Understand Your Car's Towing Mirror Better
What is a Car Towing Mirror?
Do you know
about a car towing mirror? It is that one auto part
that is absolutely essential on any truck that pulls weight. You can observe
that these car tow mirrors extend outward further than a standard truck mirror,
thereby increasing the driver's rearward vision. A nice pair of extension car
towing mirror enables you to have a good and pleasant look at the nearby
surroundings. So, the only confusion that you?ll face is while replacing to
trailer towing mirrors and choosing among the options that are most suitable
for the truck.
Types of Towing Mirror
Here
listed are the various types of
car towing mirrors:
- Manual
Car Towing Mirrors - The most basic design in the variety of tow
mirrors is the manual car towing mirror. Since these mirrors do not have any
wiring, they are the simplest upgrade for any driveway. Generally, and in case
of most vehicles, the door panel has to be removed to get access to the bolts
which fasten the car tow mirror on. A car towing mirror can be certainly picked
up as an upgrade if the door panel can be removed.
- Power
Car Towing Mirrors - Power car towing mirrors are the second step
up from the manual car towing mirrors. Power car mirrors are similar to the
manual car towing mirrors in appearance, with the major difference between the
two being that the power car towing mirrors have a wiring setup inside them.
Two or three wires extend out of the base of the mirror, which plug into the door
wiring on the truck. The door wiring is woven through in such a way that it is
connected to the power mirror switch. Installation of a power tow mirror is
simple and does not involve any trickery. The installation procedure is not
very different as in the case of manual tow mirror.
- Telescoping
/ Telescopic / Extendable Car Towing Mirrors - The
topic of telescoping mirrors is inextricably linked to the trailer car towing
mirrors. Telescoping mirrors, better known as telescopic or extendable mirrors
are a type of mirror which is used to enhance the rearward vision as they can
extend from the sides of the vehicle. Telescopic mirrors offer the same
purposes and features as the non-telescopic mirrors including power, manual,
puddle-light, turn signal, folding etc. however, the feature relating to
enhancing the rearward vision is mostly only offered in the car towing mirror
applications, as it is not required on the standard-sized view mirrors.
Telescopic mirrors can be of two types: the manual telescopic car mirrors,
which can be extended outward with physical human force and the powered
telescopic car mirrors which are controlled by automatic buttons, which makes
their functioning much more efficient and comfortable. Keep in mind that the
mirror should not be extended without looking around or checking for
pedestrians and bicyclists sass it may cause inconvenience to them. This
automotive gesture may disturb anybody off guard. Telescopic car mirrors can
prove to be a great upgrade if a truck already has car towing mirrors. This
would give a complete vision of whatever it is towing. The telescopic car
towing mirrors would also give a bigger appearance to the truck which enhances
the look of the truck.
- Turn
Signal / Directional Car Tow Mirrors - Some car towing mirrors come
with built in elaborate options, but of course, these being the higher end
mirrors, are more expensive than the normal mirrors. Some of the fancier trucks
offer directional tow mirrors which have the option of turn signals. The turn
signals/directional can be set into the mirror?s plastic casing or molded
itself into the glass. These mirrors offer other options as well including
puddle lights, and heat. The mirror manufacturers have also succeeded in
creating mirrors was extra-long wires which splice into the turn signal harness
of the truck. These car mirrors are built for the trucks which are not the type
to be built with the option of the turn signal mirror. This might turn out to
be a complicated procedure, but it offers numerous benefits such as additional
safety at the time of towing. Even if a truck has these options from the time
of manufacture with the standard size car mirrors, the larger car tow mirror
wiring harnesses are often engineered in a way so that they can be plugged in
without any complications. However, this completely depends on the year, make
and model of the truck.
- Clip-on
Car Mirrors - The clip-on car tow mirrors are one of the
most convenient and cheap way to add towing mirrors to any vehicle. They are
designed in such a way so that they can easily snap onto the smaller standard
car mirrors and give great additional rearward vision. They lack the features
offered by many of the bolt-on trailer mirrors, but the incredibly easy method
to install and uninstall these mirrors makes them a popular choice for many
truck owners.
How do Car Towing Mirror Works?
Trying
to figure out how the towing mirror operates? Follow the section to know more
about the operations of car towing mirror:
Well,
size is an important factor when dealing with car mirrors. If there is a huge
difference between the reflective space and the view, the full or the required
vision will not be obtained. This is a problem we can see in terms of our daily
lives, for example if a handheld car mirror is presented to us to assess our
entire outfit, the size of the car mirror will of course be wrong for the task
given to us.
The
experience of towing something is similar to this scenario in a lot of
situations. The reflective space of the standard mirror may not sufficient to
give a proper view of the accessories, campers, trailers or other kinds of
loads being towed and this would consequently lead to the magnification of the
blind spot zones while driving. Reports state that blind spots are the major
cause of towing-related accidents on the road today. Blind spots are a hazard
with driving and towing and this is why evaluating visibility while towing is
important, and all necessary steps, including installation of side mirrors to
make sure that the field of vision covers all traffic and obstacles on the
road.
Another
reason besides the safety concern is the law mandated for towing mirror
regulations by the states. The basic underline of the law is that the entire
length of the trailer and the traffic behind it must be clearly visible to the
driver. Thus, the required size of the towing mirrors may be decided on the
basis of the size of the trailer.
A
large number of options are available for the type of towing mirrors. Towing
mirrors maybe included in some of the towing packages, and can also be
purchased individually. The next page covers the types of tasks each type of
mirror is suited for.
Purpose of Car Towing Mirror
Car
towing mirrors are essential while towing a trailer because of the prime
concern about the safety and visibility. These car mirrors reduce the
possibility of any blind spots or blind zones for both, the driver, as well as
the passenger?s side, and increases the view of the roadway behind. This
becomes even more important in the cases where taller trailers are being towed,
for example, rvs or camp trailers, enclosed cargo trailers etc. Towing mirrors
level up the safety factor as it makes easier to spot the motorcycles or
vehicles which would have otherwise been in the blind zone. Car towing mirrors
also help to ensure that the sides of the trailer are avoided getting hit, as
this problem is there even when the trailers have been packed tightly.
Even
though it is not possible to see the area behind the trailers completely, car
towing mirrors are much better as compared to the standard mirrors, as they
stick farther out from the sides of the vehicles and this allows them to
reflect a greater area behind the
vehicle as well as beyond the sides of the trailer.
Frequent Problems With Car Towing Mirror
While
using the towing mirrors, you can face a number of problems that include:
One
of the most tiresome issues with car towing mirrors is that they may not be
able to give a complete vision of the trailer that is being towed. It also
becomes hectic having to attach and detach the mirrors off of the side view
mirrors all the time. These problems of the conventional towing mirrors have
been overcome by the long view towing mirrors, which have been designed this
way especially.
Longview
towing mirrors are very popular with truck owners because of their line of
high-quality slip on towing mirrors. The mirrors from Longview are easy to slip
off and on the side mirrors unlike the run-of-the-mill towing mirrors. The
company works with major vehicle manufacturing companies including General
Motors, Ford, Toyota, Mazda and Isuzu. It has designed over a hundred types of
variety of mirrors, with the best automotive and environmental standards. The long
view towing mirrors are incredibly convenient with their installation process.
It goes as follows: the towing mirror needs to gently be sipped on the side
mirrors. The next step is to sort through the bag of accessories with is
provided with the mirrors and find the hook provided. This hook then has to
positioned on the inside edge of the regular mirror. The towing mirror?s shell
has a hole where the threaded end of the hook has to be inserted. The knob of
the towing mirror then has to be tightened till the mirror fits perfectly.
Refrain from tightening it too much. This process has to be repeated for all
the other mirrors.
Top Brands For Car Towing Mirror
If
customers trust a brand, then it would make them loyal, and if they are loyal,
then they will surely buy more. We are well aware that customers want comfort,
cheerfulness as well as satisfaction in their lives and that?s the reason why
we offer top quality auto parts brands to our customers. We make sure to
provide a positive experience to our consumers from the brands which we are
offering so that they can form an opinion that a particular auto parts brand is
trustworthy and would give them peace of mind while they are purchasing it for
their car. Here we have listed out some top brands for car towing mirror:
How To Change Car Towing Mirror?
Planning
to change the towing mirror? Just follow these simple steps in order for
performing this task:
Step
1:
It should be noted that different types and different brands of car towing
mirrors have different installation processes and varying time periods.
Portable towing mirrors can be installed easily as they require minimal
assembly. With permanent car towing mirror models, however, professional supervision
may be required. Secure installation is important for both portable and
permanent models as negligence on this part may cause the towing mirror to get
detached while you?re driving down the road. It would be helpful to thoroughly
go through the instructions for attaching the mirror to your vehicle.
Step
2:
The hot spot car mirrors can be installed conveniently by peeling off an
adhesive strip and sticking it to the appropriate place provided on the side
mirrors. Slide mirrors also have easy installation process as they are
customized for specific models and makes. The towing mirror can be slid onto
the frame of the side mirror and hooked into the appropriate position with the
help of tailored hardware which is provided with the towing mirror.
Step
3:
Universal fit car mirrors may be of many types such as mirrors which need to be
strapped to the fenders. They are not much work either, except they might
require a few minutes for assembling since they may or may not come in a single
piece. There are the clip-on universal-fit towing mirrors which usually don?t
require any tools. This type of mirror only needs to be clipped-on the top and
bottom of the side mirror, and attached more securely using a strap. Another
type of towing mirrors is the fender mount mirrors.
The
first step in their installation process is the opening up the hood of the
vehicle to attach the mounts to the fenders at the edge of the hood. The bottom
mount has to be attached to the fender placed above the front tire. There are
certain brands that also include straps which help you to secure the mirror to
be secured well. The only major difference between door mount mirrors and
fender mount mirrors is that door mount mirrors have to attached to the
passenger and driver doors.
Step
4:
Permanent car mirrors are tougher to handle because the installation process
requires the driver and passenger door panels to be removed completely. So yes,
this becomes tricky and cannot be done without causing some damage to the
vehicle. Permanent mirrors which are provided with the functions of LEDs and
heating functions will also involve rewiring which can be better handled by a
professional.