My experience with a forward-facing carseat in the back seat of a 997
#31
Rennlist Member
Ended up at Target looking for the diono radian r100. They didn't have it but I saw this Cosco seat that looked narrow and had an almost vertical back.
Cost wasn't a concern but it was only $50 so I decided to give it a try since they didn't have the Diono. My son is 2.5 years old and about 33lbs - he already knows how to say "Cars and Coffee" - now if it would only get warm here in the Philly burbs!
After install I'm really happy with it. Two things to note were figuring out how to tighten the belt so it "locked" (in user manual) as well as access the rear LATCH system (also in user manual). You actually need to make a small cut with a knife/box cutter to access the latch...I almost **** a brick doing it, but it's the price I pay for my wife to allow me to have a 911 with 2 toddlers
Cost wasn't a concern but it was only $50 so I decided to give it a try since they didn't have the Diono. My son is 2.5 years old and about 33lbs - he already knows how to say "Cars and Coffee" - now if it would only get warm here in the Philly burbs!
After install I'm really happy with it. Two things to note were figuring out how to tighten the belt so it "locked" (in user manual) as well as access the rear LATCH system (also in user manual). You actually need to make a small cut with a knife/box cutter to access the latch...I almost **** a brick doing it, but it's the price I pay for my wife to allow me to have a 911 with 2 toddlers
#32
Rennlist Member
Took the seat bottom out and left the seat back in. There is a little movement in the bottom but VERY secure up top (where it matters the most in my unauthorized opinion).
To tighten the belt, pull it ALL the way out and then let it slowly retract. If you do it right, you should hear it clicking as it retracts. As its retracting, be pushing the seat into the tightest position until the belt has retracted as much as you can make it. It is now tight and won't move if you pull on it and should keep the seat tight.
Key for me was the top anchor. It seemed a little sketchy until I anchored the top tightly and then I was comfortable with the set up.
One thing to note as I took my son on his first couple of rides - the back window extents over his head so he got hot really fast. Nothing some open windows or AC can't cure but it caught me off guard.
Sorry for the long post and good luck!
To tighten the belt, pull it ALL the way out and then let it slowly retract. If you do it right, you should hear it clicking as it retracts. As its retracting, be pushing the seat into the tightest position until the belt has retracted as much as you can make it. It is now tight and won't move if you pull on it and should keep the seat tight.
Key for me was the top anchor. It seemed a little sketchy until I anchored the top tightly and then I was comfortable with the set up.
One thing to note as I took my son on his first couple of rides - the back window extents over his head so he got hot really fast. Nothing some open windows or AC can't cure but it caught me off guard.
Sorry for the long post and good luck!
#33
Rennlist Member
Took the seat bottom out and left the seat back in. There is a little movement in the bottom but VERY secure up top (where it matters the most in my unauthorized opinion).
To tighten the belt, pull it ALL the way out and then let it slowly retract. If you do it right, you should hear it clicking as it retracts. As its retracting, be pushing the seat into the tightest position until the belt has retracted as much as you can make it. It is now tight and won't move if you pull on it and should keep the seat tight.
Key for me was the top anchor. It seemed a little sketchy until I anchored the top tightly and then I was comfortable with the set up.
One thing to note as I took my son on his first couple of rides - the back window extents over his head so he got hot really fast. Nothing some open windows or AC can't cure but it caught me off guard.
Sorry for the long post and good luck!
To tighten the belt, pull it ALL the way out and then let it slowly retract. If you do it right, you should hear it clicking as it retracts. As its retracting, be pushing the seat into the tightest position until the belt has retracted as much as you can make it. It is now tight and won't move if you pull on it and should keep the seat tight.
Key for me was the top anchor. It seemed a little sketchy until I anchored the top tightly and then I was comfortable with the set up.
One thing to note as I took my son on his first couple of rides - the back window extents over his head so he got hot really fast. Nothing some open windows or AC can't cure but it caught me off guard.
Sorry for the long post and good luck!
#34
Thanks for all the info kevinthickey. I just got around to getting the Cosco seat in place but will need to spend some time on tightening and adjusting. Curious how your seat belt looks plugged into the buckle as my strap was awkward as the buckle is more forward than the opening where you string the belt through. The top anchor is definitely what helps stabilize this seat.
#35
Rennlist Member
this worked perfect, as motosport said, it took alot of adjusting and we modified the far side where the belt went over the plastic because the bukcle was offset to where it should be for the seat, and we actually rolled some black cloth behind and its just as tight , if not tighter than my other cars. thanks guys !
#37
#38
Congrats on your new arrival! I just picked up the seat today as my 2 year old is wanting badly to go for a ride. I am, however, struggling with getting the seat belt around the child seat near the buckle. Feels way to loose and lots of movement. Can you post a picture of the buckle? I want to see if there is something I'm missing. Thanks!
#39
Advanced
Congrats on your new arrival! I just picked up the seat today as my 2 year old is wanting badly to go for a ride. I am, however, struggling with getting the seat belt around the child seat near the buckle. Feels way to loose and lots of movement. Can you post a picture of the buckle? I want to see if there is something I'm missing. Thanks!
However, I solved it by threading the belt not through the recommended slots through the seat, but rather in front of that, which is actually just behind the upholstery/cover. The belt is now basically just under the cover in his lumbar area (and, indeed, is palpable back there but unobtrusive), and the seat is incredibly secure/immobile. Granted, it's not installed per the instructions, but I'm reasonably confident it'd be safe in a crash (in my unauthorized opinion, of course.)
I'll try and take some pics to show the detail. The other key, as mentioned above, is to make sure the upper tether is super tight which locks the whole thing in.
Good luck!
#40
Are u utilizing the rear latch behind the seat. If not, that may be the cause of the problem.
#41
Glad you found a solution. After trying every car seat I could find at the usual stores, I ended up purchasing the Porsche Jr. Plus seat. It is fine, and it fits, but at $400 it is spendy. Also, it has a couple of sharp corners or edges in the back of it, one of which has worn a small divot in the leather seat back. There is more movement with the seat than I would have expected too. All in all though, I feel like it will keep the little one safe and that's what counts. I have noticed that it sits very upright. I suppose I could get some additional room and have it declined just a bit if I removed the seatback, but I figure the Porsche engineers know best so I left as is. My daughter loves riding in the car and hearing the sounds of the flat 6...but only for about 30 mins at a time.
#42
I have a 2012 911 turbo. And trying to find a seat for my two year old who is 27lbs. I tried recaro pro sport, brutal G4.1, and now evenflow sureride. All Didn't fit well. The evnflow seems the least secure as moves all over from the. Ottom. It's like the belt doesn't lock up on it. Anyone know a good seat now?
I thought I'd post this here in hopes that it helps other parents who come along after me. I know I benefitted, to some degree, from the older posts on this and other sites that discussed fitting car seats into Porsches... it's no easy feat!
I have a 2.5 yr old who's very tall and heavy (he's the size of a four-year old). Developmentally & physically, he's not ready for a booster seat. He needs at least a harnessed booster, if not a normal forward-facing carseat with five-point harness.
I need to take him to preschool on my way to work, three mornings per week.
My car is a 2005 911S coupe.
OMG it's almost impossible to find a carseat that will even fit back there! And the ones that do fit, don't install tightly... the main issue being that the female part of the seat belt buckle is in a fixed position (completely fixed; it doesn't even rotate or bend at all), placed inches forward of the normal belt path for a forward facing seat installation.
I researched, and researched, and researched.
I ended up thinking I'd get the Recaro Performance Sport harnessed booster seat to work. It's a very pretty seat, you have to love Recaro, and it does drop down into the seat well pretty nicely in a 997. BUT, there was absolutely no way to tighten the install whatsoever. It was flying all over the place back there... way more than the 1" of movement allowed. And, to properly fit it to my tall son, the headrest portion of the seat was so large and high, it created a dangerous blindspot for me, the driver.
OK, scrap that. I sent it back. Next, we tried the two seats we already had installed in other cars.
One was a Diono Radian RXT. This seat is very narrow, but also quite tall, and not upright enough for the very vertical rear seatbacks in a 997. There was no point in even trying to tighten the install on this one.
The other is a Britax Marathon. The seat is wider, but it's on a narrower base, and shorter than the Radian or the Recaro. No dice either. Didn't really fit into the seat at all, and definitely couldn't be tightened.
More research. And more.
I found a thread on a VW enthusiast site talking about installing carseats in 997s, and one fellow posted success with an Evenflo SureRide, from relatively recently (2013), so I had reason to believe I could find a substantially similar seat new. I examined the specs on this thing, and decided to give it a whirl.
It ain't perfect. It turns out, the fellow who "succeeded" actually had to stuff a rolled up towel to the side of the side (on the side where the seatbelt buckle is), to be able to get a truly tight install. But, if you know about carseat installation, you know that's a total no-no. It gives you the illusion of a tight install, but in a crash, can create an unpredictable situation.
That said, I was able to get this seat situated well enough that I am comfortable using it for my kid, for the very short trips we'll be taking.
It definitely DID require that I cut into the carpeting on the shelf behind the seat, to expose the rear anchor point. This, understandably, was a very uncomfortable thing to have to do. Taking a knife to one's Porsche's interior... well, let's just say I would only do such a thing for the safety of my child. But, the good news: it worked.
So, long story short: if you need a forward-facing 5-point harnessed car seat in the backseat of your 997, and it's anytime around now (February of 2015), go for the Evenflo SureRide DLX.
1. Expose the rear anchor above the seat where you plan to install the Evenflo. Yes, you need a knife. Yes, it ends up a little bit ugly with exposed insulation... just a bit. Sigh. But if you don't use the rear anchor, you will not get a remotely tight install.
2. Do not remove the seat bottom from the Porsche's back seat. It's tempting, to avoid damaging the leather, but it creates a worse, looser install. We tried it both ways. You have to keep the seat bottom in.
3. Use two people to do the install. It's easier for one person to try to push the seat down and into position, while the other pulls the seatbelt through the belt path, buckles, and then tightens it. The pusher/weigher should enter the car on the side that the seat is being installed, and the seat belt operator should climb in on the opposite side.
You'll end up with a seat that's good, not perfect. (So if you are truly a carseat crazy -- you know who you are -- you won't be able to drive your kid around in your Porsche, because you won't find this satisfactory.) It does not move at all at the head, it moves side to side only very slightly (less than 1"), and the only movement that's more profound occurs if you pull up on the front edge of the carseat. But even then, the head stays where it is, and that, to me, is really key.
It looks reasonable, and doesn't create a nasty blindspot.
With the kid in the carseat, obviously we'll have to move the passenger seat forward. It's pretty far back here.
The seat doesn't occlude much of the side window, and none of the rear window.
I have a 2.5 yr old who's very tall and heavy (he's the size of a four-year old). Developmentally & physically, he's not ready for a booster seat. He needs at least a harnessed booster, if not a normal forward-facing carseat with five-point harness.
I need to take him to preschool on my way to work, three mornings per week.
My car is a 2005 911S coupe.
OMG it's almost impossible to find a carseat that will even fit back there! And the ones that do fit, don't install tightly... the main issue being that the female part of the seat belt buckle is in a fixed position (completely fixed; it doesn't even rotate or bend at all), placed inches forward of the normal belt path for a forward facing seat installation.
I researched, and researched, and researched.
I ended up thinking I'd get the Recaro Performance Sport harnessed booster seat to work. It's a very pretty seat, you have to love Recaro, and it does drop down into the seat well pretty nicely in a 997. BUT, there was absolutely no way to tighten the install whatsoever. It was flying all over the place back there... way more than the 1" of movement allowed. And, to properly fit it to my tall son, the headrest portion of the seat was so large and high, it created a dangerous blindspot for me, the driver.
OK, scrap that. I sent it back. Next, we tried the two seats we already had installed in other cars.
One was a Diono Radian RXT. This seat is very narrow, but also quite tall, and not upright enough for the very vertical rear seatbacks in a 997. There was no point in even trying to tighten the install on this one.
The other is a Britax Marathon. The seat is wider, but it's on a narrower base, and shorter than the Radian or the Recaro. No dice either. Didn't really fit into the seat at all, and definitely couldn't be tightened.
More research. And more.
I found a thread on a VW enthusiast site talking about installing carseats in 997s, and one fellow posted success with an Evenflo SureRide, from relatively recently (2013), so I had reason to believe I could find a substantially similar seat new. I examined the specs on this thing, and decided to give it a whirl.
It ain't perfect. It turns out, the fellow who "succeeded" actually had to stuff a rolled up towel to the side of the side (on the side where the seatbelt buckle is), to be able to get a truly tight install. But, if you know about carseat installation, you know that's a total no-no. It gives you the illusion of a tight install, but in a crash, can create an unpredictable situation.
That said, I was able to get this seat situated well enough that I am comfortable using it for my kid, for the very short trips we'll be taking.
It definitely DID require that I cut into the carpeting on the shelf behind the seat, to expose the rear anchor point. This, understandably, was a very uncomfortable thing to have to do. Taking a knife to one's Porsche's interior... well, let's just say I would only do such a thing for the safety of my child. But, the good news: it worked.
So, long story short: if you need a forward-facing 5-point harnessed car seat in the backseat of your 997, and it's anytime around now (February of 2015), go for the Evenflo SureRide DLX.
1. Expose the rear anchor above the seat where you plan to install the Evenflo. Yes, you need a knife. Yes, it ends up a little bit ugly with exposed insulation... just a bit. Sigh. But if you don't use the rear anchor, you will not get a remotely tight install.
2. Do not remove the seat bottom from the Porsche's back seat. It's tempting, to avoid damaging the leather, but it creates a worse, looser install. We tried it both ways. You have to keep the seat bottom in.
3. Use two people to do the install. It's easier for one person to try to push the seat down and into position, while the other pulls the seatbelt through the belt path, buckles, and then tightens it. The pusher/weigher should enter the car on the side that the seat is being installed, and the seat belt operator should climb in on the opposite side.
You'll end up with a seat that's good, not perfect. (So if you are truly a carseat crazy -- you know who you are -- you won't be able to drive your kid around in your Porsche, because you won't find this satisfactory.) It does not move at all at the head, it moves side to side only very slightly (less than 1"), and the only movement that's more profound occurs if you pull up on the front edge of the carseat. But even then, the head stays where it is, and that, to me, is really key.
It looks reasonable, and doesn't create a nasty blindspot.
With the kid in the carseat, obviously we'll have to move the passenger seat forward. It's pretty far back here.
The seat doesn't occlude much of the side window, and none of the rear window.
#43
I got this evenflow platinum series model, was the narrowest model i found locally at toysRus.
i trimmed the right side lower plastic edged to help it fit. and i also set it on a slight angle.
but i could manage last year.
the seat is almost flush to the factory one below, making it good with my GF is sitting in front if him.
i trimmed the right side lower plastic edged to help it fit. and i also set it on a slight angle.
but i could manage last year.
the seat is almost flush to the factory one below, making it good with my GF is sitting in front if him.
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tegraphile (02-24-2024)
#44
New to Rennlist (and Porsche ownership in general), and I wanted to confirm (or deny) that we have at least the top of the LATCH system in our 997.2s. My daughter is to the age/size/weight of a booster seat (so I don't need a full 5pt harness like this thread, though I appreciate the info!), and I'm trying to figure out if I should grab the Ride Safer Travel Vest w/ a tether (or without):
Thanks!
Thanks!
#45
Hi everyone -- was just wondering if any new car seats have been tried/tested in the 997 in the past year. This thread is a year stale, so I'm looking for updated options. Would be looking to put in a front-facing 5-point harness seat for a 3 year old...
Also, sorry if this is a dumb question, but the back seat is the same for the 997 and the 997 Turbo, right? I'm looking into a 997.1 Turbo and am nearing a purchase soon.
Thanks
luan
Also, sorry if this is a dumb question, but the back seat is the same for the 997 and the 997 Turbo, right? I'm looking into a 997.1 Turbo and am nearing a purchase soon.
Thanks
luan