3-across FF in mazda3???

[southpawboston]

has anyone accomplished this? here's the dilemma:

we need 3-across in our mazda3 to try to implement a pre-k carpool plan this fall. currently we have two signos FFing. there is NO chance of a third FF seat, booster or harnessed.

child stats:

DD2: 3yo, 34 lbs. currently in signo.
DD1: 4.5yo, 38 lbs. currently in signo.
carpool kid: 5yo, 41 lbs. currently in parkway.

one of the three seats can be a HBB, as carpool kid is 5yo and is already in a parkway in her own car (we are told she passes the 5-step test but we don't know this first-hand), but HWH is preferable (5yo is over 40lbs). our kids are still harnessed, so the other two seats need to be harnessed. SIP is preferable but i'm willing to sacrifice that for narrowness. our car has SAC but we don't know the effectiveness of SAC on children, as their heads do not tend to be as high as the SAC (you've seen those european side impact videos, how the kids' heads hit the window sill, not the window area).

so, what are the best candidates for three-across FF harnessed seats? we have a recaro YS which seems relatively narrow and can still be used in harnessed mode for DD2. can that be used in a 3-across with something else? two radians? radian for DD1 and HBB for carpool kid? would HBB go in center since it is least protected? i'm not totally up on the current seats since i didn't think we'd have to think about them for awhile once we got the signos, lol.

oh, we also have a scenera as a backup, but i don't know if that will work.

 

[southpawboston]

i never do this, but since no one has chimed in, i'm bumping for the night.

 

[NVMBR02]

Maybe try a RSTV for the 5 year old? You may need to use the RYS and/or the scenera as well. I am not very familar with the Mazda3 backseat.

 

[BookMama]

I'm not very familiar with that Mazda3 either, but what about Radian-MA-Radian? (Or other Britax convertible, or FPSVD which might work even better because of no LATCH bars.) I think that the MA sits up enough higher than the Radian that the Radian kind of puzzles under it a bit, if that makes sense. I'm sure that someone has a picture of how they fit together.

 

[NVMBR02]

Radian, MA Radian fits very easily in the backseat of our 2002 Golf if they are all ffing. I don't know how that compares.

Radian, Signo, Radian or Radian, RYS, Radian might also work.

 

[Pixels]

Radian MA Radian or MA Radian MA will work when nothing else will. The big Britax convertibles sit up on the base, and the Radian is nice and low, and they hit each other in all the right places to puzzle together by several inches. I don't have a picture that really shows it well, but here's a Marathon and Radian in a 2002 Civic. They puzzle together the same way when they're FFing. So far it's the only combination that I've found that will fit in my car like that (and I've been trying!)

 

[southpawboston]

okay, so i get the MA-radian-MA picture, but then the signo is about the size and height of a MA (it sits way up high), so now i'm thinking maybe a signo-radian-signo will work? or would the wide signo base interfere with the radian?

what's the width of the radian's base? i'll measure the distance between the two signo bases in the morning.

 

[Maedze]

Is your plan to replace the beloved Signos or just to have a rearrangement options on carpool mornings?

 

[southpawboston]

Is your plan to replace the beloved Signos or just to have a rearrangement options on carpool mornings?

3-across needs to be semi-permanent. carpool would be everyday for drop off; another mom would be doing pickup everyday. both of us will have to have 3-across since we each have two DCs plus carpool kid. she has a volvo v70 which, i believe, will do 3-across with a similar arrangement. she has two FFing MAs, so she may be able to achieve this a lot easier than i. if it comes down to it, i'm willing to part with the signos, but i will totally miss their big honkin' SIP.

 

[Maedze]

Radian XTs? Plenty of head protection, but you'll lose that awesome recline

 

[skipspin]

How about RYS, Radian, HBB or RN?
Then you would only need to get one seat for your kids and one seat for the car pool kid. I'm not sure exactly how big the back seat in the 3 is, but it's got to be worth a try.

PS- You should have just gotten a Mazda 5.

 

[southpawboston]

How about RYS, Radian, HBB or RN?
Then you would only need to get one seat for your kids and one seat for the car pool kid. I'm not sure exactly how big the back seat in the 3 is, but it's got to be worth a try.

PS- You should have just gotten a Mazda 5.

yeah, i know .

i think the RYS is 17 or 18" wide at its widest, unlike the radian at 16", right?

i like the idea of the radian XT with the SIP. same outside width as the 65/80, right? kinda hard going from SIP to no SIP.

i measured the distance between the two huge signo bases in my car-- 12". and the distance between the shells at the shoulder is also 12" (not including the forward lip that the cover wraps around, i'm talking about the part of the shell that nestles into the vehicle's seat). however, i noticed that LATCH seems to place the seats several inches inboard relative to the seatbelt. i think if i reinstalled the signos with the seatbelt, i could get each one at least 1" more outboard and still be several inches away from the door. beyond that, the vehicle seat begins to contour sharply. so that would mean that with the two signos, i only have 14" to work with-- still no good. and i'm thinking the RYS won't help much since the torso wings flare out to at least 18". i think it's going to have to be three radians or two radians + HBB.

what are some of the narrower HBBs? i know nothing about HBBs.

 

[melniemi]

I would try Signo/Radian/Signo. I'm guessing you have a local baby store. Or Signo/Radian/YS.

See if you can work with what you have before trading out your beloved seats!

I was shocked that my 3 across happened to be with seats I had. My backseat is only 48" wide I believe and I have a PW/Ma/PW. Crowded, but doable!

Good luck!

 

[Defrost]

There are no more narrow HBBs, sorry. The FPSVB and the Parkway were pretty much it, and both have been discontinued now.

IF the Signos will puzzle with the Radian the same way the MAs do, 14" should do it. The shell of the MA overlaps the Radian at the shoulder-area. Lemme see if I have a pic...

Here we go. See how the top of the Radian shell is hiding behind the MA? (Heck, it's overlapping at the bottom, too.)

 

[southpawboston]

yes, i see the overlap. maybe the signo will overlap the same way. it does have the infinite adjust knobs, similar to the BV. i wonder if the BV would puzzle the same as a MA?

but maybe i wasn't clear about my measurements-- the 14" would be from base to base. if i measured the distance between the parts of the MA shell that are overlapping in your picture, i'd have way less-- more like 9"

i'll measure the total width of the vehicle's seat. i'm pretty sure i have at least 48" like melniemi.

 

[Defrost]

but maybe i wasn't clear about my measurements-- the 14" would be from base to base. if i measured the distance between the parts of the MA shell that are overlapping in your picture, i'd have way less-- more like 9"

Nah, I probably just wasn't paying attention.

My sister has a Mazda 3, and I've got a Radian, but we have no Signos or else I'd give it a try for you.

 

[skipspin]

Hm, I wonder about RN, Safeguard GO, RN. It would depend on the height of the 5 yr old, although you could always put the 5 yr old in a RN and one of yours in the GO on carpool mornings.

 

[stayinhomewithmy6]

I don't know how I missed this. IME, the RN and Signo puzzle together very well, better than the MA or BV actually. When I have to puzzle, I prefer to do RN/Signo. I should see if I have a picture somewhere. I'll post back if I find one.

 

[sunnymw]

I hope these help.

This is Boulevard/Radian/adult in my mom's Mazda3. No problems at all. Rear-facing though