FW_Fronty
New Member
I've installed the "Dumbo" towing mirrors. The only thing I've towed so far was a 3 x 5 U-Haul trailer, so that wasn't much of a test. I did back up to my travel trailer in the storage lot to simulate the towing view. The photos below are the result. Sorry about the clutter. They are the best I have so far.
Left Side:
[attachment=3216]
Right Side:
[attachment=3217]
The square upper section is perfectly flat and responds to the remote switch on the dashboard. The lower rectangle is highly convex and is manually adjusted.
The vehicle behind you will be the exact same size in both of the upper side mirrors and the center rearview, but it will appear closer in that right mirror if you are used to the convex factory mirror that says "Objects may be closer than they appear". It might take a while to get used to judging distance with that flat right mirror. I made the mistake of installing these mirrors on a work night, so my first experience was in the 6 AM darkness with heavy traffic in a construction zone on my way to work. It is not easy learning to judge distance with these mirrors when all you can see are closely spaced headlights. I recommend installing them in the evening before your day off so you can get used to using them in the day light with less traffic.
The highly curved lower mirrors are very handy when backing into a parking spot. That's probably the best thing about these mirrors when you aren't towing.
The mirrors measure 92.5" from outside edge to outside edge. That is the real dilemma with putting towing mirrors on a Fronty. We buy these trucks because they are agile work horses and they are loads of fun to drive. The 6300 lb. towing capacity cries out for towing mirrors, but any mirrors that stick out enough to see around your trailer necessarily give you the effective width of a larger truck. Its still fun to drive and it still fits in the garage (barely), but it is just a bit less fun to park. In most parking lots, I manually fold the mirrors in against the doors as a courtesy to those parked next to me.
So far, this spring doesn't have much promise for taking trips with the travel trailer. Fall has possibilities, but I probably won't be posting anytime soon about how great these mirrors worked for towing. Sorry about that... in fact, I am more sorry than you can imagine. I really had hoped we could take a few trips this spring. For now, these mirrors serve primarily to support my RV fantasy life (sigh).
I think I will really enjoy towing with these mirrors. I cannot recommend towing mirrors on a Frontier as a fashion statement, however.
Left Side:
[attachment=3216]
Right Side:
[attachment=3217]
The square upper section is perfectly flat and responds to the remote switch on the dashboard. The lower rectangle is highly convex and is manually adjusted.
The vehicle behind you will be the exact same size in both of the upper side mirrors and the center rearview, but it will appear closer in that right mirror if you are used to the convex factory mirror that says "Objects may be closer than they appear". It might take a while to get used to judging distance with that flat right mirror. I made the mistake of installing these mirrors on a work night, so my first experience was in the 6 AM darkness with heavy traffic in a construction zone on my way to work. It is not easy learning to judge distance with these mirrors when all you can see are closely spaced headlights. I recommend installing them in the evening before your day off so you can get used to using them in the day light with less traffic.
The highly curved lower mirrors are very handy when backing into a parking spot. That's probably the best thing about these mirrors when you aren't towing.
The mirrors measure 92.5" from outside edge to outside edge. That is the real dilemma with putting towing mirrors on a Fronty. We buy these trucks because they are agile work horses and they are loads of fun to drive. The 6300 lb. towing capacity cries out for towing mirrors, but any mirrors that stick out enough to see around your trailer necessarily give you the effective width of a larger truck. Its still fun to drive and it still fits in the garage (barely), but it is just a bit less fun to park. In most parking lots, I manually fold the mirrors in against the doors as a courtesy to those parked next to me.
So far, this spring doesn't have much promise for taking trips with the travel trailer. Fall has possibilities, but I probably won't be posting anytime soon about how great these mirrors worked for towing. Sorry about that... in fact, I am more sorry than you can imagine. I really had hoped we could take a few trips this spring. For now, these mirrors serve primarily to support my RV fantasy life (sigh).
I think I will really enjoy towing with these mirrors. I cannot recommend towing mirrors on a Frontier as a fashion statement, however.
