Child seats (again?)

[MrJerv]

This topic has probably been done to death already but having a quick search on here I don't see anything recent.

Basically looking for any current recommendations for 997.2 Coupe rear car seats. My boys are 4 and 7 and I'm a bit of a freak at 6 4"... So its going to be tight back there but hopefully fine for short trips

Quick bit of research shows a few seats that seem to fit quite well...

Maxi Cos Rodi SPS
Halfords essntials high back booster seat (Although the idea of budget range and a safety device for my kids doesnt sit well)

Also as these seats are not isofix, are the literally just placed in the back of the car, no fixing. If thats the case, do they not move around?

[charliedb2]

I went through this recently, we have a 2 and 4 year old. As they only need get in my car occasionally and normally for short trips we have a halfords essentials group 123 seat in the 997 permanently. It does not slide around, is not bulky at all and seems to hold them well and they are happy in it. If you go to halfords they will fit it so you can make sure you are happy with it before buying it.

If we need to get the them both in then we move the Cybex Pallas M-fix that is in the family car into the 997. If you want to spend more i would definitely recommend the Cybex seats, the isofix on them folds in so you can put them in a non-isofix car also and they made really well.

[r1flyguy1]

Hey MrJerv

Are you boys not big enough for booster seats yet? Especially the 7 year old???

I appreciate it if you want all the comfort and protection of a proper full child seat.

You could just pop to halfords and ask to try each seat in the car, thats what i did

I had this one in the back of my 997 - Britax Romer Adventure Car Seat

Now my 5 year old is a big lad for his age (7-8 year clothing) and hes happy on a booster and legally fine with his weight

[chriscoates81]

Bear in mind boosters have to have a back to them now.

[The_Doc]

chriscoates81 said:

Bear in mind boosters have to have a back to them now.

I read up on this, and I think it's tricker...

I think you're allowed to continue using owned ones, but soon not able to buy new ones.

And the rule banning new booster cushion sales (without a seat back) is due to change in Q1, but is an EU law and is thus threatened by Brexit, but in all likelihood will not be thrown out with Brexit.

So the £7 Halfords booster cushion for a 15Kg+ child is still on. You just have to decide if it is safe enough for you. They are certainly still selling them, I was in Halfords yesterday

This from Which? To be clear, the new rules will only apply to any new products entering the market, and seeking approval, after the date the change comes into force, which we're told should be by March next year (2017)

http://www.which.co.uk/news/2016/10/booster-seats-...

[Cheib]

chriscoates81 said:

Bear in mind boosters have to have a back to them now.

Only if bought new. If you have an existing one it's not illegal to still use them apparently.

To the OP's question my kids use booster seats in the back of my 997.2. My if we're four up which is not very often my five year old has to sit cross legged behind me as there's no room for her legs...I am 6ft 2in.

[MrJerv]

My eldest is certainly big enough for a booster, but the reason for looking at the ones with a back was that I was hoping that by removing the back seat padding I would get more space for them. The depth of the Maxi Cosi Rodi is pretty slim, and looks slimmer than the installed backrest in the car so I assume leave a little more room.

Interested to try just a booster seat though... Had not realized the law related to new purchases rather than usage.

Car is new to me and will hopefully have it on Saturday, a trip to Halfords it is then.


Will report back with my findings

[MrJerv]

charliedb2, out of interest have you removed the seat panels in the back of you car before putting the halfords seat in?

[Cheib]

MrJerv said:

My eldest is certainly big enough for a booster, but the reason for looking at the ones with a back was that I was hoping that by removing the back seat padding I would get more space for them. The depth of the Maxi Cosi Rodi is pretty slim, and looks slimmer than the installed backrest in the car so I assume leave a little more room.

Interested to try just a booster seat though... Had not realized the law related to new purchases rather than usage.

Car is new to me and will hopefully have it on Saturday, a trip to Halfords it is then.


Will report back with my findings

My kids love traveling in the back too because they sit high up so get a good view out of the car. They actually argue about who sits in the back when there are just the three of us in it.

[charliedb2]

MrJerv said:

charliedb2, out of interest have you removed the seat panels in the back of you car before putting the halfords seat in?

Hi - no, pads still in place.

[Cheib]

woollyjoe said:

Cheib said:

chriscoates81 said:

Bear in mind boosters have to have a back to them now.

Only if bought new. If you have an existing one it's not illegal to still use them apparently.

I think the point Chris was making is that bolster seats need to have a back to them for safety reasons, not legal ones.

It is of course personal choice, but I wouldn't rely on a backless bolster seat in a side impact for example- zero protection. And bolster seats rely on seat belts that don't fit children's bodies as well as adults.

The nordics are so far ahead of us on child safety if you're looking for more info on it.

My 997 is a weekend car and the kids rarely go on it...but thanks for being so condescending. Just for your information my 997 does have ISOFIX mounts built into the front seat and in my Cayenne that is arriving from the factory early next year I've ticked the box marked "Rear Side Airbags" which judging by the fact that I don't think I've seen a used Cayenne with them fitted means I care about my kids safety more than 99% of Porsche driving parents. Oh and 99% of the time my kids travel in Cybex Q Fix car seats which when I bought them had the best side impact protection of any seat on the market.

Maybe the Scandinavians do know more than us but I reckon I've done a pretty good job of making sure my kids are well protected.

[GreenMan]

I was in a similar position to the OP - tried lots of seats at Mothercare, Halfords etc including the Essentials 123 and was advised by their fitters that none of them fitted securely after much wiggling and pulling at them once in the car.

However - I then discovered that the official Porsche seats that used to be £400 a go are now available via OPCs for £140 - while still not cheap they fit perfectly with seat base in or with it removed (I have removed them in mine) so that's the route I've taken.

[MrJerv]

woollyjoe said:

Isofix was created upon the insight that people often incorrectly installed their childrens seats (happy to be told that's wrong).

But either way - seat belts *can* in some seats, provide better protection than isofix if that is part of your consideration; because the way energy is transferred is better with belts. Side impact I believe Isofix is better generally speaking.

The Which article here, agrees with that... And thinking about it, it makes sense as the slight forward movement allowed by the belt would absorb some of the impact energy.
http://www.which.co.uk/reviews/child-car-seats/art...

Its also pretty tight in the back of the 911 so sideways movement probably restricted anyway because of the hump between the seats


Will give the local porsche dealer a call, can't see them on their web site. £140 isn't too bad if they give a better fit

[MrJerv]

Assume this is the porsche one? My restricted work web not letting me getting onto the porsche site properly, but this looks to be the same

http://www.design911.co.uk/fu/prod423/Porsche-Plus...

[GreenMan]

It looks like that's the same one, yes!

[MrJerv]

So a quick update... Picked up my car on Saturday and popped into Halfords on the sunday morning.

Tried the Maxi Cosi rodifix airprotect and the Halfords essentials. The Rodi Fix, was ok, but there was a lot of movement in the seat as the base of the child seat seems larger than the available space.

The Halford's essentials seat fits almost perfectly though so I took 2 of those.

Ive taken the seat bottoms off to give my eldest a little more headroom and will be taking the seat backs off at some point this week.

I'm amazed at how much room there is in the car. I'm 6,4" and with my youngest behind me we all fit fine.

[pete]

If your car has the Bose subwoofer on the rear shelf, there's pretty good support all the way up a high backed booster seat without the rear seat backs in place. Without the sub, the shelf is lower, so I'd be a bit concerned about making sure you use a booster with a very strong back structure. Probably only a concern in a rear impact, but I'm always conscious that child seats have only been tested where they are fully supported by the car's main seats.

I've tried both methods in a 996 Turbo (with Bose) and a Recaro Monza and Maxi Cosi Tobi, and although removing the seat back gives the kids another inch or so of legroom, it wasn't enough to sway my concerns about the strength of the seats. That's a purely emotional decision though, and if I'd got around to fitting belts in my old GT3 I'd have just looked for more rigid child seats.

Pete

[mikey P 500]

Bumping an old thread: currently considering a 996 or 997 but will need to use with my almost 3yr old and 6yr old fairly regularly for short trips (do have a more sensible family car for longer trips). I am also fairly short 5'7" will the kids have enough space in the back, currently using a gt86 in the same way and it's now getting a bit tight as my youngest sitting behind me is starting to complain her legs are getting squashed. Hoping the 996 might have a little more space?

[MrJingles705]

woollyjoe said:

No.

It's very tight in 996 and 997.1

I fit my 5yr and 7yr old boys in the back with booster seats (bottom part only) - no issues; also my 9yr girl in the back on occasion (she doesn't need the booster).

However, I'm 5ft 7 so that may have some bearing on it.....

[chriscoates81]

I've not seen inside a gt86 but my guess would be no. I'm currently selling my 996 turbo due to my 4 year old daughter not having enough leg room although it's my only car (my wife has a focus as the big car) but I'm looking to change so she can get a smaller car.