1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

2 inches makes the difference

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by fred, Feb 3, 2008.

  1. fred

    fred New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2004
    235
    0
    0
    Location:
    nashville
    just added a 2 inch convex mirror to my driver side mirror. ive done this on all my vehicles for years. its amazing what $1.99 can do for safety and vision. cheapest insurance i can think of. i did check out my mirrors to makes sure they were correctly aligned. even so i noticed that i did have a blind spot right before the passing vehicle reached my shoulder. now all is great. no blind spots yet i can still use almost all my mirror. located the 2 incher bottom lft corner. seems to work best for me. also took off those really ugly nice person wheel halos. i dont do much parallel parking so they are no big deal. .
    mr red now has almost 400 miles on him, thanks to a trip to metroplis ill from nashville. averaged about 70 mph and 44 mpg. it will get better, im sure.
     
    #1 fred, Feb 3, 2008
  2. Stev0

    Stev0 Honorary Hong Kong Cavalier

    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2006
    7,201
    1,073
    0
    Location:
    Northampton, MA
    Vehicle:
    2022 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    I never added one in any of the cars I owned, but in the first week of owning Tommy, I had to run out and buy one because I hated the rear view so much.

    Now I'm used to it and almost never look in the lil' wide-angle mirror anymore and can see quite well.
     
    #2 Stev0, Feb 3, 2008
  3. jclay1965

    jclay1965 New Member

    Joined:
    May 13, 2006
    51
    0
    0
    Location:
    San Francisco, California
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Amazing, isn't it? My Dad used to do this to all of our cars - now I do it to all of mine - adding that little stick-on convex mirror makes all the difference in the world. It's worth every penny spent.
     
    #3 jclay1965, Feb 4, 2008
  4. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2007
    10,664
    567
    0
    Location:
    Adelaide South Australia
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    My left (passenger side) mirror is slightly convex from the factory and I have found that by using the mirrors and turning my head to check there are no obstacles to my sides I can change lanes without the aid of a little convex mirror.

    Please always check the lane you are moving into is clear by turning your head and looking. I ride a motorcycle and motorcycle riders around the world would appreciate it if you follow this advice.

    Oh and I don't understand why people complain about the rear vision of the Prius, I think the Prius has much better rear vision than the 1990 Camry wagon mine replaces and better than the Commodore sedans I drive for work. That is if you use the small window under the rear spoiler. I think that is why it's there.
     
    #4 patsparks, Feb 4, 2008
  5. fred

    fred New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2004
    235
    0
    0
    Location:
    nashville
    pat, as i read your response i was saying this guy must own a motorcycle. sure enough you do. i do it with the scoot. dont need to with the prius and driverside convex. you can do it and without the convex i did but now as long as im constantly monitoring traffic not needed.
    fred from nashville
    07 harley vrod
     
    #5 fred, Feb 4, 2008
  6. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2007
    10,664
    567
    0
    Location:
    Adelaide South Australia
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I don't believe there is a substitute for a head check. Not wanting to tell people how to drive though, just a driving tip.

    I ride a Hyosung GV650 Aquila (avitar in USA) Looks like a V-Rod some say but I don't think so.
    Sorry partly OT.
     
    #6 patsparks, Feb 4, 2008
  7. fred

    fred New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2004
    235
    0
    0
    Location:
    nashville
    pat, my dear aussie mate, when you turn your head in U.S. traffic your eyes are no longer on the road, and sure enough some doofis will slam on his brakes in front of you at that exact moment. why, who knows . i know exactly what you are saying. try the conve-x method on your drivers side mirror and you will see all traffic withouthaving to take your eyes off the road. no tickets, no accidents in 45 yeaars. im a pretty good student of safe driving. i absolutely agree with you on a motorcycle though. try the mirror and you will see safely and completely.:)
     
    #7 fred, Feb 4, 2008
  8. fred

    fred New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2004
    235
    0
    0
    Location:
    nashville
    great pic of your scoot, pat. im not familiar with it but looks fast a s hell.
     

    Attached Files:

    #8 fred, Feb 4, 2008
  9. fred

    fred New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2004
    235
    0
    0
    Location:
    nashville
    sorry took me so long to reply i was messing aroung trying to get a pic of my scoot sent. im not good at it. but here is a pic of vinnie the v
     
    #9 fred, Feb 4, 2008
  10. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2007
    10,664
    567
    0
    Location:
    Adelaide South Australia
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I'm still struggling to get my signature right.

    I love the look of the V-Rod, very well put together, not like the Harleys of old. My least favorite from the US is the Buell. It's either a whole Harley or not at all.

    Oh I should add, thanks for the advice but I'll stick with the head check and a 2 second gap.

    I'll sort the sig tomorrow, I have to be up for work in 6 hours.
     
    #10 patsparks, Feb 4, 2008
  11. fred

    fred New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2004
    235
    0
    0
    Location:
    nashville
    thanks for the kind words pat. you bring up another thing that i think the new advice is not as safe as the old. that is in the old days you were told to have a space of 1 vehicle per 10 mph. now they say 2 or 3 seconds regardless of speed. i find the old advice still safer although brakes are MUCH better than they werre when i got my license (1960). i do agrree that although the buel is a great handling bike it is butt nice person ugly(no offense to buell fans of course)
     

    Attached Files:

    #11 fred, Feb 4, 2008
  12. JimboK

    JimboK One owner, low mileage

    Joined:
    May 1, 2006
    2,817
    187
    49
    Location:
    Chesterfield, VA
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Blind spot mirrors are one of the first mods I made to my car. I've driven trucks and emergency vehicles for years, whose visibility through the inside rear view is non-existent (which in the Prius is fine for me). It's a well-ingrained habit to use them.

    I agree with Patsparks about the head checks, though. If I'm close enough to leading traffic that a quick turn of the head risks a rear-end collision, I'm too close.
     
    #12 JimboK, Feb 4, 2008
  13. Betelgeuse

    Betelgeuse Active Member

    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2005
    1,460
    24
    1
    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Just checking, but everyone is using the Car Talk way of adjusting mirrors, right? Doing that significantly reduces blind spots. It takes a while to get used to and doesn't feel quite right at first but it makes a huge difference in what you can see.
     
    #13 Betelgeuse, Feb 4, 2008
  14. Winston

    Winston Member

    Joined:
    May 19, 2007
    614
    20
    0
    Location:
    SF Bay Area, California
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    I read about that "cartalk" method a while ago. I have started doing it and it is great!
     
    #14 Winston, Feb 4, 2008
  15. FBear

    FBear Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 1, 2004
    355
    23
    0
    Location:
    Maplewood, NJ
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Four
    The CarTalk method of mirror placement takes some getting use to but once you do you'll wonder how you got along doing it the old way.

    Here is the link:Car Talk
     
    #15 FBear, Feb 4, 2008
  16. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2007
    10,664
    567
    0
    Location:
    Adelaide South Australia
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I'll give that a try, still sticking with the head check though.
     
    #16 patsparks, Feb 4, 2008
  17. darelldd

    darelldd Prius is our Gas Guzzler

    Joined:
    Jan 17, 2006
    6,057
    389
    0
    Location:
    Northern CA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Always use the head check! This method simply replaces the convex mirror (that shows you tiny little images, and gets in the way of the big mirror showing you what you SHOULD be seeing!)

    Adjusting the side mirrors so you can see the sides of your car is useless. If you do that, then you NEED those little convex mirrors that show you very little...
     
    #17 darelldd, Feb 4, 2008
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)