I did a writeup of this and proper seating position in another thread:

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showp...7&postcount=31

I was driving a 98 civic hatchback...pretty hard to beat as far as visibility goes:lol:

This is a great explanation of good mirror use. When I read it, my first though was, "There are people that don't set their mirrors this way?". Without trying to sound arrogant here, the first time I drove a car, I set the mirrors in the manner described; it just seemed like the most logical thing to do. I never thought about it; I just figured everyone did it that way. This explains why I could never find the blind spot people were complaining about.

See. I used to look as well, but after living in Atlanta for so long I've come to realize you really can't afford to be turning your head too much to look back or to the side. People here slam on the brakes for no reason at all, causing way too many accidents many that would include myself if I spent time trying to look behind me or around me without using the mirrors. And when the flow of traffic is 70-80, space even when available wouldn't help.

Before purchasing the FR-S I was driving a loaner honda accord sedan, and even then I had the mirrors adjusted appropriately. Compared to using them the way I originally used side mirrors the difference was night and day, I think that sedan also had a slightly wider view with the rear view mirror so that I could see out the rear side windows.

In comparison the view for the FR-S is very close to that of the sedan, when mirrors are adjusted appropriately. If you use the traditional method, however, you're practically blind.

It's very useful having the mirrors turned properly. You eventually get used to the change in point of view and it allows you to make quicker decisions than having to turn your head.

They certainly do help for those checks for motorcycles or those merging into your blind spot during lane transitions.

Thanks to the OP. Yeah, not to turn people away from the FRS/BRZ, but the blind spot over drivers' side left shoulder is irritating. Really, it's pretty damn bad. I'm not sure if it's because of my height, but it's pretty bad. :mad0259:

You should still be checking your blind spots. Is it really that hard to turn your head for a second or two?

Great minds think alike, I been doing this setup ever since I started driving and this is my first time ever reading about it.

I still use convex mirrors since they dont bother me much and I get a much better view that helps me out a lot during nighttime when idiots who forgot to turn on their headlights or motorcyclists pass me(Its really hard to see them sometimes at night).

Good advice. Pretty much all modern cars no longer have a mirror blind spot. I didn't know this until just a few days ago. I've readjusted my mirrors since then and I'm trying to retrain myself not to do a head check (or do a very small one).

I have been driving with the mirrors adjusted for the blind spot since that article came out in Car and Driver (or whatever mag). Unfortunately some cars do not allow the mirrors to be adjusted that far out (i.e. 2009 Audi TT). There were a few others, but I don't care enough to remember. This article should be pinned and the diagram should be on the front page.

Regarding side mirrors that don't adjust far enough out (or in). I can't speak for all manufacturers but my last car was an 02' Mazda Miata and when I fist got it the mirrors wouldn't go out far enough for me. What I found out was this. Get out of the car, grab hold of the mirror with both hands, fingers on the frame of the mirror and both thumbs on the glass. Now using your thumbs press the mirror in the direction you want it to go. On my Miata it would click to a different indent and if I continued pushing it would click to the next indent without taking up any of the electrical adjustment. Get back in the car and try the button to see if the problem is corrected. If not, do it again. If it's now too far in the other direction, take it back a click or two.

good tip. Been doing it for years. I also plan to get those ultra wide rearview mirrors to slap overtop the existing original rearview mirror for wider field of view. also helps with blind spots.

I dont have my frs yet, but when i test drove it, i too did not like the driver blindspot. Ive come from a car that has great visibility, so my mirrors were angled in so i see the backside of my car. So for the past 2 months, ive adjusted my mirrors this way to start getting used to. I still check my blindspot as its a habit now. Not a bad habit.