Blind spot elemination idea
 

I was thinking today that there is a very simple solution to the problem of blind spots but I don't know where to buy this product..or if it even exists..

I installed a small rectangular convex mirror on the drivers side mirror. Now it greatly increases the field of vision.. I can look into the mirror and see everything from the rear of the car to something at a very steep angle away from me....almost beside me..

But the problem is that all the objects in this mirror are very small..and easy to miss if you don't look carefully..so here what I want and I am sure someone somewhere must know where I can find it..

If that small mirror were flat instead of curved that would solve the problem..

You could use the main mirror to see objects that were behind but not at a sharp angle and use the small mirror to see objects that were at a sharp angle from you ..and because they would be seen larger in this type of mirror they would be easy to spot with just a quick glance ..thus eliminating the problem of a concave mirror.


This might even work on the passengers side..I once installed those curved blind spot mirrors on the passengers side but realized objects were so small in it that they were nearly impossible to see. A flat blind spot mirror working along with the regular side view mirror might eliminate the problem here as well..and this is a serious one..

Anyone know where I can buy a flat blind spot mirror? I am thinking of just buying a curved one...they sell for about three dollars..and cutting a flat mirror and fitting it inside..but cutting glass is no easy thing for me..

Is a small flat blind spot mirror that sticks on the regular mirrors available?

Side mirror placement helps, as does a back up cam. Check out this article from Car and Driver:
How To: Adjust Your Mirrors to Avoid Blind Spots - Feature - Car and Driver

Or you just set your mirrors correctly (so you don't see the side of your car in them) and you will have no real blind spots...

^^ I agree. After 30 years of driving I finally bought into this when I got the Z and saw (or didn't see) how bad rear and side visibility was.
It's taken a bit to get used to but now that I have there is no need for stick on mirrors or such.

Nissan should have installed a blind spot warning system like many other vehicles do.

This works for me too but not when I am coming out from a driveway with cars parking on the side street. Motion sensors on both sides of the car would be a great feature for our Z's.

Stay in the throttle and keep ahead of everyone.

:icon18:

This works.

Really adjusting your mirrors as noted above will eliminate the blind spots.

I just pull up to my other car which is parked on the street and back up until I can't see it in the rear-view, and then adjust the side-view so that I can see the car... Put a parked car in the "blind spot" and adjust your mirrors so you can see it. Essentially it's a wide angle and you can't see any of the Z's quarter panel in the mirror. Then do the same for the driver's side. If you can't see the car in your rear-view, you'll see it in the side view.

True, but motion sensors won't help when a car is quickly approaching down the road. Sensors are better for slow moving things, not a car coming at you at 30mph - senors would basically be useless. All you can do is back out SLOWLY and hope someone sees you.

This. Every time these threads pop up, I think "what blind spot?"

How about no? I'd rather have a lighter SPORTS CAR than nissan adding weight/costs installing safety devices to cater to people who can't do things like use their mirrors correctly.

This took me a while to get used to but it works, I live by it now every car that I own I make sure my mirrors are set up like the site mentions.

Didn't need an article to figure that one out many years ago.

Too bad shoulder checking is impossible in this car.

with my craftsquare, shoulder check is a thing of the past. i just glance over (dont even move my head for driver side) and if there's no car in the reflection, there's no car.

:iagree:

Also I have found that adjusting the seat to a little bit of a recline position helps with visibility outback. With all the above mentioned, I can track all sides of the car in the mirrors

the stock mirrors can be adjusted it just takes time to get use to them....

why nissan made them the size of ford f-250 truck mirrors gets me...
their almost like air brakes

dumbo ears

Sorry but I disagree with some of the posters..in a friendly way..

I have adjusted the mirrors as suggested and yes you can improve things but.. there are still blind spots..

The driver side mirror angle is not wide enough to see all possible vehicles approaching on the left out of view of the main rear view mirror. For example, You cant see a car two lanes over on your left and slightly beside you and possibly crossing over into your lane..especially if you are on an access road entering a main road..which increases the angle needed to see it...or even a car close behind and on the left even one lane over..And if you do adjust your side view to cover that vehicle you will find a big blind spot to the left and slightly behind at less an angle...

and dont even mention what happens when you stop at a crossing when another road intersects at a an angle much less than 90 degrees...and you cant see down the road through the windshield...that is a really tough situation ..

and check this out Notice the cons..

http://www.edmunds.com/nissan/370z/2012/


I know these are extreme situations but a simple small flat mirror attached to the side ones would greatly improve the situation..so where can I buy one? I am thinking I might have to get a mirror and cut it myself and paste it inside one of those convex side mirrors they sell for about 3 bucks.. the ones that glue to the mirror..

:iagree: I dont have these mystical blind spots everyone speaks of. I have mirrors and know how to use them.

Ummm...if the mirror was flat, you wouldn't have any increased field of vision! Your stock mirror is flat! One secret is to wing out the mirrors just about as far as they will go. This will cover your blind spot. You also have to watch rear traffic a bit more religiously than you do in other cars. It is a problem but one that can be overcome.

If the car is two lanes over, it won't hit you but you have to make up your mind and move quickly, even accelerating a little to make sure you get into the lane you want out of range of that two-lanes-over car. I also turn my head and glance back quickly just before any lane change in traffic.

Maybe I did not explain it correctly..if you have seen those convex mirrors you know they rest in a small rectangular "thing" that sits on the side mirror on an angle.

Putting a small flat mirror on this surface would give a view of just as many degrees as the regular side mirrors but because it is on a slanted surface which is resting on that side mirror it would show a DIFFERENT view

..They key point being that it is not facing you at the same angle as the main mirror..and so does not duplicate the side mirror view.

The two mirrors, taken together, would show a much broader field of view and, since the small mirror is flat and not convex, the image would not shrink to such a tiny image as is now the case..

I will be away for a couple of days..so if this is not clear maybe someone else can help..

Yes but you have to see it first and I want to be able to do that quickly and easily..

I think i will build one and post some pics...to me its a very simple idea that makes a lot of sense and would greatly increase any drivers view in any car,..,not just the Z..

Some people use circular CONVEX mirrors on the edges of the side view mirror (double-sided tape). CONVEX is what you need to cover a much broader area...much better than flat mirrors at an angle. Try an automotive supply shop, even Pep Boys. Also keep in mind, you still need to turn your head and shoulder check...these tips and supplementary mirrors/add-ons HELP improve your vision, but you still need to actively look for traffic and obstructions.

I have found that setting the mirrors to their extreme outside limits helps a lot. If no one is in the passenger seat, I can even see out of the small back window if the passenger seat is all the way reclined. That helps a lot.

There is a blind spot, but if your mirrors are set correctly, it isn't too bad. If I think there may be someone in my blind spot, I speed up and double check.

Usually it is more of a problem of me being in the blind spot of someones SUV. Being higher/taller than me, an SUV sometimes can't see me even if I am out of what would normallly be considered their "blind" area.

Don't take it wrong and I'm Sorry to disagree with you but with all three mirrors adjusted properly. There are NO blind-spots on the Z to the rear with the mirrors properly adjusted. The only blind spot i can find and its seating position dependent, is the right front side mirror at times may block the view of oncoming traffic. again, correctable by finding the perfect driving seating position.

In my opinion the blind spot issue is GROSSLY exaggerated by only a minimal amount of owners. In the end, it just boils down The Z isn't a car for everyone. These are drivers cars and maybe small sciences of driving aren't a skill everyone has. cars like the genesis coupe are awesome for the sport car driving novice due to an airy cabin that's solid and free of most road noise,also, the rear sloped window allows for minimal mirror adjusting by giving your a insta-view of the rear with the twist of your neck. The Z causes you to lean forward and sideways to look behind you and using the mirrors to eliminate blind spot takes someone with a good eye and understanding how the mirrors magnify. I think its your driving confidence in the Z with the generally blocked view more than the mirrors you are concerned about.

Maybe the z was the wrong car brother?

:iagree:


Low cost cars like the Focus come with them from the factory, why can Nissan get that idea? :shakes head:

Charlie, try Amazon.com and in the search box type, pocket mirror or mini mirror. Not sure how clear these mirrors are and they are not convex. Saw some circular ones that are 2 inches in diameter. That may work for what you're trying to accomplish.

I guess you could double/triple, one side of the mirror with double sided tape. Then on the other side just use a single layer of double sided tape to attach to your mirror and create the angle you would like.

Hope this helps and let us know if you find something that works for you.

Well thanks and Convex does cover a larger area but the image is much smaller..
This is really a very simple idea..and it comes down to this..if you have a small flat mirror that extends the field of vision another say 30 degrees from where it ends that would make a huge difference..especially on the passengers side..where the convex mirror makes things so small its useless..

Well i disagree with you brother..there is a serious blind spot on the right rear and adding additional vision on the left is always a plus..but not if the object is reduced in size as the case with a convex mirror..

I think this is a good idea..its just that I would prefer something already made..they sell convex ones for three bucks so this should be a cheap and simple way of getting more vision..which to me is always a plus EVEN to those that insist there are no blind spots..

i have my mirror positioned very slightly downward and inward. from that position i can see anything driving up to me from behind and over the next lane. the actual blind spot is so thin from my perspective. If i lean forward a lil and look out right right window. you can quickly check if a car is riding the spot. if he is? you will see his headlights instantly with a minor tilt forward. its so, minor that i don't even foresee it as a problem. especially considering the overall length of the car makes speculation incredibly simple when using the mirrors and very mild body adjustments.

Anyway i pm'd you the most practical solution without sticking ugly azz
convex mirrors to the Z.

Good luck brother.

I started using this after I saw this thread... don't know how I ever lived without it! Awesome!

I had a thought.,..maybe its not even a matter of "blind spots" or proper setting of the mirrors..Maybe, even with proper adjustment, I just want to be able to see and extra 20 or thirty degrees to either side, especially on the passengers side.. .without having the small image of a convex mirror..

Even when the mirrors are positioned correctly, there is very little overlap between each one. I also tend to set far back and the b-pillar does block a lot. You can't tell if someone from the far right/left lane is switching over at the same time as you. The worst is looking towards the passenger b-pillar while changing lanes.

http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1343768458

Going faster does solve this though, lol.


I saw this a while ago. A new mirror similar to how a disco ball works that offers a wider field of view.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ugvcIfTtrM...-blindspot.jpg

I know I'm late to the party, but I'm glad this was the first response. It drives me nuts that so few people know this.
It really drives me nuts, when I leave a dealer or somewhere and they readjust them incorrectly.

Damn, that's cool

My daughter has a mirror like that on her inside rear view mirror. While it does give a wider range of view, objects are going to be smaller. So I'm 50/50 on it. Because when I drive her car, I have to focus longer on the mirror longer to check for motorcycle riders and this only gets worse at night.

But then again, I don't have young eyes :shakes head:

:iagree: Spot on.

There is no spoon...;)

RiCharlie sorry the thread went off topic a little but I understand exactly what you're talking about. If you do decide to build one of the small angled mirrors with a flat mirror I would sure like to see it. I think it would work. I use the small convex one on the lower left of the passenger side mirror. It seems to help quite a bit...sure things are smaller but it covers the area just outside the stock mirror (which is adjusted correctly). Actually I find I use it more than the stock mirror.

My problem is when backing out of a parking space at the mall. The blind spot I have a problem with is from both sides but primarily on the passenger side...I use the small porthole window behind the passenger seat but still don't feel confident and the passenger seat is usually blocking it. I only hope if someone is coming they will give way and stop or honk to let me know they are there. I haven't found a way, other than a passenger, to be able to see if anyone is coming (whether in a car or on foot). I can't think of any way to improve this. A backup cam wouldn't help and the side mirrors sure aren't any help. Suggestions?