Question Over-tightening on install?

hope41more

New member
I've seen this written twice now, and hope someone can explain this to me- how does one have too tight of a car seat install? FWIW, I have a foonf seatbelt installed and it doesn't budge, so how does one tell if their seat is too tightly installed?
 
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Brianna

New member
If you did it yourself it's probably not too tight. If 3 men put their body weight on it or you used a mighty tite that's considered over tight.
 

Keeanh

Well-known member
Other "leveraging" techniques that could allow you to go beyond average human strength (and therefore generally aren't a good idea):
- reclining the seatback, installing, and then pulling the seat back into position
- installing the carseat with the seatbelt, then sliding the vehicle seat forward
 

MamaErin

New member
Other "leveraging" techniques that could allow you to go beyond average human strength (and therefore generally aren't a good idea):
- reclining the seatback, installing, and then pulling the seat back into position
- installing the carseat with the seatbelt, then sliding the vehicle seat forward

Really? Reclining the seat back is a no no? I have seen multiple people here suggest someone try that to get a good install...
 

mlohry

New member
Other "leveraging" techniques that could allow you to go beyond average human strength (and therefore generally aren't a good idea):
- reclining the seatback, installing, and then pulling the seat back into position
- installing the carseat with the seatbelt, then sliding the vehicle seat forward

I do this often in our van. It works slick with some seats, the Recaro and the GN.
 

christineka

New member
Really? Reclining the seat back is a no no? I have seen multiple people here suggest someone try that to get a good install...

It's only bad if you get the belt too tight. Sometimes this trick is needed to get the belt sufficiently tight.
 

Keeanh

Well-known member
Sorry, should have explained further. I was mentioning it in the specific context of using it as a leveraging technique (rather than simply getting the seatback out of the way). It's something that makes it physically possible to overtighten a seatbelt, which you can't do with your arms alone.

Sometimes you need to do the seatback trick, sometimes it makes things easier. I've done it with Frontier LBP in the front of my Safari. But I said "generally" meaning it's not something most people should need to do to get an acceptable install with most vehicles and most seats. And it should be done carefully, without using the top of the seat as a lever, with the end result being a normal install. Not with the goal of getting it beyond tight.
 

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