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Newborn Child Seat (please don't make me sell the 911!)

tom_nieto

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8 Jan 2017
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566
From my incredibly scientific study (population n=1) I can conclude that driving a Porsche 911 makes you more fertile!

Does anyone have a recommendation for a rear facing infant carrier for the back seat of a 997.1 cabriolet (no isofix) please? The maxi cosi cabriofix seems to just about fit, but the front seat passenger is hardly comfortable and I doubt I would be able to sit in the passenger seat.

When we fitted the seat I didn't take out the seat cushions as we were advised not to in mothercare when we had a test run. I presume this is to do with changing the seat belt position and potentially making the seat less secure. Any thoughts?

The rear seats of the 911 appear to be present for the sole purpose of carrying children, but it doesn't seem so straightforward! I don't want to put too many miles on my car, but if I can't find a suitable infant carrier I might not be putting any on it at all!

Thanks for your help!
 
Best solution is to buy a second car that you don't mind getting trashed. When the little one is old enough for front facing seats they fit easily in a 997.

By the time you've bought seat for the Porsche and stroller that will fit in the frunk, and a normal pushchair/prank, you could have chucked in an extra £200 and bought a reasonable snotter.

And congratulations btw!
 
Thanks for your replies both!

Regarding buying a beater, I can't see the point as the 911 isn't a daily driver. It would just be really nice to be able to use it! Having the ability to fit a rear facing seat would be great if our other car ever breaks down. Luckily the pushchair we like actually fits in the frunk - Oyster 2.

Thanks for the link to the other thread. The Maxi Cosi Pebble was one that we were looking at. I notice that the seat cushion has been removed - does this impact on the safety of the seat belt fitting? We were specifically advised that we couldn't remove it to fit a child seat. I would prefer to remove the cushion to avoid wear and tear. Any specific advice on this point is gratefuly received.
 
I have a 4 year old and a 10 month old baby. I use a maxi cosi cabriofix for the baby. I did remove the seat cushions simply because it does give you a bit more room.

I have to slide the front passenger seat forward, then stick the cabriofix in, buckle it all in, then I slide the seat back so its tight up against the cabriofix. Its proper wedged in tight and wont be going anywhere.

It does mean the passengers leg room is a bit less, so if you have a tall passenger they wont be happy.

I actually took both kids over to the inlaws the other day for a sleep over and got both kids in the back fine. Plus had 2 over night suitcases, bedding, change bags and all sorts in the small boot on the 997. When we got there all the stuff I had completely filled the boot on the inlaws fiesta. I was pretty impressed at how practical the 997 is.
 
I got my pork when my kids were 5 & 7, And got the Porsche junior plus seats. I find the fit is much more secure with the seat pads removed.

I know some people use a towel in place of the seat pad, this can also protect the side of the car from 'baby fluids'.
 
I also found it my more stable with the cushion removed.
As a side note I did eventually have the isofix fitted to the front passenger seat and my wife happily sits behind the little one
 
Turbojim997 said:
I also found it my more stable with the cushion removed.
As a side note I did eventually have the isofix fitted to the front passenger seat and my wife happily sits behind the little one

If you do this you have to buy the key to deactivate passenger airbag, which has ludicrous Porsche tax!
 
It really isn't that expensive and the key is just the ignition key. They fit a rotary switch in the door jam and a light in the centre console as well as fitting the isofix points.

Couple of hundred quid to have my daughter sat up from is hardly earth shattering
 
I'm a Yorkshireman....

(And they're safer in the back)
 
So the consensus is that removing the seat cushion actually makes a rear facing child seat more secure? Any reason why we were advised that we shouldn't remove it?
 
Tom you need to do what's right for you.

I am an engineer by trade an confident in the decisions I made based on experience. A super thin cushion imo makes. Ondifference to security other than allowing the seat to sit better in the back.

Best solution by far is to have it on ISOfix in the front but I would still have no issues having the belted in option I used previous to this.

I wouldn't agree being in the back is any safer I see no logic in this statement but each to their own.

Good luck and enjoy the ride together as a family
 
An update:

Mothercare are the most helpful shop in the entire world. I'm not quite sure how they remained so enthusiastic through all of my questions.

In general: It is perfectly legal to put a rear facing infant carrier in the rear seats of a 911 belted in place no matter how loose or precarious it might seem.

Removing the seat cushions is slightly unhelpful, especially as removing the bottom seat pad accentuates the bucket shape of the seat and makes the car seat more unstable. More fiddling may yield better results, but on the face of it the best thing is to leave everything in place.

Porsche will retrofit isofix and airbag deactivation kit for £530. No car seat retailer that we went to was 100% happy with this solution. Halfords and John Lewis said absolutely not to put a rear facing child seat in the front even with isofix and airbag deactivation as there is still a risk of airbag detonation in an accident (albeit small). Mothercare were slightly more pragmatic saying that it's a risk, but it is legal. They wouldn't advise if another option is available and would preferentially place the seat belted in the rear.

In all cases my wife could sit in the front passenger seat without legs hitting the dashboard. The front passenger seat has to be as high as possible to accommodate the infant carrier. Once the carrier is fitted, there needs to be a small gap between the front seat and the infant carrier, so the front seat is adjusted accordingly.

Seats Trialled:

Maxicosi Cabriofix

This is a tiny infant carrier and gives the most front seat passenger room, but as with all options this is compromised. The seat belts in just fine, but it isn't exactly stable with lateral movements and looked quite precarious. According to reviews it loses quite a bit of side impact protection when belted in place rather than being isofixed.

Maxicosi Pebble

Much the same as the Cabriofix. Slightly improved belted performance but the fit in the back of the 911 was loose and didn't inspire confidence.

Cybex Cloud Q

Slightly larger carrier with the option to recline and lie the baby flat when not in the car. This is a much more snug fit in the rear owing to the larger dimensions and so doesn't have the lateral movement of the cabriofix or pebble when belted. This seat also has very good reviews and impact protection ratings even when belted in. We bought this one.

I'm very pleased that I have a convertible as this makes getting the seat in and out much easier! I am also overjoyed that I won't have to sell the car and might be able to use it for daytrips. I can also confirm that the Babystyle Oyster 2 pushchair will fit into the front boot with its wheels removed.

I hope that's helpful to someone in the future and I can update with some experience in actual use.
 

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