Good quality blind spot mirrors

[hayaku]

Originally Posted by JCL

I've read this before. I've tried it. It just doesn't work for me to adjust the mirror to where you can't see your own vehicle. I am not saying I just want to look at the side of my own vehicle, or that I waste much of the mirror real estate on my own vehicle, but I always use my vehicle as a reference point.

- Without dual convex mirrors, you will still have some blind spot, you are just moving it to a different location.

- Even then, nothing replaces looking over your shoulder, every time. There is a reason you will fail a driver's test for no shoulder check.

- When parking, I am not interested in the next lane. I am interested in how close I am to the post. With the mirrors adjusted out, I would be adjusting them twice a day to each position, seems like a waste of time.

- From driving heavy trucks, I am used to not having a rear view mirror sometimes. I always use it when I have one, but I expect the side mirror to also show me what is behind me. Adjust the mirror out to the next lane, and you lose the ability to see what is directly behind you. Of course side mirrors are meant for seeing what is behind you; reference many vehicles that don't have a rear-view mirror.

I understand it for track purposes, just not for the street.

don't mean any insult, but i would think that is dangerous to set your side mirrors to also view part of your vehicle, especially if its a big heavy truck with no rear mirror. your blind spots are more important then your ability to park the vehicle since cars on the street will always be in them. i've driven lots of heavy work equipment trucks before (24 to 36 footer trucks) with no rear mirror (nor suspension for that matter) and the mirror method works perfectly (except when i hit a bump or pothole and hang on to the steering wheel for dear life as i'm being tossed all over the cabin)

this method does getting used to and is awkward at first. but i have no blind spots. it takes most people about 1 week of daily driving like that before you trust your side mirrors.

on track, you can't turn around and look over your shoulder. if there is a car in your blind spot, which there always will be when you race wheel to wheel, you have to be able to spot them with your side mirrors. the helmet, HANS device, harness, and head protectors on the seat limit your viewing to about 90 degrees of forward vision only. plus having window nets make it impossible to look over your shoulder. this is the only way possible in race cars and is 100% effective when set correctly.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by hayaku

don't mean any insult, but i would think that is dangerous to set your side mirrors to also view part of your vehicle, especially if its a big heavy truck with no rear mirror.

No insult taken. I don't understand how you can see behind you (in the same lane you are in) without seeing the rear corner of your vehicle in the side mirror. I didn't mean set the mirror to look at your own vehicle, just that it will appear along the edge of the mirror, and I use it as a reference point.

your blind spots are more important then your ability to park the vehicle since cars on the street will always be in them.

Agreed, maybe I confused the discussion, as the parking issue is a separate point. The blind spots are addressed by a shoulder check in a car, by a minimum of 2 convex mirrors on a truck, and sometimes by convex mirrors on a car. But if you set the side mirrors to only cover the two traditional blind spots, you are left with only one mirror to see what is behind you, and it is sometimes blocked (passengers, cargo, trailer). It seems like just trading blind spots. Your side mirrors will show what is in other lanes, but not what is behind you in your lane.

on track, you can't turn around and look over your shoulder. if there is a car in your blind spot, which there always will be when you race wheel to wheel, you have to be able to spot them with your side mirrors. the helmet, HANS device, harness, and head protectors on the seat limit your viewing to about 90 degrees of forward vision only. plus having window nets make it impossible to look over your shoulder. this is the only way possible in race cars and is 100% effective when set correctly.

Sounds very logical, and I readily take your word for it. My track driving has been timed, without other cars close by. I just wonder if it is the same on the street.

[rocketir]

But if you set the side mirrors to only cover the two traditional blind spots, you are left with only one mirror to see what is behind you, and it is sometimes blocked (passengers, cargo, trailer). It seems like just trading blind spots. Your side mirrors will show what is in other lanes, but not what is behind you in your lane.

Setting the mirrors this way, you need all three mirrors. An object will come into one mirror and seemlessly transition to another mirror. But you do need all three for this to work.
HTH
Jesse

[Quicksilver]

Originally Posted by rocketir

Setting the mirrors this way, you need all three mirrors. An object will come into one mirror and seemlessly transition to another mirror. But you do need all three for this to work.
HTH
Jesse

I started this so let me just say that I tried hayaku's adjustment and I found that all three mirrors did come into play with this set up. It is a bit different though not having the rear of the car reference. Having said that my conclusion leads me to believe that in the final analysis a combination of the solutions from hayaku and JCL may be the best way to go.
Cheap mirrors on my X? I believe I will pass on that. So I'm still searching for some quality mirrors.