Mirrors - Are You An Outty or an Inny?

[easysurfer]

I'm talking about how you set the car side mirrors?

I've been thinking of this because today as I was turning left there was this motorcycle on my right. I had to do a quick lane change to my right and thought the guy on the bike had turned away. So, he honked and I'm glad he did.

I admit, I'm an inny with the side mirrors showing a part of the side of my car.

Here's a video showing that is considered the "proper" way, but most folks don't set the mirrors this way:

AutoFocus - How to adjust your car's mirrors - YouTube

 

[Larro Darro]

I will also admit that I don't have them out far enough. Being able to see the rear of the car gives me an idea of where stuff is behind me. But I guess I will try to adjust them until I can just see a sliver of the rear fenders.

 

[haha]

I'm talking about how you set the car side mirrors?

I've been thinking of this because today as I was turning left there was this motorcycle on my right. I had to do a quick lane change to my right and thought the guy on the bike had turned away. So, he honked and I'm glad he did.

I admit, I'm an inny with the side mirrors showing a part of the side of my car.

Here's a video showing that is considered the "proper" way, but most folks don't set the mirrors this way:

AutoFocus - How to adjust your car's mirrors - YouTube

I am not sure how you established that "most folks don't set the mirrors that way". In any case, what most folks may or may not do is usually a very poor guide to best practice.I have always set them to see things that I could not otherwise see- ie.- to see the adjacent lanes with as wide a view as possible.

 

[Meadbh]

I do it just like the guy in the video. Also, my driver side mirror has the outer 25% or so of the glass angled just a little, to facilitate looking back at the blind spot. I am much more confident that I can see approaching vehicles on the driver's side. There is still a blind spot on the passenger's side and I need to turn my head to check when going into the right lane. My car also has a rear view camera which is great for looking directly behind and estimating the distance to the next vehicle, but I still need to turn and look to cover the blind spots.

 

[scrabbler1]

I like the way Raul Julia "adjusted" his rear-view mirror in "The Gumball Rally."

Great Movie Lines #1 - The Gumball Rally (1976) - YouTube

 

[easysurfer]

I will also admit that I don't have them out far enough. Being able to see the rear of the car gives me an idea of where stuff is behind me. But I guess I will try to adjust them until I can just see a sliver of the rear fenders.

I went ahead and adjusted the mirrors like the guy in the video and will give that setting a try. Yet, I too like being able to see a bit of my car as I think that gives me a frame of reference like when someone is passing me and also knowing what angle the mirror is pointed at in relation to my car.

 

[imoldernu]

Very timely... on one car we have the little "extra angle" stick on mirrors, that I learned to use 30 years ago... on the other car, no. Yesterday while using the no extra mirror car, I pulled out to pass and was shocked by a cyclist, double passing @ 80 MPH... No harm, no foul, but some fast heartbeats.
Walmart tomorrow for the extra mirrors.

 

[braumeister]

I picked up on this many years ago from the car guys on NPR. I've always been grateful to them for this tip.


Car Talk

 

[bjorn2bwild]

I pulled out to pass and was shocked by a cyclist, double passing @ 80 MPH...

That would be the worlds fastest cyclist

 

[growing_older]

I appreciate the tip, but the computer generated graphic that shows the benefits of where the mirrors then can see is incorrect. After the mirror is adjusted, he shows the outer edge of the viewing area sweeping out further toward the blind spot, but the inner edge is still shown flush with the car. This is incorrect and implies that proper mirror adjustment somehow widens the field of view. It will slightly if the mirror originally showed too much of your car side, but not as much as shown and not remaining flush with the car. I'm glad for the tip, but illustrating the concept with a mistake or deceptive diagram doesn't build much confidence in what he's saying.

 

[JoeWras]

I didn't look at the video, but I'm an "outty". I made the change about 10 years ago, probably after hearing it on "Car Talk."

It was difficult at first, but now I'll have it no other way. The natural inclination is to have that "frame of reference" which means you have some of your car in view. This leaves a huge blind spot and duplicates some of what you see in the rearview. I drove this way for 25 years.

The change has saved my bacon a few times while highway driving. I have almost no more "holy shxx!" moments where I cut someone off.

The downside? I hate having other people drive my car because they totally change my mirror settings.

 

[harley]

I've never understood why people set their mirrors so they can see their car. If you do it right, there is no blind spot, at least as far as cars/motorcycles while driving. As far as backing up, when I used to drive a truck I was taught to walk around the back of the car before getting in, and I still do that. I'd so much rather be able to see 360 degrees while driving. I've never had a situation where I started to pull over because I didn't know someone was there. Not to say I don't drive stupid occasionally, but setting your side mirrors correctly seems like a no brainer.

 

[bjorn2bwild]

I will second the use of large fish-eye mirrors on vehicles with poor visibility like my pickup with camper shell - eliminates the blind spot.

 

[JoeWras]

but setting your side mirrors correctly seems like a no brainer.

But it is a brainer.

A very large percentage of the population -- for whatever reason -- sets their mirrors tight and have huge blind spots that are only covered if they swing their head back and take a big look. Even then, that's troublesome because they could get a B or C pillar block and miss the car/cycle.

 

[easysurfer]

Not long ago I rented a Ford Focus hatchback. No way would I be able to see on the sides with a regular mirror. But Ford nows make a built-in blind spot mirror as part of the side mirrors. I did like that of the rental car.

Integrated Blind Spot Mirrors

Silly me, my first impression when I saw that mirror was "the mirror is cracked", but then realized it's a blind spot mirror built-in

 

[JOHNNIE36]

Couple years ago I saw a video similar to the one being demonstrated. Tried it and thought it was a great idea. I passed it on to members of my family and now they all use this method. We don't have the blind spot mirror so I also glance over my shoulder a little to see what's next to me. I used to have the fish eye add on's and will probably get a couple more.

 

[JakeBrake]

I never go anywhere without two blind spot mirrors. When driving rental cars I put two blind spot mirrors on the cars and I usually leave them on the rental cars when I turn them in. Stick-on blind spot mirrors only cost a couple of dollars.

I like to see the rear of the car in the rear view mirrors. Otherwise, the mirrors might have been bumped since the last time the mirrors were adjusted. You might not know that if you can't see the rear of the car as a reference. You might not check the adjustment when you take off in a hurry.

I'm probably the only one on the forum that has primitive rear view mirrors that can't be adjusted from the driver's seat. Rear view mirrors with blind spot mirrors are much more tolerant of slightly incorrect mirror adjustment.

 

[easysurfer]

I think if I try the method of not seeing the rear of the car in the rear view mirror, I'll have to get in the habit if doing a zig-zag look first thing sitting in to shop the rear of the car to make sure the mirrors haven't been bumped.

 

[Animorph]

I always watch cars go by me, from the center mirror to the side mirror and into my peripheral vision. I adjust the side mirror to minimize/equalize the blind spot between a car leaving the center mirror and entering the side mirror and the blind spot between the car leaving the side mirror and entering my peripheral vision. That usually ends up looking out far enough that you can't see your own car without moving your head to the left quite a bit. But there's usually still about a motorcycle sized blind spot at both transitions. I check those by leaning left for one and turning my head to look back for the other before changing lanes. The right side is not as bad with the typical wide-angle view, though the same setting procedure applies.

 

[easysurfer]

For the outties , when you back up do you readjust your side mirrors so you can see the end of your car?

 

[Telly]

For the outties , when you back up do you readjust your side mirrors so you can see the end of your car?

NO! No reason to re-adjust mirrors to back up... unless one was 90 years old with many fused vertebrae, a stuffed animal, or a penguin!

All three of those don't turn around and look backwards when backing, they back up using the left mirror instead, thereby putting small children in danger, and anyone in their rear-ward path that they can't see in the left mirror.

When I took my initial driving test long ago and far away, having the car moving in reverse and looking forward (like into the side mirror) was an immediate FAIL. I passed my test just fine

 

[timo2]

I picked up on this many years ago from the car guys on NPR. I've always been grateful to them for this tip.


Car Talk

+1

I've been saved several times by setting the mirrors as per the Car Guys instructions.

 

[samclem]

I'll admit to being an "inny". But I seem to be among the minority who shoulder-check before changing lanes.
Is anybody else bothered by the many blind spots now built into cars? The pillars have gotten much wider and thicker, "black glass" has expanded around the rear window so that the effective viewing areas on some cars resembles a porthole, and the ridiculous "high beltline" styling has reduced visibility at all lower angles, especially directly aft. Some of this is due to the inclusion of air bags into the pillars, but much of it seems to be aesthetics. I much prefer a car with a more open feel and the ability to see out.

 

[FIREd]

I was an inny because that's the way I learned how to set my mirrors in driving school, but then became an outty after watching a Youtube video several years ago.

 

[JoeWras]

I'll admit to being an "inny". But I seem to be among the minority who shoulder-check before changing lanes.

I still shoulder-check as an outty. Just a quick glance in case something is in a sliver of a blind spot left over.

I always watch cars go by me, from the center mirror to the side mirror and into my peripheral vision. I adjust the side mirror to minimize/equalize the blind spot between a car leaving the center mirror and entering the side mirror and the blind spot between the car leaving the side mirror and entering my peripheral vision. That usually ends up looking out far enough that you can't see your own car without moving your head to the left quite a bit. But there's usually still about a motorcycle sized blind spot at both transitions. I check those by leaning left for one and turning my head to look back for the other before changing lanes. The right side is not as bad with the typical wide-angle view, though the same setting procedure applies.

Exactly! And my habit is to do this every day as a double check, and keep me engaged in traffic situations. So, I don't have that reference of the side of my car, but I have the reference of real world traffic going by (or me passing them for the right mirror).

I still take the quick glance, and on backing, use my head not my mirrors. As I get older, this gets more difficult. Not sure what I'll say in 30 years when my spine is full of arthritis. Maybe I'll have to give up the keys. (Just went through that with Dad.)