Are fender mirrors pointless?

I'm a mirror junkie. I'll use anything that gives me perspective on my position, whether I'm moving forward or backward.

 

I used them all the time when driving OTR. They were a big help to me and I would not drive a truck without them.

KH

 

You don't realize how much you use a mirror until somebody tears it off! On the trip to the dealership to get a replacement I realized how much/often I check the right fender mirror. And yes during the day I can blind side back up with it too.

I really don't see the point in one on the left side, what does it see that you can't see with the main mirrors (if you have them set right) and directly out the driver's side window? I would not think it would be worth the extra aerodynamic drag.

 

if some guys had 5o mirrors the still couldnt drive

 

If you have fender mirrors you don't have the No Zone ATA demonstrates to the public . If you ever see an ATA No Zone demonstration note that the truck used doesn't have a front fender mirror that would show the vehicle just behind the truck driver's door .
I can see a passing vehicle from the time it reaches my rear bumper until it passes my front fender .

 

Yeah, but with that convex mirror you are just going to see a wee little person, not the Big Boy you think is driving that truck.

And DirtyBob you need to look in a mirror more, you still got grease all over your face....sheese man

 

My truck has them on both front fenders. Been driving nearly 20 years now, and I WANT THEM.

In my particular situation, I am making a regular delivery in downtown Boston, and as such, I need to back into the dock off the street, a very narrow street, in which stupid 4 wheelers never wait till I'm done, and they always try to get around me on my blind side. The right front fender mirror is VERY HELPFUL in letting me see what is happening.

As long as there are mirrors, I will take FULL advantage of using them.

 

I bought a used T800 that had fender mirrors. They lasted about 15 minutes, wouldn't have lasted that long but I couldn't find the correct wrench to remove them any faster. That truck has over 800k miles now and has never ran anyone off the road. Seems if the driver is aware of his surroundings they may not need them.

A friend had one also, his lasted longer because the bodyshop was too busy to fill the bolt holes and paint the hood right away. So his lasted about a week.

 

I liked them when I pulled a lowbed. Allowed me to monitor the bulldozer blade hanging off the side while still looking where I was going...

Fleets perating in urban areas say they reduce right side accidents 50% compared to years of operations without them.

 

just call safety and tell them the shop woun't fix it....