dimsumdaddy
New member
All this time, I've been using LATCH. Recently, I switched to using the regular lap/shoulder belts as I prepare for #3 to come.
I am able to get snug installs with the regular belts (no more than 1" of play at the belt location) but I'm experiencing something I've never experienced before: the shoulder strap causes the seats to tilt sideways slightly, particularly on FF seats.
I understand why this is happening. The lap and shoulder straps are fed through the back hole of the FF seat. This "hole" is usually a flat tunnel through the lower back of the seat. I feed the lap/shoulder belt through and click it to the seat belt latch, then pull the should belt all the way out until the retractor goes into the ratchet mode (or whatever it's called). First I tighten the lap to buckle, then pull the slack through the shoulder. And here's the part: the shoulder belt, which is now under tension to keep the lap tight, runs up to the top of the seat slot up and extends to the shoulder anchor pulley point of the car. This angle essentially is prying the seat into a sideways tilt.
It's not an extreme angle, just maybe like 5 degrees.
The interesting thing is the base is still firmly installed, it's just that the chair has worked it's way to this equilibrium position. The buckle side has lowered slightly, and the lap anchor side has raised slightly... and the top of the seat exaggerates the angle.
Anyways... I'm guessing this is not necessarily a safety issue. But I'm thinking about putting a locking clip on the lap anchor side so the shoulder belt can't do the prying action.
Comments/suggestions?
I am able to get snug installs with the regular belts (no more than 1" of play at the belt location) but I'm experiencing something I've never experienced before: the shoulder strap causes the seats to tilt sideways slightly, particularly on FF seats.
I understand why this is happening. The lap and shoulder straps are fed through the back hole of the FF seat. This "hole" is usually a flat tunnel through the lower back of the seat. I feed the lap/shoulder belt through and click it to the seat belt latch, then pull the should belt all the way out until the retractor goes into the ratchet mode (or whatever it's called). First I tighten the lap to buckle, then pull the slack through the shoulder. And here's the part: the shoulder belt, which is now under tension to keep the lap tight, runs up to the top of the seat slot up and extends to the shoulder anchor pulley point of the car. This angle essentially is prying the seat into a sideways tilt.
It's not an extreme angle, just maybe like 5 degrees.
The interesting thing is the base is still firmly installed, it's just that the chair has worked it's way to this equilibrium position. The buckle side has lowered slightly, and the lap anchor side has raised slightly... and the top of the seat exaggerates the angle.
Anyways... I'm guessing this is not necessarily a safety issue. But I'm thinking about putting a locking clip on the lap anchor side so the shoulder belt can't do the prying action.
Comments/suggestions?
