I was looking for some input from you guys on whether you had a preference for one or the other and how/if they fit. The roll bar is pretty close to the A pillar so I'm not sure if those brackets can actually fit.
Pics would be great if you have them.
Thanks.
Qik Nip
Loose Member '09 & '10 Great Lakes Regional Points Champion
Region: Cincinnati Great Lakes
Car #: 60
Year : 1990 Posts: 1487
Status: Offline
posted
Alberto: When I built my first SM, I was fixated on mirrors and settled on a BIG wink inside mirror and considered adding the additional concave side units. To my chagrin, after a season I found that the EOM mirrors are about all I really needed.
The wink gave me a bit more view, but really all it did was overlap part of what the stock side units already covered. I learned that the combination of the EOM units (and importantly my ears) were sufficient to know what's there.
More often than not you hear the car behind about the time you see it and even when you don't hear it first, the stock units let you see pretty much everything you need. Rick
-------------------- Fortune Cookie Racing SM 60 Directions for use: Race, Rumple, Repair ... Repeat!
My OEM mirrors keep moving on me which is why I was considering a backup option. I figure anything that can get me better visibility will be better for me - and for the other guys around me.
Region: Great Lakes/Detroit
Car #: 51
Year : 1994 Miata Posts: 401
Status: Offline
posted
I have the longacer convex? rear view mirror and added clamp on side mirrors too, in addition to the stock door mirrors. I wish I would have bought bigger clamp on side mirrors. Pretty good vision out of the car except for directly behind me. Don't know what to do about that area.
Been thinking about adding a backup camera so I can see when Qik Nip is hiding out in my blind spot waiting to pounce... but I'd have to be in reverse then, so...
Region: Great Lakes/Detroit
Car #: 51
Year : 1994 Miata Posts: 401
Status: Offline
posted
Package shelf glare has actually been my biggest vision problem. Gonna paint that flat grey, I think. Any aluminum tape added to cover the gaps reflects rith up there.
Region: NWR / Oregon
Car #: 88
Year : 95 Posts: 2000
Status: Offline
posted
I have a huge wink mirror which does a good job for everything to the right of my helmet. I added a Joe's clamp on for the LHS and love it.
I set my factory mirror pointed directly along the side of the car so I can tell just how close people are when I know they're close. The clamp on gives me a really wide view out the left.
Before that I'd sit in pregrid surveying my mirrors knowing who was there and if I could see them. I had a massive blind spot.
Now, instead of leaving acres of room because I'm pretty sure someone is on my left but I have no clue where, I know exactly where they are and if they're close, how close.
-------------------- Keith Novak (Will work for tires)
quote:Originally posted by Motor City Hamilton: Package shelf glare has actually been my biggest vision problem. Gonna paint that flat grey, I think. Any aluminum tape added to cover the gaps reflects rith up there.
Thanks for that comment. I was thinking of painting that flat area black for that reason.
Do you have a pic of the
Keith, Motor City,
Do you guys have a pic of your side mirror and how you mounted it?
Region: NWR / Oregon
Car #: 88
Year : 95 Posts: 2000
Status: Offline
posted
I don't have a pic handy and can't find my camera cord at the moment but mine is one of the stubby ones. Its just clamped on about 6" below the top of the window opening. It requires about 5/8" of clearance to A-pillar and it's snugged up pretty close to the wing window.
I was worried when I bought it that it would mostly give me a view of the window net but it looks right through the gap at the front.
It did take a while to remember it's there when in the heat of battle.
-------------------- Keith Novak (Will work for tires)
Region: SW Division
Car #: 32
Year : 1999 Posts: 194
Status: Offline
posted
My first 2 seasons I was obsessed with having really great mirrors and I had an extra convex clamped on the right and was convinced I needed more mirrors. One day I lost the right clamp on unit and did not get around to replacing it. After a while I just seemed to be much better at knowing where people were, even if I could not see them all the time, and it was easier. Track time buys situational awareness. Hopefully. Anyway, festooning my car with additional mirrors probably wouldn't help with traffic sensing. Which is presumably why pro cars/drivers don't have many mirrors.
Craig J
[ 12-14-2010, 08:01 AM: Message edited by: cnj ]
Qik Nip
Loose Member '09 & '10 Great Lakes Regional Points Champion
Region: Cincinnati Great Lakes
Car #: 60
Year : 1990 Posts: 1487
Status: Offline
posted
quote:Originally posted by Motor City Hamilton: Been thinking about adding a backup camera so I can see when Qik Nip is hiding out in my blind spot waiting to pounce... but I'd have to be in reverse then, so...
I kinda like that blind spot of yours ... anyway, it's not like eiter of us have really hard to see colors! Rick
-------------------- Fortune Cookie Racing SM 60 Directions for use: Race, Rumple, Repair ... Repeat!
Region: Cincy / Great Lakes Div
Car #: 10
Year : 1991 Posts: 503
Status: Offline
posted
quote:Originally posted by Qik Nip: Alberto: When I built my first SM, I was fixated on mirrors and settled on a BIG wink inside mirror and considered adding the additional concave side units. To my chagrin, after a season I found that the EOM mirrors are about all I really needed.
The wink gave me a bit more view, but really all it did was overlap part of what the stock side units already covered. I learned that the combination of the EOM units (and importantly my ears) were sufficient to know what's there.
More often than not you hear the car behind about the time you see it and even when you don't hear it first, the stock units let you see pretty much everything you need. Rick
Well that probably explains your perfected ability to pound out fenders after your first year....
Rick, we all know you can't hear anything....At least that is what Jay says.
I installed the large Longacre convex mirror inside and kept the OEM side mirrors (yes, you are suppose to have stock ones). I mostly use the left mirror to verify where someone is on the left, but do have a small blind zone; and use the convex mirror to cover directly behind and as far as I need to see on the right side. I very seldom use the right hand mirror (and it had a looseness problem until I took it apart and tightened it up).
Jerry
-------------------- Just driving SM until the F-1 car is ready.
You can see the clamp on side mirror about half-way up the roll bar. See how far I have it angled out. I did the same that others mentioned, I use the stock mirror to see along the side of the car and the clamp mirror to capture further out. Like I said, I wish I would have bought the size bigger.
If the door was closed, you would be able to see that I lined the mirrors up in my sight line so that I can see both at a glance. In my sight line, one looks stacked on top of the other. I'm pretty much looking for colors as you don't have time to linger in the mirrors. I should also mention that my drivers stock mirror is moved forward on the door for better egress from the car and to get it ahead of the window net.
I find that both of my passenger side mirrors are mostly useless. Difficult to see past the right side net. My windshield rearview Longacre convex picks up the right side well, so I mostly use that for a quick glance. When I know someone is close, I will use the right side clamp mirror. The passenger door mirror is totaly useless and only on my car because the rules committee thinks we all need them. I have seen people move the passenger side mirror way up to the fender so they can see it through the windshield, but that is no longer legal (can only move stock mirrors 6"). Plus, I think it is too far away and too much windshield glare to be useful.
Here is a shot of how far forward I moved the drivers side mirror. This is my old formula car mirror that I mounted before the rules change. There is now a stock mirror in that same spot.
Double click on the photo to make it bigger and you can see both mirrors and better understand the line of site thing I mentioned above.
Region: Great Lakes/Detroit
Car #: 51
Year : 1994 Miata Posts: 401
Status: Offline
posted
quote:Originally posted by Qik Nip:
quote:Originally posted by Motor City Hamilton: Been thinking about adding a backup camera so I can see when Qik Nip is hiding out in my blind spot waiting to pounce... but I'd have to be in reverse then, so...
I kinda like that blind spot of yours ... anyway, it's not like eiter of us have really hard to see colors! Rick
I bet you like seeing that obnoxious green in your mirrors. I really hope to give you the chance to see more of the back of my car next year.
Region: NWR / Oregon
Car #: 88
Year : 95 Posts: 2000
Status: Offline
posted
I found mine very useful when I started wearing a HNR device. It took me a bit adjusting to not being able to turn my head.
I also find the most useful in mixed groups. If I'm about to pass a MGB and I know there's a Viper coming up behind me, I want to know where that Viper is before I make a move.
-------------------- Keith Novak (Will work for tires)
Alberto, check the clearance on your rollbar between it and the windshield frame. It's highly likely there's not enough room for one of those off the shelf mirrors. I used a generic 5" "blind spot" mirror from Ebay attached with hose clamps. Massive improvement to visibility. I used them specifically for my blind spot. Those combined with the longacre panoramic mirror meant I had 100% visibility of the area around my car without moving my head. So much so I actually removed my exterior mirrors (ITA).
-------------------- Colin MacLean Flyin' MacLean Motorsports
Region: OVR
Car #: 88
Year : 1991 Posts: 2401
Status: Offline
posted
[per GCR] OEM exterior mirrors shall be retained. Mirror mounting position may be changed, but must remain within 6” of the original location on the exterior of the door.
I believe MCH has opened himself up for a wienie protest.
Region: Great Lakes/Detroit
Car #: 51
Year : 1994 Miata Posts: 401
Status: Offline
posted
quote:Originally posted by d mathias: [per GCR] OEM exterior mirrors shall be retained. Mirror mounting position may be changed, but must remain within 6” of the original location on the exterior of the door.
I believe MCH has opened himself up for a wienie protest.
Photos from 2008 and 2009 season with my lightweight, streamlined formula car mirror that cost a total of 50 bucks. In 2010 I had to buy two stock mirrors for $75 because of a realy stupid rule. I mean, come on. At one national race a guy doesn't have a right side mirror and runs into someone on the rules committee and now we have a mirror rule (or so I heard). My car now has stock mirrors, but I still refuse to look at the passenger side stock mirror just out of pure protest over this dumb ass rule.
And, by the way, my drivers side stock mirror is located just barely within the 6" move rule. Talk about rules creep - did we really need this one?
Region: Great Lakes/Detroit
Car #: 51
Year : 1994 Miata Posts: 401
Status: Offline
posted
One more rant on this one...
Does everyone now carry spare mirrors with them? I don't yet. So if someone knocks off the passenger side mirror that I don't use anyway, if I don't have a replacement, I am no longer legal, even though I have two other interior mirrors used to view that area.
Region: NWR / Oregon
Car #: 88
Year : 95 Posts: 2000
Status: Offline
posted
quote:Originally posted by Motor City Hamilton: One more rant on this one...
Does everyone now carry spare mirrors with them? I don't yet. So if someone knocks off the passenger side mirror that I don't use anyway, if I don't have a replacement, I am no longer legal, even though I have two other interior mirrors used to view that area.
I just bought a spare pair of mirrors exactly for that reason. Fortunately the friend I bought them from mainly wanted to get them off his shelf so it was only $20 for the pair. One more thing to pack now I guess.
-------------------- Keith Novak (Will work for tires)
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