For my Ridgeline pickup.
I’ve tried most of the convex stick-ons and they all have the same problem. The reflection is too small, because the convex, uh, degree is too great.
I’m looking at this one, but I think it sticks to the inside of the windshield. How can that work?
Anybody ever used this type, or have suggestions?
Peace,
mangeorge
I use my side mirrors to eliminate blindspots.
To adjust the driver’s mirror: put your head almost against the glass and move it outwards (the mirror, not your head) until you can barely see the side of the car.
To adjust passenger side mirror: put your head above the centerline of your vehicle and move mirror outwards until you can barely see the side of the car.
Give it a try.
I don’t know about the Ridgeline, but on most vehicles it is trival to adjust the mirrors to virtually eliminate blind spots. Instead of pointing the mirors straight back so that you can see the back in the vehicle–have faith that the rear isn’t going to suddenly disappear on you–you can adjust the mirrors so that they look further outboard and only slightly overlap with the view from the center mirror. This is assuming, of course, that you can do so without engaging in marital strife about the “proper” way to position mirrors, which is an only slightly less virulent argument than the correct orientation of toliet paper in the dispenser.
I’ve never had any luck with the stick-on type mirrors–I can see that there’s something there, but not its position–and find that adjusting the standard wing mirrors per above resolves all blind spot issues, except those pertaining to the motorcycles that insist upon riding in them regardless of how I vary my speed.
Stranger
I tried that method, which I think I learned on the AAA website, without much luck. I even left the mirrors that way for a couple weeks till I got used to them. They are, in fact, still pretty close to that setting. It is an improvement, but my main concern is motorcycles who (seem to) intentionally hide from you as Stranger On A Train says. I don’t like hearing one and not being able to see it.
But cars can also suddenly appear beside me.
I’ll try to re-adjust again, but I don’t hold much hope.
How about a periscope? That would be neat.
Car Talk’s step by step guide to setting your car mirrors up correctly. As the last diagram shows, there is no blind spot big enough for a bike to hide in, as least when the technique is applied to cars. Trucks I have no idea about.
I agree that proper mirror adjustment will solve the problem. You can approximate it as suggested above, but the thing to do is fine tune it on the road.
Get on a straight stretch with a lane of same-direction cars on your left. Adjust the mirror so that as an overtaking vehicle is leaving your (center-mounted) rearview mirror, it appears in your side mirror, and so that as it leaves your side mirror, it appears in your peripheral vision. In the transition areas (rear mirror to side mirror, side mirror to side vision) you won’t see the entire vehicle, but you will see enough of it to know it’s there. Any overtaking vehicle will always be visible somewhere.
Exactly. I’ve been adjusting my mirrors this way for years and have never lost a vehicle (including motorcycles) in a blind spot. I never understood why people adjust their side mirrors to reflect the same image as their center mirror, leaving big gaping holes on both sides of the car.
I’ve been out fine-tuning the method referred to above and that learned in a safe driver class (not from AAA). It comes pretty close. I’l just have to be sure I never carry anything big in my pickup bed.
Thanks for all the suggestions,
mangeorge
McNew;
Yeah, right! 
I just happened to look through a Brookstone Hard-to-Find Tools catalog last night, and saw a blind spot mirror (mounts to window pillar) and a wide rear-view mirror (clips to current mirror). 
I’ve ordered this gadget from Autopia. You can’t go wrong with something invented for the autobahn, right?
That site has a lot of really cool car stuff, better even than Groit’s IMO.
I should get it in a couple days, and I’ll likely report back.
Peace,
mangeorge
Welcome to the Ridgeline club 
pick up your toaster on the way out.
I have 2 small stick on fisheye mirrors on mine (one on each side). I have already come to love them so much it irritates me to drive my wifes car that lacks them.
I have a couple of those to. They work okay, but I’m an incurable gadget freak. So I found one (linked in your quote) that the cops use on the autobahn. On the autobahn, I say! Must be good.
mangeorge
Do you ROC?
I’ll 3rd that suggestion. I used to want to see the side of my car in the side mirrors, but after adjusting them in the way described above, I can see cars passing me in the rearview, then in the sideview, and before they’re out of the sideview mirror I can see them in my perephrial vision through the side window. Complete coverage. Works great, but you still gotta do the head turn when changing lanes, just to make sure.
If I understand your explanations correctly for setting the mirrors to eliminate the blind spots they will no longer work for backing up. It sounds like you can’t see the side of your car in the outside mirrors if they are set that way. I use those mirrors all the time when going in reverse. I guess you have to pick which one you want and risk it with the other or keep switching them back and forth. Am I wrong about this?
Even with your mirrors adjusted outwards you can still move your head over towards the window to see the driver’s side of your vehicle. Wouldn’t help on the passenger side though. If possible you could/should just turn around to back up anyway.
I haven’t tried your method but you may be right. I got used to using the mirrors to back up during my truck driving days and I find it to be more useful than turning around and looking in many situations, although I always do both. I get a much better look at how close I am to cars and curbs and things when I use the mirrors.
I’m not convinced yet. I try to always be aware of who’s around me, and where they are. If the situation ahead of me should get suddenly hinky*, I don’t want to take the time (yes, milliseconds) to adjust my head to see if anyone is right next to me. I prefer for thr biggest view to be the closest, and I’ll glance in the aux. mirrors to check the farther away traffic. Motorcycles, especially, seem to like your blind spot.
As soon as I give the “autobahn” mirror a try, I’ll report back.
exA4
*Ever had a motorcycle swap lanes and dump right in front of you?
When I had my pickup, I had a huge blind spot behind the corner of the cab (the sideview mirror was TINY) so I found a rectangular blind spot mirror that stuck to the bottom-right corner of the mirror and showed me the blind spot perfectly.
Perhaps, but IMO in day-to-day driving it’s more important to keep constant view of the steady stream of cars full of cell-phone-talking, coffee-drinking, lipstick-applying people overtaking you. If you’ve been watching your rear and side mirrors then you’ll already know your options when things get hairy.