Did you know that it is a legal requirement in Australia to fit towing mirrors when towing anything wider than your vehicle? Towing mirrors also offer better visibility, regardless if you are towing or not. So there are plenty of advantages to fitting a set of quality towing mirrors to your four-wheel drive. Especially with other vehicles, or the 70 Series LandCruiser (for example) that offer pretty ordinary mirrors from factory. Hey, we’ve never heard anyone complain of having too much visibility.
What’s the story?
Upgrading to a set of towing mirrors makes plenty of sense. But how do you know what is the right set-up for your needs? We decided to take a look at the offerings from Clearview Accessories, to shed some light on the different towing mirrors they offer, as well as help you decide what would be the best option for your individual needs. Should you opt for a single mirror or a twin mirror setup?
Compact Towing Mirrors
Think of Compact Towing Mirrors as being more like an extendable factory mirror. The difference is additional visibility thanks to the towing mirror extension. They also feature a large convex single mirror that reduces the size of the reflected objects, offer a wider field of view and minimises blind spots.
Who should buy them?
- If you own a vehicle with a large canopy
- Those towing smaller vans, tinnies, jet skis, box trailers, or camper trailers
Key Features:
- Large convex single mirror for a wider field of view
- Looks like a standard factory mirror with the added advantage of the towing extension
Next Gen Towing Mirrors
Next Gen Towing Mirrors are the next step up for those that tow regularly. They feature a twin-mirror design, making them suitable for towing anything from the smallest trailers to the largest vans.
Large Top 1:1 Ratio Mirror: This large flat top mirror provides a more accurate and realistic view, reflecting true distances for precise reversing. The purpose of this mirror is to offer an exact replication of what’s happening behind you.
Smaller Bottom Convex Mirror: This slightly curved mirror makes objects appear further away, offering a much wider field of view. As well as diminishing blind spots. In simple terms, it helps you better understand what’s happening around your vehicle.
Who should buy them?
- These are for those who regularly tow larger vans, trailers and horse floats
Key Features:
- Dual mirror design provides the best of both worlds; a large flat-top mirror helps with reversing into parking spaces or aligning a hitch with a trailer, and the smaller convex mirror provides a better understanding of what’s happening around the vehicle
Shared features
Both Compact and Next Gen Towing Mirrors share the following features:
- Extend up to 180mm and retract to a factory profile
- Maintain the standard size and driving position of factory mirrors
- Engineered to retain most of the original mirror functionalities, including advanced tech like 360-degree Camera integration, auto-tilting function when reversing, memory adjustment, power-fold, and blind spot monitoring
- Telescopic 2-stage extension providing three towing positions
- The double-arm design provides extra stability and adjustability and won’t retract at high speeds
- Available in black, chrome, and raw finishes
- Spare parts areavailablel, because accidents happen
Final note
While both Compact and Next Gen Towing Mirrors are absolutely going to make big improvements both regarding visibility and safety, the choice between single or twin mirrors depends on your specific towing needs. By using the information above, hopefully we’ve helped you make the decision on which towing mirror will best suit your vehicle and requirements.