Car Seat in a 997 coupe
#1
Advanced
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 50
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Car Seat in a 997 coupe
Before I ordered my coupe I researched the forum on car seats because it is important to me that my wife and 2 1/2 year old son can ride with me. Ok, the truth is my wife said no more 2-seaters for you.
In case others are lurking and/or looking for child seat advise I would like to share my experience.
The research told me the Britax Roundabout fits in the back seat and a number of booster seats would work too.
When my coupe arrived I bought a Roundabout and tried to install it. I got it in, but I had to move the passenger seat so far forward that my wife (5'9") couldn't sit comfortably any more. Bummer.
What I should have done in the first place and what I ended up doing was to go to a store with a car seat installer who could try any number of seats for fit.
The first thing he told me is that even though I got the Roundabout installed tightly in the seat doesn't mean it is installed properly. The buckle for the seat belt is too far forward which pulls the seat forward so that part of the base is hanging over the front of the seat cushion. In the case of an accident the car seat would be pulled sideways instead of straight forward because the bottom seat belt anchor is a lot further back than the buckle.
We tried a booster with a 5-point harness (Graco Ultra Car Go). Same problem. This time the seat was pulled sideways when trying to install it tightly.
The only thing that worked was a regular booster with a seat back (Britax Star Riser). My son is tall for his age (40") so the seat belt fits properly over his lap and shoulder because the top anchor point of the seat belt is fairly low for the back seat.
The installer told me even though my son is young for a booster a properly installed booster that fits is much safer than a convertible car seat that is not installed properly.
Now I just have to get my son to keep his seat belt on, which is a challenge.
This solution might not be available in the near future. The installer told me Britax is discontinuing the Star Riser and the replacement model will be too wide for the back seat.
So after my inital disappointment everything's good and my wife is happy with the solution. Now I just have to sell the Roundabout.
In case others are lurking and/or looking for child seat advise I would like to share my experience.
The research told me the Britax Roundabout fits in the back seat and a number of booster seats would work too.
When my coupe arrived I bought a Roundabout and tried to install it. I got it in, but I had to move the passenger seat so far forward that my wife (5'9") couldn't sit comfortably any more. Bummer.
What I should have done in the first place and what I ended up doing was to go to a store with a car seat installer who could try any number of seats for fit.
The first thing he told me is that even though I got the Roundabout installed tightly in the seat doesn't mean it is installed properly. The buckle for the seat belt is too far forward which pulls the seat forward so that part of the base is hanging over the front of the seat cushion. In the case of an accident the car seat would be pulled sideways instead of straight forward because the bottom seat belt anchor is a lot further back than the buckle.
We tried a booster with a 5-point harness (Graco Ultra Car Go). Same problem. This time the seat was pulled sideways when trying to install it tightly.
The only thing that worked was a regular booster with a seat back (Britax Star Riser). My son is tall for his age (40") so the seat belt fits properly over his lap and shoulder because the top anchor point of the seat belt is fairly low for the back seat.
The installer told me even though my son is young for a booster a properly installed booster that fits is much safer than a convertible car seat that is not installed properly.
Now I just have to get my son to keep his seat belt on, which is a challenge.
This solution might not be available in the near future. The installer told me Britax is discontinuing the Star Riser and the replacement model will be too wide for the back seat.
So after my inital disappointment everything's good and my wife is happy with the solution. Now I just have to sell the Roundabout.
#3
Rennlist Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 627
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
This has been much discussed by 997 owners with small kids. See:
https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...ght=baby+seats
https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...ght=baby+seats
I can tell you that the Star Riser by Britax is the best fit by far. I purchased the Parkway by Britax as suggested by some on Rennlist, and it did not fit in my cab. It now resides in my Cayenne S. The safest bet for the 997, as the threads above suggest (among other things) and as you seem to have found, is the Star Riser by Britax.
The Star Riser can be purchased for $79 to $89 at:
http://store.yahoo.com/littlefolks/brstribocars1.html
http://www.babystyle.com/common/dPro...mfyboosterseat
and various other places.
https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...ght=baby+seats
https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...ght=baby+seats
I can tell you that the Star Riser by Britax is the best fit by far. I purchased the Parkway by Britax as suggested by some on Rennlist, and it did not fit in my cab. It now resides in my Cayenne S. The safest bet for the 997, as the threads above suggest (among other things) and as you seem to have found, is the Star Riser by Britax.
The Star Riser can be purchased for $79 to $89 at:
http://store.yahoo.com/littlefolks/brstribocars1.html
http://www.babystyle.com/common/dPro...mfyboosterseat
and various other places.
#4
Pro
Statman, thanks, I could not find it at BabiesRUs, etc, and did not know which online shops to check out. I know it is not that important, but what color goes well with almost black leather interior (natural grey to be exact).
#5
Advanced
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 50
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by Deven
Statman, thanks, I could not find it at BabiesRUs, etc, and did not know which online shops to check out. I know it is not that important, but what color goes well with almost black leather interior (natural grey to be exact).
#6
Racer
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Southern California
Posts: 304
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by STATMAN
I purchased the Parkway by Britax as suggested by some on Rennlist, and it did not fit in my cab. It now resides in my Cayenne S. The safest bet for the 997, as the threads above suggest (among other things) and as you seem to have found, is the Star Riser by Britax.
So are the rear seats in the cab different then in the coupe?
#7
Rennlist Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 627
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by USCHANDPOD
I have the parkway in my c2s coupe and it work fine behind the wife 5'6 and so so behind me 6'2 (I have to move up more than I woud like).
So are the rear seats in the cab different then in the coupe?
So are the rear seats in the cab different then in the coupe?
The problem I found with the Parkway has nothing to do with this, though. I found that the seat bottom on the Parkway is too wide to fit nicely in the seat wells. There are little retractable cup holders on the sides of the Parkway that, even when stowed away, make the seat a bit too wide to fit properly. I even removed the seat bottom (which is attached by velcro) from my 997, and tried to fit the booster in--it made no difference. This is the Parkway model I purchased (which I thought would be a great match for my black interior!):
http://www.babyuniverse.com/pro.asp?...e=07-7397137-2
Do you have a picture you could send of how your Parkway fits?
Trending Topics
#8
Racer
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Southern California
Posts: 304
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by STATMAN
Do you have a picture you could send of how your Parkway fits?
#10
Miserable Old Bastard
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
chbj - With a 2 1/2 y/o, I assume you still want a 5-point harness, not the booster-type seat. After some checking around, I bought the Eddie Bauer black leather car seat for my now 4 y/o daughter, and it fits well in the rear seat (it doesn't have a wide base like many seats). My wife can still sit relatively comfortably in the passenger seat (she's 5'7").
Based on the above advice, I also just ordered a Star-riser tonight, as my daughter is tall for her age and may be safer in a booster now.
Based on the above advice, I also just ordered a Star-riser tonight, as my daughter is tall for her age and may be safer in a booster now.
#11
Rennlist Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 627
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by USCHANDPOD
I will try to get a picture but for one thing the seat I have has no cup holders on it. Same name and manufacturer though. The seat fits perfect in the rear.
#12
The Porsche baby seat, although expensive, is awesome. We now even use it in the Sequoia on occassion. The Porsche brand seat is great because it is narrow at the top, and it has an awesome Latch mechanism. Remember too that you can remove the lower seat cushions very easily, and then use a towel to add padding as necessary. This will give you more room.