How do you adjust your side mirrors?

[Kevin Harney]

And you will be able to see more lanes as well. I can usually see a four lane highway clearly all around me.

 

[shark2k]

Thanks for the link. I didn't realize that blind spots could be so small. Perhaps I need to adjust my mirrors.

And when I said "looking with your own eyes", I meant seeing the car directly (with no intermediaries).

Yeah, I knew that, I was just being funny (really should have put a smiley). And Kevin, the spelling you were looking for is: peripheral.

-Shark2k

 

[Kevin Harney]

Yeah, I knew that, I was just being funny (really should have put a smiley). And Kevin, the spelling you were looking for is: peripheral.

-Shark2k

Yeah that is it LOL Brain is just not working well right now !! LOL

 

[JRod0802]

Blind spots should actually be eliminated using this method. It does take some getting used to because when they are adjusted properly you do not see the sides of the car at all and that is diconcerting at first. You should see something move from the center mirror to the sides and then it will move to your actual vision.

I adjusted my mirrors before I left work today. They were set too narrow. I could actually see the cars behind me using my side mirror. The verdict so far... still feels weird. In my head I know it's better, I just think I need time to get used to it.

 

[TEG]

Yes it takes some getting used to, but once you have better 'blind spot' visibility and more easily notice cars beside you it starts to sink in how useful this can be.

I think this is less important in rural areas, but more important for multi-lane freeway driving in busy big-city areas.

 

[Robert.Boston]

Turning around to glance over your shoulder means that you aren't looking forward, even peripherally. On a busy highway that can be dangerous.

 

[jerry33]

I have used the head-waggle method to set the side mirrors for years. It works really well, and you can check that it works every time you are in traffic. I also adjust the Prius centre mirror so that the buttons are on top. That way the mirror shape matches the rear window shape.

 

[Doug_G]

Turning around to glance over your shoulder means that you aren't looking forward, even peripherally. On a busy highway that can be dangerous.

I've had a close call because of that. The moment I turned my head to shoulder check the cars in front of me slammed the brakes. Luckily there was no one immediately beside me because my only option was changing lanes really fast. The guy behind me did a four wheel lock trying to avoid them.

 

[ElSupreme]

I find that most people (by looking backwards in their mirrors) have horrible position. Most of time I can peek out from behind them and I can't even make out a head, much less eyes.

In Drivers ED they told us to setup the side mirrors wrong. They had us set them up where we had to move our head for them to work properly (wider that you should have them)?!?! Didn't make sense to me even when I was 15. They did emphasize looking over your shoulder in the blind spot though. The head position to properly use the mirror was 'halfway' to turning around to check your blind spot. But I drove that way for about 6 months before I figured it was all wrong. After I almost got crushed by a Ford Expedition (this was the car that stands out as always not 'seeing' my Dodge Neon) for about the 10,000,000th time I started looking backwards into peoples mirrors, and noticing that they could not see my car in various relative positions. I came up with a pretty close to 'ideal' mirror position. Where at normal head position I could just barely see the side of my car. Then as I got older I started reading racing books, and vehicle dynamics books. Then I modified my mirror position where just BARELY can't see my car. If I move my head a tiny bit I get car in my mirrors.

That said I still have a small blind spot basically directly beside my car. My head is beside my B-pillar so I don't have good vision directly to my left. My general solution is to drive faster than everyone else to keep that area clear :biggrin:. But I have partially convex glass, and still glance (not look backwards) before I move. And I keep an eye on the mirror when changing lanes because a car in my compact car sized blind spot will show up before I make contact.

 

[tdelta1000]

I never thought it was cool or safe to be able to see the car's door handles while driving.

 

[JRod0802]

...I came up with a pretty close to 'ideal' mirror position. Where at normal head position I could just barely see the side of my car. Then as I got older I started reading racing books, and vehicle dynamics books. Then I modified my mirror position where just BARELY can't see my car. If I move my head a tiny bit I get car in my mirrors...

Yesterday I adjusted mine to just barely see the side of my car. Maybe today I'll adjust them to just barely not see the side of my car. Is that what everyone else does?

 

[ElSupreme]

Yesterday I adjusted mine to just barely see the side of my car. Maybe today I'll adjust them to just barely not see the side of my car. Is that what everyone else does?

Based on TEG's diagram in the first post, and the stuff that I have read this is what you should do. Just barely not see your car with a neutral head position. It seems to minimize the blind spot you have in your car.

 

[dsm363]

I read you lean your head all the way against the driver's side window and adjust the mirror until you barely see the side of the car. Then learn your head to the right where it's in the middle of the car and adjust the right mirror the same way. Seems to work well.

The multivex mirrors I just put on the Roadster take it one step further. Take a while to get used to be are really nice.

 

[Timothy]

I've done it the way TEG suggests for the last few years--works great. Just use the little switch on the left arm rest to electonically position the mirrors--it's easy!