anyone else notice this, 3rd gen tow mirrors suck

[NNovak]

To answer the question. Yes the small stock mirrors can be put on and the power and defrost will work. I know this as when I bought my '06 it had the small mirrors on and I made them change to the tow mirrors.



Yes, I agree there is a goofy spot the main mirrors dont' pick up and I have just about taken out some compact cars for riding in my blind spot for miles but the convex mirror usualy pics them up, if I remember to look there.



For towing flipping the tow mirrors are better than any mirror extender I used on my last truck. Wouldn't go with any other mirror at this point.

 

[TRLRTRSH]

DonMartin what year is your truck?? fill in you sig. From the looks of your mirrors I'm not so sure I would like them for towing. When someone says 3rd Gen mirrors suck, you gotta remember 3rg Gen takes in a few years now and models change. I have not kept up with all the changes cause I like my 3rd Gen.

 

[CDonaldson]

I have NO complaints about the 3rd gen tow mirrors on my 2006. Sometimes the spot mirror is in the way when flipped out, but it sure comes in handy for the blind spot regardless. I like the ability to adjust it as I am backing into tight places and keep the full mirror view. Beats all the mirrors I have had in the past. I have mine set to see the trailer wheels and still have an excellent rear view along the side of the trailer on both sides.



CD

 

[snowaholic]

The Dodge tow mirrors are OK; however, I would have to say the tow mirrors on my old ford were better as far as sight coverage. .

 

[Seaner]

The Dodge tow mirrors are OK; however, I would have to say the tow mirrors on my old ford were better as far as sight coverage. .

That's funny! I was thinking that my old '01 Super Duty mirrors were inferior to the fold out ones, I guess it is just a matter of preference. Overall, I am very happy with the mirrors on my truck.

 

[AKaiser]

My 2005 mirrors, in the "UP" position, when the convex mirror is in the LLHC (Lower Left Hand Corner), beat anything for view, but they are mediocre at best in the "DOWN" position, due to the convex mirror then being in the ULHC of the mirror, IMHO. I keep mine "in the wide. " (i. e. mirror face angled out to eliminate blind spots. Wish the adjustment was telescoping, as they are so wide in the "UP" position when you're not towing. In the "UP" position, there is virtually ZERO blind spot if you angle the mirrors right.

 

[twmcneilly]

Wow. Nobody on the fence on this one!!

I think they are almost worse than no mirrors at all!! I have had way too many near-misses with a smaller car lurking in a really big blind spot. I have mine adjusted so that I do not use the normal part of the mirror at all. It's just too dangerous to use it. I only use the convex portion when in the non-tow mode. They are actually pretty good when in the tow-mode but I don't extend them unless I'm towing. Too many people walk into them in parking lots, etc.

Obviously they had to eliminate the "objects in mirror are closer than they appear" mirrors (which worked exceptionally well on my '98 by the way) to facilitate the fold out 'feature' of the tow mirrors, or it would have had the less than desirable effect of stretching the vertical view when folded out.

Surely someone makes a mirror with good horizontal view in both modes?

I've been thinking of trying to get an old fashioned mirror off second gen. and having it cut to fit the '06 shape. Not sure how it would effect the tow mode (vertically) but it might be worth a try..... For me towing makes up less than 10% of my miles.

 

[Babyfat]

I don't really care about the mirrors (takem or leavem),



I WANT THAT MEGA LONGBOX DUALLY!!!!





NICE TRUCK

 

[rbattelle]

I don't understand all the "near misses" with cars in the blind spot. Am I the only one who checks over his shoulder before maneuvering?

Now that I think about it, I must be the only one. I rarely see anyone else on the road doing that. [Of course, I also see tons of people with battle damage all down one side of the car].

Ryan

 

[nickleinonen]

i like my tow mirrors plenty. the way i have them adjusted, i can not see my truck in the main mirrors unless i lean over. i can catch my truck in the spot mirrors though. i don't need to see my own truck. i need to see the idiots on the road next to me

 

[MMoroney]

My 2005 mirrors, in the "UP" position, when the convex mirror is in the LLHC (Lower Left Hand Corner), beat anything for view, but they are mediocre at best in the "DOWN" position, due to the convex mirror then being in the ULHC of the mirror, IMHO. I keep mine "in the wide. " (i. e. mirror face angled out to eliminate blind spots.

It looks like the previous owner of my 2003 swapped the mirror glass from left to right. I noticed my convex mirrors weren't in the same location as other trucks. In the down position, my convex mirrors are in the LL and LR corners. This works great when the mirrors aren't flipped up. I hardly put them up anyway because they vibrate quite a bit more when up. - Mike

 

[AKaiser]

If you follow these directions, you nearly eliminate blind spots. With the mirrors "UP" your convex mirror also gives you a view behind the vehicle, owing to it's position. How to Set Rearview Mirrors to Eliminate Blind Spots - wikiHow.

 

[bighammer]

I'm not crazy about the OEM tow mirrors either. I've actually removed mine and installed the original "sport" mirrors.

The size is a bit too big. To the right side, view is blocked, and to the left, even folded down, ATMs, drive-in windows, etc. are more difficult to use.

When the mirrors are up, they vibrate blurring the image.

The placement o fthe convex does seem off to me. Maybe it's too convex, or should be angled slightly. I've never gotten used to using them even though I used the round stick-on convex mirrors on my west coast style mirrors I had on my old Ford.

 

[Regcabguy]

Tow mirrors.

you're nuts... flipped out tow mirrors are awesome

I agree. I added these mirrors to my '99. Major improvement over girlie mirrors.

 

[DonMartin]

well everybody is entitled to a opinion and can think what they want about my mirrors



but i towed my camper all the way from houston to dallas and never extended the mirrors out ( i kinda forgot and did not want to get back out and do it) and i never had a problem sight was fine without even extending them



i could have never towed my camper with the stockers in the down position



but its all good if everybody liked the same thing they would only make one kind and that would be boring

 

[DonMartin]

I, too, love the factory trailer tow mirrors. I find I constantly use the small convex "blind spot" mirror because I can see my rear tires through it.



But Don, those aftermarket mirrors are pretty cool. Who makes them?



Ryan

sorry did not see this



you can view them here



Telescopic Trailer Tow Mirror by Schefenacker

 

[DonMartin]

DonMartin what year is your truck?? fill in you sig. From the looks of your mirrors I'm not so sure I would like them for towing. When someone says 3rd Gen mirrors suck, you gotta remember 3rg Gen takes in a few years now and models change. I have not kept up with all the changes cause I like my 3rd Gen.

my truck is a 06 but the mirrors are aftermarket

 

[Sean Flanagan]

I too am a little disappointed in these mirrors, but only when they are in the down position. When they are up, they work great.



In the down position, AT NIGHT, I can't see the lights of a small car AT ALL if it is just to the right and slightly back from the passenger door. I can't see the car if I turn around because the top of the car is below the line of sight. The only way I can see it, is if I lean way forward, then I can just barely see one headlight in the corner of the blind spot mirror. I've almost taken out somebody a couple of times now. Good thing the other guys were all awake.



I'm sorry, but I've had a few trucks in my time, and this is the first one I've had that has such a big blind sport for having such big *** mirrors.



I think the problem is the blind spot mirror is optomized for the up position. I will probably add an additional, goofy looking blind spot mirror hanging off the bottom of the stock mirror. Yeah it will look stupid, but not as stupid as I will feel if I sideswipe somebody and trash my nice truck. Or I could just leave them flipped up...

 

[DonMartin]

I too am a little disappointed in these mirrors, but only when they are in the down position. When they are up, they work great.



In the down position, AT NIGHT, I can't see the lights of a small car AT ALL if it is just to the right and slightly back from the passenger door. I can't see the car if I turn around because the top of the car is below the line of sight. The only way I can see it, is if I lean way forward, then I can just barely see one headlight in the corner of the blind spot mirror. I've almost taken out somebody a couple of times now. Good thing the other guys were all awake.



I'm sorry, but I've had a few trucks in my time, and this is the first one I've had that has such a big blind sport for having such big *** mirrors.



I think the problem is the blind spot mirror is optomized for the up position. I will probably add an additional, goofy looking blind spot mirror hanging off the bottom of the stock mirror. Yeah it will look stupid, but not as stupid as I will feel if I sideswipe somebody and trash my nice truck. Or I could just leave them flipped up...

when i had mine i added another small convex mirror to the bottom left corner of the mirror it worked good but took up even more of the actual mirror space

 

[BTighe]

the only thing i didnt like about these mirrors is when people would drive around empty with the mirrors flipped up. it looks dumb. my trailer is only 6' wide and 16' overall so i never even flip em up. i keep the mirror out so i cant see the rig and if i really need to see the truck or trailer tires, i lean over a little bit. i could only handle not having blind spots on my 97 for 2 days before it was time to stick em on.