Ok, just because now I'm second guessing myself...

[catfeet]

I had a question in another forum where the definitions of both Bracing and Touching came up and the question of which seats allowed for it.

Does anyone want to have a go on these?

Ann

 

[Minnesota]

So what are you asking for? Definitions for those words, or a list of which seats allow/specify?

 

[carseatcoach]

Remember that some*vehicles* disallow it, even if the carseat allows it.

 

[catfeet]

Definitions of the two terms, specifically.

 

[catfeet]

Secondarily, which brands allow bracing.

Thanks!

 

[joolsplus3]

Only Evenflo infant seats don't allow any kind of contact. But Chickabiddy's right, it's really about whether the vehicle allows it or not (and that information may not be in the carseat section, it's probably in the airbag section where they may recommend not allowing anything to touch the front seatbacks as it may disrupt the advanced airbag sensors).

 

[joolsplus3]

The 'here' link in my siggy may have the answer under 'bracing' . Edit, nope, but it's somewhere in there... have a gander...

 

[catfeet]

Maybe I'm going about asking the wrong way...

What is the difference between touching and bracing? I think I know, but I want to be crystal clear on this and not put my own opinion into the mix before getting the answer...

And I took a stroll thru the dictionary again, but couldn't find anything that specifically addressed this question.

Thanks,
Ann

 

[wendytthomas]

Touching to me is a gentle touch. If I can slip my hand between the seat and the car's seat, even if they're touching, it's gentle and they'll both move independently of one another in a collision.

Bracing means they're shoved together. It means I'm using the front seat to either hold the carseat tight, or I'm sacrificing angle to get leg room. And in most cars it's not ok with the passenger seat because it'll screw up the advanced airbag sensors (since about 2005/2006 model year vehicles).

Britax allows bracing if the car allows it. Sunshine Kids allows significant touching, I believe. As Jools said, Evenflo infant seats require 1.5" of room between the seat/handle and the front seat (and since the handle has to be down that means they're huge infant seats front to back). I don't know that anyone else mentions it, so it's assumed that a gentle touch, not bracing, is allowed.

Wendy

 

[catfeet]

Thank you. That's what I thought, but I wanted independant confirmation before I put my :twocents: into the mix.

Ann

 

[bree]

Bracing means they're shoved together. It means I'm using the front seat to either hold the carseat tight, or I'm sacrificing angle to get leg room. And in most cars it's not ok with the passenger seat because it'll screw up the advanced airbag sensors (since about 2005/2006 model year vehicles).

I hate to be dumb, but I've been wondering this for a long time, so I thought I'd ask now. In what way will a braced seat screw up advanced airbag sensors?

I can see where maybe the pressure from a braced seat would make an advanced airbag deploy when there is no passenger in the front seat, because the bracing tricked the weight sensor on the seat into thinking there was weight present in the seat. I guess that would be an extra cost to replace after a crash, so it would be something to be avoided, but not something dangerous to a passenger, because there would be no passenger present in the front seat. Or would a braced seat cause an advanced airbag to fail to deploy when there was a passenger in the front seat? I can see the concern for serious injury in this scenario, but I can't figure out how the braced seat would cause this to happen.

This is purely a hypothetical question, as I don't currently have any braced seats in either of my cars, whether or not there is an advanced airbag present. I'm just trying to figure out what exactly the bracing does that causes a problem with the advanced airbag sensors.

 

[joolsplus3]

It makes the seat think there's less weight in it than there is. And it might keep the airbag from deploying (which is bad for an adult in the front seat...). The weight sensors under the seat have to know how much weight is in the seat in order to work properly, and if you cram seats (or cargo) against the seatbacks, then it makes them think there's less weight in the seat (like if you hold someone up a little when they are on the scale, they seem to weigh less...).

At least that's what I'm guessing, based on what my manual says...and on Ulrike's Marathon turning the airbag off light on in her van when she lightly braced it against the front passenger seat....

 

[bree]

Thank you! That makes so much sense; I'm glad I asked, I've been trying to puzzle this out in my head forever!