Britax Frontier 90...pros and cons

newmommy929 · Jul 9, 2013

Ok, so I am thinking about getting the FR90 for my small 5 1/2 year old. He is like 36lbs and 38inches or so. I currently have the FR85 with SICT and am trying to sell it to fund the FR90. I
just wanted to see what you all liked or didnt like about it. If there were things you didnt like, was it enough for you to hate the seat? What about the comfort of it? Does it seem "cushy" enough, etc. Pretty much I want to know everything about it...good or bad...thanks!

Athena · Jul 9, 2013

I don't own a 90, but I did try one and haven't totally ruled out getting it. I like the click tight and the idea of the safe cell (although I'd like to know how well it actually performs). What's been stopping me? It's probably how much I like our 85s with their super tall booster settings and comfy fabrics and my concern about the problems some people are having tightening the harness. I don't like how much taller the wings are on the 90s because it really blocks my view compared to our 85s and they weigh a lot. There are other nice features on the 90 that I would probably enjoy, like the front harness height adjuster and the crotch strap that stays forward. HTH.

bnsnyde · Jul 9, 2013

We just bought one. Child is almost 7.
Only cons for me are 1. It's hard to tighten and actually get it tight. I expect better from Britax, especially after dealing with Radians. 2. To loosen, the button is wayyyy back there. 3. He is on the second to last slot. Maybe that's typical but it certainly won't harness him for too long.

I think anything he sits in will be huge and tall and block the view.
It was very easy to install! I find their tethers difficult compared to other brands, though.

Phineasmama · Jul 9, 2013

I love the seat overall. My kids are using them harnessed at the moment. I just checked it as a booster in the 2nd row of my van and it actually works! The FR85 was crap in that position.

I do not like that its hard to reach the harness adjuster. And that sometimes the headrest rattles around while I'm driving.

jpegtle · Jul 9, 2013

Pros: Love the click tight. Seems comfortable enough.

Cons: the harness is too hard to adjust and get tight and the headrest rattles when there is no kid strapped in....

nannykates · Jul 9, 2013

Con-you may loose harness height in vehicle due to hitting the ceiling (for example it only gets up to 18.75" in my accord ouboard).

Athena · Jul 9, 2013

bnsnyde said:
3. He is on the second to last slot. Maybe that's typical but it certainly won't harness him for too long.

My 6 1/2 yo's on the top 85 position.

bnsnyde said:
I think anything he sits in will be huge and tall and block the view.

I meant compared to our 85s. It's not just that the head wings are bigger, but the button sticking up. It was a noticeable difference and a big con for me.

newmommy929 · Jul 9, 2013

bnsnyde said:
We just bought one. Child is almost 7.
Only cons for me are 1. It's hard to tighten and actually get it tight. I expect better from Britax, especially after dealing with Radians. 2. To loosen, the button is wayyyy back there. 3. He is on the second to last slot. Maybe that's typical but it certainly won't harness him for too long.

I think anything he sits in will be huge and tall and block the view.
It was very easy to install! I find their tethers difficult compared to other brands, though.

Why is it so difficult to get it tight and actually tighten it? I have looked at it a couple times and have realized the button is WAY back, not fun, but not horrible. Why did they do that? Well at the rate my kiddos grow (or dont for that matter), they could stay harnessed for a LONG time.

Does the FR90 blocm the view that much compared to the FR85? I guess my 5 1/2 year old is small so he doesnt have it up super high or in booster mode so that may make a differance. My 5 year old is currently (and will stay) in the back outboard of our '11 Odyssey, wonder how it would work there.

I think I would REALLY like the ease of installing it, something I would trust my DH to do and not screw it up!

lol

But from the sounds of it, do most people who have the FR90 like it over all for the most part?

Thanks for all the info and help!

newmommy929 · Jul 9, 2013

How and why in the world does the headrest make noise with no kid strapped in? How annoying is that?

YinzerMama · Jul 9, 2013

I have played with them at BRU and they are really nice, if I was starting from scratch I'd go for the fr90 because of the easy install... but I have 2 fr85s and there's not enough wrong with those that I know of to warrant 2 new pricey seats. I doubt we will even use the fr85s to the limits of harnessing but who knows at this point. (I have 2 5yos in them and plan to hand one of the fr85s down to my youngest in Dec of next year - we'll have to see who fits where and in what and how when the time comes)

As it stands - fr85 has some little annoyances that could be improved upon but nothing big enough to justify a new seat. Comfort wise my kids like both. Unless you need something narrower (and I don't know if it is narrower even without the cushions) I'm not sure I'd make the switch. The install is super easy and the adjustment up or down is super easy but it's not like you need to do either all that often anyway. I always use harness adjustment day as a push to give my car a good cleaning so I am not sure I would want that feature

Athena · Jul 10, 2013

:yeahthat: It's harder to justify when one already has the 85. But if I were starting fresh, it has some really nice features.

newmommy929 · Jul 10, 2013

Athena said:
:yeahthat: It's harder to justify when one already has the 85. But if I were starting fresh, it has some really nice features.

I completely get that...I am just thinking I really don't need/want the huge SICT on my FR85. If it wasn't for that, I probably wouldn't even consider it. As my kiddos will probably never Max out the weight on the 85 or 90 (they are small). I am just trying to think of my options as if I would ever need to do 3 across in the back of my '11 Odyssey and with an Advocate and a FR85 with SICT back there...there is NO reason. Make sense?

How is the seat so hard to tighten/keep tight? For those who have it, would you not get it because of it? Thanks for all the help and advice.

On a side note...how to I make a "signature" at the bottom of al my posts like you all have? Thanks!

newmommy929 · Jul 10, 2013

Suppose I better go and look at the seat again and these issues today...

BSoares · Jul 10, 2013

jpegtle said:
Pros: Love the click tight. Seems comfortable enough.

Cons: the harness is too hard to adjust and get tight and the headrest rattles when there is no kid strapped in....

+1 on all these comments. Installing the seat is easy, I think even a child can do it. The harness does get really hard to move once you're close to the right position, when it's pulled far then it moves easily. And it rattles like crazy, every time I stop my car I try to see if moving something around (like the loose harness or buckle) will help with the noise but it's really the headrest piece that shakes too much.

newmommy929 · Jul 10, 2013

BSoares said:
+1 on all these comments. Installing the seat is easy, I think even a child can do it. The harness does get really hard to move once you're close to the right position, when it's pulled far then it moves easily. And it rattles like crazy, every time I stop my car I try to see if moving something around (like the loose harness or buckle) will help with the noise but it's really the headrest piece that shakes too much.

This kinda bothers me about everyone saying how noisy it is, I wonder why that is. How annoying is it? So basically what everyone is saying, is that when the child is i the seat and when you are almost to the correct position it is hard to adjust...correct? Does it get easier over time? Would that be something that would stop you from buying it if you would have known that previously?

YinzerMama · Jul 10, 2013

newmommy929 said:
I completely get that...I am just thinking I really don't need/want the huge SICT on my FR85. If it wasn't for that, I probably wouldn't even consider it. As my kiddos will probably never Max out the weight on the 85 or 90 (they are small). I am just trying to think of my options as if I would ever need to do 3 across in the back of my '11 Odyssey and with an Advocate and a FR85 with SICT back there...there is NO reason. Make sense?

How is the seat so hard to tighten/keep tight? For those who have it, would you not get it because of it? Thanks for all the help and advice.

On a side note...how to I make a "signature" at the bottom of al my posts like you all have? Thanks!

Do you mean the very back? If you need to get 3 across the back of an Ody even the fr90 over the fr with the side impact cushions might still be too much. I have a '12 Ody, it is a TIGHT fit back there. I don't know why Honda has to make their 3rd row so tiny. I have my 2 fr85s back there and there's hardly any room at all between them - if I needed to do 3 across back there I am not sure I'd have a frontier of any flavor in the mix at all. Maybe it can be done but I don't know. Maybe alternating ff and rf. Wouldn't be my top pic. If you have a non-sict model already and have to work with it that's one thing but if you're buying something new, as you would be, it might not be the best pick. Someone who has squooshed 3 seats back there will have to speak more to this, I have never attempted it.

With regard to weights, they are kind of meaningless. It's nice that Britax actually gives seated heights on their web page now so you have some more meaningful information to work with. You only gain 1/2 inch on the fr90 over the 85 which is imo is inconsequential for most people. The 85 is already plenty tall. But as far as weight I would suspect most people do NOT max out a ff seat for weight. (Rf, yes - ff, probably not) My oldest just hit 80 pounds and the thought of him being harnessed is laughable. It's nice that the seats will hold that much, and it's nice to know they will be safe for your kid, but it does kind of toss a meaningless number into the mix.

newmommy929 · Jul 10, 2013

BSoares said:
+1 on all these comments. Installing the seat is easy, I think even a child can do it. The harness does get really hard to move once you're close to the right position, when it's pulled far then it moves easily. And it rattles like crazy, every time I stop my car I try to see if moving something around (like the loose harness or buckle) will help with the noise but it's really the headrest piece that shakes too much.

This kinda bothers me about everyone saying how noisy it is, I wonder why that is. How annoying is it? So basically what everyone is saying, is that when the child is i the seat and when you are almost to the correct position it is hard to adjust...correct? Does it get easier over time? Would that be something that would stop you from buying it if you would have known that previously?

Jackie010307 · Jul 10, 2013

I've had mine for several weeks now and I haven't heard the rattle. I did notice that the lever to adjust the height doesn't always pop back out when it's been squeezed. I had to play with it a little to get it locked. I really don't think the harness is difficult to tighten. I pulled it as much as I could in one pull, then used several small pulls to get it snug. My complaint is the harness covers. Dd hates them, but with tanks and sun dresses the straps rub her neck without them. Overall I really like the seat and would definitely buy it again!

Athena · Jul 10, 2013

It's funny because I'm sort of in the opposite situation. If I get a new 90, I feel like I should get the SICT to justify getting a new seat. There's no chance for a 3 across in my car anyway, yet I think I might find them annoying.

newmommy929 said:
Does the FR90 block the view that much compared to the FR85? I guess my 5 1/2 year old is small so he doesnt have it up super high or in booster mode so that may make a difference.

Since I'm the one who complained about this

... I should clarify that we are already on the higher settings of the 85 (DD1 is on the top setting), so anything higher is really getting in the way of my rear view. I think you're right that for many people, this wouldn't be as much of an issue and, even with that, I haven't totally ruled out getting one. The only way you'd really know is to put it in your car. BRU has them and usually lets customers try seats in their car for fit.

YinzerMama said:
With regard to weights, they are kind of meaningless. It's nice that Britax actually gives seated heights on their web page now so you have some more meaningful information to work with. You only gain 1/2 inch on the fr90 over the 85 which is imo is inconsequential for most people. The 85 is already plenty tall. But as far as weight I would suspect most people do NOT max out a ff seat for weight. (Rf, yes - ff, probably not) My oldest just hit 80 pounds and the thought of him being harnessed is laughable. It's nice that the seats will hold that much, and it's nice to know they will be safe for your kid, but it does kind of toss a meaningless number into the mix.

I agree with this. It's great they won't fail at higher weights, but it can be deceptive. I'm guessing your 80 pound kid would be way too tall for it anyway? Given that 6 1/2 year old DD1 is on the 85's top slots and DD2 isn't far behind, we will max out that harness. However, just to illustrate how ridiculous the weights can be, DD1 just hit 50 pounds, so yeah, I can't imagine she'll be anywhere near 85 pounds by the time she outgrows the harness. Still, it's nice they have it for those who need it.

newmommy929 said:
This kinda bothers me about everyone saying how noisy it is, I wonder why that is. How annoying is it? So basically what everyone is saying, is that when the child is i the seat and when you are almost to the correct position it is hard to adjust...correct? Does it get easier over time? Would that be something that would stop you from buying it if you would have known that previously?

Great questions! I am wondering about too!

BSoares · Jul 10, 2013

newmommy929 said:
This kinda bothers me about everyone saying how noisy it is, I wonder why that is. How annoying is it? So basically what everyone is saying, is that when the child is i the seat and when you are almost to the correct position it is hard to adjust...correct? Does it get easier over time? Would that be something that would stop you from buying it if you would have known that previously?

I think the headrest system of going up and down make it so it's less connected to the back of the seat so the higher it is (for taller kids) I think the more it will rattle. It's pretty annoying if noise is something that catches your attention. My wife doesn't care. I go nuts. So for me it's pretty annoying. But so was the last seat that make noise (less than FR90 but did). The best for me would be no seat but we'll get there in a few years

The harness is just hard to pull closer or get it far from the kid for an inch or two, then it slides easily. I have yet to pay close attention to figure out how it works and why it slows down and gets harder. It's not a big deal I think, just different than the previous seat. I've only had it for 10 days or so which means I don't know if it gets easier over time.

Having said that, I'd still buy another, overall I think it's a great seat and my son really likes it.

Britax Frontier 90...pros and cons

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