Improved interior mirror?

[paul richards]

I've probably asked this question before but without success, but I'll try again.

When I first built my 7, I found the interior mirror poor as, being reasonably tall, it blocked my forward view.

Following advice on Blatchat I tuned the mirror upside down and filed away the back (around the swivel) to allow it to be adjusted. This was a good if untidy solution.

18 months ago I fitted lowered floors and I've just replaced the chipped windscreen. In view of the lowered floors, I thought I'd be able to go back to a standard interior mirror, but sadly I find this arrangement unsatisfactory, as the rear view is poor with the FIA diagonal obstructing the view. It must be very poor with an X in the roll bar and I want to improve before I go on a long trip with re-bag etc. on top of boot.

 

The question is therefore:-

Is there an interior mirror which will sit higher than the standard mirror?

Ideally a mirror with a swivel on the back of the mirror and on the windscreen mount, which would enable the mirror to "protrude " over the top of the windscreen, but also fold down when half hood in place. I wondered whether MINTBIL here would suit the bill.

 

The other alternative I've been considering was to rivet a piece of aluminium onto the screen frame and attach the standard mirror to that, allowing the mirror to mount on the very top of the screen frame rather than on the glass under the frame.

 

Any suggestions appreciated, but no I don't want to go aeroscreen.

[Allen Payne]

I use a mirror mounted with a suction cup so it can be positioned anywhere. I think it was a vanity mirror from Halfords.

[Eugene]

Hi Paul,

Although not strictly legal, I use a convex mirror (Halfords passenger mirror intended to keep an eye on the kids on the back seat of a 'normal' car...).

 

As this is convex it has a much better field of rear view...

[Croc]

I have used this on 2 sevens so far and prefer it because of the wide angle view it gives. Its also high enough to clear most of the roll bar obstruction. Not the cheapest solution out there but works very well.

 

Mirrors for Sevens

 

A pic of it on my car to help you visualise:

here

 

There is a bulk buy going on USA7s now if you are interested:

here

 

 

 

Edited by - Croc on 22 Aug 2011 12:56:55

[elie boone]

From cbsonline.co.uk i used the mirror with code "mintbil" this has 2 swivel points

[SLR No.77]

Having discussed this with Paul on numerous occasions, I think the problem is not so much the rearward view but the fact that for drivers of a certain height the physical bulk of the mirror in it's standard position, restricts forward view substantially. I've found the same problem with the Mercedes A-Class.

 

Stu.

[paul richards]

Stu

With the lowered floors I now find the rear view more of a problem than the forward view, although could be improved.

Elie

Sounds like the MINTBIL mirror is worth trying.

 

Any other suggestions?

[SLR No.77]

With the lowered floors I now find the rear view more of a problem than the forward view

Unless you've changed something else that would be pretty well defying the laws of physics The "image" the mirror has to the rear will not have changed with the lowered floors - the change of mirror angle needed for you to view that image will have changed only marginally due to you being lower!

 

Stu.

[paul richards]

Stu

I've changed 2 things. I have lowered the floors and reverted to a standard mirror.

I thought that lowering the floors would mean I can revert to the standard mirror without adverse effect on forward vision and this seems to be the case.

However I now find the rear vision compromised with the standard mirror. It just needs to be about 1 inch higher so that the roll bar does not interfere with my rear view.

Hope this explains. 😬

[6speedmanual]

Just ditch the centre mirror and use the side mirrors only.

 

Reduced weight and complexity.

 

You can't see much out through the jungle of rollbar diagonals, headrests, shoulders, etc, in any case.

 

Peter

[myothercarsa2cv]

Or... If you have standard seats with a head rest, remove the head rest from the passenger seat, and move the mirror to the LHS of the windscreen.

[6speedmanual]

OJohn, good suggestion, until you have a passenger, however rare an occurrence this may be.

 

Since before 2006 I have weaned myself off centre rear view mirrors.....

 

Use of mirrors for information acquisition should be a matter of a glance. To look at a mirror, find you can't see what you want, then have to use other mirrors or methods to acquire the info is a secondary process which takes time again and the reaction time of "oh I looked there and couldn't see, now I have to seek from elsewhere".

Worse still, look in a mirror, feel comfortable for having gone through the motion but fail to see what is there but obscured by clutter.

 

My decision to stop using CRVM is based on driving cars with trailers, estates loaded to roof, 3 rear passengers with non-transparent heads, vsns with bulkheads..... Too many double acquisitions required.

 

It took a while to a) get out of the habit, b) learn how to really optimise use of side mirrors.

 

In my tin-tops the CRVM remains adjusted to the headlining.

 

Since making this change, I've not looked back. (with a CRVM )

 

Peter

 

[Rattie]

We just put a Longacre wide mirror on instead of the standard bouncer. Does a much better job.

 

I've left the mount point for the CBS demountable mirror so that come MOT time (in a year or so) I can switch back to that if there's a problem. With it being a convex mirror there will be a bit a dazzle at might but not as bad as a non dip plain mirror.

[paul richards]

I like to use a centre rear view mirror as well as door mirrors, so that I can see the idiots who drive within an inch of my boot.

 

You can't see much out through the jungle of rollbar diagonals, headrests, shoulders, etc, in any case.

 

You can if the mirror is a little higher, and thats what I want to achieve.

 

Longacre mirror looks good, but only appears to have brackets to fit a roll bar. Perhaps I can fabricate a bracket to fit the windscreen.

[Graham Sewell]

Technically speaking you don't need a centre mirror provided that you have external mirrors on nearside and offside. from the MOT Testers Guide

 

Obligatory mirrors

Obligatory mirrors are

a. an exterior mirror fitted to the offside (right-hand side when seated in the

drivers seat), or

 

b, an exterior mirror fitted to the

nearside fleft hand side when seated In the drivers seat), or

 

c. an interior mirror.

All goods vehicles

must have two mirrors, one of which must be option 'a'.

 

Passenger vehicles with no more than 7 passenger seats first used before 1 August 1978 must have any one of the above options.

 

Passenger vehicles with more than 7 passenger seats of any age, and all passenger vehicles first used on or after I August 1978 (not being a minibus as above), must have two mirrors, one of which must be option 'a'.