When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I posted previously I do miss or need a blind spot detector. I use my mirrors which more than adequately cover my blind spot. In fact, I do not need to move my head to change lanes safely. That said, I do wish we had the option to activate the rear view camera while driving so we can see cars approaching from the rear/sides. This would clearly augment the mirrors and provide added safety. If for nothing else when slowing down or stopping you can see (and possibly avoid) getting rear ended!
Interesting the 19 Cameros have BSD and rear view mirror camera. Would save a lot of head swiveling.
Mirror dots take getting used to. Practice. Like six weeks or more till you learn to view the mirror, THEN the dot, or vice versa, in one glance.
Personally I placed the dots to show me the guy almost directly beside me, less than a carlength behind. But looking at truckers, RVers, different folks place & use them differently.
I suggest you get a helper, or even a helper moving THEIR car around your blind spots, in a parking lot, and try different mirror/dot placement/ angles. Don't unpeel the factory adhesive until you're SURE where you want them.
I actually sold the CRZ after my 3rd or 4th "incident" where I nearly merged into someone. 50mpg ain't worth crashing a vehicle with lousy rear visibility - and being at fault.
Last edited by wadenelson; 11-17-2018 at 02:00 PM.
I've been adjusting the mirrors using the SAE technique for decades, and it worked well until the C7.
If you are dealing with full sized cars that stay centered in their lane, the C7 mirrors work ok. But when you have motorcycles, tiny Fiats, cars not properly in their lane, etc; then you'll get a stiff neck from bobbing your head around trying to spot the one that might be there.
For me, the stick-on mirrors cover too much of the "main" glass and are distracting. I've tried two different sets and removed them both.
It appears that C7's for export have larger exterior mirrors, but they probably cost a fortune and the wiring might not match up with our domestic cars.
If anyone has tried them, I'd like to hear about it.
^^^^ Never needed a "blind spot mirror" in my '88, '93 or 2008 Vette coupes because the SAE mirror setting has worked for my as well. But the C7 coupe has a limited view of the rear. My Grand Sport has a Stage 2 aero option with wing extensions on the outer ends of the rear spoiler making rear vision worse. Not as bad as a Vert with the top up but close.
Know the small oval mirror may appear ineffective but have used the same size since I got my September 2013 built Z51. Big enough and takes little area away from main mirror. Just be sure you get one made of glass. I can see cars barreling up the left lane when I am on the interstate well before they get just behind my rear fender. IMO it's better than the wife's BMW SUV "blind spot detection" which only picks up cars close to the rear bumpers. I look at all mirrors subconsciously and find I look mostly at the small one on the driver's side. If I see anything usually take a second look. Hard to see in pic but the rear fenders in both the Vette and street rod are just visible in the small mirror.
RE the European mirror, it is convex according to one poster who has one. Another poster uses a large convex mirror glass, cuts it to the Vette shape and uses double sided tape to attach. There is a post showing how he cuts the mirror. Tricky as I recall. If there were an aftermarket convex mirror the shape of the C7 and attached with double sided tape I'd buy one.
I had an interesting conversation with a business this morning... He is working on aspherical mirrors for our cars.. I think I am going to start a poll and see just how many people would change to this type mirrors.. Most of his mirrors average about 40 dollars, they have heating systems in them but they do not auto dim so if you want dimming you would not be able to get them...
Adjust the mirrors CORRECTLY and blind spots aren't an issue
The mirror adjustment procedure to remove blind spots inherently assumes that the adjacent lanes are parallel to your lane of travel. This is not necessarily the case for on-ramps and it gets worse when they are on a curve. I use the mirror technique with no additional gadgets and typically use the entire length of the merge lane where it runs parallel to the other lanes before merging.
2. If you drive faster than everyone else, there will never be anyone there.
Yep like folks who think they can drive that way from “up North” to FLA or back on I95 near RT 20. Lots do it as the speed limit goes from 70 mph to 60 mph for a short distance. (That is actually a legit speed limit change as we have had a number of car crash deaths due to short entry and exit ramps at the intersection near RT 20 and folks driving in the right lane who don't realize I95 goes to two lanes and the right lane goes only to RT 20. In fact I move over to the left lane well before going ~65 mph on cruise control ticking off those folks still going 80 mph! Sobeit, but have seen a number of cars quickly moving to the center lane going from the right lane, over the solid white line, when the realize they are in the wrong lane. Seen them cut in front of 18 wheelers who must instantly move to the left lane as well. I don't drive near an 18 wheeler in that area!)
Speeders help keep my taxes low as those speeding fines are steep. Especially those typically going 85+ in the 70 mph section who maintain that pace near the 60 mph RT 20 intersection.
That is “reckless driving” could be 12 points and a big fine. Might also be: “Don’t Pass Go- go directly too Jail!” Don’t worry they will call a tow truck for your car, and you’ll pay that bill as well! For those not going quite as fast over the limit, be sure you don’t have a license plate frame that, “covers any part of any letter on the plate,” especially any part of the word PA, NJ or Quebec,etc!” Yep that is the law and even a clear plastic cover over the plate will add $125 to whatever the speeding fine. No issue in court debating that enough of the word New York was showing for the trooper to see when they called the plate State & # in before approaching your car! Did not expect him (or her) to not be sure the car was not stolen? In fact be sure you have a current driver's license, car registration and insurance card. Each of those not current will add $125. I'm told they will pull you over just for that license plate frame violation!
But as I said, keep doing it as it helps keep my taxes low!
For years I suggested that you could eliminate "blind spots" if you adjusted your mirrors correctly. After driving a rental Mustang that had a small convex mirror in the corner, I started to change my mind. I saw the mirror below in another post and thought for $10 (for 2) I'd give it a try. Turns out I like them a lot. Just installed on the driver's side mirror. With this small mirror attached you still have a pretty large view in the standard mirror, adjusted correctly and the bottom aspherical mirror really gives you a very wide angle view on the side of the car. I've been converted.
We recently bought a Toyota RAV4 Limited. It came with blind spot detector warning lights in the rear view mirrors. Surprising how much you come to rely on them.
For years I suggested that you could eliminate "blind spots" if you adjusted your mirrors correctly. After driving a rental Mustang that had a small convex mirror in the corner, I started to change my mind. I saw the mirror below in another post and thought for $10 (for 2) I'd give it a try. Turns out I like them a lot. Just installed on the driver's side mirror. With this small mirror attached you still have a pretty large view in the standard mirror, adjusted correctly and the bottom aspherical mirror really gives you a very wide angle view on the side of the car. I've been converted.
Yep like folks who think they can drive that way from “up North” to FLA or back on I95 near RT 20. Lots do it as the speed limit goes from 70 mph to 60 mph for a short distance. (That is actually a legit speed limit chage as we have had a number of car crash deaths due to short entry and exit ramps just before RT 20 and folks driving in the right lane who don't realize I95 goes to two lanes and the right lane goes only to RT 20. In fact I move over to the left lane well before going ~65 mph on cruise control ticking off those folks still going 80 mph! Sobeit, but have seen a number of cars quickly moving to the center lane going from the right lane, over the solid white line, when the realize they are in the wrong lane. Seen them cut in front of 18 wheelers who must instantly move to the left lane as well. I don't drive near an 18 wheeler in that area!)
Helps keep my taxes low as those speeding fines are steep. Especially those typically going 85+ in the 70 mph section who maintain that pace near the RT 20 intersection.
That is “reckless driving” could be 12 points and a big fine. Might also be: “Don’t “Pass Go- go directly too Jail!” Don’t worry they will call a tow truck for your car, and you’ll pay that bill as well! For those not going quite as fast over the limit, be sure you don’t have a license plate frame that, “covers any part of any letter on the plate,” especially any part of the word PA, NJ or Quebec,etc!” Yep that is the law and even a clear plastic cover over the plate will add $125 to whatever the speeding fine. No issue in court debating that enough of the word New York was showing for the trooper to see when they called the plate State & # in before approaching your car! Did not excpect him (or her) to not be sure the car was not stolen? In fact be sure you have a current driver's license, car registration and insurance car. Each of those not current will add $125. In fact I'm told they will pull you over just for that license plate violation!
But as I said, keep doing it as it helps keep my taxes low!
Never said anything of the sort.
But since freeway onramps have been mentioned a few times, we have idiots here that think they can merge into freeway traffic going 20 miles UNDER the posted freeway speeds.
And then act surprised when they cant "merge" safely.
Its incumbent on all drivers to safely use the roads and your vehicle and yeah alot of times that means keeping slowpokes out of your way and out of your blind spots.
We recently bought a Toyota RAV4 Limited. It came with blind spot detector warning lights in the rear view mirrors. Surprising how much you come to rely on them.
Agree, and even though you should not rely exclusively on BSD, having it there is like having a copilot constantly watching your blind spots and providing a second opinion on whether you are good to change lanes or not.
But since freeway onramps have been mentioned a few times, we have idiots here that think they can merge into freeway traffic going 20 miles UNDER the posted freeway speeds.
And then act surprised when they cant "merge" safely.
Its incumbent on all drivers to safely use the roads and your vehicle and yeah alot of times that means keeping slowpokes out of your way and out of your blind spots.
Just copied your comment was not inferring it was you!
I have watched folks on a very long entrance ramp not even look, they assume folks in the right lane will move for them as if they have the right of way! I try not to drive in the right lane even on a two lane highway as I approach an entrance ramp. On RT 20 going to Columbia there are several like that and the whole line of merging traffic act like they own the right lane!
Great another driver on our roads who wants the car to tell him how to drive. Go buy a Tesla and sit back and go to sleep.
I don't have any lane or blind spot systems on our cars, but...
Warning systems don't tell you how to drive, they give you information to make your own decisions.
If you don't like cars that "tell you how to drive", you should be really upset about features that actually do some of the driving for you.
Go right out to your car and pull the fuse for the ABS. Pull the fuse for the Active Handling. Disable the boost in the power steering and power brakes. Etc.
Or just grow up a little and accept that other people have different preferences than you or I.
I'm starting to think the best blind spot detector currently on any of our cars is a 'vert!
Except for these limiting factors--the inside mirror is not long enough to pick up the entire rear end of the car and second, with the top up the rearward visibility is restricted by the shortness of the rear glass.
The inside mirror in particular is a pain, top up or down. My C7 convertible is the first and only convertible I've had where top down, the inside mirror does not pick up the full width of the rear (and that includes my 67 Corvette whose interior mirror is tiny in comparison). And this is 100% GM's parts bin mentality, as they could have engineered a Corvette specific interior rear mirror that is a few inches longer.
At the end of the day, coupe or convertible, one has to adjust the mirrors as indicated above and check outside, inside and look a second time before lane changing. Sad that I can change lanes much quicker in my other three cars (1967 Corvette, 2006 997 Porsche and 2018 Nissan Rogue) which are not "mirror challenged" cars.
11-17-2018, 01:25 PM
Never needed a "blind spot mirror" in my '88, '93 or 2008 Vette coupes because the SAE mirror setting has worked for my as well. But the C7 coupe has a limited view of the rear. My Grand Sport has a Stage 2 aero option with wing extensions on the outer ends of the rear spoiler making rear vision worse. Not as bad as a Vert with the top up but close.
