David in LA

So the other week I finally got around to mounting a set of Multivex mirrors I've had sitting around:

Multivex website

I installed them on both the driver and passenger sides - it took just a little bit of time to get used to them (mostly the aspheric part towards the outer edges) but so far I'm pretty happy w/ them. Combined with a Broadway wide angle mirror (too bad they are so ugly) I have zero blindspots. Anyone who is concerned with blindspots (esp in cabs) should consider these.

I installed them on a RHD turbo and was originally just going to install a US-spec passenger mirror on the driver's side...after a bit of research I found that many of the Lotus guys swear by Multivex mirrors (the Exige and Elise have big blindspots and on the Exige S the internal rearview mirror is completely useless so the outside mirrors are critical).

I'm almost finished with the install as I need to finish sealing the tops and sides with silicone and need to go over them one more time. The gap is a little wide in some places so unless you take the mirror apart it's not easy to get to the far outer edges to apply the silicone into the gap.

I'll probably install a set of these into the cab as well. Sorry no pics for now...maybe later when I get a chance (also working on a V1 mount project...separate post later).

centerpunch

Those mirrors can be lifesavers- I've used them for years on many of my cars.

Mark in Baltimore

David,

Please post pics of the actual view. The Multivex website is terrible.

MDamen

It looks like you just replace the glass? Is that difficutl to do? do you have to destroy the old glass in the process?

centerpunch

They stick over the old mirror glass with supplied foam tape squares. For a finished look, you fill the gap between the new and old glass with black silicone.

Mark in Baltimore

If I were a cake decorator, I might think differently, but I can't imagine silicone being the best material to finish anything off.

I'd love to see photos!

centerpunch

When my tow vehicle (Ford van) gets returned by a friend later today, I'll take a photo of the Multivex mirror on it and post.

centerpunch

Here are a couple photos.

The first is the Multivex mirror on my Ford van. I tilted the mirror out so you could see the black silicone I used to fill the gap between the original mirror glass and the stick-on mirror. Normally you don't even see that part of the mirror on that vehicle.

The next two photos show a mirror I haven't yet installed on my old Miata. The foam squares hold the mirror very securely, but I like to finish the installation by filling the gap.

As I've said, I've used these on many different cars. Some cars have terrible OEM mirrors (E36 M3 for example), and you're crazy if you don't get these.

But for all cars, they really protect you from blind spot problems.

David in LA

It gets too dark now by the time I get home from work so I'll have to try to take some pic next weekend.

What I like about these is that the convexity of the surface increases towards the outer edge of the mirror...it's not a constant radius like with the stock passenger mirror. So for the passenger side in particular, you see more of what is at the side of the car...not enough to judge distance accurately but the idea is that it widens peripheral vision enough to see if there is a a car there. Looking at the passenger mirror if you see the front of a car in your normal peripheral vision, if the mirror is adjust correctly you will see the middle and back of the car in the outer edge of the mirror....you really have no blind spots once you adjust the mirror and get used to it. Towards the inner side of the mirror, the curvature is less convex than the stock wide angle mirror so you actually have a more accurate idea of distance straight back (ie when backing up). I also installed this on the driver's side but I can see how some people may want to leave the driver's side as stock. IMHO for a track car these are a must have since you can't really turn your head fully...even with the IO 17" wide mirror you still use the outside passenger mirrors.

They are applied on top of the stock mirrors...so a bit "mickey mouse" of an install. The problem is that the mirror will stick out further about 1/4"-3/8" so applying silicone to the gap tidies it up a bit. Sealing the gap also makes your heated mirrors function better since the air between is warmed up and also prevent waters from soaking the adhesive (you don't apply it on the bottom and leave a drainage channel) as well as helping to affix the mirror. I considered taking apart the mirror and seeing if I could replace the stock mirror instead for a cleaner install but free time is hard to come by with the 1 year old kidlet around. FYI my original idea had been to just use a wide angle passenger mirror for the drivers side...someone else had done this a few years ago and had posted the install and part number (it was a Euro passenger mirror on a LHD US-spec car).

brucec59

I've had those mirrors on my to do list for some time. I guess I should just do it. It's probably not worth the effort to try to get a group buy going on something under $100.

Mark in Baltimore

Paul - Thanks for the photos. Your silicone beading is awesome and far, far better than what I could achieve.

David - Thanks for the write-up. I might try these on the race car.

guards red

I believe Porsche also do a replacement mirror that's convex, a direct repacement for the standard mirror and comes with the heater element. The only downside being that they're at Porsche prices....

brucec59

I just noticed the boxes in Paul's pics show an address in Paulding OH, while David's link is to a company in Romulus, MI. I also have seen what looks like the same thing at www.safetymirrorsonline.com, which is in Detroit.

Where did you guys order yours?

centerpunch

My van ones I got a few weeks ago from http://multivexmirror.net, which is the Romulus address.

The Miata ones I got from Moss Motors, a Miata accessory place in California, maybe they have older stock or mirrors packaged in old boxes.

David in LA

Hi Mark - Here are some pics of the view from inside the car. This is on a RHD 993 but it will give you an idea of the view for a LHD car since the left and right side mirrors are identical.

Here is a what I see when I look directly through the passenger window...I am not leaning forward or twisting my body - just rotating my head to the left. You can see the entire front fender of the taxi through the window, and in my peripheral vision the mirror shows a small portion of the front door and the remainder of the taxi - so I can see most of the taxi in this view. Note that the image towards the outer edge is the most distorted (the mirror at this area is more convex than the factory passenger mirror) and is pretty useless for judging distance - but it's more than enough to warn you if there is an object sitting in the blind spot. Note that on the inner part of the mirror the image is only slightly distorted; at this part of the mirror, the surface is less convex than the factory passenger mirror so distance judgement directly to the rear is actually better with these. I've adjusted my mirrors so that my rear fenders are just slightly outside of the mirror's field...if I lean my head to my left a few inches I can see the fender plus the tail.

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Here is a pic of what I see looking directly into the mirror - the red taxi is in the same location as the previous pic and has not moved as you can see by the location of the headlight in both pics. Note that in this pic you can now see more of the lettering on the taxi's door as the image is now towards the center and is less distorted. In this pic you can now better see the orange car that is behind the red taxi. As I rotate my head to glance at the mirrors, because the mirror is aspheric as an image moves slightly across the mirror (and hence at a slightly different angle to my eyes) different parts of the image will be emphasized.

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Here is a pic of my view looking up into the 330mm Broadview rearview mirror....my body has not shifted from the two previous pics...I'm just looking up. I am at a stoplight so the taxi immediately behind me is just a few feet away, but I can see almost the entire width of the car. Note that for the taxi sitting next to my left rear fender, I cannot see the rear part of the taxi (which is OK since I can see it in the passenger mirror) because of the C-pillar and because the GT3 seat has a wide headrest, but I can see the drivers door (which I would have a hard time seeing if I looked over my shoulder because of the GT3 seats and the C-pillar)...in fact I can see the driver of the car almost next to me in my rearview mirror! So combined with the Multivex passenger mirror I can see the entire length of the taxi which is sitting where my blindspot would normally be. Also note that when I look into this mirror I can still see part of the rear of the orange car behind the red taxi.

[IMG][/IMG]

So the combination of the Multivex and the Broadview mirrors eliminates almost all of my blind spots, which in this car is fairly large because of the shape and size of the GT3 seat's headrest combined with the C-pillar (note that for cabs this area is also problematic because of the corner of the top when it is down and the lack of side windows when the top is up). It take just a little getting used to the images and I do not think these are a substitute for looking over your shoulder to make sure the space is clear, but especially for a track car where you are using a harness and HANS device IMHO these two are must-haves (although for a track car I would use the 17" IO Racing convex mirror instead of the Broadview...17" vs 13" is a big diffeence).

Hope this helps.