click to expand...

I would love to see pictures. I wish I could get my hands on another one to try different installs.

I really hope they get whatever manual addendums they have published soon. As a tech, I am very apprehensive to advise/encourage a parent to use a seat in a manner that we don't have official, in writing approval from the manufacturer for.

 

Ozella21

New member

• Dec 20, 2012

• #20

monica-m said:

I would love to see pictures. I wish I could get my hands on another one to try different installs.

I really hope they get whatever manual addendums they have published soon. As a tech, I am very apprehensive to advise/encourage a parent to use a seat in a manner that we don't have official, in writing approval from the manufacturer for.

Click to expand...

Up thread are the pics of it installed in the second position, I just this am moved the seat to my middle seat.