So why don't more cars have fender mirrors?

"Frosted" (frostedbuns) 02/28/2015 at 13:03 • Filed to: None

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Saw this picture of a second gen Nissan Cube with fender mirrors and thought it looked rad. But it made me wonder if there were any laws stopping the average person from installing some fender mirrors on any car they wanted here in the US. It seems that, as long as you have mirrors, they're legal. For my state:

New Jersey

Added : 4-28-09 Regulation : 39:3-71.Mirrors

Every motor vehicle shall have rear view mirrors so located and angled as to give the driver adequate rear view vision. Every passenger automobile manufactured after January 1, 1965 and registered in this State, shall be equipped with an interior mirror and an exterior mirror on the driver's side. On and after January 1, 1965, every commercial motor vehicle registered in this State, other than a trailer or semitrailer, shall be equipped with an interior mirror and an exterior mirror on the driver's side, except that every such vehicle so constructed or loaded as to obstruct or obscure a rear view from an interior mirror shall, in lieu of an interior mirror, be equipped with an exterior mirror on the side of the vehicle opposite the driver's side. The director may by regulation establish other mirror requirements for special or unusual types of vehicles. Any person operating a motor vehicle without the equipment prescribed by this section shall, on conviction, be fined as provided in Revised Statutes 39:3-79.

Amended by L.1964, c. 119, s. 1.

Here's a state by state !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

So if there isn't any law preventing cars from having wing mirrors, why aren't car makers just using them from the factory? They certainly look 10 times better. The obvious answer is that car makers have strict rules for pedestrian safety that prevents wing mirrors from being utilized. Is there also some aerodynamic downside though?

Boxer_4 > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 13:10

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They do look nice.

TheHondaBro > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 13:10

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I agree. They're awesome.

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 13:11

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It's all in the pedestrian safety ratings. That's the only reason I can think of. They end up scoring lower, and then the PR people don't like it.

Brian Silvestro > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 13:12

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I think it's because they're just too far away

CPT Speedbump > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 13:14

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I might mount some on my Toyota pickup if I go through with finding a way to make the doors removable - because the stock mirrors or door mounted

Jayhawk Jake > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 13:14

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I think they generally look dumb.

Beside that, aerodynamically they're pretty bad. That's probably why we don't have them

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 13:15

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In CT we just need a rear facing mirror that allows us to see a certain minimum distance, which is why I can take the doors off of my Jeep in the summer without having to relocate the mirrors, since the single interior mirror is legally adequate.

As far as why no one uses them, I think it's a safety thing. All new mirrors collapse pretty easily which, iirc, is partially in case you hit someone with them (could be wrong). Still, I think anyone should legally be able to install wing mirrors on their car. They do look pretty badass.

nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. 02/28/2015 at 13:18

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That's what I've heard. Never mind the 3000lbs of steal behind the mirror, nah that's not going to do nearly as much damage as a mirror.

Unbearable Pain > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 13:19

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I think it's because they're harder to adjust and maybe harder to see with for someone who has bad eyes. Also, with the huge A-pillars cars have nowadays, seeing the mirrors on the fenders is next to impossible.

I think a better solution would be making standard door mirrors convex. Much better visibility.

Forgetful > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 13:20

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In Japan, it used to be law that the the wing mirrors had to be visible through the portion of the windshield that was cleaned by the wipers. Once they discovered 'aerodynamics', they realized this was not necessary.

They get put where they are now because that's the best place for them to be for proper, safe use, and for less drag.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > TheHondaBro 02/28/2015 at 13:26

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With the mirrors being that far away from the driver, how effective are they, really?

this is not matt farah's foxbodymiata > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 13:27

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They might be making a comeback, the new GTR has them

TheHondaBro > BaconSandwich is tasty. 02/28/2015 at 13:29

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The idea is that you can see the mirrors through the windshield where it's wiped.

jariten1781 > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 13:29

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Have you ever used them? They have a horrible FOV unless they're convex in which case everything gets warped. They're just not as useful as door mounted mirrors. I don't think they'd ever have been used if Japan hadn't had that weird requirement for a while.

lone_liberal > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 13:35

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Just because something was used in Japan doesn't mean it's better than the rest of the world used. Fender mirrors are worse at their intended purpose than door mounted mirrors. It's really that simple.

Textured Soy Protein > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 13:55

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You only see fender mirrors as original equipment on JDM cars, not because they're just cool but some US law bans them. Fender mirrors were created to skirt a particular Japanese law, where cars in Japan are taxed based on their width.

Because fender mirrors are mounted farther forward from the driver, they allow the driver to see what's behind them while sticking out to the side less than door-mounted mirrors. This allows for the car to be classified as narrower, which puts it in a lower tax bracket, which helps sell more cars.

Think of it as how certain cars were made with smaller motors for skirting taxes in countries that tax cars based on displacement, and those smaller-displacement versions of cars are only sold in those countries.

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > Textured Soy Protein 02/28/2015 at 14:00

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But they're not banned in the US.

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > Boxer_4 02/28/2015 at 14:01

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Wait, what? doesn't the side mirror block the fender mounted one?

yamahog > nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul 02/28/2015 at 14:03

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There's a bit more to it than that. Anything outside a certain bumper beam range has larger min radius limits (in case a pedestrian can get "hooked" by it), there is a cost limit on what can be damaged during certain impact testing, and if exterior mirrors count as safety equipment (pretty sure they do but not my commodity), they flat-out cannot be damaged during certain impact testing, period.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > TheHondaBro 02/28/2015 at 14:08

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I get that, but at that distance, the mirror is going to appear much smaller. If is a sizable distance from the driver's face, they aren't going to be seeing much in it anyway. You'd have to compensate by making the mirrors larger, which they don't seem to do.

spanfucker retire bitch > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 14:37

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They certainly look 10 times better.

RGordon > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 14:37

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Unless they are electric, trying to adjust them is a pain. Also as others pointed out, they are very difficult to see.

TommyRocker > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 14:39

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Because having a tiny mirror 5 feet in front of you gives you almost zero FOV.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 14:41

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It looks like it secretly wants to be an old GTI.

matt miller > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 14:41

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They look retarded, as does the Cube — no matter what gen

OriginalWheelman > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 14:41

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They get really dirty really quick, and they are hard to see in the rain.

TommyRocker > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. 02/28/2015 at 14:42

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I think the main point is that they don't work as well as door mounted mirrors, so they only make sense to use them when it benefits you to narrow the car slightly. If you've ever used them then you know this. If you haven't used them, try using your door mounted mirrors from the backseat. Have a helper adjust them for you and you'll see...very little because you're looking at a small mirror from far away.

matt miller > TheHondaBro 02/28/2015 at 14:42

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This ride looks pretty sweet, save for the mirrors.

Matthew Urso > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 14:42

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looks over function... you have a smaller viewport due to the distance they are from your eyes. plus, car's with big A pillars might block them. i think this wouldnt' work on my element

thisusernameforsale > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 14:43

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If you want them, go right ahead. I'm not a fan of the look or the reduced effectiveness.

Frosted > matt miller 02/28/2015 at 14:45

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Hifrequency > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 14:48

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The only downside I can see is pedestrian crash protection other than that I would want.

Kevin Barrett > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 02/28/2015 at 14:49

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This custom grille is pretty sweet, though.

Cantalk > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 02/28/2015 at 14:49

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I was womdering whether someone just swapped a GTI grille and lights onto the front. I dig it.

infosecnj > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 14:52

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Because they are the ugliest option ever attached to a car! They do work better by eliminating blind spots. But you have to be blind to think they look good.

boobaru > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 14:53

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Because they have terrible field of view and most likely do not have electromechanical actuators to adjust them from inside the car.

/thread

Kevin Barrett > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 14:53

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These need to be a little further forward. Classically, fender mirrors were positioned ahead of the wheels—draw a line straight up from the sidewall of the tire ahead of the wheel, and that's where you'll find most OEM fender mirrors.

vc-10 > nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul 02/28/2015 at 14:54

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You'd be surprised. One of the reasons why wipers tend to be mounted underneath the trailing edge of the hood is for pedestrian safety*. The hard, pointy, mountings for them do a lot of damage, while the flat and relatively flexible steel of the hood or fenders is much better to be hit by.

*Also aerodynamics.

Struts MacPherson > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. 02/28/2015 at 14:55

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The fender mirror is angled out more, so it's essentially a blind-spot mirror.

Kevin Rhodes > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 14:58

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Have you driven a car with them? They suck. Having them so far away really reduces the field of vision, and on older/cheaper cars with them there is generally no remote adjustment, so even getting them set correctly is a two-person ordeal. Why the Japanese (and pretty much ONLY the Japanese)required them for so long is utterly baffling to me.

I very much doubt that pedestrian safety has anything to do with them not being used in the West, they just don't work very well. Pedestrian safety concerns are a VERY new concept, and for the most part a European one at that.

I see someone posted that they were a means to skirt Japanese tax law - that is by far the most logical explanation I have ever seen.

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > Struts MacPherson 02/28/2015 at 14:58

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Oh. That's a good idea then.

J Bonington Jagworth > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 14:58

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Wing mirrors were always mounted on car wings, if they were fitted at all. The advantages are they are within your field of view and you can see obstructions close to the rear of the car. Reverse parking etc.

The disadvantage used to be that they were easy to displace and getting them set right was a pain: jumping in and out of the driver's seat and on and on. Door mounted mirrors were adopted because they could be easily set from the driver's seat. With electrically adjustable mirrors, that problem has been solved. Wing-mounted mirrors are superior in every way to door mirrors. They are not and never were JDM specific features.

Of course, there's a difference between having mirrors and using them.

J. O. > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 14:59

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Fender mounted mirrors are almost useless. I had these on a '59 Triumph TR3 and it was almost impossible to use them. Their tiny field of view coupled with vibration from the road made them worthless. They may look cool, but they're not very functional.

shitheelandtoe > jariten1781 02/28/2015 at 14:59

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Have an opinion based on actual experience rather than what is accepted as cool on Jalopnik? Never!

I agree, having used them myself, they don't work very well. And they don't look all that great anyway.

TommyK154 > Textured Soy Protein 02/28/2015 at 14:59

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I thought it was because in Japan the mirrors needed to be seen from while looking out he windsheild, so you can use the wipers to clean stuff off and always be able to see the mirrors, unlike your side window which doesn't have wipers

boomer > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 15:02

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Look better ?

Now THAT is funny right there.........Ricers do funny stuff.

Textured Soy Protein > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. 02/28/2015 at 15:03

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True. That's what I meant but I worded my post poorly. They're not banned in the US, but they were a hack by the Japanese car companies to sneak their cars into lower tax brackets. Whereas those same cars here in the US aren't subject to a width tax so they get regular door mounted mirrors.

boobytrapsandtreasure > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 15:03

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I don't like the way they look. They look like a mean joke placed upon spindly antenna.

AceNG > BaconSandwich is tasty. 02/28/2015 at 15:03

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If you can see through passenger's side door-mounted mirror just fine, then fender-mounted mirror distance won't be much a problem. I never drove any car with fender-mounted mirror, but I imagine that being located further to the front, it will have less blindspot to worry about (I could be wrong though).

Fluffy6079 > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 15:04

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I often wonder how annoyingly difficult it was to adjust these things before power mirrors were widespread. It's not like side mirrors where the driver could simply roll the window down and adjust it while on the go. They'd have to stop the car, get out, adjust the mirror, get back it, drive, and pray they got it right.

ljksetrightmemorialtrophydash > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 15:05

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Visibility, of course. They're three times further away, so the mirror itself occupies 1/3rd of the driver's angle-of-view relative to a door-mounted mirror of the same size.

This cannot be made up for without using enormous mirrors. A small convex mirror will widen the reflected FOV, but the reflected image will still be tiny.

DavidHH > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 15:06

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I added a passenger side mirror to the front fender of my econoline and it works great, as I don't have to turn my head to see it, and I spot the bicycles in my blind spot. The catch is I didn't remove the door mounted mirror, so some people find two mirrors on one side strange.

DavidHH > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 15:07

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The Nissan Cube is quite ugly, which is not a haters thing but general public opinion.

JimSlade > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 15:08

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welcome to Far East Saturday here at jalopnik!

ringrat > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 15:09

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I was just looking at pics of a Lamborghini Miura today, which aparently, for some odd reason came WITHOUT sideviews. I thought to myself "its a clean look.... But it just doesn't look right". Then while driving around I started looking at car mirrors and thinking, "what an odd looking appendage sideviews are". Next time you're out, take note. They really are odd looking little ears on cars. They are the only real protrusion, and actually seem rather out of place when you take in the overall streamlined shape of modern cars. Yet, take them off and the car looks incomplete. Odd that. The relevance to this article being, fender mirrors to me look even more out of place. Flappy little bits hanging on to the front fenders for dear life. I'd say that little corner on the door is the best place aesthetically, and structurally. Until the day we have rear facing cameras and we are used to a mirrorless car, keep them where they are.

Máté Petrány > TheHondaBro 02/28/2015 at 15:10

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Awesome, but useless.

Frosted > DavidHH 02/28/2015 at 15:14

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Word choice is key. I won't sit here trying to make a case for the cube being a sleek, sexy car because it's not.

yamahog > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. 02/28/2015 at 15:15

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They're not banned outright, but I think it'd be hard to have OEM fender mirrors meet various US safety requirements.

VehiculusIgnorantus > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 15:17

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My Corolla had them but even though they look great the downsides greatly overcome the cosmetics. Try adjusting them when it's raining, try having more than 1 driver, they get rid of the blind spot but at the expense of being like trying to look at a phone screen from 2 meters. and discerning detail.

Driving_Impaired > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 15:18

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screw this... let's go mirrorless and camera all the things!

Pastor of Muppets > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 15:20

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Considering the proliferation of backup cameras, how about some side mirror emulating cameras instead? No protrusions necessary so better aerodynamics and pedestrian safety. Everybody wins!

Ger > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 15:21

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probably because they are a bitch to readjust.

DavidHH > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 15:23

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I didn't say that it was not a "sleek, sexy car" but that most people find it ugly. There is one here in Portland that has a personalized plate that says "ugly"

nst101 > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 15:24

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Chrysler used to have wing mirrors:

riggs > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 15:24

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As someone who has used fender mounted mirrors... They suck! Stick a 10.5" round mirror way out in no mans land on the fenders of a W900 ext hood and then fold your "West Coast" door mirrors in then try to back a 53' semi up to a dock...

As an extra mirror they work great, as your only mirrors they suck

Mathnerd > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 15:26

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You looked at the state, did you also check federal law. Much of the motor vehicle requirements are mandated by federal law rather than state.

Cheesewhiz > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 15:27

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However aggro you say it, the phrase "JDM brah!" does not improve ineffectiveness.

ProjectWHaT > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 15:30

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chicagoE36 > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 15:37

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peep mirrors > fender mirrors

RallyMeBaby > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 15:40

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really? Nobody? I you can't adjust them while in motion. I think that would be a big deal. Otherwise hell yes fender mirrors

Joshamania > BaconSandwich is tasty. 02/28/2015 at 15:41

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I'm thinking the same question but I believe the philosophy behind it is that the mirror is just there to check your blind spot and not really provide great coverage of the rear view.

Foo2rama > Textured Soy Protein 02/28/2015 at 15:41

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The British are wondering how they had them first... Just like ice warnings, disk brakes, and supercars that catch on fire.

manifold engines > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 15:46

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I lived with one of these for 6 years as my DD in the early seventies. The mirrors (Lucas) looked great and worked well until they got bumped. Fortunately, my girlfriends were usually sporting enough to get out and help with the adjustment.

wkiernan > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 15:48

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Why? Because they suck; being so far away they're so small to your eye that you can't see anything. Though I guess they're better than nothing.

(by Spain from Zap #8)

amgrsgt > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 15:50

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I like door mounted mirrors better.

Fender mirrors don't look that great, they look good on the cars that should have them, but that crx for example doesn't look that good to me.

SawdustTX > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 15:53

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As with most things aesthetic, it's mostly a matter of personal opinion. IMHO, fender mirrors ruin the lines of the car - they look like Dumbo ears breaking the sleek front fender sweep. Door mirrors stick out where you already have all that A pillar/windshield stuff going on, so they kind of blend in. To my taste, I like the mirrors mounted up high on the door frame, at the top of the A-pillar, especially on older cars. Or better, rearview cameras like on the Caddy XTS concept -but those never make it to production.

Datsun73 > jariten1781 02/28/2015 at 15:55

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That is subjective. I can see behind me without issue when driving my Toyota Century. They are power electric adjustable and if anything I think they're in a way superior to door or a-pillar mounted mirrors. Mainly because I can keep my eyes on the road and still see behind me easier in my field of vision which is better than periphrial side mounted mirrors. Everyone always asks me, "how difficult is it to see out of those mirrors." Which I then respond, "sit in the driver's seat and see for yourself!" They're always surprised at how functional they are. I won't claim other fender mirrors are as clear or easy to use, but the Century's are 100% functional and incredibly beautiful.

Michael Parker > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 15:57

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Could be that a-pillars have gotten so much thicker that fender mounted mirrors are harder to see than they were in older cars.

Thedude > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 15:58

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The previous owner of the Morgan I'm resto-modding had put fender mirrors on... when he crashed it and bottomed out the suspension both of the were ejected.

I'm putting mirrors on the "A pillar" of the car...

DrJohannVegas > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. 02/28/2015 at 15:58

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Behold, FMVSS 111, "Rearview mirrors": https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/57…

So, the few areas where fender mirrors may come into trouble is:

S5.2.2 - "The mirror shall not be obscured by the unwiped portion of the windshield" - on some cars, the wiper may leave part of the windshield unwiped, which can put a fender mirror in the "unwiped portion"

Again, S5.2.2 - "... and shall be adjustable by tilting in both the horizonal and vertical directions from the driver's seated position" - I think this is one area where Japanese and US regulations differ. In the US, the mirror must be adjustable from the drivers seat. So, a wing mirror must have a cable mechanism (or electric adjustment) to the fender. If it's on the door, the driver reaches out the window. As a note, a similar requirement is not in place for the passenger mirror. It must simply be adjustable.

S5.4.3 - "The average radius of curvature of each such mirror, as determined by using the procedure in S12, shall be not less than 889mm and not more than 1,651mm." - So, the curvature of the glass for such a fender mirror may fall outside this mandated range.

There's other language which might, in a stretch, also apply, but these three considerations are, in my opinion, the three big strikes against fender mirrors. (Which, for the record, I think are awesome.)

unnecessary human being > BaconSandwich is tasty. 02/28/2015 at 15:59

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They're not bad as long as you get convex glass. The image can be distorted a bit with vibration, and because they're farther away they're a bit smaller from one's seated perspective, but to see at a glance if 'something' is there they work just fine.

DCCARGEEK > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 16:00

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easy...

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Signed,

DCCarGeek

reiska > TommyK154 02/28/2015 at 16:02

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No it was just tax

Fresh-Outta-Nissans > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 16:03

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Aerodynamics come into play too. Fancy stuff tends to happen around the base of the A-pillar, and a well-designed mirror can rectify a lot of the drag and turbulence in that area.

When designing the 1996 Taurus the engineers wanted door-mounted mirrors for that reason. The designers didn't like the look, though, so we ended up with this functionally compromised and quite conventional design:

&WIDTH=624&HEIGHT=300&AUTOTRIM=1

Furthermore, I...

Oh dear.

phee_the_emcee > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 16:04

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i think it may have to do with short people who can't even see the end of their hoods when they drive. Car's are too big for them now.

Christopheroni > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 16:06

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They're not used because they look terrible.

Chaparral2F > Textured Soy Protein 02/28/2015 at 16:07

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Super reply and great explanation!

DoglegFirst > matt miller 02/28/2015 at 16:07

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TriggerTX > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 16:09

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Had them on an old Land Rover Series IIA. They look cool and seem like a good idea but the field of view in them is awful and god help you if you need to adjust them by yourself. You always found out they needed adjusting _after_ you were already under way. At that point your only choice is to live with it or pull over and get out.

kenjiKita > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 16:09

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Oh wow. That is by far the nicest looking Cube I've ever seen.

etienne47 > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. 02/28/2015 at 16:11

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its a right hand drive car, your looking across the hood to see it.

TheStigsGermanCousin > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 16:13

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because this is the land of the *free

*restrictions will apply

Have Jeep, will travel. > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 16:15

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Wonders why someone tries to make a Cube look like a Volkswagen MK2 GTI.......

Susquebablo > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 16:16

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Ever tried using fender mirrors in heavy rain or snow?

wolrah > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. 02/28/2015 at 16:18

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It makes sense, but at the same time hasn't the concern over pedestrian safety only really been a thing relatively recently? I mean popup headlights were a lot worse from that standpoint and they only went away in the mid-'90s where fender mirrors have been basically nonexistent for a lot longer than that.

Jagermute > this is not matt farah's foxbodymiata 02/28/2015 at 16:24

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I think that placement has more to do with letting the driver check with little more than eye movement. Much farther back would put them in line with the A-pillars, farther than that and the driver would need to turn his head to check. There may also be an aerodynamic reason for that particular position.

Previous Audi R18s had a camera in the center fin as well and forward/side looking cameras to show what the fenders blocked. I also like Corvette's rear camera and radar warning system is pretty sweet too, especially useful when the P-cars approach and overtake

Chaparral2F > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 16:27

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Because Racecar...

Can Am and Endurance cars all had fender mounted mirrors. I remember seeing Japanese cars in the 60s and often thought how cool they were because I thought they were mimicking race cars. And, anyone who remembers the first gen GT-R has to admit how sexy they look on that car:

TriggerTX > TriggerTX 02/28/2015 at 16:27

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Can't mention the truck without a pic. :)

ljksetrightmemorialtrophydash > J Bonington Jagworth 02/28/2015 at 16:29

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Wing-mounted mirrors are superior in every way to door mirrors.

No, they present a much smaller reflected image for the same mirror size, which is why nobody uses them where not required. They're awful.

reiska > Frosted 02/28/2015 at 16:30

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To be honest I think it has the same illogical and counter culture aspect you have for JDM in America as we have for American things outside of USA.

An example would be this, it is a traffic light viewer you put on your dash to look when the light goes green that people buy to stick on their cars to be more 'American' which you see at swap meets. People buy them as they never sold them locally.

But we don't need this plastic thing on the dash to look at the traffic light above as we mount the traffic light on the pole as well s the picture below shows.

If you want to be JDM BRO then put them on your Japanese car. But the wing mirrors are not that great to see out of as they are as far away as your passenger mirror. Hence why they haven't been used everywhere else.