Does anyone else drive with side mirrors out?

There was an article on the car talk website about this. I turn my LH mirror out to cover blind spot and leave my RH mirror in for backing up. Works pretty well so far.

 

Yes, I do. I like it much better. Drive the wife's vehicle which does not and I feel it has more blind spots.

I have always had problems parking the Prius. Can't get it in straight for the life of me (backwards). I think it is the high doors (loss of reference).

 

I have them aimed far enough out that I can still see the side of the car if I move my head over a ways, but from my normal sitting position I can't see the side of the car.

The standard position allows you to see the same car behind you in all 3 mirrors but leaves big blind spots, what good is that?

No problems with backing up, but I do that everyday to put the car in the garage, so I'm used to it now. (Generally park in the same spot, plus or minus a couple inches in all 4 directions).

When changing drivers, my wife and I have to readjust mirrors anyway.

 

Once Click and Clack explain it, it makes perfect sense.

But get used to the extra demagnification in the 2010 Prius right side mirror. Objects are a LOT closer than they appear.

 

I use large 3" or 3.5" (forgot exact size) round convex mirrors on BOTH rearview mirrors to cover my blind spot...and to help me avoid the curb when parallel parking. I love the convex mirrors...and is on all my cars. This way, i can have my side mirrors in their "normal" positions yet have my blind spots covered. BTW, you need big ones to really be effective.


I stick on my upper inside corner of my side mirrors.

 

I have the same problem judging straightness, and I attribute it to the fact that the top of the doors (the window line) is more angled with respect to the ground than other cars, so if you park so that your window line is parallel to the parking space your car is at a distinct angle.

 

what blindspot? Those also rotate 360 degrees for positioning.

 

I can't say that I've noticed any blind spots on the Prius, unless you can't turn your neck. I have my door mirrors adjusted so that I can just see the side of the car in the inner edge of the mirror, I turn my head if I want to see any further out than the other edge of the mirror. Most cars in the UK didn't have door mirrors when I started driving in 1973 so they were a luxury to me when I first got a car with them on.

 

I tried it a bit awhile back and didn't like it. My specific problem with it was when pulling into the HOV lane with a large vehicle behind me my rearview becomes useless and my left side mirror was showing me the center divider. I need the left side mirror to show me the lane for a good distance so I can tell when there's enough room to jump in there.

Jeff

 

I have been driving with mine adjusted outward the "new way" for about a year now. Seems to work but I look over my shoulder anyway.

I took an AARP driving course for geezers recently, gets you an insurance discount in this state, and they did teach it pretty much the same way Click and Clack describe on their web site.

 

You are correct, it is safer. Recently tho I changed my mirrors to align with side of my Prius. This is because I have added wide view mirrors attached to the side mirrors, an especially wide one on the left side. Now I have the best of both worlds.

 

I adopted the same method Tony uses (mumble-mumble) decades ago, just a few weeks after moving to a new place that had multilane highways. This was partly to see cars in those new-fangled lanes along side me, and partly to minimize their blasted headlights in my side mirror (only one at that time, not two) at night.

 

Since I was 18! That was a long time ago. On the passenger side, I have it all the way out to make sure I get the blind spot. Another benefit is that you usually don't get glare from the car behind you, so there is no reason for autodimming side view mirrors.

 

I actually started doing this when I got my Prius last August (read about it on this board I think). I will never have them adjusted any other way. It just works and makes sense.

 

I've been driving with my mirrors that way ever since I learned to drive. Not sure why everyone insists on having the side of the car viewable in the mirror.

 

Because with the 3-3.5" convex mirrors, you accomplish the same task while allowing you to see the traffic behind you better. Instead of relying on one mirror to see traffic that is coming up and/or in your car's rear corners, i have both the rearview mirror and the side mirrors. And with the convex mirrors, you can also see where the curb is in relation to your tires when you parallel park.

And if you mount the convex mirrors in the INNER UPPER corner of the sideview mirrors, it works great. The top half of the side mirrors are useless anyways (unless you're being chase by a helicopter)...so, the convex mirrors are in locations that you don't use.