Frontier 90 or Radian RXT

[smiley]

Have to buy a new seat for 7 yo.

55 lbs/49 in tall/19.5 seated shoulder

I couldn't see a spec besides overall height for Radian RXT. Is there a seated height limit for harness use or just when ears pass the shell? [per manual---Forward-facing child is too tall for restraint if tops of the ears are above the back of the restraint or if child is more than 57” tall (144 cm).] And by restraint do they mean shell or those "head protector wings"?

Which would last longer in harness mode? Sounds like Radian because she'll hit the shoulder 20.5 on the Frontier 90 in 1 more inch before she'll hit 57 inches for the Radian?

I need harness flexibility for younger kids, so the longer I can harness her the better.

 

[MommyShannon]

The FR90 by far lasts longer. They give 57" for the Radian, but only a very short torsoed kids would still fit at 57". The FR90 is a much bigger seat all around. The Radian harness is 17.5". It is the one seat that allows shoulders over that, but it still would be outgrown before the FR90's 20.5" harness. The FR90 is also the easiest install ever, while the Radian can be tricky. The Radian harness also has to be rethreaded to adjust while the 90 can be adjusted while installed.
ETA: another plus for the 90 is it allows you to tuck the harness away instead of removing it to use as a booster. So even once she outgrows the harness, you can use it interchangeably for younger kids. You would just uninstall it so she can use the seatbelt for the booster mode and tuck away the harness. For younger kids, it just takes a few seconds to install again and pull the harness out.

 

[MommyShannon]

Here are videos of the install and converting to booster.
http://youtu.be/grZoVbk2Nug
http://carseatblog.com/21567/britax...-review-features-and-clicktight-installation/

 

[nursienurse]

I just sold my Radian RXT to a friend so I could get a Frontier 90. I loved the Radian RF, but I really didn't love it FF. So much more room for my kids in the Frontier. And it is the easiest install I've ever done. And cup holders, and comfy harness (although it twists a tiny bit compared to the Frontier 85). My daughter was pretty sad to lose her Radian. Until she sat in the Frontier for about 5 minutes. MUCH more leg support, too.