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Idea: Extending the external mirrors

Joined
31 May 2001
Messages
268
Location
Heidelberg, Germany
I've long toyed with the idea of creating some kind of extension for the rear view mirrors. Maybe it's my height (5'7") or the geometry of how I sit in the car, but I've always had a fairly wide blind spot in both mirrors.

If I adjust it inward, the rear view consists of about 60% of the car's very sexy hips (granted, not a bad view) and about 40% left lane and upcoming cars (granted, there aren't many) :biggrin:

If I adjust it outward so that I do see more of the left lane, too much of what is behind me disappears.

My idea would be to create an insert or extension to go between the mirror base and the mirror housing, same shape and form to provide continuity, which would extend the mirror housing up and out by about an inch or so. I'm thinking 1" - 1.5" would do it, and I think it would look pretty cool if properly done.

Question is, how to do it and what materials? Ideas anyone? I know there are some folks on the list with good hands-on experience with casting and molding stuff. Any advice would be appreciated.

An alternative would be new, taller mirrors, but I haven't seen any that meet what I'm looking for.

Thanks!
Don in Heidelberg
 
here are some pics of mine.
its a clip on. can't live without it, won't drive without it

DSC05123.JPG



DSC05124.JPG



DSC05126.JPG
 
Ah, gotcha... Can't use that! I've got a somewhat larger (I think GM) mirror with temp and directional display in it, and I don't want to cover that up.

And, I'll admit I was hoping to increase the coolness factor along the way with rear view mirrors that extended out and up a bit further, ala F-car or Lambo.

I'll keep thinking on it, Erick, thanks!

Don
 
Don't you lose the capability of being able to change it to the "night" mode? That was the deal breaker for me about these clip-on convex mirrors. I hate having the bright headlights blind my eyes at night when using these things.
 
Yawwn, the mirror I installed also has auto-dimming, which works VERY well. Got the mirror for about $80 (I can find you the guy's name and address, I think) and he even switched out the display color from green to dark orange for me to match the NSX's stock color. You run the wires for the compass and thermometer probe, and you're done. Not bad at all if you're a DIY type and the mirrors look pretty much the same. Just need to find a way to hide the wires that come down from the headliner.

Don
 
night mode... never use it really.
i prefer to see the cars behind me clearly than to have them darkened/blurred out.
when i drive at night theres barely any traffic, and 99.9% of other cars on the road arent fast enough to hang on behind the NSX if there are on the road at night.

but yes, i had trucks pull up behind at stop lights, i simply just shift the mirror to shine the light back at them. my hatch is tinted anyways. no big deal

eversince i got this mirror i gained lots of visability and clarity over OEM. always been able to spot out a black&white a good stretch back. saved my buns plenty of times. knock on wood maybe?
others may use a valentine 1, but i swear by my eyes and mirror.

the wide mirrors come in many styles and sizes as well. so you can find a tinted one if you really want it.

JM.02
 
Erick, no, it was one I bought from a guy who does business on Ebay. Good and honest prices, new wiring harness, all installation hardware included for about half of what the new ones go for. I'm not sure which vehicle it came from but it looked brand new and he modded it for me. It has auto-dimming, compass and temperature readings. Contact Bob at [email protected], he's a super guy and will work with you.

Don
 
There are no blind spots

Interesting idea, but it seems unnecessary.

DonDavis said:
If I adjust it inward, the rear view consists of about 60% of the car's very sexy hips (granted, not a bad view) and about 40% left lane and upcoming cars (granted, there aren't many)
Although I don’t disagree that it’s not a "bad view", this is obviously not the optimal position. :)

DonDavis said:
If I adjust it outward so that I do see more of the left lane, too much of what is behind me disappears.
This is closer to the position you want. If you use this technique to adjust the side view mirrors properly, you will eliminate nearly all blind spots. If you’re not used to it, it might take some getting used to; but once you do, I doubt you will go back to the old way.

Additional discussion can be found here.
 
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Ojas, thanks for the link and tips, I'll give it a shot. I think you're right, that's a bit different as I've always liked to see at least the edge of the car in the rear view (I think for me that's sort of gives me a point of reference to where the other car is and how close it is to mine), but probably with a little discipline this will be more productive.

There goes my coolness factor improvement. :frown:

Thanks again!
Don in Heidelberg
 
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