Britax car seat in the 80

[uabericm]

I have mine tethered to the bracket for the third row seat. It is a solid connection.

uabericm- Why would this be a negative thing? One would think an additional tie down point would be great. My wife's car has a third attachment point with the use of the latch system where the seat belts are located.

Just looking for the safest possible ride for my son, Matt

Matt, It is not a negative thing. To be honest you can connect the tether to anything solid. According to Safekids and the other inspection/installation organizations as well as the seat installation manuals you are supposed to only connect the tethers to automobile manufacturer recommended locations. I am sure you understand that argument. We install child safety seats at work and we average 2-3 a day and we have to follow the recommendations.

Another issue we see, is when the seats are placed in the center position in the back seat and the LATCH system is used; however, in some cars there are no approved LATCH system brackets for the center position. If you car only has 4 brackets and labels on the seats, then the seat is only recommended to be installed in the outer two positions. There again, it is recommended b/c that is the only position that the seats were tested in, in that particular vehicle.

Actually the locking clip is not required if the seat belts have a locking feature, which the 97 has for sure and probably other years....If the clip is used it has to be located within, I believe - but not positive, 6 inches of the seat belt buckle.

The rear tether is not required but I still just connect it to the rear tie down points. Tom

Tom, you are right that the rear tether is not required and that the locking clip is not required if the seat belts have a locking feature. However, for the ease of installation and ability to get the seat "tight" we only use the locking clip. I am not sure of the exact number of inches it is supposed to be within, but we usually install it within 2-3 inches from the buckle unless there is a issue that can arise with the clip being in that location.

"We" are expecting twins in December!

I have been sorta of looking around. We are probably going to purchase 4(CRAP THEY ARE EXPENSIVE) car seats.

My wife will keep two in her car, 2007 FJ Cruiser
and I will move the other two between my summer/winter cars (yes I do that)... I drive an 80 from December till April and my 2008 Civic 4dr from April till Fall..

So what I what I am looking for are seats that will fit all three vehicles. Do the car seats that are take kids from birth to 60+lbs have removable carriers (like I can carry the kid in the house)... Or is it only the infant seats that do that?

Congrats on the twins and yes the seats are expensive. Many of the infant seats only go to 22lbs or 30lbs depending on which brand you decide on. Really once they reach that size, carrying them in the infant seats get a little heavy. There might be some other options out there, but out of the major manufacturers there are no 60+lbs removable carrier seats. The sad thing is, when your twins hit the 22lbs and are 1 year old, you can turn them around and place them in a different type of seat, so that would mean 4 more expensive seats. One option from a growing family that has limited funds would be...is there any way you could buy two seats for the FJ and trade cars when child care duties transfer hands? And then when you are taking the 80 out, you can remove the two seats, install them in the 80, and take a ride?