Time for and updated baby seat model thread? Past threads have outdated names, etc.
 

Have been doing the research to determine the best seat to put in the back of my 996 CAB for my little one (16mos old). Searching through all the past threads seem to reveal seat names that are discontinued or re-named.

Figured it would be a good idea to post the CURRENT name/model of the seat you are using and the application (forward/rear facing, front/rear seat, etc).

If anybody has any info on a forward facing rear seat for a 996CAB I would be very interested to hear about your thoughts.

The only seat I have used in the CAB until my boy easily outgrew it was the Graco Snugride rear facing seat. It was the best fitting but the problem is that before he was even a year old his feet were no longer resting in the seat and instead he was propping them up in the air on the factory seat back :nono: Further, the person in the front seat has to be VERY SHORT or they wont fit since the front seat has to be forward quite a bit to make sure the baby seat fits in the rear.

At that point we decided until he was big enough for a forward facing seat he would no longer ride in the p-car. I just can't deny him that anymore. Every child should be brought up in a p-car :evilgrin:

For example....this thread:
https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...a-toddler.html

Todd shows a great pic of his boys in the back of his car with the Britax Parkway as the seat. But it got replaced by the Monarch, and then not sure which.

Britax Roundabout fits in the back of my Coupe, no problem, for my 2 year old daughter.
It fit rear facing when she was younger but works really well forward facing.

The roundabout is a convertible correct? Did you consider a booster instead?

Thanks for the input Marc!

Dell, I use a Britax Roundabout with the base removed in my cab and it fits great. I do suggest removing the rear seats for more room and a better fit.

Here is a pic (goto post #10).
https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...in-02-cab.html

You can also go to Baby's R Us and they will let you try the display seats in your car to see how they fit (at least they would at the store by me).

My daughter is probably getting close to a booster seat soon, so I will have to look into that next.

That one looks pretty good but still rather bulky, no? I am going to check with my B'R'Us and see if they will let me try out a few seats. Thanks for the tip :thumbup:

We've got a 30#/36" tall 24 month old and this thread is at the perfect time to help me find the right carseat for him. We've also got his sister due in June so I'll be interested to see pics of the rear facing seats too!

I'm 6'2". Is it even a possibility that I could have a forward facing toddler seat behind me and still have enough leg room in the driver's seat? If not, his sister may have to wait until she's older to ride in the car...

I'm 6'1" (long legs, short torso) and my seat is practically all the way rested against the rear seat so I would say NO. :surr:

That's what I was afraid of... Oh well, I'll probably try and put his seat (once I buy one) behind me and see if I can scrunch up a little bit. I already told the wifey that these were great family cars as referenced in a few of the other baby seat threads!

I have nothing to add but the Recaro seat looks so cool....

No problem, the only thing to keep in mind is that you may need to remove the seat base, and they won't do that. The seat I have is really not too bulky, I think it looks that way as the base is removed and the seat appears "squattier" (at least for a baby seat, I am sure boosters will be better). Also, the angle of the pic probably doesn't help, so I added a few. My daughter was around 1 1/2 y/o in the pic, she is closing on 3 1/2 now and has not been in the seat for a while...

Some general information for those who have not used a baby seat.
1. Remove the rear seats for more room (both seat and backrest).
2. The cab seat back is more "vertical" than a coupe, make sure to maintain the correct angle of the seat with respect to the ground (most seats have a line or level on them).
3. Cabs do not have the seat tethers, coupes do (may not be visible).
4. Pull the seat belt all the way out when installing, it will then ratchet and lock when returning.
5. Chances are (at least with a baby seat) that it will be very tough to put a baby seat behind even an average height driver and still maintain a comfortable driving position. It looks like there is a lot of room once the seat is installed, once a child is added it gets real cramped, real quick. Your passenger will not have a "lot" of room.
6. May want to use a towel under the base, and depending on the seat design, be mindful of the leather interior panels - pressure from the seat may cause indentations or worse.

I can't see how it is safe to have a forward facing seat without the rear tether.

The tether is used to keep the seat from moving around, and would be required if using a latch system, otherwise the child seat would just fall forward because the only pivot point would be on the bottom. When using the seat belt (lap and shoulder) to anchor the child seat in place, it is more than firm enough. Actually, the seat in my car is more secure, and has less movement, than my minivan.

0-20lb use the Graco Snugride rear facing - my 4 month old is using ours.

http://www.amazon.com/Graco-SnugRide.../dp/B0007TJVQ8

20 to 80lbs the Recaro seat that I use is still available

http://www.recarochildseats.com/sportChildSeats.asp

This is an excellent seat and I highly recommend it. My 3.5yr old is still using his.

For >30lbs I also have the Britax Parkway, but that is now discontinued and harder to find. I love this seat, as it is compact and easily fits behind the dirvers seat (unlike the recaro. This allows me to have the Graco rear facing seat behind the passenger seat and the Britax behind the driver seat.

As has been stated, the tether is for use with the latch system. If you use the seat belt method you are more than fine.

Great info! That sounds like exactly the same scenario that we'll be in. Can you give a guesstimate as to how far you need to move the driver seat forward to accomodate your 3.5 year old?

Well, I bought the Britax because it was smaller than the Recaro and allows my son to sit behind me without having to adjust my driving position at all. If I'd used the Recaro in the seat behind me I would probably have had to push my seat forward a little, as I'm 6' tall.

My hope is that by the summer my daughter will have graduated into the front facing seat, so the Recaro will go behind the passenger seat and the Britax behind me.

As for the Graco that she is currently using, that forces the passenger seat forward a little, but my wife is 5'2", so doesn't make things too cramped for her - it could be uncomfortable for someone taller.

My hope is that by the time that my daughter is ready to move to the Britax, then I'll have moved my son onto a small booster cushion.

The joy of two kids at different ages is that you get to reuse seats... for 2 kids in three cars we have one Graco snugride, 2 Recaro seats, one Eddie Bauer seat and one Britax. The Recaro and Britax was bought for the Porsche and the Eddie Bauer goes in my Acura. The other Recaro goes into my wife's car.

I'm hoping to take a photo of both kids in the car this weekend, so I'll post it when I have it.

dell, all good baby seats are BULKY. dont kid your self.
i have roundabout britex and recaro as well.
both are great, probably the best other there.
roundabout is lighter. recaro is VERY VERY heavy. i still like the recaro more. looks better in porsches.

Looking forward to the photo! Also, I just googled the Britax Parkway and it looks like my son is still too small for it... :( He's 30#/36" tall and the safety decal on the seat says 40#/38" tall minimum... Bummer... Looks like I'll have to try and squeeze the Recaro behind my seat for now. The positive is that the Recaro has the 5 point harness.

Well, looks aside, it's the best seat seat out there in terms of strength and side impact protection - it's a really solid seat.

In terms of child seats, you really do get what you pay for and the Recaro is worth the money.

Don't worry - he'll be there soon enough! My son had a growth spurt and got there really quickly.

LVDell, thank you for starting this thread and reviving this subject.

I know the horizotal pad of the seat is attached by Velcro and just lifts up. But, can someone tell me how to remove the backrest of the rear seat? My car is a 2002 coupe if that matters. Thanks.

b-man

Here are a few threads on the topic, it really only takes about 10-15 minutes.

https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...need-help.html

https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...s-rollbar.html

Okay, as promised here are the photos of both of my kids in the back of the Porsche.

My son is in the Britax Parkway and my daughter is in the Graco Snugride

I've tried to give you a couple of different angles to show that my son has a good amount of legroom behind my seat and that you can see that the passenger seat is only a few inches forward of the driver's seat. The great thing about the way that the Graco fits is that the seat in front helps wedge it in place and ensure that it does not move.

Once I move my daughter into the Recaro seat I'll repost in this thread so that you can see the Britax and Recaro side by side. I don't expect that photo to happen until late summer.

Wayne,

Nice looking children! Thank goodness they look like their mother! ;)

All this time I thought you had a WHITE 996. Based upon that last pic, the truth comes out. I also managed to get a spy shot of what your car REALLY looks like! NICE! :rolleyes:

:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

Yeah, I'm also thankful that they look like their mother.... although, I was hoping for at least one of them to share my auburn hair. :)

As for the pink tint - it's very bright (and cold) outside today, so had really bad problems with over-exposure on the photos. The problem with photographing the relatively dark inside of a car when it's very bright outside. This was my second attempt, where I deliberately underexposed the images, then tweaked them on the computer to ensure that the inside of the car looked good, but over-exposed the windows.

Oh yeah, the old "it's the cameras fault" excuse! ;)

I figured that was the case, but I still couldn't resist the chance to do a little photo shop magic! :D

It's funny because my wife made the same comment. I told her that she could take the photos next time. :p

It's the first time that I've ever had my camera badly overexpose the images when in automatic mode - it was very odd.

Maybe your camera has "pink eye."

It has something annoying. I even resorted to getting out the instruction manual to see if there was a setting that I might have messed up to cause it.

wellard you got guts stuffing 2 kids in the back! I couldn't do it.....and the baby kept quiet?? I don't think my wife would let me...

Why guts? I'm not sure I follow.

The kids love the car and never cry. They love the engine noise as much as I do.

Much as some might not think so, there's plenty of space for both of them and we all get to have fun together. It's a great family car.

My son knows that it's a special car and often asks to ride in it. In fact, he often gets upset if I go to drive it without taking him along. :)

Good looking kids Wayne and thanks for posting the pics!

In the photos, do you have the horizontal rear seat cushions in or out? How about the vertical seat cushions? I see the one behind the rear facing seat is intact but I can't tell if the other one is there or not?

Thanks!

All the seat cushions are there. I normally just put a towel in between the cushions and the child seats to help prevent wear and tear.

Does anyone know how much space you gain if you remove them?

Well, if you take out the bottom seat cushions you don't gain much - maybe 3/4 of an inch in height, but the problem is that the seat narrows further, so it's actually best to leave those in with some seats like the Recaro (which is already a tight fit).

In the case of the back cushions you would probably gain an inch, maybe a little more.

It didn't seem worth it to me, and the seats already fit fine, so I left them in.

Thanks again for the info! It's good to know that if the seats are fitting too tight, I can take the rear cushions off and gain a little more room!

didn't mean in a negative way!! Just that my little one would not let me stuff her in the back and sit there smiling and being happy while I was taking pictures.:crying::crying:

I actually thought that you might have been commenting on your wife, but wasn't sure. :)

My daughter is actually a very happy baby. We had three months of colic hell, but one day she woke up all smiles and has been very happy since then... she's a real change from my son who is on the "sensitive" side.

The Recaro seat is awesome!! I have it in our truck. I don't think it would fit in the 996.......:crying:

Here's a photo of the Recaro in the 996 and a photo of it on a flight to the UK last year.... a great seat. :)

We were impressed at how well that seat traveled. We strapped it (with my son in the seat) onto a foldable luggage cart and wheeled him around the airport in it - everyone got a kick out of seeing him speeding through the airport in his seat. We got that recommendation from a US Airways flight attendant - one of the best travel tips I've ever gotten.

In order to get it to fit in the 996 you have to remove the pitch adjustment bar from the base.

good point. when my kids were a little younger, the engine drone would put them right to sleep. and yes, i had my kids in the back. it was a little messy, kids just are, but they still love to ride in my 996.

No Tim, you're right. Wayne has been posting pics of his "white" 996 for years, but it's really, truly pink. I've seen it. Wayne's just in touch with his feminine side. It's OK Wayne - we're sensitive to your needs and empathize completely with you. :evilgrin:

Validation..... I KNEW IT!!!!!

:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

I don't have time to read the whole thread but just want to quickly share, so sorry for a repost.

These are current seats that you can still buy in 2009 that we are using in the 996:


Recaro Young Sport
20-80 lbs, they say 1year old but we werent comfortable until 2years

Recaro Vivo Booster
30-100 pounds and 3-12 years of age

Sorry, never carried the kids as infants in the 996. Didn't have the car then.

I'm trying to get my Recaro Young Sport behind the driver's side seat and it definitely will pinch my driving style (I'm 6'). With the full family in, we will have myself and my wife up front, my 11 yr old behind my wife, and my 3 yr old behind me. I think I'm going to have to remove the rear seat back on the driver's side to make room -- or invest in a different car seat.

Zach, How tall is your 3 year old?

30#, 37.5"

I put the Recaro behind the passenger's side. If we all go out in the P-car, my son can scrunch behind me for the trip. If it's just me and the kids (for dropping them off on the way to work), then he can sit up front and there are no problems.

have a 2 year old in booster seat and would like to take him to school less than a mile away....however took rear seats out with roll bar in my mostly track driven 997S and have porsche 996 race seats up front....was told to install airbag cancel key operated button and go ahead and use the front seat facing forward...can turn the airbag back on with adult passengers...wife not too keen..any input would be appreciated....I have read others with 2 seaters such as boxsters doing this...

Well, I know it can be done with regular seats, as Porsche does sell a seat that has a connector to deactivate the airbag. Now you mention having "race seats", what does that mean? Are you talking Sport seats, or GT3 style seats?

Personally, I would be reluctant to put a child seat into any kind of racing seat because of the pitch and shape of the seat, but regular seat should be fine.

Attachment 338291886 gt3 seats still have oem seat belt in use in addition to 6 pt harness...think i am going to get another car.....335i cab.....

yeah, I think it could be a problem to use those seats with a child seat.

I need a carseat for my son. 16 months & 30 lbs. Looking at these two models. What is a better fit?

Britax Roundabout (up to 40 lbs)

or

Recaro Young Sport Child Seat (up to 80 lbs)

If they both fit with no problem, then I think I want to go with the Recaro as he can use it for much longer.

Thoughts?

I have both.

The reality is that for one kid the Recaro is great, but if you have two, then it's a little too big to have behind the driver's seat, so you would then use a Britax in that position... at least that's what I did.

right now we only have one. Eventually we will add an additional child unit. At what age do kids move to booster seats?

I assume a booster will fit behind the driver easier than the Recaro?

Well, we still use the recaro in other cars, but we started using the Britax in the Porsche just after his 3rd birthday.

Did you finally pull the trigger on a 911? I haven't been on the site much lately so I may have missed your introductory post...

I too have a 996Cab and use this car seat in the rear. Took out both sections of the rear seat and things fit very well. The Radian has one of the narrowest footprints and with a high safety rating.

http://www.albeebaby.com/sukiracarseg.html

I had a rough time getting seats to fit in the rear of my 996 cab. I finally tracked down a used Porsche Junior seat and it's great it fits in both the front and rear. (I do have the airbag disable for when it's just my daughter and I.

My Britax roundabout was a tough fit with the base on, I didn't realize you could take it off. (that's what I have in my Evo and my wife's TL)

If i use the Recaro behind the passenger seat, how much room will that leave for the passenger? The main person that will be riding in that seat will be my wife (5'5).

The Recaro Young Sport looks bulky. Sure it will fit behind the pass seat?

My wie is 5'2" and she had plenty of legroom when the Recaro was behind her... all depends on how long your wife's legs are and how much legroom she "needs" I never really got any complaints from my wife.

Will the seat be rear facing or front facing?

Front facing.

If front facing space is not too large of a problem from what I have seen.

However on our rear facing Graco seat my wife (who is not large 5'4", 112 lbs) is forced very far forward.

I must be a giant and my son must be to (6'1 and 5'8) because I could NEVER drive with a baby seat behind me or must have a baby without legs and my son has to sit with his seat all the way to the front to give the 2 yr old in the back a little leg/foot space and she still has to put her feet on the sides of the back of the front seat..or her baby seat has to sit so straight up that I am afraid she is going to fall over......is this because I have a cab?? my babyseat is a britax marathon with the bottom taken off

I've no clue... I'm 5'11" and have no leg room issues at all with my son's Britax Parkway behind my seat... in fact I didn't even re-position the seat when I moved him from the passenger side to the driver's side.

Is it possible to go from the Roundabout directly to a booster seat? The reason I was looking at the Recaro was that it could accept a larger weight.

Sure. Unless you're pushed for space you can keep using the Recaro until you hit the booster seat stage. The only reason that I bought the Britax in addition to the Recaro was that I needed a smaller seat that would fit behind the driver's seat and make space for a rear facing infant carrier behind the passenger seat.

What is the age and weight for the booster?

wellard did you take out the backseat??

The weight range is 30 to 100lbs and the height range is 38 to 60 inches.

Although these seats were discontinued by Britax last year you can still find them in the supply chain and pick them up for a good price.

No, I've not changed anything. If you look at post 24 in this thread

https://rennlist.com/forums/6285099-post24.html

You'll see my current set-up... the britax is behind my seat and the graco is behind the passenger seat.

My son was 32 1/4" back in Feb. Last week he weighed 30lbs. He is 17 months old. I think I am going to go with the Britax Roundabout for the time being and then move to a booster seat like shown above when he gets closer to the 40 lbs mark.

I wouldn't expect him to be ready for the Britax Parkway until he's closer to 3 yrs old.

I just ordered the Britax Roundabout. Then when he gets closer to 3 yrs or so, then we will look into the Parkway.

I have a recaro start that is currently collecting dust in the garage. It is black with aluminum frame, about 6 or so years old. Anyone intetested? (yes, if fits in the 996 backseat)

Stefan

New info (6/3/09): The seat was acutally manufactured in 2000, and according to Recaro, expires 8 years from the date of manufacture. Accordingly, the seat is not for sale and I apologize for the error.

Thanks

Ok. I now have the 996 and a Britax Roundabout. I feel like an idiot because I cannot get the secure the seat. I am trying to put it behind the pass seat. I have removed the seat bottom and seat back. Also have the shoulder/lap belt going thru the back of the seat as I do in other cars. The seat feels quite loose.

What am I doing wrong? What do you guys do?

Pull the seat belt all the way out, then it "ratchets" and locks as it retracts back. Get it close, then retract it one "click" at a time and reconnect it. Repeat until tight, my seat does not move. Also, put your knee/weight in the seat while connecting the seatbelt for that added bit of leverage/space, to get the seat in as tight as you can.

Could the placement of the seatbelt be different in a cab vs. coupe?

I just tried again but to no avail. I use a similar process in both my other cars and it works fine.

I then removed the car seat as well as the child seat, and then locked the seatbelt in place to see how it fits together with nothing in the way. It seems like the tie down points for the seat belt are not symmetrical.

The car seat is loose on one side as that tie down is further away from the seat back than the other side.

Sorry if this is not making sense. I have been awake since 3:30am and now 9pm.:banghead:

I'm not sure if there is a difference between cab and coupe, but both should operate the same. Did you remove the base of the baby seat? I did so that it fits better.

I set my seat in place, extend the seat belt all the way, let it ratchet in a bit, then feed it through the seat and connect it to the receptacle. At this point, it's usually fairly loose, but I want to gauge where I am (because once it retracts too far you have to start over). I then remove it from the receptacle and let it ratchet in a few more clicks and re attach it (while my knee is in the seat). I keep repeating this until I can barely connect the seat belt to the receptacle. The seat in my car has much less movement than my minivan.

Here is a pic of mine, feel free to PM me if you are still having issues and would like to talk.

Let me give that a shot. =-)

I think that I am/was trying to put the seat too far back so that the back of the car seat and bottom of the seat were flush with the car. Obviously that is not good for the angle of the seat as the red line needs to be level with the ground. Also this was putting the car seat too far back to that the receptacle is too far forward, thus making it impossible to get the correct angle from the belt for a solid feel.

I have been playing with the position of the seat so that it accomplishes two goals.

1 - Keep the red line level
2 - Keep the receptacle in the correct location so that the belt is coming thru the back of the carseat at the correct angle.

But, my problem now is that there is space between the car and the carseat. So I have some questions:

1 - The seat back is removed along with the bottom. Should I put the bottom back in?
2 - The picture above is a cab. It seems that the back of the seat is more vertical in the cab. Could this affect the position of the carseat?
3 - How far forward do you have your carseat? Does the leading edge of the carseat extend further than where the leading edge of the seat bottom would be located?
4 - Do you use towels or anything as spacers? It seems much easier to "tighten" down the carseats in my other cars. I believe this is because the actual seats in the other cars will compress with applied pressure from the carseat.

I really appreciate all of your help. I have some pictures and can send if anyone would be willing to PM me their email address. =-)

-Ryan

The cab back is more vertical than the coupe, but I honestly do not have any experience fitting a seat in a coupe. The red line on the seat is parallel to the ground (as it is supposed to be) in the installation in the pic. I do have a towel under the seat (with the seat and back removed), and I removed the base of the Britax. I think the towel helps because everything is very firm so the towel helps to "seat" the car seat in place.

I can't tell you about the seat bottom extending because the seat is not in the car at the moment, and I just can't remember at the moment.

thanks. Hopefully someone with a coupe can chime in on this thread. =-)

Wow, my rear seat ('02 coupe) has a lot more room than that cab shot

do you have any photos or advice? Should I post the pictures of my scenario?

Ray - the cab back is much more vertical than the coupe so the seat has to be more forward to get the angle correct. Fortunately, it's usually my wife or my daughter in the car. They can both fit, but not for a long trip!

Ryan - some pics would always help.

Here are some photos:

In the first photo I placed the carseat as far back as I could and the belt does not fit in the proper position. The next two photos show the space behind the seat when I move the seat to the proper position so that I can have the belt in the proper location in the seat.

Any thoughts?

http://i314.photobucket.com/albums/l...l/IMG_1050.jpg
http://i314.photobucket.com/albums/l...l/IMG_1051.jpg
http://i314.photobucket.com/albums/l...l/IMG_1052.jpg

To me it looks like you need to put your seats back in. I know that my recaro doesn't fit as well if I take out the bottom seat pad - looks similar.

Okay, here's an update. I graduated my youngest from our rear facing Graco seats into the front facing Recaros today. At the same time I moved my oldest into booster seats in all of our cars.

I already had a Britax Parkway for the Porsche, but bought Evenflo Big Kid booster seats for the other cars. When I tried putting one of the Evenflo sears into the p-car I found that it seat was too high on the back to fit in place, so here's an example of a booster seat that does not fit into the 996.

In my 1999 C4 Coupe:

Britax Companion fit great for 1yr (rear facing).
Britax Roundabout (rear facing) so far (baby just over) a year.

Wife is 5'2" and fits in front with both car seats. At 6', I do not fit well in the passenger seat with either baby seat behind me. I guess I "have" to drive. ;)

Just realized I never posted my update with what I chose.

I went with the Britax Roudabout in a matching color to the car. Ordered through Amazon and it was on sale with free shipping as well. This is really the only seat that fits well and properly. I tried several others that would work height and width-wise but their bases were permanent and wouldn't fit in the recess to ensure a stable fit.

To install you have to REMOVE the base of the seat for the install. As well you need to remove your rear seat (base and back).

My little boy fits very comfortable with my wife driving but with me it's a little tight for both me and the little one. We chose the drivers side since in November we will have the rear facing on the other side for the newborn.

Dell, nice looking boy! :thumbup:

It's a good thing he looks like his mother! :icon501: :D

You got that right!

Anyone thought about a footrest? My son's feet just dangle a few inches off the floor. Can't be too comfortable.

I was thinking about putting a box on the floor or something.

I let my kid's feet hang, but I do have a cover that protects the back of the seats from kicking and scuffing.

This is inaccurate I’m afraid. Britax's Versa-Tether® is designed and recommended for use with both LATCH and lap-shoulder belt installations using the Roundabout. See Britax’s user guide here (page 18).

With a heavier toddler in particular, I would think carefully before installing a fully-harnessed booster seat without a tether.

Very cute girl! :)

Just a couple of thoughts on the harness:

1. The chest clip should be at the middle of the chest, level with the armpit. It appears to be very low in these pictures.

2. It also appears to be rather loose. Having limbs in between the belt and the torso is less than ideal.

Just my $.02.

Thanks for posting what I already have. Mine came with a manual.

An no, it's not inaccurate. Britax recommends that you use the tether but also states that it is NOT required as many vehicles do not have a tether anchor.

Long story short. If you have an available anchor use it. If you do not, then you are fine as well. It's not black and white in these things.

Just curious, do you have a child?

As far as too loose. I don't see that it is too loose. It is VERY easy to a kid to slide their hands into the straps. But no worries, it's still firm enough they can't get their whole arm contorted to get it fully removed.

Looks good! I use the same seat, in my Coupe, it fits with the rear seat back in place, I use the tether but it would be fine without. My daughter LOVES the sound of the 996 :)

I just looked at my pics and realized my camera blows!

LVDell,

What rear facing seat will you use with your newborn? my 5 year old has been riding with a car seat since she was 2 and fits fine. I had a new baby girl 8 weeks ago.

What type of rear facing seat would fit in my 2002 996 C4S?

Thanks,

Glenn

Glenn, I just got home. I'll have to run up to my storage and get the model info for you. Give me about an hour and I'll post back. What I can tell you is that the model I got was the only one that would fit properly in the cavity with the seats removed. The downside to the one I chose is that while it fits perfectly, there is a gap between when the baby will outgrow it (weight and age) and when they can go forward facing. So we ended up buying ANOTHER car just so we could have the ability to to have either parent pick him up.

I'll post back the specifics shortly......

It's the Graco Snugride and sells for ~$100
LINK

LVDell, did you use the seatbelt to secure it or does it have LATCH? (What years have LATCH? Has it become standard? Looking for 02--3 C2 or C4S)

Also, is the roundabout pretty close in size to the Marathon? Edit: I noticed the Roundabout is a bit smaller

Anyone use the Marathon or Decathalon? I saw one poster used a Marathon without the base. Using seatbelt or LATCH??

Thanks very much

Great, thanks!!!!

But how does it actually attach? i don't have anchors in my 996 C4S

Glenn

seatbelt as there is no latch system in the car. I don't know about the dimensions of the marathon, sorry.

seatbelt method. there is also a seatbelt lock included with the seat. there is no anchor or latch system in the car.

Any thoughts about the Chico KeyFit 22 - reviews say it's rated better for infants than the Chico...easier to secure baby to, etc etc... Cons are that it's more expensive but I am basically price insensitive on this matter!

LVDell - I think we'll go with the Snugride as you recommended.
I just discovered a whole new world of strollers etc and because I am pretty sure my wife will want a Bugaboo stroller - and there's a snugride adapter for it...

Good call. One of the reasons we went with the Graco and then the Peg Perego seats is they have adapters for the Bugaboo.

My wife found this product on one of her "mommy" forums.

http://www.showeryourbaby.com/risatrvebkid.html

Attachment 412881
Attachment 412882
My almost 3 year old is about to outgrow her Britax seat (same as Dell's) and looking for a way to keep her in the back so the two don't fight over the front seat. May give it a try. Is cheap and looks to be NHST approved. Have to look in more depth.

Dell, maybe at coffee this Saturday, you can go over to the Mommy's group that sits next to us and bring up a new topic. I know you are dying to go over there and talk about baby stuff. ;)

Picks of the girls in the P-car as set up now.
Attachment 412883
Attachment 412884

.... and yes, the passenger air bag is deactivated incase you were wondering.

That's it!!!!! NO MORE USE OF THE LIFT!!!!!!! :grr:

Mi casa....is no longer....su casa!

BAWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

Damn Dell, that is MUCH worse than me getting on the Honda Forums! :evilgrin:

I'm telling ya.....the coffee crew is a rough bunch! When are you going to join us?

Ok, the wife is on a mission to get several car seats. I might as well get something that will fit my cars. Anyone out here know if the Britax Boulevard will fit due to the "narrow requirements" of the 911's back seat?

http://www.britaxusa.com/car-seats/boulevard

Ok, I answered my own question. We bought the Britax Boulevard and it fits fine. I removed the rear back seat rest so that the child seat would fit better. At first, I removed the seat cushion but ended up putting it back since the child seat fit better with it.

By the way, the middle bolt is a 4mm hex head. The plastic cover slides FORWARDS towards the front of the car. If you don't slide it forward and just pull up, it will break the plastic piece underneath that fits against the bolt. Ask me how I know. The side bolt looks like a Torx, but a 6mm hex head fit perfectly to remove it. The plastic cover pops out towards the center of the car.

another carseat for the 911 (997)
 

I just tried two of the cosco seats and found one that fits. There is a very inexpensive toddler seat. Its the cosco High-back booster seat, at target under $50. It has a 5 point harness and fits snug. using the OEM seat belt to attach the car seat keeps it a bit loose side to side, but is still secure. I just took my baby girl for a ride and she loved the car.

Anyone try to fit a Britax Regent or Frontier in the back?

Now all you guys need to do is watch some of the kids cartoons and try wearing an outfit like their stars wear when driving cars. Go Speed Racer Daddy!!!

NC911 I really like those teddy bear gloves your little girl has. Kids love that stuff.

Just bought a Clek Ozzi booster seat for my dads '03 C4S - I will have to remove the latch system on the seat, but it otherwise looks to be a perfect fit. If it fits, will post pics. Cost $70 at CanTire...

I have the same problem with my sons seat. There is some movement in the seat from side to side. The seats in the 911 are stiff and the cushion does not compress. This seems to make it very difficult to install the seat in such a way that removes all movement. In my other vehicles, I install the seat, then put pressure on the child seat and compress the actual cushion of the rear seat. As this is done, I tighten up the straps/belts and the child seat becomes very snug.

I cannot seem to find a way to accomplish this with the child seat setup in the 911.

How do the rest of you install the child seat? I feel like I am missing something.

I think the most important thing about the child seat is the strap the goes to the back towards the engine.... make sure this is taught... with the car seat belt going through behind the child seat, it will be very secure.

Where is the rear anchor point located?

rear anchor is under the carpet..... on the mk1, the carpet has a cutout for it... not sure about the mk2, but the anchor point should be under the carpet.... right over the engine roofing.

I have the BOSE and it seems to be blocking the anchors. There is a piece of carpet that can be pulled up, but seems to be stuck.

My Turbo has bose and it does NOT block the tether anchor. It is right at the crease where the subwoofer meets the back dash. I can tell you that cutting the carpet has to be done and it goes DEEP to get to the anchor since there is plenty of insulation. Amazing that you have to do this but then again Porsche doesn't build the interior the way they build a motor, gearbox, or suspension!

Dell -

Thank you very much. This helps a ton. I will be sure to get this taken care of tomorrow night.

well, found a backless booster seat that fits nearly perfectly in the rear. it's the harmony literider. it's only for kids 30-100 lbs and it does not require LATCH.

found it at walmart for about $13. simple and solves the problem of the older child getting the seat belt and shoulder belt in the right position.

i found it fits without having to remove any part of the rear seats.

The Harmony literider fit perfect a coupe? I have an 03 coupe and can't find any seats that fit! Thanks for the info.

Yep. Fit just fine in my 01 C4 coupe.

Pics or ban!

Harmony Literider good child booster for 996 Cab
 

+1 for the Harmony Literider booster. (thanks for the tip!!) $13.50 at Walmart.
Fits well in my 996 cab. A bonus is that it has a flat bottom, so it doesn't dent the seats the way the old Cosco booster I used to have did. :thumbsdown:
One minor issue with the Harmony is that the armrest interferes with easy access to the buckle mechanism, but it still works. See pics.

I don't know if anyone here has posted this but have heard that someone has found a way to secure the Britax Seats into a 996TT.

A bigger problem then fitment of the Child Seat was the position of the rear seatbelt receptacal. It was too far forward with no way to secure the Child seat tight enough in a forward facing position. The three point seatbelt would feed throught the child seat and not allow for the seatbelt to hold the Child seat in place because the receptacal was ahead of the hold down point. Neither rear seat cusion or seatback were removed. Both were used.

Solution: re-position the rear seat belt receptacal. From the Factory the receptical sits at a 45 deg angle facing forward.

The Fix: 1 or of 10 on the DIY difficulty level. A 5 min. fix

1) Pull the plastic cover off the rear seat belt receptacal.

2) Remove the Receptacal Nut

3) Reposition the seat belt receptacal to a almost 90 deg position

4) Re tighten the nut to factory torque spec. ( don't ask me what it is )

5) The plastic cover will not go back on.

6) Try the seat again.

7) Don't forget to pull the rear seatbelt all the way out to activate the locking system in the belt before you start tensioning the seatbelt.

8) Get your body weight on top of the Child Seat to help secure it down.

9) Don't forget the Teather strap ( third belt that goes over the back of the seat to a mounting point )

10) The seat I heard about had "ZERO Movement"

11) Read your Child Seat installation manual.

Disclaimer: I am not a Child Seat installation professional nor do I imply that I am. I have no formal child seat installation training. I do not recommend anyone do this as you are changing the Porsche factory safety equipment which could be and most likely illegal. This is just something that I heard about someone doing in a 996 TT just like the one that I have.

Cheers !

Did you see post #127? :D By the way, it's the same in the Carrera line as well.

As far as the seat belt receiver, I tried that (rotating) but the way it goes together with the chassis of the car it can only go one way and when I rotated it I did not feel safe with the attachment. Unlike the fronts which can rotate at the bolt, the rears have a channel/groove that they secure in.

Dell thanks for posting #127, huge help. I just installed my Britax Roundabout the exact same way. I removed the base which gave my son a little more headroom. I did notice that when I connect the seatbelt and snug the tether down the car seat shifts to side and doesn't sit straight. I had to back off the tension a bit to get the seat to sit straight and even now its still not perfect and there is some movement in the seat. Did anyone else have this same problem? If so, whats the fix?

Tighten the crap out of the rear tether is the best solution I found. The lateral movement, while minor, will be present without being able to a lower latch system. I did hear about the following product that is at Babies R Us that helps you ratchet the belt down and make it tight......

I have the same carseat and have the same issue. The seatbelt works well to the carseat from moving backwards and forwards. Just need to use the rear anchor point to restrict the movement even further.

Most rear seats are soft and allow you to compress them so that the child seat is extremely solid. But, these P-Cars have very hard rears seats and this is not an option.

Dell, is that a towel wedged in between the car seat and the carpet?

Yup, helps to get the seat "just right" by filling in the void. Had to experiment a few times to get the right size folds.

A cosco car seat from "walmart" works and looks good. I have it in my 996 C2. I was worried about finding one that would work for my 2yr old and right when i got the car my curriosity led me to walmart one late night measuring the bottoms of the car seats long and behold, the 1st one i looked at measured out good. Now for it to mount securly i undid the material/padding ran the lap/shoulder belt over the carseat then i tethered the top to the latch and recovered with the material/padding. This is time consuming so this car seat stay in all the time.

Cosco has cheaper materials and less padding compared to my Baby Recaro but as you indicated, it does the job.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_SuA6bLxJNLU/TD...0/P1010285.JPG

Ok I tried to test fit the Graco Snugride this weekend.
I removed the rear cushion and back rest and used the seat belt to try to anchor the Snugride in the back seat but could not get it to be very secure.
A lot of lateral movement.

I made sure the seat belt was looped through the middle hole but didn't seem to make a difference....Argh

Did you use the D-ring that comes with it to lock the seat belt in place?

The D Ring... argh...
You mean the flat metal thing that looks like http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...vL._AA100_.jpg

Should I put the bottom seat cushion back in? What should I do with this ring..

bingo!

Take out the seat bottom and add the d-ring for a perfect snug fit. The instructions that come with the seat explain how it works. If you do not have them, you can download from the Graco website.

Hi guys from overseas. :-)

Don't know if theese are called the same in the US but I use them for my 4 and (soon) 1 year old. They go straight in without any modifications.

Acta Graco Comfort

http://www.babyshop.no/babyshop/fron...3700-v01-l.jpg

And the Maxi Cosi

http://www.icbaby.com/_product_image...reflection.jpg

Even with my 6.5 in the drivers seat there's room for the Acta seat in my 98 C2 model.

Cheers

Alex

thanks for the harmony literider tip - ordered it just now... I wasted too much time looking for a backless seat for my coupe...

Just reviving the thread since I am moving my boy from the Roundabout to a booster. Starting the search and will post back. Just wanted to bring this back to the top since it seems to be a good repository of info.

Last Sunday bought a Britax Parkway for my daughter to ride in the back of my '02 C2 Cab. Fits perfectly - even the woman at the store was impressed, said it fit better in my car than her Honda. Only issue is the "headrest" on the seat, if you move it up, can interfere with the top so I have to be sure I keep it low when raising/lowering the top. So far so good with my daughter who is 41 lbs and 41" tall. She loves the car - waves to everyone in traffic. :bigbye:

Got that harmony in the mail the other day and its perfect! narrow enough and does the job

I would be interested in seeing what boosters fit as well.....

A while back I got a Recaro booster seat with removable back.

It seems to be made for 911s and other exotic (read tiny) backseats.
My daugher loves it and the back has side head protection for my little girl.

It was about $100 on sale at a local children's store called Bergstroms.
http://www.bergstroms.com/bergstroms...F&dept_id=4319

All my buddies laugh when they see the "Recaro" carseat through the rear window , ha, but my girl loves it.

http://www.bergstroms.com/bergstroms...JEJDOCONIF.jpg

Dave, what model is that? Looks like that is the ProBooster correct? Do you have any pics of it installed? Thanks!

UPDATE on Graco Snugride:

I removed the rear seats and test fitted the Graco Snugride.
It doesn't work at all as the passenger seat needs to move so far forward I don't think my wife will be able to sit there at all. :(

You'll have to define what "it doesn't work at all" means. It fits just fine, is VERY secure, and does the job right. With that said, and as we have all said, the seat has to move pretty far forward to accommodate a rear facing seat (even this model which is the smallest out there).

The rear facing is a serious compromise in comfort but it is only temporary since the baby will outgrow the seat BEFORE they can move to forward facing at 1 year.

I just picked up the harmony booster seat as well for my new C4S(yes, pics to come once it gets a pumpkinectomy). The seat works great, outside of the spacing issues for the buckle. I decided to take matters into my own hands and pull the cover off and heat each "armrest" where it connects with the base with a hair dryer until nice and warm (1-2 mins). I then took the heated side and dipped it into a sink of cold water for a few mins, leaning on the seat to get the desired angle. Did both sides, and now it fits like a charm, and actually slides all the way to the back of the seat. The bonus is now my daughter can actually do the buckle herself!:rockon:

Hey Dell, yes it is the Probooster, there's a link above.

I'll try to get a pic or two of it in the backseat.

It has a very small base that fits our back seats, the nice side protection, plus the back can be removed later.

Awesome, thanks Dave! I'm pretty sure that's the one I'm buying. Just want to see it in another car so the pics will help push me over the top :jumper:

Bruce,

Here is that car seat vest I mentioned to you.
It is meant to work like a car seat.

http://www.showeryourbaby.com/risatrvebkid.html

There is a velcro "hans like" add on.
The vest works better without it in a Cab.

G

I already had 2 boulevards for my 2.5 year old from my other cars. After some research, removed the bottom cushion in my 997.2 cab and tried it out. Worked fine. Daughter fit in fine. However there was barely any space for her legs to move; a little wiggle room would be nice. Took my car in for it's first 2 day service indicator reset and asked the dealers to remove the back seat as well. That bought us an extra inch. Back at home, I spent quite some time tweaking the seat incline, placing a towel, etc. The cabriolet makes it a little hard to optimize. Even with the most forward incline setting on the boulevard, the seat rear does not sit flushed with the rear. Tilting the seat forward to achieve that does buy you significant room, but is hard to secure.

While it does work, I'm keeping an eye out for alternatives.

Dell, sorry it took me a bit, but here are a few pics of the Recaro Probooster:

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...o/63c07de7.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...o/9dfe78b5.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...o/c7cd664d.jpg

Dave, those are great, thanks for posting. And your daughter is absolutely a cutie!

Thanks Meister for the pics. I dont know if it will fit in my '04 C4S Cab. Does anyone have pics of a carseat installed in a C4S Cab?

Flipmo.....I am actually ordering that seat this week. I'll post pics up of that seat installed in both my Turbo and CAB.

Just planning ahead with this purchase as i don't have the 911 yet.
My question relates to the dimensions of the seat. I have the Graco Turbo series booster seats. The size is 16" wide by 15" deep. By the photos here, it looks like the Harmony booster fits the best but I noticed on the company web page that the dimensions are 16" wide x 17 " deep. Is there something about the shape of the harmony that allows it to fit better even though the dimensions are similar to the graco?

http://lotpro.com/blogphotos/Misc%20...rboBooster.jpg

The cup holders slide back into the base of the seat

The Harmony literider booster tapers a bit, so that it is narrower on the bottom at the back. That helps the fit.
That doesn't mean that the Graco turbo won't fit. I haven't tried it, but it looks kind of squareish. When you get your 911, test fit the the Graco Turbo and report back (with pictures!:D). If they don't fit, the Harmony literider is cheap at Walmart.

To the top for member larry47us.

Hi Dell,

Can you post pics of the seat on your cab? I have a2007 997 C4S Cab and would like to know fit as well as buckle clearance once seat is in so my daughters can buckle themselves.

Thanks

AWESOME TIP!
 

I have had the same Harmony booster seats for a less than a year and had the same frustration with the challenges with the spacing between the armrests and buckle. After reading your post I went out to the garage and used my heat gun to perform the same mod.

It worked out perfectly! I used a bungee to pull the arm rests in while I used the heat gun to soften the plastic. Here are some pics and many thanks.
:biggulp:

Somebody looks like they just finished cruising the hwy with Daddy.

Are you talking about the Recaro ProBooster? Let me know what type of shots you are looking for and I can get them taken this weekend.

Hey Dell,

Thanks for replying but last night I read a post on a simple mod for my existing Harmony literider booster seats ($14.00 at walmart) and it ended up working perfectly for me.

Love this fourm!
:thumbsup:

Spring fever is hitting and this thread is perfect...Walmart has the Harmony Literider for sale at $17 CDN, so I told my wife to pick up for the 5 year old so I can mod. Now I need to find a front facing seat for my one year old. Any suggestions for my 99cabriolet?

Thanks,
Gary

Gary, really the only one that works is the Britax Roundabout with the base removed. I know there are a lot of posts in this thread but we have covered EVERYTHING to help with the decision so grab a drink, sit back, and enjoy :thumbup:

Dell, how well does the Recaro ProBooster fit in the cab? Are your rear seats in or out? Thanks!

Don, sorry for the late reply. I was out of town this weekend.

The Recaro ProBooster fits perfectly in the CAB and with the seats in place. It's just a little tight to get to the seat belt receiver since it is mounted to the car so far back.....but nothing difficult at all.

Great, thanks Dell!

Very welcome. Let me know if you need me to post a pic.

fyi, my Graco Turbo from my other car does not fit in my C2 996 coupe. not even close. too wide.
i have been using the recaro vivo since last year which have been updated to the probooster. my kids fit fine in my recaro vivos.

Walmart Harmony Youth Booster Seat
 

Thanks so much for all the most useful information.

I picked up the seats from Walmart too.

http://www.walmart.ca/Baby/Car-Seats...er-Seat/723530

http://www.harmonyjuvenile.com/produ...ess/503785.php

I think it's quite important to carry out the hairdryer mod (I didn't even use the heat gun or bungee cord) to push the armrests a little inward as it fits far better.

End result is perfect.

Looks great, thanks for adding more to this thread! :cheers:

you guys are blessed with some cute kids!

Here we go again...

Needing the latest recommendation on rear-facing/convertible infant seats for my '99 C4 coupe. The last recommendation I see is the Britax Boulevard or the Graco Snugride. Anyone know if they've changed anything or if there are better options available?

Mom is pretty short (about 5'-4")...is there any chance she'll still fit in front with a rear-facing seat behind her?

Any rear facing seat (even the smallest) will create a tight fit for the passenger. It is much easier with somebody that is vertically challenged. The one that I have found to give the most space is the Graco Snugride. If you have a boy (or even a girl) that grow quickly the seat will be outgrown before they get to 1 year and are legally able to right forward facing.

I still have my snugride if you want it we can work out a fire sale price.

My wife is the same height and although a bit snug, it is definitely still manageable for her. We have the Porsche Britax rearward facing.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1225467082.jpg

Great--thanks for the info.

Sure, I'd probably be interested--ZIP is 52003 if that helps to figure a price. What color is it? Let me know...thanks!

recaro probooster
 

Hi all

Great thread - appreciate the info.

Quick question for anyone who has the Recaro Probooster. Is the back removable? I think I looked at it in a store a while ago and the back did not come off. But that was a while ago so memory could be wrong.

It's not removable

I have a Britax forward facing seat for little ones FS...

New Child Seat Install 7-20-11
 

Thank you very much for all the information on this forum!
I am a new Porsche owner as of two weeks ago. A 99' 996 Coupe, black on black.
A condition to purchase was child seats fitting (a family car!). I have read forums, reviews and opinions, but many had outdated or incomplete information. This last thread finally gave me the info required to satisfy the better half.

I thought I would share my information in case it might help someone.

I purchased two Recaro Vivo's from WalMart.com -- around $80 each. I removed the seat bottoms and backs along with the back support studs on each side. They had to come off for a proper fit. My son just turned 3 and meets the minimum height weight for the booster along with my 5 yr old daughter. The boosters are certainly easier to fit. As you can see in the pictures, they fit very nicely. I put my daughter behind me as her legs are long enough to hang vertically, but my sons legs still must project forward a bit. I am 6'4" and 290 lbs. I normally drive with the seat an inch or so forward of full aft. With my daughter behind me, I must move up several more inches. It is still a very driveable position, but I would not want to take a long trip! My wife must move her seat up more for my sons legs. She is 5'7" and ??? (let's just say she is not thin anymore). She would not be able to drive in that position, but seems comfortable as a passenger. I had looked at a Cabrolet, but found the drivers seat full aft position not comfortable for me at all. In fact, in retrospect, the Cab seat geometry had less leg room full aft than the position I use now with my daughter behind me in the Coupe! The only downside I have found with this install, is not a car issue, but a booster seat issue. I am going to find some seat belt clips to hold the shoulder straps in position to prevent the children from leaning forward or sideways. Holding them back much like the full harness car seats. By removing the seat backs, I feel I was able to keep the Recaro's reclined better. I was able to set the Recaro seat backs to the farthest reclining position of the three available. The Recaro's allow enough side room to easily reach in and buckle both children from either side.

Thanks again! What a great site.

Cute kids and Recaro bragging rights. ;) As for forward stability, your seat should've come with rear restraint strap. If you look at your rear deck carpeting closely, you'll see that Porsche provides rear anchors that can be accessed by cutting a part of the carpet(just a couple slits) right behind the seats on the rear "deck" portion. There's already an marks in the carpet where this area is. As for side stability, maybe something like this? http://www.cg-lock.com/

Nice seats, I picked picked up a handful if Britax seats, got a couple chaparones for rear facing, few advocates for front facing, haven't looked at boosters yet but that i still a few years away. It is a tight fit in the back, but is manageable. My GF is 5'6" -5'7" and can fit somewhat comfortably up front.

On a side note I really wish we could get recarro's in Canada. I looked at bringing one back from the states, but I guess you can get in a lot of trouble here for not using an approved child seat.

Those anchors points are for forward facing baby seats NOT booster seats.

Ah gotcha. I'm not at the booster level yet so what do I know. :p

Not to worry, it just keeps getting better............

Seat
 

I hear that for the seatbelt rotation method to work both the top and bottom of the rear seats must remain in. Not sure if I would be comfortable removing the factory seats.

Why would you know be comfy removing the seats?

Canadian insurance companies are very sticky about any changes to a car that is not recognized by the manufacture.

I Googled the "mighty tight" seatbelt winch and found quite a few issues with it and how it's dangerous to use due to it damaging the seatbelt materials and the lock being unreliable.

This sucks!!! It's a simple problem with an impossible solution.

Thanks for everyones input :-)

I'm pretty sure the seats are held on by velcro for a reason......situations just like this.

Great News!!!
 

I have some great news for the 996 owners today!

I had a little time to Kill today so dropped by a few Kid Specialty Stores. Tried a whole bunch of seats in the back of my 996 Turbo. I currently have a Britax Diplomat( discontinued ) that works well bit not perfect. 8/10

Sunshine Kids Montery- no way in hell it'll fit. 0/10

Britax Parkway- gets in there but a really sloppy fit, base is too wide and the lower base hovers over the bottom seat cushion. 6/10

Next store........

I instantly spot a very skinny looking Combi Kobuk booster with a full back. I've heard of just the Combi Kobuk Base Only fitting but I wanted a seat to keep the upper seatbelt in a proper position which is not across the neck. The sales lady at the store knows me well and says " help yourself to fit any seat "...... I grabbed the seat and ran out to the car. Threw it in the back and.....Bingo!!! We gave a winner!!!!!! I'm was almost in tears.... a few of the local RL guys know that I have spent countless hours/days trying to find a seat that fits well. This is it!

http://products.howstuffworks.com/co...eat-review.htm

http://www.insurance-canada.ca/consi...-seats-810.php

http://www.iihs.org/research/topics/...good_bets.aspx

It's a current production 2011 booster seat that sits 40-100 lbs.

Fit is a 9.5/10

It did well in the crash test

It fits the back of my 996 TT with absolutely no Modifications.:thumbup:

Pictures are to follow.....

Do you think it will fit in a 993?

Nice find and another great contribution to the thread! Looking forward to the pics :jumper:

I'll try to test fit it in a 951,997C4S,993 and 993 TT before I post the pictures.

booster
 

I am thinking yes...but let me try it first. I'll get my buddy to come over with his 993....

Al

You're like a mentor to me ;)

Thanks. My little guy isn't 33lbs yet. I might get one just to have on hand, though.

Thanks Al.

I'm in the same boat and thinking also to get one. You never know when they'll discontinue a particular model and you'll eventually need it anyway so...

A big thank you to Speedyellow993. I have tried many different car seats and even different mounting methods. A seat that just fits is, however, the best solution. After tons of research and 2 entirely frustrating trips to Babies R Us I gave up, took a gamble, and ordered the Combi Kobuk from Amazon. I was pleasantly surprised to find it fit well in my 996tt.

Thanks again,

I'm glad it worked out.

I have spent days on fitting seats and have almost tried every seat on the Canadian Market. Even the Regional BRITAX car seat rep knows me. I spent an hour busting his balls about why his seats don't fit porsches.

Not enough demand to justify the cost. I knew that but it was worth a try.

I currently own 8 child infant seats spread between 4 cars. Its kind of a fetish for me.

PS. Sunshine Kids is now "Diono"

BTW...welcome.....

The 996TT Forum here is pure EVIL !!! Lots of info on there.

SY993, thanks. I spent months last year trying out seats "virtually," by measuring twice...three times and never found anything that would work without modifying the car. The tendency to remove car parts to fit seats concerns me; the cars/seats are not meant to be modified. Perhaps (maybe) removing a cushion would be completely safe, but I'd rather go with what the Good Lord gave the car to work with, and what Britax did as well. If my kid would stop kicking the back seats of my Japanese cars with his filthy shoes, I'd rush right out and get that Combi.

I probably will anyway. Eventually he'll stop....

Many times I've considered bubble wrapping the back of my seat.

I found that removing the child's shoes does the job. It just gets you dirty looks from other parents when you drop the kids off at school.

I have a forward facing lightweight tiny kids' seat - PORSCHE BRITAX for sale - lightly used

just bought a Recaro ProBooster for 911 996 booster child seat
 

It fits rather well.

I believe 996 and 997 back seats are fairly similar.

Brand: Recaro
Model Name: ProBooster (It is currently available for sale in 2012)


http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/393...aroproboos.jpg

That looks like a good fit. No Canadian Safety Standards sticker which means not legal for use here.

It's too bad we can't get Recaros up here. I'm confident that they are a very well made seat.

I remember seeing a forward facing 5 point harness Recarco Seat that fit well in the back too.

Great find!

What's the model and name of the booster?

Is it a current model?

SY, Recaro makes a convertible seat that's a 5-point harness:
http://www.recaro-cs.com/us/product/...-boosters.html

Unsure how well it would fit, but I strongly considered it for a while. They happen to make a pretty good color match to my grey leather interior.

Bump for some updated recommendations. I've read through the thread, and a lot of the seats mentioned are no longer available, having been replaced by newer models. For example, I've read a lot about the Britax Roundabout working well with the base removed, but the newest model doesn't have a removable base (from what I can tell).

I have a two-year-old (~30 lbs) toddler that I'd like to get into the back of my 2004 Targa. He's not ready for a booster seat yet, so I'm looking for a forward-facing seat with a harness. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks!

https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...or-my-son.html

Porsche Junior Seat G1+G2

recaro vivo and probooster
 

fyi, i have both the recaro vivo and probooster.
the vivo is easier to get the kids buckled as it is not as wide.

Bumping this thread as I have a little one arriving in July and I'll probably be responsible for dropping off at daycare.

So what works and here can I purchase it? Thanks!

This threads not serious, right? If so, your responsible for causing the testorerone level of every Rennlist member to nosedive to eunich level. Theres got to be a better place for this subject than the 996 forum. :(

I take it you have no kids?

That's great new Fernando!!! Are you going to the CMP event in March? If I still have my baby seat I'd be happy to pass it on.

They've got four seats for just this reason.

Thanks Dell!

I haven't signed up yet but do plan on going. That would be great, I'll get back in touch with you as the time gets closer.

The main reason why I got the 996 over the Bugatti Veyron is because it had back seats that allowed me to bring my family on my 100+ mph stints and the fact that I could treat it as a disposable item due to the bargain price. Oh, and the GT1 lights were the added bonus that made me feel like I stole it.

+ you drive your car. This is very good thread for ones with kids. Lets keep it on topic.

PS.....I don't have kids just farty dogs.

Just had a child and the only reason I have a 996 instead of a cayman s or exige s for that matter is because the wife required that I have a back seat for the little one. Once he's past a year of age I'll be purchasing a car seat. Please keep the information coming. Thanks

Oh yea, I have a farty dog and he's not allowed in the 996. He's only allowed in my saabaru and he's quite happy tooling along with his head out the back window

Are you referring to the 996, baby seat, family, or what???? :thumbsup:

What forum would you suggest for discussion about baby seats that fit in a 996?

Oh, and if your testosterone level drops by witnessing a discussion about baby seats, I guess you didn't have as much to spare as the rest of us.;)

Anyway, I used a car seat that I got from Dell for a short while (thanks Dell!) and then switched to a Maxi Cosi Mico without the base. It is a very tight fit but this is one of the few seats that will fit in a 996 if necessary. The passenger seat does have to be moved forward by an insane amount.

If anyone is interested I might know where a guy could get a well-kept but used Intense Red version of this seat for a reasonable price.:)

This is the reason I got a 996 also, I wish i had a cayman. We just had our second little one, the first one is 4. I have him in the back in a Sushine kids seat (now known as Diono), it's narrow enough to fit in the back and secures properly. I just wish the 996 has latch. Just bought a cheap booster
here and other members have said this fits perfectly for the 996. I can't wait till my son is 40lbs.

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brows....jsp?locale=en

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brows....jsp?locale=en[/QUOTE]

Picked-up two of those last month when we flew to NYC and wanted something for taxi rides. Nice to know they'll fit in the 996, girls are itching to go for a ride.

I believe this is similar if not the same as the Cosco name sold in the states. Can be had at Walmart all day for under $20 or $15 on sale. IIRC, for a perfect fit, some have taken a heat gun and bent the ends in slightly.

Seems this post got a bit hijacked from Penna944's inquiry. I can be added to the list of Rennlisters having a child this summer and am interested in any infant solutions, preferaby that are rear seat rear facing. It seems we have several options for toddlers, but for our collective benefit please keep em' coming with infant solutions. Many thanks in advance -

Jeremy

roadsession my many thanks for the reply. It appears that this is a rear facing FRONT seat - any chance you have any recommendations for a rear facing REAR seat for an infant? With appreciation -

Jeremy

Unfortunately, Porsche no longer offers a rearward facing rear seat any longer. When I was looking awhile ago, it was difficult in finding a rearward facing baby seat for the rear of our cars. Luckily back then Porsche did have a rebranded Britax that was also made for the back.

Here's an old photo:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Y...0/P1010285.JPG

Jeremy,
when my son was an infant I actually had him rear facing in a Combi Cocorro in the rear seat with the front passenger seat about 60% of it's fwd travel limit.

When he turned 2 I bought the Porsche G1+G2 Junior seat from the dealer (part no 955 044 800 44) and it fits in the rear seat of the Porsche and he loves that seat and now everyone can travel in comfort in the P car because his legs dangle down and the front passenger seat can actually be at about 20% of it's fwd travel limit and there's still plenty of space.

The G1+G2 seat actually works age 9months and up. It is a much different technology than standard car seats because of the large foam bolster technology that eliminates soft tissue damage. All my friends in Europe use that from about 9 months to 1 year up....In the US we are much more paranoid about that stuff because of the aggressive car seat lobby here (most of their funding comes from car seat manufacturers - surprise)


Here's the seat in my car:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-W...520-%25201.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-y...520-%25201.jpg

and here's a factory pic : (NOT MY KID OR MY CAR :) )

http://files1.porsche.com/filestore....4-bdd0e8319a4b

BTW: my son was born a Porsche fanatic. I'm not kidding - when I'm home he insists on riding in the "Porscha" even if we are doing a 3 hour trip to NYC. He's been that way since he could say Porsche (which was about 1 yo)

Some of you guys seriously bought a 996 for a family car?? :roflmao:

The 996 is probably one of the most cramped, uncomfortable, one-dimensional sports cars out there.

I feel like Im wedged into a sardine can when Im in mine, although a very stylish one. I couldnt imagine trying to get a car seat in and out of the back.

Maybe I need my T-level checked? :confused:

You must be both tall and fat. And really insecure.
BTW - I don't think any one of kid ourselves it's a family sedan or a SUV.
But there's NOTHING wrong with people who choose to enjoy it with their families.
And if you have NOTHING valuable to add to this thread that is meant for people to discuss car seats - except to think 'you're too cool' - stop posting on this thread.

^
Well said.

99% of the time i'm alone in my car driving back and forth to work etc.

when we go out as a family we use my wifes bigger car however sometimes we go out in mine and having the option of adding a car seat in the back is extremly useful.

I don't think anyone buys these as a family car but life happens and sometimes you need to get your kids in the back!

Guess you've never been in a Lotus or a Ariel?

The 996 is a quite spacious and comfortable compared to other sports cars. I've never considered it to be uncomfortable - I've even taken it on 600 mile road trips and still feel refreshed when done.

Plus as I said before, there's a reason those back seats exist!

I guess you have never driven an older 911, the 996 is like a damn Cadillac! Very roomy for a sports car and I am by no means a small guy.
And while we we 2 very capable family type cars I still like to take my 5 year old daughter out on the 996.

All - further to my earlier post - any current infant seat (e.g., unde 12 mos) models that are rear seat and rear facing to suggest? Baby boy is comin late June and my wife is driving me nuts... seems her nesting includes my 996. Thanks in advance -

Jeremy

I gave up the search. :(

Marc, could you at least let her ride inside. Its not safe for her to ride on it. :roflmao:

Very roomy is not the words I would use to describe a 996. I guess Im just used to pickups. Great car for "special" trips. Not a family car, not a DD. JMHO. No offense to anyone.

i bought a Recaro seat for my son from newborn 'til last month....then i got the porsche car seat that sits in the front seat and disables the pass. airbag...the recaro won't fit in the back...just go to the dealer and order one there...they are reasonable and they're porsche seats....they have them for all ages/weights.....03 coupe

We know your opinion, you don't need to announce it every thread :banghead:
No offense to you.

Your opinion is wrong. Daily driver, family car, ski tote, bike carrier, adrenaliser - all in one, proven over and over.

Cheers Ben

Nothing wrong with a pickup, brokeback. But seriously, why do you keep coming to this thread with your verbal diarrhea? If you have something of value to contribute to helping a member with a baby seat selection for their 996, then help. If not, keep moving, nothing to see here.

And by the way, if you have to say "no offense" then you are well aware you are offending.

Why? There are several models that have been verified to (be a tight) fit. None of them will be perfect, but there are some that work.

Anyone know when it's safe/legal to let the kids ride in the back seat with the standard seatbelt? It's such a small seat that my 6 year old fits but I think it's still technically against the law. If it's legal, is it safe?

Booster seat until a min age of 8 and 4'9". Both conditions must be met.

You need to check your local laws. I believe many states are different.

Correct, state law may vary but the AAP has guidelines that are for the country as a whole.

i use my c4s daily. My 3 yo twins get so excited to drive in the yellow porsche. Recaro boosters fit great in the back. I had the airbag diasble bar moved from my boxster to c4s after the my purchase. My 5 yo son sits up front in a Porsche booster seat with the appropriate buckle to disable bags.

People often do double takes when they see three kids climb out of a 911. We even have a bike/ski rack on top. These are very capable everyday cars. They should be garaged but enjoyed at the same time.

These are fun cars but getting kids in/out of the back requires some trips to the gym to get your back stronger and flexible. At the end, it is worth it.

That's awesome! It's why we love our cars :cheers:

There has been a lot of helpful posts on toddler, rear facing infant seats for the front seat and front facing seats for the rear. I am still seeking a current model infant seat (under 9 mos) that is rear facing for the rear seat. I have seen posts with the Graco snugride, Maxi Cosi Pebble (not available in US) and Porsche junior - but these all relate to older posts and models - anything post 2011 that someone could recommend? Again, I am seeking an INFANT SEAT that is REAR FACING that fits in the REAR SEAT of my 996. My many thanks -

Jeremy

I'm going to go out on a limb here but I do believe you win the metal for the most kids in a 996. I'd love to see a picture of your 3 seats in the car.

From what I have seen and read, the only infant seat that fits into the 996 is the Porsche Junior yet I remember reading in the instruction manual that it was only suited to fit the Cayenne. Correct me if I wrong..

I will post it up As soon as my suspension project is completed and the car is off jack stands...

We had a lunch date with my wife and twins on presidents day. Both girls were very upset that we were not taking the Porsche to lunch.

Can you please elaborate on how you disable the air bags? I always have my kids ride in the back, but it would be nice to have the flexibility to put a kid in the front if needed. You reference a "disable bar" and "appropriate buckle"... How do these work? Where to purchase? Thanks.

Ask your dealer to install THIS.

Recaro ProBooster High Back Booster Car Seat works great for my almost 6 year old.

That what we use in both the cab and gt3. Great seat and a perfect fit. Almost as if they made it just for the Porsche market :)

Owners of 9x6 variants are fortunate to have the product below available to turn off passenger side airbag(s).

http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti...Child_Seat.htm

unfortunately some dealers are refusing to install these due to possible litigation. Check with your local dealers for availability and whether or not they will use the computer to recode your car to use the bar.

Programming and install cost me about $235. You must have the appropriate buckle which comes installed on Porsche branded child seats (which are nothing more than over priced Britax seats by the way) to click into the deactivate bar. Some people do it without the proper bucklt with the use of paper clips etc but I chose not to take that risk with my kids. I searched Craigslist for a used porsche seat and found one rather quickly.

After looking it seems only the $700 porsche version works. I would prefer something for the rear and not @$700.

Installed a Recaro Vivo today after removing the seat bottom pad. Fits well and is much safer than the $13 Walmart "bottom only" booster I tried first. You can immediately tell why it costs $100. Very sturdy and excellent side and head protection. I like to corner quickly with my daughter back there and this is the perfect solution.

Do you have pics?

The Vivo seems to have a wider and flatter bottom base than the Probooster model. I know the Probooster is popular among the 911 crowd because of the narrow bottom and seems to fit good based on all the pics I've seen.

The Vivo is a great choice. I prefer the ProBooster. With that said, I have both. The ProBooster for the CAB and GT3 and the Vivo in our other cars.

For infants - I think this is all you may need - correct?

http://www.suncoastparts.com/product...y_Code=986seat

I didn't have any trouble getting a seat in my 03 Turbo, just bought one and stuck it in, fits fine. I don't see why any seat wouldn't work :confused: Brand is Evenflo, wasn't very expensive, only used occasionally.

You got lucky. Many seats are too wide to fit properly.

What model is the evenflow?

+996

Here's the Vivo - I feel much better about my daughter being in it than the Harmony. It's super sturdy. Sorry for the crappy cell phone pic - iphone flash in dark garage didn't do as well as I'd hoped. Keep in mind I removed the seat bottom cushion and that helped it fit more snugly.

http://www.smugmug.com/Vehicles/996/...3/photo-X3.jpg

The Vivo actually seems like it fits exactly between the humps. Any issues with it sliding around side to side? I'm guessing not based on the pic. To me just looking at the Probooster and Vivo visually, the Vivo seems to have more padding in the lower areas and maybe more comfortable for the kids?

Absolutely no motion side to side. You can "twist it" in place by a bit, but once she's buckled in, it moves very little. It can be a tad tricky to get snug, but we're getting used to it. My daughter loves the M5 and now the 996, so it's fun to hear her giggle when we corner at high Gs and I just feel better about having her head unable to slam against the rear window glass or side trim with this booster.

The ProBooster has substantially more padding and protection than The Vivo. With that said, I am happy with both.

Who makes the ProBooster?

Recaro

This one looks easier to buckle/unbuckle in the 996 rear seat area. I might return the Vivo and get this instead. Can your kids do it by themselves?

How's the side-to-side fit of this versus the Vivo in that same area with the factory padding removed from below?

It's really tight so I do the buckling. The Vivo, I think, is a tick narrower (maybe 1/2") and has smaller arms so the buckling should be easier on the Vivo. I'd have to measure them and report back. Give me a few minutes to run down to the garage and take a few measurements and side by side pics.

Here you go. The Vivo is about 17" wide and the ProBooster is 18.5" wide. The Vivo needs all of that 17" and the ProBooster tapers slightly to about 18" at the bottom.

Actually looking at a close up pic, does the Vivo infact have the same armrest as the probooster but just have a lower section below it? At first I thought the lower bolster area was more padded and comfortable looking than the ProBooster but now that I see a closeup pic, the Vivo seems like it just has a flap to cover up the void below the armrest.

http://www.myurbanchild.com/catalog/...rBlueOpal2.jpg

http://www.carseat-guru.com/wp-conte...07/dakota1.jpg

King_James: What model is that Evenflow?

BTW: I have had good luck with these seat back protectors. I have them in an MDX (mama's car, and my 535).

They are absolutely different

Different as in one just has a covering over the armrest, or are they different structurally?

Too bad there are no stores near me that carry them side by side as this would be the easiest. My kids are ready for a high back booster now so I'm just trying to do a bit research but so far it seems like the ProBooster might be the way to go for my 996.

So for Ease of buckling, go with Vivo, but for softness, ProBooster? Slipping the belt into the thin area on the Vivo is tough. The ProBooster looks to have a big advantage in this area.

The Vivo doesn't have a "flap" - it's a solid piece of plastic and makes getting the belt in/out somewhat tricky, even for an adult, but for a 4-year old, forget it. I actually didn't realize the ProBooster would fit until now but I just ordered it and will see which I like better, then return the other.

Thanks for the feedback so it looks like the difficulty in buckling the seat belt for the Vivo makes the ProBooster more favorable at this point.

Possible, but let me get the ProBooster here and test it out a day or two before you decide. It'll be here Wed. and I will plan to use it a bit before giving you my input. So far the Vivo is the one to beat, but if something comes along with good side impact protection and that's easy to buckle/unbuckle, I could see that winning. The ProBooster looks promising in this regard, so stay tuned.

Thanks, looking forward to your feedback.

You bet. I have to build up some board karma in case I need anything later. :D:roflmao:

But that's not true. I used the Maxi Cosi Mico in my 996, and while it's a tight fit, it does work. There's even a YouTube video of a guy installing one in a 996 C4. The Mico is still a current model.

So the ProBooster came in today and I tried installing it. No go. Too wide - would not sit flush with the seat back. Even if it had, it would have been more tight than the Vivo and thus, back to Amazon it goes. The Vivo with the seat bottom removed is what we're going with long term. I may work on a solution for making it "stick" in place when she's not buckled in the car as it tends to move around a bunch, but at least for my 2002 996 C2, the ProBooster is a 100% no go.

Interesting. Mine fit perfectly in all the cars (996CAB, 996Turbo, and the 997GT3).

^^^ Thanks for the feedback. I am a bit puzzled by those glowing reviews for the Probooster by 911 owners on Amazon though.

So I guess that 1-1.5" makes a difference. Were you fitting this without the bottom cushion?

I run with the bottom cushion. In the CAB, I have the seat back removed. In the Turbo, the seat back was in place. I don't have a pic of the CAB or GT3 to post but here is the Turbo with the ProBooster.

LVDell, don't you have both models? Have you tried the Vivo in your 996 before?

Any comments or observations?

Seems like there is some conflicting info.

Yes, I have both (several of each) Have also tried the Vivo in the pcars. I prefer the Vivo in our daily drivers though. I prefer the ProBooster in the P-cars as it really looks like it was made for the car. Fits like a glove.

With cushion removed. Perhaps with it in place it would have fit better but honestly I like the snug fit of the Vivo with the bottom cushion removed (so the seat is further from the rear glass and she's more covered by "metal" in case of side impact) so I'm just going with it.

I have a 997.1 and the Vivo works great with the bottom seat cushion removed. However, my 5 yr old daughter was always twisting her upper body because the Vivo was too narrow for her. Perhaps the ProBooster extra 1.5" will help. I just need to go see if BRU or BBB has one in stock. I've been using the Vivo with the seatback removed, but I read in the Recaro manual that the Vivo shouldn't be used as a backless booster? Many here including me are using the Vivo in this configuration and it seems Recaro did not intend the Vivo to be used this way.

I have a 411-13, probably sat in 5x, PM if interested:

http://atlanta.listlux.com/ads/image...769a0f1052.jpg

Three quick comments (well, maybe four):

1. LVDell, you rock.
2. That this is a 21-page post on car seats, on a Porsche board, is absolutely fantastic, and that rocks too.
3. My kid said today, "Daddy, can we ride in the Subaru? It doesn't scare me like the Porsche."
4. Remember that the point of a car seat is to keep your child (a) safe; (b) harnessed. Please don't cut corners. If you have another car, and need to make your car seat "fit" into your 911, use your other car, or get a new car seat for the 911. The car seats are only meant to serve as "super-seat belts" for our kids. The seat belt still does the heavy lifting, and essentially the purpose of the car seat is to harness, nothing more, until your child is big enough to use a proper seat belt (previously noted by LVDell). A booster does nothing more (usually) than "prop" your child up so that the seat belt can do its job.

Thanks, and be safe.

This thread has become increasingly of interest to me over the past few months. My first baby is on the way in the next couple weeks, so I've spent a lot of time here absorbing the Rennlist knowledge.

I thought I would post my experience, as I recently bought and installed my car seat, and it seems like a pretty good solution. The seat is the Cybex Aton (this has been previously mentioned in the 991 forum). It was a bit tough to find, I don't think it's being widely distributed in the US yet. The seat installs securely using a base, and leaves just enough room in the front seat for a small to medium sized wife.

Pics:

Ahhh Finally! Did you have to remove the bottom seat cushion?

No, I tried both ways, but I actually think it works better with the seat cushion.

My recaro Vivo booster served my daughter very well up until she was 5 yets old. The upper section is narrow and so I tried our Britax Parkway. The cup holders prevented the seat from sitting down into the bottom of the seat area. I'm sure if I removed the cup holders the bottom of the parkway would contact the seat area on the perimeter. Not secure, but as secure as the Vivo. But since my daughters head almost clears the top of the back rest, I decided to buy the Porsche Jr Booster. The bottom of the Porsche booster extends into the bottom of the seat well and is flush. I'll take a picture of the Britax parkway, the Recaro Vivo and the Porsche jr booster for all too see. If read hundreds of threads and have not come across seat picture comparisons. Note, that of the Vivo was a bit wider in the shoulder area, I would have stayed with the Vivo - even though it doesn't fit exactly right. I used the Vivo with back seat and bottom cushion removed the past two years and it served my daughter well. I intend to use the Porsche jr seat in the same way.

That must be one HUGE kid! The Vivo is designed for kids up to 100lbs and 12 years old. My 5 year old boy is above average on all measurements and fits just fine. Confused.

By law (in Caifornia), if the back seat does not allow the proper installation of a booster and the car cannot be modified (using standard factory parts) to properly support a booster then the child can legally ride in the front seat using a booster - as long as the child is 5 yrs and 45 lbs. Makes the case for a GT3 much stronger ;)

:rockon:

Shoulder width is the issue - swimmer shoulders. Also, the Harmony Cruz bottom booster sits more forward than the Vivo (when using the Vivo bottom seat only). So forward leg space is reduced a good 3 - 4" on the Harmony. The Harmony seat cushion is a tad thicker as well.

Ah, Harmony. I thought you were referring to the Vivo. My bad.

Its back to the drawing board. While the Porsche Jr seat provides an extra 1.5" shoulder room, my daughters ears are being squished by the head foam protection. Its going back to the dealership. I'll try the Recaro Pro Booster next.

Can someone tell me if the baser of the narrowest part of the Vivo seat base 11" wide this is the part the extended into the seat well. The Porsche Jr is 11.5" and the Britax Parkway is 12". The total width of the base for all three seats is 15".

The reason why the Porsche seat fits perfectly is because the booster seat base extends 3" down into the seat well. The Vivo extends about 1" and the Britax Parkway extends .25" and thus the perimeter of the seat is the only contact point - the Parkway is pretty much flat. And that is why some use folded towels or foam underneath the Parkway to keep the seat steady when empty. But when there is a child in the Parkway, I would assume perimeter contact is sufficient for a base?

Not sure if it's been brought up, but I have a bubble bum. Very neat IMO.

-td

Success! The little man came home from the hospital in the 911, and wife was fine in the front seat. Only a 5 block trip, but still, a success.

So, a hearty endorsement for the Cybex Aton as a good infant seat for the 996.

Nice and Congrats! You're P-car fund or mod fund will only get smaller from here on out. Have any better pics of the seat?

Great to know and congratulations!

I have about 4 months to go and I'll be doing the same thing.

congratulations!
thx for the info - I just bought the same seat !

I have a couple pictures on the previous page of this thread. The install was very easy, and the seat is really secure (using the base, not sure about the baseless install). The seat is actually pretty handsome, and very light, which is the main reason we bought it.

The budget is not the only thing that is holding back further mods at this point. As long as I need to be able to put the kid in the back, there's really no way to add good seats and 6-point harnesses. So, I'll continue to be the guy on track with the mostly stock 996, sliding around on the stock seats.

Fpena944, Roadsession, best of luck to you both, and congratulations on what lies ahead.

Awesome! Would you mind posting the model number that you bought? I'll likely have to order mine from Amazon (or somewhere online) and want to make sure I get the right make/year/etc.

The Amazon ASIN number is B008PURGFY (this may be specific to the color I bought, not sure). I know that the seat is sold with and without the base, so make sure you get the base as well. Not sure what your stroller situation is, but I have a Bugaboo Bee, and the Aton fits in nicely using a pair of Maxi Cosi adapters.

I have scoured this string and have only come up with 1 possible solution for my 2 year old. Needs to be forward facing with integrated harness. The whole thing strapped to the car with the factory seatbelt.

Evenflow Chase DLX



Did I miss any other options?

Cosco Serena fits like a glove. Good quality and inexpensive. I used it in my 928 and it fits well in my 996. I removed the seat back and the seat cushion and leveled it with folded bath towels. This is for front facing 20-40 lbs.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Cosco-Scen...ndingMethod=rr

cheap alternative
 

I spent some time at Target with a tape measure...

Bought these 2 options, installed them, very happy:

This seat works well for a toddler (my daughter is 2) that needs a full harness system and is forward facing (I did not try it rear facing). It fits very securely with the "pull the seat belt all the way until it clicks...it then goes into ratchet mode" method. One trick I used was to get all the slack out I could with the seat in-place. I then unlatched the seat belt and let it retract 3 more clicks. I then muscled it back into the latch. That made the seat really tight and secure. I removed the 996 seat bottom and back.

Cosco High Back Booster Car Seat
Model BC037ALZ
Item # 2396

http://www.target.com/webapp/wcs/sto...e/-/A-13999426

I paid $39.99.

For a child that is old enough for just a booster that gets them tall enough so the stock seat belt is positioned correctly (my son is 5 years old, fits him perfectly). I left the 996 seat bottom and back in-place:

Cosco Top Side Booster
Model BC030BOK
Item #1672

http://www.target.com/webapp/wcs/sto...k/-/A-13999429

I paid $12.99

Both of these are low-cost, no frills seats. I wasn't necessarily looking for cheap. Just wanted a good fit. These seats pass the same regulatory testing as all the others. I feel they will keep my kids safe.

BTW, this thread has been a great help. Thanks to everyone that has contributed. I really enjoy sharing the P-car with my kids!

Folks, we have a winner - Recaro Pro Booster. It fits like the Porsche booster seat and the space between the head rest is wider by at least an inch. I wrote in an earlier post that the Porsche seat squeezed my daughters ears, so I returned the Porsche back to the Dealer. The Pro Booster has more shoulder room than the Vivo and my daughter with her swimmer's shoulders fit just fine now. Also, The Pro Booster fits better than the Vivo inside my 997.1, but the Pro Booster is a bit tougher to buckle - nt a big deal. My daughter did not like how the arm rests on the Porsche booster were too low. The Pro Booster arm rests height fits her just right as they are a bit higher. There seems to be more cushion and padding on the Pro vs the Vivo. The Pro is a bigger seat, but it still fits down into the well better than the Vivo. Don't get me wrong, the Vivo worked great the past 2.5 yrs, but my daughter out grew it.

Folks, we have a winner - Recaro Pro Booster. It fits like the Porsche booster seat and the space between the head rest is wider by at least an inch. I wrote in an earlier post that the OEM Porsche seat squeezed my daughters ears, so I returned the Porsche seat back to the Dealer. The Pro Booster has more shoulder room than the Vivo and my daughter with her swimmer's shoulders fit just fine now. Also, The Pro Booster fits better than the Vivo inside my 997.1, but the Pro Booster is a bit tougher to buckle - not a big deal. My daughter did not like how the arm rests on the Porsche booster were too low. The Pro Booster arm rests height fits her just right as they are a bit higher. There seems to be more cushion and padding on the Pro vs the Vivo. The Pro is a bigger seat, but it still fits down into the well better than the Vivo. Don't get me wrong, the Vivo worked great the past 2.5 yrs, but my daughter out grew it.

Ordered the Cybex Aton (in heavenly blue which matches my car!) and it arrived yesterday. I did a test fit and it does fit perfectly but the front seat has to be scooted up nearly all the way to the dashboard.

Did you only remove the bottom pad or did you also remove the back of the seat for that extra inch of space?

I'm glad it fits but I was hoping for a little extra room in the front.

You should check the chest clip on this. Dry fit your kid before you buy it. I found it had poor adjustments and choked my kid.

Keep the pics coming guys!!!

Congrats!!!!

Welcome to no sleep for the next few years.

We need better pics.

Great thread
 

I am a little confused ... looking at the probooster and vivo. Looks like numbers are off? I look at Amazon and the numbers they provide are different (measurements) than numbers found on Recaro's website.

Also, width of probooster is significant at 2" with depth being 3" greater compared to the vivo.

1) does it fit tightly and nice?
2) looks like vivo gives you ability to move seat farther back if you are taller vs. probooster? What is fitment like?

Anyone compared both recently? Local store would not let me take into my car, unfortunately ... (tried a local babies 'r us). My kids are 38" tall and 31#'s. I have a 996 coupe.



http://www.recaro-cs.com/us/product/...robooster.html

width = 19.5"
Height = 26" - 33.5"
Depth = 15"
Weight = 11.5 lbs.


http://www.recaro-cs.com/us/product/...vo.html#c99719

width = 17.5"
Height = 27" - 32.5"
Depth = 12"
Weight = 11 lbs.

I have a Vivo, it fits perfectly. The seat itself seems a lot snugger than a Graco Turboboost that we have in the other cars, but on the plus side our 4year old (who is on the small side) fits PERFECTLY and seems secure in the Vivo, in the other cars we still have him in a Britax. However our 6year old also fits in the Vivo just fine. It is a little hard to get the buckle done due to the high sides but I have mastered doing it while reaching back from the driver's seat. My 6year old can do it himself. I do not have any experience with the ProBooster. The Vivo is so cheap, just order one and if you don't like it, return it. But it is good.

It's definitely a tight fit in front. Mrs. D finds that the setup is actually not bad because there's plenty of legroom in the footwell. Haven't tried a drive longer than an hour though.

I had never thought of removing the seat back, but that's a great idea, I will try it out.

I have an older version of:
Its amazing; good for kids and fits perfectly due to its narrow base

Britax B-Safe for us. Width is good but its a little long (infant, rear facing). My wife is 5'1 so it works for us, probably couldn't get someone up front that's much taller though. Good thread.

http://www.britaxusa.com/car-seats/b-safe

OMG! This thread is REALLY about baby seats!! I thought it was code for a booby thread! Sorry....

I have (2) of my Britax Roundabouts available if anybody is interested.

Here is a pic (which I am sure I've posted before) of the ProBooster and Roundabout in my 6Turbo. Also one in the 6Cab.

im expecting a newborn in November. What is the hottest seat available for a newborn that will fit in a 997 turbo coupe?

Does porsche make anything?

Anybody selling a slightly used example?

Here is what I bought:

http://cybex-online.com/us/carseats/aton.html

It's tight but it fits in the back seat without any modifications.

Okay, after spending the past 3 weeks experimenting, I settled on the porsche seats because came across a good deal for a set of 2. My kids are a little over 3 years - and under 40 lbs and 40". I took out the rear seat backs and cushions. Mine is a 2003 TT coupe.

I was able to experiment with the cosco version that some people recommended from Walmart, the Recaro ones [not the vivo's - but, the probooster], etc.

I have pictures to show the fitment if anyone is interested. If people are interested, can host or send them directly to you. These were my observations:

a) recaro probooster's - these are fairly wide. It was a bit difficult to access and use the seatbelt mechanisms ... I am not sure if the vivo's are narrower in the base portion; but, because the probooster is so wide at the base - the seat itself rides right up against the seatbelt receptacles. Thus, making it difficult to clip in and out. At least for me. They clip in - don't get me wrong; but, it sits right against the receptacles - very, very, snugly. These are around $90/each shipped from Amazon. So, a good deal.

b) the cosco's - while, being the cheapest, are definitely not ones I would recommend. I had a horrendous time trying to get these to sit level. I used some towels, etc. They did not fit securely for me no matter what i was trying. I am sure if I spent time on each one trying to level with more towels, etc. ... it might work; but, at $39.99 -- IMO, you might as well spend the extra $50 and get the probooster's instead.

c) the porsche booster seats. These fit great, obviously; but, the weight is lower - thus, eventually, I will need to get newer ones once kids exceed 80 lbs, which will not be for awhile. There is plenty of room between the seatbelt receptacles and the seat itself, making it easy for me to clip in and out. It fits snugly ... and does not rock back and forth at all. I am wondering if the vivo's fit more like these porsche ones than the proboosters.

Conclusion - the probooster's are definitely a great fit. No rocking, etc. Much cheaper than if you were to buy the porsche ones. My kids are on the smaller side - so, the probooster's might be a bit too large/wide. I suspect that the vivo's probably might be a better fit with smaller children. Not entirely sure though if the width of the base is the same as the probooster - and, if it would be similar to the receptacle issue I found.

The probooster's seem very solidly made compared to the cosco's - hand's down.

so again, for a newborn, what rear facing seat will fit in a 997.2 coupe?

Fpena already replied to you. The interior dimensions on a 996 and 997 are identical

I recently bought my first 911, an '04 996. One evening I was walking out of a restaurant with my kids and two hipsters were leaning up against their nearby vehicle smoking. As I was letting the kids into the Porsche one yelled over "hey man, NICE car seat!" So far, the Recaro Vivo carseat, which fits like a champ, has been the most inspiring part of the car to those most highly attuned to cool things - young smokers. My son likes his car seat too.

I figured the sizes are the same. Although i am interested in a rear facing seat that will fit in the back of a TT for a newborn. ( Not 2 year old etc)

? Did you do a search on the seat that fpena specified in his reply to you ? It's the Cybex Aton and its a newborn to 18 month rear facing seat.

noticed the Cybex however was not really feeling it.... looking for something more.

folks, after much research i found it important to point out that for a rear facing newborn seat it would be wise to match it with a stroller.
The pimpest stroller i have come across is the bugaboo cameleon 3 which offer adapters to fit most any decent seat.

I am looking at Peg Perego and it should fit...

I ended up with a maxi cosi Rubi. The American car seats will not work because the rear seat buckle is not recessed into the seat. It is too far forward so you can't pull the child seat into the passenger seat like you can with a latch system. The mamas & Papas Pro-tec routes the lap belt around the front of base and the shoulder belt over the top. That works great but that seat is discontinued. The Rubi has the same securing system and was available for US shipping from a German retailer. It is a pretty solid installation and there is plenty of room for my wife and three year old. I hope this helps somebody because finding this seat was a real pain.

Attachment 749025



Attachment 749026



Attachment 749027

Shearlayer

Great Pics. I have been haunted by trying to fit a forward facing car seat in a 2005 996T-S cab back seat for a while now.

Can you advise the supplier you bought from?

Did you use towels to stabilize the back or under the seat?
I see you removed the seat base and seat mid section- and left the seat back in the car.

I have tried tons of seats and cant get them to fit properly. They always shift.

only looking for a seat with a built in 5 point harness.

Diorio didnt fit.
Britax roundabout didnt fit - btw all the britax convertible seats use the same frame and base. only difference is padding and options.
Recaros didnt fit-

(daughter is about 28 lb. 36 " tall)

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you.

Dan

Has anyone used a Maxi Cosi Rubi in a cabriolet?
I know the seat back angle is steeper.

I tried too many seats.
In the end I bit the bullet and bought a Porsche Junior seat. It fits like a glove - perfectly. My son loves it. And best of front seat does not need to be moved that far forward. My wife and I are 5' 11" and we sit comfortably with the seat installed.

https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...or-my-son.html

Thank you Roadsession.
I never found your prior thread.

I'm going to try to hunt down one of them.

I would like the extra room and definitely want a seat that is as over-engineered
as the car itself.

I will post a pic after i get one.

They come up on ebay every once in a while as well as the rennlist marketplace.

read this post...

http://www.renntech.org/forums/topic...a-996/?p=67531

That seat is discontinued.
This is the replacement.

http://www.porschepartsnationwide.co...catalogid=5640

Has anyone tried this in the back seat of a cabrio?

A little update- I bought the Porsche Junior Seat.

It fits but its a major pain in the ass to install and use. I'm still not set on keeping it.

Getting the 3 point factory belt tight is a nightmare. You have to fit your fingers through the back and guide it through. And then its very tough to get the lap portion tight and still have enough material to guide the remaining shoulder strap through the shoulder guides.

After that- getting my daughter in and out sucks. You can only adjust the straps by snapping the straps closed with the child out of the seat. You have to depress the loosen button in the center and pull the straps at the same time to release more material and you can't fully loosen the belts. Makes me wonder how I'm going to fit her when she is bigger.

After you put the child in the seat- its not very easy to tighten the harness. I don't know why it is so difficult to pull it tight. But after you do- the last thing you want to do is have to take the child out and do it again.

We did end up taking an hour ride out to a farm on the north fork of long island to pick peaches this weekend. My daughter loved the ride after crying when i strapped her in.

She did manage to fall asleep on the way home but she can sleep through a tornado in any position.

The Mrs's didn't appreciate that my knuckles bled all over her white dress from strapping her in. Seems i didnt notice the cut on my knuckle from banging around installing the seat before putting her in.

It was fun trying to get the blood out of her dress with an ice cube. I didn't want to damage the material.

I'm thinking of trying a Rubi now.

http://www.porschepartsnationwide.co...catalogid=5640

Inflatable booster seat base
 

So my 6 year old is too big for her Safe Rider vest now.

I looked around for the typical booster seat base but couldn't find anything that looked like would fit into GT3 Recaro buckets.

Amazon to the rescue

The "Bubble Bum".

Gave it a test drive tonight.
The seat belt fits around her body comfortably and safely. :thumbsup:

My 2 cent contribution to this thread.

Here's what I've been using. :thumbup:

I understand the bubble bum, and the red restraint to position the shoulder belt correctly it your previous pic. rear seat pic looks to need a booster to position the shoulder belt correctly, and could you explain the vest first I've seen.

http://safetrafficsystem.com/ver4/

The vest is an alternative to a booster seat. Just like a booster, the vest basically adapts the stock belts to fit a child and be effective.

Hi chaps, I've got an ageing 996 Cab C4 9.4L and I'm hunting around for a car seat for a 1 yr old which i intend to use in the rear seat.

I've been doing lotsa reading which has been complicated as some of the posts are 8 yrs old and the models are no longer offered. However I think I've narrowed down to a few here :-

1) Britax Roundabout (which one? there's 50 classic and 55)
2) Porsche Junior Seat G1
3) iZi Comfort X3

I did research other models and brands such as the Britax Evolva 1-2-3, Duo Plus & Recaro Young Sport which wasn't a guaranteed fit, Two-Way Elite which was too upright, Maxi Cosi Rubi & Tobi which looked to be too high, Nania Trio Plus which had a recall.

For the 3 seats above, could someone please confirm :-

a) they fit in the back of a Cab C4 as they're narrower than the standard coupe?
b) is the ISOFix base used or only the 3 point seatbelt?

Thank you

You can't use ISOFIX as there's no anchor in a 996 to connect it to. You have to use seatbelt to secure the seat.

I don't know the laws in Japan but over here you can't put a 1 year old forward facing - they have to be rear facing in a convertible seat or infant seat till around 2 yrs old. The only rear facing infant seat that works well is the Cybex Aton (do a search on Cybex Aton Porsche 911 - you'll see it in action in youtube)

The only forward facing seat that worked for me is the Porsche Junior seat. Others have tried various recaros etc that seem to work for them - look for posts on this thread from the past year - they're all current seats.

nc911
our cars look almost identical :cheers:

Shearlayer
I can't seem to find a supplier for the maxi cosi Rubi. I found the other models made by maxi cosi but not the rubi.
Do you mind sharing a link if you have?

Never mind I found it on ebay. here is the link
http://www.ebay.com/itm/MAXI-COSI-RU...item3f26563582

You've raised a good point. I thought the laws here was just a baby seat needed but didn't think if it went deeper into front or rear facing. I'll check up on that.

I'll also read up on Cybex Aton. I've not heard of that one before.

Thank you.

I heard Maxi Cosi Mico also fits as an infant seat.
A convertible seat (one that is both rear facing and then converts to fwd facing) is Maxi Cosi Rubi - some people say it fits - I have NO idea if it does...
Personally I used Combi Coccorro as my convertible car seat, but then when my son was big enough to be forward facing I bought the Porsche Junior seat

Here's the Combi Coccorro I fitted in my car:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-6...8-no/photo.JPG

Here's the maxi cosi in a Porsche:
and finally here's the Porsche Junior Seat in my car - the most secure fitting one I have found:

https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...or-my-son.html

@Roadsession, that is excellent. I've never seen the Porshe Junior Seat set in a 996Cab before so those pictures are very useful. I think your post has helped me make up my mind to go for it.

Looks like Japan doesn't have the requirement for 1yr + (or under 2 yrs to be more precise) to have rear facing. Only under 1 yr needs to be rear facing.

Edit: for my son's 1st year he used (in fact still using) a Maxi Cosi Pebble, installed in the same way as yours.
2nd Edit: Porsche Junior Seat ordered. Thx again chaps, for the guidance!!

Ok I just checked and looks like the seat is discontinued
You can still check eBay - they come up once in a while

If not the new model fits fine too it's also called Porsche Junior seat.

Also I removed rear seat back - you gain valuable inches

I ordered the following in the end :-

http://www.design911.com/Porsche-Jun...8-kg-/prod422/

It doesn't have the front padding protection which your older model has. Not too sure why that was dropped 'cos I would have thought that front padding protection was a good idea. I guess I'll just see how it goes when it arrives.

Perfect!
Anakchan - my son refuses to go in my wife's BMW - sometimes we have to take 2 cars because he wants to go in "daddy's Porsch-ah"

I have fitted both the Cybex Aton (better quality) and Graco Snugride 30 (cheaper) rear-facing into the back seat of my 2009 997.2 cab without using the base units.
I removed the rear seat squab to give more room, as it is only velcro'd in place.

The front seats will not go back properly if the base units are used.
I can still get a small adult in the front passenger seat in with either baby seat fitted.

Are many people replacing the factory seat belt bolts with eye hooks and installing the seat with the latch belt? It seems like this would be more secure, or at least more rigid, than factory retractable belts. I'm going through the child seat exercise now, but I don't see this mounting method discussed much.

Looks like my setup. I stopped using the base because it does leave less room for the person sitting in front. But fortunately the base isn't necessary and the Cybex is made to accept just the 3-point seatbelt if you prefer. It does take a little more time to set up as you have the route the belts but you have more room when done.

Now the base stays in the SUV because there the convenience is more important than the space.

No I use the factory retractable belt. It's not as easy or probably as sturdy as the latch system on most cars but it does work surprisingly well once you get the hang of it. I prefer to go this route and still have the factory belt instead of customizing a solution myself.

Does anybody have the Porsche "Junior" car seat:

http://www.ecstuning.com/ES1443862/PriceAlert/

My daughter is about to outgrow her rear facing seat in the next few months so it's time to start looking at upgrading the seat.

Thanks!

Many thanks to the contributors of this thread. It lead to my purchase of a cybex which worked great in the 996 since June. My little one is about to grow out of the cybex being close to 30". I now find myself searching for a rear-facing convertible seat that will fit in the back seat of a 2001 carrera. I have been through the threads without success and appreciate any suggestions - in short I would like (if possible) a rear facing convertible seat for the rear seat - many thanks -

Jeremy

I am in the same boat. I think I am going to just bite the bullet and get a forward facing seat.

The rearward facing seats are not worth the trouble imo and better to just keep the baby out of the Porsche the first year or so until you can fit them into a forward facing one.

I had the Porsche rearward facing model before as I couldn't really find anything suitable but after my first kid, I just elected to keep the babies out for a year.

I've sold my 997 but bought a 1972 911 coupe. I have a Britax Marathon 70, a Cybex Aton, Graco Snugride 30 and Maxi Cosi that I can try to fit in it tomorrow. I guess the Britax is next size up from the Cybex as it will fit rear-facing up to 35lb ish, then forward facing up to 70 lb.

Recaro Prosport installed with just a towel underneath. Fits pretty good. Can't wait to take my kid out for his first ride Saturday.

Hey Mhenry, where did you score the ProSport Recaro seat? Seems to be discontinued just about everywhere, in favor of the new "Performance Sport" version... Which I beat my brains out trying to fit in my 997.1 last night. No worky.

Disagree...I've had mine in a rearward facing Cybex since he was 3 months old. And it would have been sooner than that but we had no need to transport him while the wife was on maternity leave.

It fits back there nicely once I removed the bottom seat cushion. If the passenger is tall then it's a challenge but otherwise it's doable. Sure not as comfortable as an SUV but just to take the baby to day care it works fine.

I actually got my recaro prosport over a year ago when at a local USA Baby's bankruptcy auction for cheap.

I never said anything about fitment but different strokes for different folks. If you only have the 996 as your primary car or don't mind having your passenger sit a bit forward and keep having to recline the seat and contort to fit your baby then it would work.

I myself don't want to deal with that. Sure for the occasional drives with your whole family, I don't see it as a problem. But I'm the kind of guy that doesn't want to use an ax either to drive a nail if you know what I mean.

Gaaaah. Thanks for the info. 'Swat I was afraid of. The new Recaro Performance SPORT or whatever it's called just did not fit well enough for me to be comfortable with it, even with the back seat removed.

Every last one of these threads (I think I've read them all now, literally) either recommend discontinued/impossible to get seats or are from dads that managed to get a not so great fit very tight and went on with their lives.

Will keep digging and publish my current 997 work/no work list by brand.

This is gonna require a LOT more alcohol.

Agreed it's absolutely not the best method of transporting and infant but since I use mine daily and the sitter is only 5 minutes away it works for me.

On weekends we use the SUV and it's more practical and comfortable for all. But for short trips it works and then I get to use my 996 more often. Otherwise it would sit in my garage as a museum piece if I didn't use it to commute every day.

I have our daughter's seat for sale - looks identical to this one:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1338047532.jpg

Probably 'used' 6 times, max. The fit in the SC was incredible

So are there any updates about new seats? My 4 year old is ready for a booster but as mentioned before, the Recaro seats that used to be perfect are discontinued. Has anyone tried any of the new Recaro seats? Or any other brand? I don't have to get a Recaro either if there is another option.

Thanks!

One last trip with the Cybex Aton - ran into a couple other people with kids around the same age. Each of these three vehicles was occupied by two adults and one baby:
Attachment 814039

I still have people freaking out when they see me pull a car seat out of my car. They just can't fathom that a 911 is capable of carrying a baby...gasp! :p

My little one just turned 8 months and I notice he smiles when I turn the car on from a cold start. Hopefully I have an enthusiast in the making.

My 18mo threw a fit because couldn't go for a ride today. Ha

My 3 yr old daughter loves it when I drive the wife's Cayenne S. I push the "sport" button and she grins ear to ear when listening to the exhaust. The other day she said "Dad, when you go fast, it is my favourite!". She likes twisty roads like I do.... I can't wait to put her in a Go-Kart when is old enough for it.

I just bought this one on ebay for the 2nd child so that we have matching pairs of Porsche Junior seats in the back. Brand new too! http://www.ebay.com/itm/331160617176

I noticed however there's another one for sale - it's a pretty good price - someone ought to snag it quick!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/111200480074?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT