2002 Civic 2006 Prius Radian 80 Seat Question

[2002Civic]

We have a 2002 Civic and 2006 Prius. Does anyone have any experience with the Radian 80 and these vehicles. Is it possible to get a good install in the center of these cars? Any other problems with these cars and these particular seat?

Thanks!

	Sunshine Kids Radian 80 or 65 - Click for more info If "the Sunshine Kid's Radian 80 convertible car seat is (probably) the only car seat you will ever need," the "probably" part of this statement comes into play when you directly compare the Radian 80 with the Britax Regent. While the Radian 80 has a very high weight capacity, the seat width is only 10" vs. the Regent's 14" seat. The Britax Regent may be a bit wider, but it is very bulky, is only forward facing, and does not fold like the Radian 80. Because the Radian 80 is so narrow, you can potentially put three of them side by side in the back seat. Three Regents side by side? Impossible.

[MnMadhouse]

Make sure you can install a carseat in the middle of these vehicles (check out your owner's manual). Some vehicles will not allow you to install in the middle.

The one thing that concerns me is when you decide to install the Radian FFing, it has a very low belt path (where you put the seatbelt through to install it), so if your buckles in your vehicle are very long, you might not get a good install (you cannot have the buckle enter the belt path on seats)

	Forward Facing Car Seats A forward-facing car seat is one in which the child sits facing the front of the car. The seat should be installed in the back seat of your vehicle. Most forward-facing only seats are for children above 20 pounds.

	Sunshine Kids Radian 80 or 65 - Click for more info If "the Sunshine Kid's Radian 80 convertible car seat is (probably) the only car seat you will ever need," the "probably" part of this statement comes into play when you directly compare the Radian 80 with the Britax Regent. While the Radian 80 has a very high weight capacity, the seat width is only 10" vs. the Regent's 14" seat. The Britax Regent may be a bit wider, but it is very bulky, is only forward facing, and does not fold like the Radian 80. Because the Radian 80 is so narrow, you can potentially put three of them side by side in the back seat. Three Regents side by side? Impossible.

[2002Civic]

Just wanted to give an update..... we went today to have our seats checked at the Children's Hospital car seat check. We have an 01 Civic (not an 02) and an 06 Prius. WE had installed the seats ourselves and had what I felt were pretty good installs in the middle of the seat in each car. The techs that inspected our seats were pretty pleased with the installation we had done and said that it was good. However, they felt with the Radian, using the retractor feature on the seat belt instead of the locking clip was probably a better option. They also twisted the stalk of the seat belt on each car to provide a little better installation, since with the locking clip installed, the belt seemed to get a little twisted.

All in all, the Radian was a great choice for us. We wanted our 6 year old, 47in. 53 pound daughter in a harness and in the center of each of our cars, and we got what we wanted. I would recommend the Radian 80 to anyone looking for something for a heavier child.

	Sunshine Kids Radian 80 or 65 - Click for more info If "the Sunshine Kid's Radian 80 convertible car seat is (probably) the only car seat you will ever need," the "probably" part of this statement comes into play when you directly compare the Radian 80 with the Britax Regent. While the Radian 80 has a very high weight capacity, the seat width is only 10" vs. the Regent's 14" seat. The Britax Regent may be a bit wider, but it is very bulky, is only forward facing, and does not fold like the Radian 80. Because the Radian 80 is so narrow, you can potentially put three of them side by side in the back seat. Three Regents side by side? Impossible.

[SusanMae]

Almost always go with locking the retractor over using a locking clip.

What harness slot height is your daughter using?

Susan

[2002Civic]

Thanks for the adivce on the retractor... I didn' thave much experience using it instead of the locking clip.

She is in the top slot. Her shoulders were just a tiny bit over the next to the top slot, so we had to use the top slot. This seat is designed to be used up to 53 inches and 80 pounds. The tech that I spoke with at Radian stated that the seat states 53 inches AS A GUIDE. He said some kids are all legs, which my daughter is. She has long legs and I would say a normal torso. He said that when using the top slot (and so does their manual) that the childs shoulders can be above the harness slots and the seat can be used until the tops of the ears reach the top of the back of the seat. Right now she's nowhere near that.

My understanding from my discussion with the Radian tech is, if you have a child that's 52' and their ears are past the top of the seat, then it shouldn't be used, but if you have a child that is 54' and as long as their ears are below the top of the seat, it can still be used of course as long as the kid is under 80 pounds.

	Sunshine Kids Radian 80 or 65 - Click for more info If "the Sunshine Kid's Radian 80 convertible car seat is (probably) the only car seat you will ever need," the "probably" part of this statement comes into play when you directly compare the Radian 80 with the Britax Regent. While the Radian 80 has a very high weight capacity, the seat width is only 10" vs. the Regent's 14" seat. The Britax Regent may be a bit wider, but it is very bulky, is only forward facing, and does not fold like the Radian 80. Because the Radian 80 is so narrow, you can potentially put three of them side by side in the back seat. Three Regents side by side? Impossible.