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Okay...try This With Your Sideviews.

NSTG8R

NSTG8R

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I got this idea from a guy up in Boeing, Seattle. It's an Engineer's take on how to set your sideview mirrors.


Here we go:

With your driver's side window up, lean your head against the window, and adjust your driver's side mirror outward until you can 'just' see the side of your car. Now, stick your head dead-center of your car (so you're inline with your rearview mirror) and adjust your passenger side mirror until you can 'just' see the passenger side of your car. Okay, this will drive you nuts if you're used to driving down the road and seeing the sides of your car in the mirrors, like most people do, but mirrors aren't to let you know where the sides of your car is...you should know that if you're in it. Now, check it out going down the road. If someone is overtaking you, and you see them coming up in your rearview mirror, once you lose track of them in the rearview, they're perfect in your side views [either, depending on which side they're coming up on]. By the time you lose sight of them in the side view, they are right in your peripheral...basically, right along side. It feels weird for sure at first, but after a while you'll get used to it, and won't have to physically have to twist your head around to see what's in the next lane.

Give a try!

PS - I've had mine like this for the last 7 years. Wife hates it, but I drive in 'heavy' traffic every day, and love it.
 
Ty

Ty

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NSTG8R said:
I got this idea from a guy up in Boeing, Seattle. It's an Engineer's take on how to set your sideview mirrors.


Here we go:

With your driver's side window up, lean your head against the window, and adjust your driver's side mirror outward until you can 'just' see the side of your car. Now, stick your head dead-center of your car (so you're inline with your rearview mirror) and adjust your passenger side mirror until you can 'just' see the passenger side of your car. Okay, this will drive you nuts if you're used to driving down the road and seeing the sides of your car in the mirrors, like most people do, but mirrors aren't to let you know where the sides of your car is...you should know that if you're in it. Now, check it out going down the road. If someone is overtaking you, and you see them coming up in your rearview mirror, once you lose track of them in the rearview, they're perfect in your side views [either, depending on which side they're coming up on]. By the time you lose sight of them in the side view, they are right in your peripheral...basically, right along side. It feels weird for sure at first, but after a while you'll get used to it, and won't have to physically have to twist your head around to see what's in the next lane.

Give a try!

PS - I've had mine like this for the last 7 years. Wife hates it, but I drive in 'heavy' traffic every day, and love it.
Click to expand...
I also do that. Well, my truck has split mirrors so half of the mirror is curved and shows everything anyway. In any car I drive, I don't need to see the side of my car and the rearview mirror lets me see what's behind. Setting the mirrors like you say (or just tilting your head to the sides instead of being quite as drastic) lets you see what the rearview mirror can't. In the Elio... Well, you may want to set them to see behind you a little more than normal.
 
RUCRAYZE

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Use the same settings, but adjust at stoplights, by watching the rearview, and when I loose visibility just out of the rear, adjust side to just catch the front. Will give your's a try.
There were other posts about this with the discussion of no rear ( window/mirror) in the E, and how most M.c. drivers were cool with it. When I did get to sit in the E it's a none issue- visibility is perfect, also, speaking of visiblilty, the concern of the front frame that holds the windshield being too wide is also unfounded
 
goofyone

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NSTG8R said:
I got this idea from a guy up in Boeing, Seattle. It's an Engineer's take on how to set your sideview mirrors.

Here we go:

With your driver's side window up, lean your head against the window, and adjust your driver's side mirror outward until you can 'just' see the side of your car. Now, stick your head dead-center of your car (so you're inline with your rearview mirror) and adjust your passenger side mirror until you can 'just' see the passenger side of your car. Okay, this will drive you nuts if you're used to driving down the road and seeing the sides of your car in the mirrors, like most people do, but mirrors aren't to let you know where the sides of your car is...you should know that if you're in it. Now, check it out going down the road. If someone is overtaking you, and you see them coming up in your rearview mirror, once you lose track of them in the rearview, they're perfect in your side views [either, depending on which side they're coming up on]. By the time you lose sight of them in the side view, they are right in your peripheral...basically, right along side. It feels weird for sure at first, but after a while you'll get used to it, and won't have to physically have to twist your head around to see what's in the next lane.

Give a try!

PS - I've had mine like this for the last 7 years. Wife hates it, but I drive in 'heavy' traffic every day, and love it.
Click to expand...

This is the way I was taught to do it by my father when I was 15 so I have always driven this way. He apparently heard about it about 30 years ago and decided to teach his children to drive this way as he thought it is much safer and I have to agree with him. Adjusting mirrors this way virtually eliminates the blind sport problem in most vehicles. The funny part to me is that when I tell people about this they do not believe me that the blind spot problem in most vehicles is due to adjusting mirrors the wrong way.
 
Ty

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goofyone said:
This is the way I was taught to do it by my father when I was 15 so I have always driven this way. He apparently heard about it about 30 years ago and decided to teach his children to drive this way as he thought it is much safer and I have to agree with him. Adjusting mirrors this way virtually eliminates the blind sport problem in most vehicles. The funny part to me is that when I tell people about this they do not believe me that the blind spot problem in most vehicles is due to adjusting mirrors the wrong way.
Click to expand...

People know what they grew up with... Some refuse to change even though things are different now.
 
NSTG8R

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Ty said:
People know what they grew up with... Some refuse to change even though things are different now.
Click to expand...




That's so true! But change is inevitable, unless we're talking about vending machines!:rolleyes:

Seriously...It was for sure weird for the first couple of drives, but once I got used to it, it seemed ridiculous to move them back....you can really see everything around you.
 
BilgeRat

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Been setting my mirrors this way for years. On my Fit, when I've lost a small car in the inside mirror, I should be able to see their front bumper in the side views. Practically no blind spot with this method. When we were teaching my wife's niece how to drive, I had her set the mirrors like this and she said their drivivg instructor said to set them so you could see the sides of the car. I had her try both ways, and she still uses what I call the wide setting. :-)

Ever try a Wink inside mirror? I had one in my old VW camper, and it was great for that old box!
 
NSTG8R

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BilgeRat said:
Been setting my mirrors this way for years. On my Fit, when I've lost a small car in the inside mirror, I should be able to see their front bumper in the side views. Practically no blind spot with this method. When we were teaching my wife's niece how to drive, I had her set the mirrors like this and she said their drivivg instructor said to set them so you could see the sides of the car. I had her try both ways, and she still uses what I call the wide setting. :)

Ever try a Wink inside mirror? I had one in my old VW camper, and it was great for that old box!
Click to expand...


Had a Wink in my Baja Bug! Worked great! And I agree, adjusting your mirrors the way we're doing it virtually eliminates blind spots...always a good thing!
 
CheeseheadEarl

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I spent years in trucks with no inside rear view. Setting mirrors as suggested above gives no view straight behind you in that circumstance.

I'll leave my mirrors with a sliver of body visible, and check my blind spots. It's worked for me for over 25 years now.

Of course, with good driving habits, you already know a vehicle is there. It shouldn't be a suprise that another car is alongside you. They just don't beam down, yet.
 
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