It's that time... Baby seats in the 911?

Jgordon · 05-24-2016, 11:30 AM

My wife is pregnant with our first kid, due in November. The 911 is our only car, and I want to get ahead of the curve on this. I've gone through the archives and have some ideas, but none of them are more recent than 2013.

Has anyone found a good seat in the last year or so? Small base, easily installed (can remain there; I don't need it to be removable).

Thanks for your thoughts.

Ayles · 05-24-2016, 11:34 AM

I doubt any of the modern infant seats are going to be small enought to install, especially in rear facing manner. Which you have to do for at least a couple years.

Hnichols · Hnichols's Garage

I thought the baby seats came standard -- two of them in fact

Sorry I can't offer anything helpful; best of luck!

hastighet · hastighet's Garage

From somewhat recent experience (almost 4 year old son) only in the front seat. Once upon a time there was a Porsche branded Britax (someone correct me) seat that fit in the rear facing forward, but I believe all of those are out of date now. You can add a tether in the back but finding a base that will fit the seat depression proved fruitless for me.

Second experience, (very recent) the wife really doesn't take to sitting in the back with zeal. She is 5'4" and has to lean forward or straddle the passenger seat. Neither of which are even remotely acceptable for anything over a 10 minute ride. Or so I've been told. Repeatedly.

Third experience: adding 3 point seats to the back 'seats' is trivially easy, but you'll have to wait a painfully long period of time before they are useful. I've contemplated a 4 point system in the back, or even a custom fabricated rig for a center mounted car seat but decided crash testing would defeat the whole purpose and the boy means more to me than the pain in my right ear. So until he can legally sit in a booster, he rides up front.

Hopefully you find a better solution. Good luck.

Jgordon · 05-24-2016, 12:07 PM

Appreciate the thoughts. I already have three-pointers (89 with a number of 964 parts, seems like a very close to the end of the run car).

I'm thinking of removing the base and strapping the thing in. The bases seem redundant anyway. I'll do some research over the next few months and let you guys know.

Any additional thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

kyngfish · kyngfish's Garage

I would be concerned if it's the family's only car. I have a 911 but my wife drives a GTI which is much better to take baby plus stroller plus wife around. That said check out the Cybex Aton. It MIGHT be able to fit in the back and it works well rear facing in the front. With or without the base.

You should check but I think the only laws against babies in the front say the seat has to be rear facing and your airbags must be off. 911s don't have airbags.

Cybex Aton is I think the smallest infant seat available on the market. Haven't tried it yet because my wife is home until September. But when I do need to get it that's the one I plan on getting.

Edit: I don't think the Cybex will fit in the back because as another poster has mentioned, no bases fit. The Aton has the Euro belt path which allows you to use the seat without the base but you need a full seatbelt with shoulder straps and I think all the air cooled p cars only have lap belts.

obscene · 05-24-2016, 12:31 PM

Please take this suggestion with an open mind, but is leasing or buying another car an option? We all love our 911s, but for any given purpose there are the right tools and the wrongs tools. Living in NYC do you do much driving anyway? Maybe joining one of those zipcar memberships could be an option?

Ayles · 05-24-2016, 12:40 PM

Also, do you plan on carrying all of the bags and items that go along with going anywhere with an infant? Traveling with a stroller and other items seems pretty tough in a 911. I have a 2.5yo and couldn't imagine even going to the store in a 911 with the family.

andyt11 · 12:53 PM

My daughter has ridden in the front since about 2. In a Britax boulevard. You need the seatbelt lock offs since our 911's dont have switchable locking retractors, and the britax is one of the few seats that has them.

In addition you need a top tether that will go around the headrest since it cannot pass through the front seat. The boulevad has a strap from each side of the seat that terminate together where the top tether anchors to the car. So one strap can go each side of the head rest.

Klek make some nice seats but their top tethers are a single strap and I dont like the way it has to go up and over the headrest of the front seat. I prefer around the sides. Its a straight pull and it restrains the seat side to side quite well.

I had to install a top tether anchor point in the parcel shelf, which was a reasonable feat. Especially since you are inclined to be over kill with your precious load. In my case I'm confident that my anchor is WAYYY stronger than the seatbelt / seat / car etc and it wont my my anchor point that lets go. (I run a structural steel shop) But thats a topic for another thread.

In the back... if I remember right I had a Chico mounted rear facing when she was very young. For that I swapped out the factory 3 point belt for a lap belt from seatbelt planet and installed using the lap belt. Again, thats because the 88 three point doesn't have a locking retractor and the chico didn't have seat belt lock offs. I need one or the other. Top tether was not required for rear facing.

As others have said, I do have some concerns about hauling her around in the 911, on the road with pickups where their bumpers are at the same height as my windows. But she loves it. Going for an ice cream and watching the seagulls by the river are making memories for her already at 4. You just have to pick your moments and mitigate the risk as much as possible. We go on sunday mornings and later on week day evenings, not Friday rush hour. At the end of the day it would be safer to stay home, but you have to live a little.

Chrisdmm · Chrisdmm's Garage

I am in the same situation (wife is pregnant with our first child, but the 911 is not our only car though), and would like to provide you with some advice. You have to ask yourself if its worth putting your child at risk by buying a seat that is outdated and/or not safe + having the room to carry a stroller and all the othert stuff in the 911's small trunk. I decided this was not something I wanted to deal with and bought my wife a CPO 2013 Touareg. You can get them at a very reasonable price, I paid $25k for mine with 32k miles + remaining factory warranty + 2 years CPO. Something you might want to consider.

surflvr911sc · surflvr911sc's Garage

Can't help with the infant seat, I chose to wait until she could fit in a booster.

Rick Brooklyn · 05-24-2016, 04:02 PM

On my 996 I have driven my infant daughter in a chicco keyfit 30 rear facing in the back without a base, but that required pushing the pass seat all the way forward...

Jgordon · 05-24-2016, 04:23 PM

Appreciate the warnings. Leasing or buying a second car is not currently an option. Garage spaces in Manhattan run $500+ per month, on top of the cost of the car and insurance.

I plan to evaluate the options. I'm a fairly risk-averse person, and I don't plan to endanger my son for reasons of pride or stubbornness. But I do think this can be done (as has been done before by pelicans, and is done all over the world) without undue danger. I trust me driving the 911 over me in most other cars, and basically anyone else in any car. We've had members walk away from horrific crashes thanks to these little hopped up VWs.

The front seat is a possibility, but the most frequent trip we make is upstate, which at 2 hours each way is a lot to ask of the wife (to be in the back seat). She's little, but not that little.

mca · 05-24-2016, 04:32 PM

I'll get the name of this seat from my wife and share. But here is a picture of my boy in the back of my 82 SC when he was 6 weeks old.

I've had him rear facing in the back, rear facing in the front, and forward facing in the front. He loves it.

By the way, congratulations! Exciting times on the way!

mca · 05-24-2016, 04:52 PM

Graco SnugRide Click Connect 35

http://m.target.com/p/graco-snugride-click-connect-35-infant-car-seat/-/A-15285908

Jgordon · 05-25-2016, 12:22 PM

Appreciated. The seat seems fairly far forward. Are you able to fit anyone in the passenger seat?

Quote:

Originally Posted by mca

I'll get the name of this seat from my wife and share. But here is a picture of my boy in the back of my 82 SC when he was 6 weeks old.

I've had him rear facing in the back, rear facing in the front, and forward facing in the front. He loves it.

By the way, congratulations! Exciting times on the way!

mca · 05-25-2016, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jgordon

Appreciated. The seat seems fairly far forward. Are you able to fit anyone in the passenger seat?

Your observation is correct. My wife would sit in the back with him.

Jgordon · 05-25-2016, 01:18 PM

I think that might be a non-starter with my wife. Is this your primary car or a second? How long are the trips you take in it?

Quote:

Originally Posted by mca

Your observation is correct. My wife would sit in the back with him.

kanuck · 05-25-2016, 02:41 PM

I have a more practical option, but sometimes its just nice to combine two of your favorite things...

mca · 05-25-2016, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jgordon

I think that might be a non-starter with my wife. Is this your primary car or a second? How long are the trips you take in it?

The 911 is not my primary driver. We'd just take short rides.

It's much better with forward facing seat in the front. Using a Recaro baby seat now. They are HUGE.