Adjust the mirror all the way out and the convex mirror can't be placed too far out. The mirror housing will be your guide. Most likely, anyway...
where to put small blind spot mirrors? On the big mirrors with the blind spots? Actually I just properly adjust the OEM mirrors and do shoulder checks.
What good does "a full view the side of" your own car do? If the original mirrors are adjusted correctly, you won't see it (without leaning), but will have little or no need for the add-ons.
I was just thinking of getting blind spot mirrors myself, but for the meantime I've adjusted the side view mirros so that the blind spot area is visible (ie., there isn't any overlap between what I can see in the rear view mirror and the side view mirrors). It's takes some getting used to though! (Especially when I'm so used to seeing the curb when parallel parking)
That's why I put those small blind spot mirrors on the lower inside corner of the mirror, so I can see the curb or stall markings when parking (reversing in).
That's what I've done. I adjusted my side mirrors so that as vehicles pass off of my rearview mirror (inside), they show up on the appropriate side mirror (or do the opposite). As this is different than what I was originally taught, I wanted blindspot mirrors to show me what I was used to seeing, and wanted them where they'd be the least disruptive to the information I most need to see in my main mirrors. So after playing around with different possibilities using loops of sticky tape for temporary mounting, I mounted the 2" mirrors to the lower inside corners. I put them directly on the mirrors so they'll be stable. So far, so good.
Back in the 1960's there was a documentary on tv by the National Council of Driving Safety. It was how to set your side mirrors. They said align your mirrors so you can just see your door handle (in those days door handles stuck out, not flush like today). I did that, and one night when heading home, I was in the curb lane and wanted to the left lane. I checked my rear view mirror, nothing there. Checked my side mirror, nothing there, put my left blinker on, and just as I was starting to merge left, my peripheral vision saw a car on my left. He was in the "Blind Spot". So much for the National Safety Council on Driving, they didn't know what they were talking about. After that near accident, I said to myself, I'm gonna fix this" AND I DID. The next time going up that street, I deliberately went slow so cars could pass on my left side. I set the mirror so that just as they were leaving the rear view mirror they entered the side mirror. I eliminated the so called Blind Spot that the Safety Council said could not be eliminated. I did the same thing for the right mirror. The biggest problem was when someone else in the family drove the car (dad, sisters) they had to adjust the mirrors for themselves, then when I drove I had to reinvent the wheel. So it is interesting to me to see that finally in the 21st Century people are leaning don't trust the governments safety council as they will put you into an accident. I have not got the 360 blind spot mirror yet, but am working on it. And points of where to put it are being addressed here too. I wondered why on youtube videos and literature always said to put in in the upper inside corner, but never said why. My thought was it should be on the outside corner of the mirror, but wasn't sure where, the upper corner, the lower corner, or in the middle. Or maybe get the oblong one and put it on the whole outside section. In my searching, the one thing I think is important is to make certain that the placement will show the backside of the car and the "center" lines so you know which lane a car is in. The more lanes you can cover the better off you are. And if you put it vertically, you not only get ground level, but you get the whole care in the mirror too, maybe, can't be certain of that as I have not got one yet. Has anyone else experimented with that yet. I also have a set of "backup cameras" that eventually will be installed and run to it's own monitor and they will be set to be permanently on as the field of vision is either 170 degrees or 270 degrees, that helps too as the car stays in the camera view until it is next to you. I have a 2007 Prius, and the backup camera is horrid, but so is my gas mileage. Others with 2007 prius get 50-60 mpg in town and highway. I get 32-34 mpg in town, and sometimes about 44 on the highway. But that is a different topic and discussed elsewhere.
I saw an article that said while sitting in the drivers seat lean as far right as you can the set the right mirror so you see down the length of the car, do the same on the left, a much shorter lean. When you sit up the mirrors reveal the blinks spot. So If you see a car in the rear view, as it pulls along side you you see it in the side mirror the you see it in you Peripheral vision. Works great once you learn to trust it.
