3 way comparison- Frontier, Regent and Nautilus

Stretchy Glue · Apr 21, 2008

Well, here's my take...follow the manual. I live in a proper use state, so if the manual says no after market products are allowed, I feel like I need to follow the manual. I know that some manuals allow for towels, but this is not a towel. :twocents:

MsFacetious · Apr 21, 2008

Okay I guess I'm losing it because I still see a pillow. lol

Time for me to get more sleep at night I guess.

BookMama · Apr 21, 2008

SingleMomTo2Girls said:
Okay I guess I'm losing it because I still see a pillow. lol

Time for me to get more sleep at night I guess.

Chelsae, I think what you're seeing is an optical illusion. The picture was taken at an angle, with the edge of the seat mat hanging over the edge of the vehicle seat a couple of inches. It's not the thinnest mat out there, but definitely not a pillow.

southpawboston · Apr 21, 2008

SingleMomTo2Girls said:
Okay I guess I'm losing it because I still see a pillow. lol

Time for me to get more sleep at night I guess.

lol, all i see is the thin fleecy cover that jools suggested... we had the same one. it's grey fleece with a nylon/vinyl underside, and also has mesh pockets that hang in front of the seat. we had the same one long ago and have since thrown it away in favor of a thin towel. it was really thin, but we prefer the towel since it can stretch across the whole seat

.

lol, i really don't see a pillow... but it sounds like a pillow is exactly what you need

jwren · Apr 21, 2008

Yes that is what it is. What you see is my seat, the cover is just sitting over it.. I will take a photo of the cover so you can see how thick, it's very thin... regardless if it's not safe I will remove them...
View attachment 1784

View attachment 1785

View attachment 1786

joolsplus3 said:
There's a charcoal colored fleece one that used to have a nylon backing, but now has a grippy backing...I can't recall the brand (could have sworn first years....), it kind of looks like that one to me (can't find it on google at all though! )

CDNTech · Apr 21, 2008

jwren said:
Yes that is what it is. What you see is my seat, the cover is just sitting over it.. I will take a photo of the cover so you can see how thick, it's very thin... regardless if it's not safe I will remove them...
View attachment 1784

View attachment 1785

View attachment 1786

I'm fine with that thickness... as long as the seat is installing to the exact same tightness whether it's under there or not.

jwren · Apr 21, 2008

My dh installs it tight, these seats barely move, we also tethered them but even without that he makes it so the seat doesn't budge..That's why I won't do it, I am not strong enough to get it that tight, so I let him do it..

My oldest is installed with belt and tether (he is 48 lbs) my younger one (35 lbs) is installed with latch and tether...

aidensmom02 said:
I'm fine with that thickness... as long as the seat is installing to the exact same tightness whether it's under there or not.

jen_nah · Apr 21, 2008

SingleMomTo2Girls said:
It's true. :thumbsup:

I hate to disagree with the majority. But I STILL do not think this looks like a "towel" or a thin seat mat. I still vote, this looks like a pillow. Like a seat cushion one would use on a kitchen chair or something. Maybe I'm the only one who sees it that way... but I wouldn't have said anything if it didn't look obviously wrong to me.

http://car-seat.org/showpost.php?p=414039&postcount=368

If you look at picture #2 it looks like the type of mat the poster described but it also appears she has a white towel under the mat too. Now that is adding to much bulk under the seat. The mat she has is thin I will give her that but Britax has stated number of times to me & many other techs "No Aftermarket" products are to be used with their seats that have not been NHTSA approved.

If you look at this picture near the LATCH buckle you can see the white towel under the mat protector.
http://www.car-seat.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=1771&d=1208649760

I too have leather seats and my vehicle is a lease. I have never had any car seat damage my leather seats or any parents I have worked with. Now I have seen the shelf grip liner stuff that is under that thin mat damage leather seat. I have seen them permently turn the seat a different color & leave the little bump stains on the seat due to the heat. They had a seat that was damaged from the shelf grip liner stuff at the local GM plant for us to see at our '07 event. From that point on I never recommend anything under any seat to many parent.

Stretchy Glue · Apr 21, 2008

jen_nah said:
If you look at picture #2 it looks like the type of mat the poster described but it also appears she has a white towel under the mat too. Now that is adding to much bulk under the seat. The mat she has is thin I will give her that but Britax has stated number of times to me & many other techs "No Aftermarket" products are to be used with their seats that have not been NHTSA approved.

If you look at this picture near the LATCH buckle you can see the white towel under the mat protector.
http://www.car-seat.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=1771&d=1208649760

I too have leather seats and my vehicle is a lease. I have never had any car seat damage my leather seats or any parents I have worked with. Now I have seen the shelf grip liner stuff that is under that thin mat damage leather seat. I have seen them permently turn the seat a different color & leave the little bump stains on the seat due to the heat. They had a seat that was damaged from the shelf grip liner stuff at the local GM plant for us to see at our '07 event. From that point on I never recommend anything under any seat to many parent.

Jenny I thought I saw something else too, but just figured my eyes were playing tricks on me. Thanks for pointing that out. I also appreciate the input from an instructor.

jwren · Apr 21, 2008

yes there was a small white washcloth at each of the back corners but I have since removed them, the back corners were indenting the seat and I was told it was ok to use a small washcloth there..due to the weight that seemed to be where it was the worst... but I removed them now..still I never put a pillow or big towel as some were suggesting.. just a thin lionheart carseat mat from babysrus...I think it was $12...very thin...with a non skid back..

while we are on the subject can anyone tell me why having a thin pad is dangerous..or small towels in corners, just out of curiousity I am trying to visualize what can go wrong and how it's dangerous and noone seems to be discussing that.. thanks again for the info

jen_nah said:
If you look at picture #2 it looks like the type of mat the poster described but it also appears she has a white towel under the mat too. Now that is adding to much bulk under the seat. The mat she has is thin I will give her that but Britax has stated number of times to me & many other techs "No Aftermarket" products are to be used with their seats that have not been NHTSA approved.

If you look at this picture near the LATCH buckle you can see the white towel under the mat protector.
http://www.car-seat.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=1771&d=1208649760

I too have leather seats and my vehicle is a lease. I have never had any car seat damage my leather seats or any parents I have worked with. Now I have seen the shelf grip liner stuff that is under that thin mat damage leather seat. I have seen them permently turn the seat a different color & leave the little bump stains on the seat due to the heat. They had a seat that was damaged from the shelf grip liner stuff at the local GM plant for us to see at our '07 event. From that point on I never recommend anything under any seat to many parent.

Stretchy Glue · Apr 21, 2008

jwren said:
yes there was a small white washcloth at each of the back corners but I have since removed them, the back corners were indenting the seat and I was told it was ok to use a small washcloth there..due to the weight that seemed to be where it was the worst... but I removed them now..still I never put a pillow or big towel as some were suggesting.. just a thin lionheart carseat mat from babysrus...I think it was $12...very thin...with a non skid back..

while we are on the subject can anyone tell me why having a thin pad is dangerous..or small towels in corners, just out of curiousity I am trying to visualize what can go wrong and how it's dangerous and noone seems to be discussing that.. thanks again for the info

The best advice I can give is that it hasn't been tested that way, hence, if you were in an accident you would be using your children as test dummies. Chances are very little would happen, but I would NEVER suggest trying it. It just isn't worth the risk of your seat failing because something that wasn't tested with it interfered in a crash.:twocents:

jen_nah · Apr 21, 2008

jwren said:
yes there was a small white washcloth at each of the back corners but I have since removed them, the back corners were indenting the seat and I was told it was ok to use a small washcloth there..due to the weight that seemed to be where it was the worst... but I removed them now..still I never put a pillow or big towel as some were suggesting.. just a thin lionheart carseat mat from babysrus...I think it was $12...very thin...with a non skid back..

while we are on the subject can anyone tell me why having a thin pad is dangerous..or small towels in corners, just out of curiousity I am trying to visualize what can go wrong and how it's dangerous and noone seems to be discussing that.. thanks again for the info

Like many have said it's all about crash testing and no aftermarket product having certain guidelines they must follow (aka crash testing their products) to sale these products.

Why are seat protectors bad? Because they can give a parent a false sense of a good installation when in reality it's a bad install without the mat. If you can't get a good install prior to putting the mat in and all of the sudden the mat makes a good install. Well it's still a bad install b/c the mat could decompress in a crash causing injuries to the child.

Please be aware that the shelf grip liner under that mat can cause severe damage to leather seats. They can melt to your seat really quickly in hot temps.

Like I said I too have leather seat and have had no damage and the indentations from the Marathons I had in my Tahoe are gone within a matter of a few days. I have had MA's installed in my truck for 3 1/2yrs straight until March. My dh has had a MA in his truck for almost 6yrs now again no damage to his seats. When I take it out to clean it within a day or two the seat is back to normal. Mine dug in just as deep if not deeper then what your pictures show.

Mama! · Apr 21, 2008

Live and learn. Don't feel bad for using something, just get it out of there.

Do we need to be reminded of what my AO pics looked like when I first registered here?

Can we say 4 pool noodles AND a rolled blanket to stop the tilting? I had no idea how to get a good latch install, and the Lap/shoulder belt tipped the seat so badly. So I rolled a baby quilt and stuffed it under the buckle side.

Should fetch a pic, just for entertainment purposes...

You can see off to the right there. The AO was super super reclined.

Heather98012 · Apr 21, 2008

jen_nah said:
Please be aware that the shelf grip liner under that mat can cause severe damage to leather seats. They can melt to your seat really quickly in hot temps.

Like I said I too have leather seat and have had no damage and the indentations from the Marathons I had in my Tahoe are gone within a matter of a few days. I have had MA's installed in my truck for 3 1/2yrs straight until March. My dh has had a MA in his truck for almost 6yrs now again no damage to his seats. When I take it out to clean it within a day or two the seat is back to normal. Mine dug in just as deep if not deeper then what your pictures show.

Holy cow, that's scary! I gotta get that shelf liner stuff out now....I can't stand the idea of ruined leather ruining my resale value of the car...Yikes!

BookMama · Apr 21, 2008

Mama! said:
Live and learn. Don't feel bad for using something, just get it out of there.

Do we need to be reminded of what my AO pics looked like when I first registered here?

Can we say 4 pool noodles AND a rolled blanket to stop the tilting? I had no idea how to get a good latch install, and the Lap/shoulder belt tipped the seat so badly. So I rolled a baby quilt and stuffed it under the buckle side.

Should fetch a pic, just for entertainment purposes...

You can see off to the right there. The AO was super super reclined.

mom2sande · Jul 10, 2008

Sorry to break up the seat mat conversation, but I'm about to lose my mind over trying to decide on a Frontier or Nautilus.

Here's some questions that I haven't found the answers for, hopefully one of you will know the answers.

1. Is the Nautilus rated like the Frontier for side impact?
2. Has anyone tried a Frontier in a 2003 Odyssey?
3. What would be the next seat up if my child is 21" shoulder height?

thanks!
long time lurker

Heather98012 · Jul 10, 2008

mom2sande said:
Sorry to break up the seat mat conversation, but I'm about to lose my mind over trying to decide on a Frontier or Nautilus.

Here's some questions that I haven't found the answers for, hopefully one of you will know the answers.

1. Is the Nautilus rated like the Frontier for side impact?
2. Has anyone tried a Frontier in a 2003 Odyssey?
3. What would be the next seat up if my child is 21" shoulder height?

thanks!
long time lurker

Julie is a CPST & got it in a 2003 Odyssey. I don't think there really is a "rating" on side impact; & Graco doesn't disclose their info like Britax does, so we don't really know for sure about the side impact info. Here's the info from Julie on her install:

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=51520

(OT: How do you guys post a link without showing the entire URL....I see some people just say "Here's this" in blue & you click on it & it takes you there. It looks much better than the whole URL link. Am I stupid for not knowing how to do that?)

Patriot201 · Jul 10, 2008

Heather98012 said:
(OT: How do you guys post a link without showing the entire URL....I see some people just say "Here's this" in blue & you click on it & it takes you there. It looks much better than the whole URL link. Am I stupid for not knowing how to do that?)

You are not stupid.

Type what it is you want the link to say ("Look at this").

Highlight the words, and then click on the little earth with the link/paper clip at the top of the window. That will bring up the box in which you can paste the URL.

3 way comparison- Frontier, Regent and Nautilus

Stretchy Glue

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MsFacetious

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