Thread: rear view
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Old 11-04-2002, 08:03 AM   #2
Bill
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: The mountains of Scottsdale, AZ, and the beaches of Maine
Posts: 10,112
Default Re: rear view

Yes, I highly recommend wide mirrors.

1. I'll be surprised if you can see over the TM. With my Explorer - a relatively tall vehicle - my inside rear view mirror gives me a nice view of the TM's front window cover. The outside mirrors, of course, are lower.

2. Even if you can see over the TM, you won't be able to see down behind it, where a certain percentage of drivers feel the need to hide. Most cars have less height than the TM.

3. The biggest problem, though, is not so much the height of the TM as its width. The Honda mirrors almost certainly don't extend out past the width of the TM. This means you have a terrible blind spot beside the TM and just aft of it - you can't tell when it is time to pull back into line because you can't see the car you just passed.

Wish I could draw a sketch, but you can do it for yourself. At the very least, your two lines of vision (one on each side of the vehicle) should go straight down the side of the TM. Even better, those two lines of vision should converge somewhere behind the TM. To get these converging lines of vision, you need mirrors that extend out beyond the TM's width.

I bought a pair of quick-install/quick-remove mirrors from my TM dealer. They are manufactured by Hensley (the super-hitch people) and distributed by McKesh Mirrors. See http://www.hensleymfg.com/mckeshmirrors.html. I love 'em. They go on in less than 10 seconds, and come off in less than 5. The width (to establish those lines of vision) is adjustable, and they are rugged and easy on the car's body.

Just as an aside, the web site shows an optional convex spotting mirror. I don't know why they show it mounted on the driver's side - I don't need it there, but I DO need it on the passenger's side. I recommend it.

Hope this helps.

Bill
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