Yikes! You gotta watch out for motorcycles too.

I like Smart cars. I just think that it would be very DUMB to drive it on the same road that larger vehicles drive on... Yeah, larger vehicles like the Yaris...

 

I am not sure that i would drive on in Houston. Hell some times i am scared in the FJ.

 

yeah, if i have a passenger with me, i always ask them to spot me.

crawfish inklove:

 

yeah, if i have a passenger with me, i always ask them to spot me.

With the smart car you better hope they don't have a spec on their sunglasses or they might miss it.

crawfish inklove:

And good crawfish they were.

 

Do you have "spot" mirrors?

 

+900

 

I don' know. Mirror adjustment is everything. Mirrors angled all the way out (not looking behind you, that is what the rear view mirror is for) and no blind spot. :slant:

 

Mirror adjustment is everything. Mirrors angled all the way out (not looking behind you, that is what the rear view mirror is for) and no blind spot. :slant:

X2.

I've got the passenger side mirror all the way out, with an adjustable 2" convex mini (top right of mirror) aimed back along side of the truck. Perfect combination. :bigthumb:

 

Those little circular convex stick on mirrors work miracles by the way.

 

The little convex mirrors you get at checker and other places are the answer. i've driven big semi's with HUGE blind spots and if you use your mirrors and the convex mirrors you will NOT have a problem.

 

Get ready for the onslaught of people telling you it's your fault and you need better mirrors or proper adjustment.

Personally, I agree with you. Visibility is horrible....just like so many of the new cars today. The chopped top look is in, but it isn't very practical.

Sean

 

Yea, that's why I love my multivex mirrors... great on road visibility. Vehicles are still in the mirror when you can see their bumper out your side window.

Note: they suck offroad, or backing up...

 

I'm with you. Don't like the FJ's blindspot. You can make it so you can see it, but you'll have to work at it.

Crawfish boil? Didn't even know they're in season yet! Yum!

 

Blind spots exist in every car. The FJ has a bit more than the average car because it's shape and window orientation are different. The FJ started off as a concept that most everyone fell in love with and it practically went straight to production with a version that, surprislingly, stayed more true to the concept than most production vehicles do. If Toyota were to greatly alter what the general public fell in love with, then it probably wouldn't have been as successful. No one forces us to buy the vehicles we love, but we make purchases based on either pure emotion, or a set criterion. I think a majority of us went on pure emotion with the FJ, but if blind spots are a concern, then research and a thorough test drive are in order before purchasing the FJ. I have yet to have a serious issue with the existing blind spots. Now that I think about it, driving the FJ is like driving a single cab pick up truck with a camper shell with no side windows. If you can drive that then the FJ should be fairly similar.

 

x3 on the convex'ers. Just so happens I picked up a 2-pack for a whopping 2 bucks at walmart yesterday, just because they were 2 bucks - I didn't really even need em. They're awesome, my viz is insane now.

 

I had two doses of "scare the poop out of me" with the FJC's blind spots. The first time happened while I was headed down 820 and a VW Bug suddenly appeared in my convex mirror. If I hadn't had the stick on mirrors, I would have put a nasty donut on the side of the bug. The second time, I was crawling through the parking lot at the grocery store and "lost" a pedestrian behind the "A" pillar on the driver's side.

The FJ does offer up some in town driving quirks, it just takes a little time and more attentiveness to get used to them.

As far as the "you should adjust your mirror.." or "..learn how to drive.." crowd, they need to give it a rest.

 

aaaa

 

It appears that my sarcasm was lost on some folks. I have absolutely no problems with the FJs blind spot, I have my mirrors adjusted and i am able to look around and have had no problems to date. It seems that only the first reply got that this was more a joke about the SMART car. Oh well that's what i get for trying to be funny. On that note I still plan on getting the convex mirrors so i don't have to do so much looking around to clear the blind spots while i drive.

Once again i don't have any problems with the blindspots.

 

I think the geniuses that are on the "bandwagon" for the class action suit for the windshield need to throw some more money at the attorneys and file a suit against Toyota for having blindspots. I think Toyota is just so blatant with their "cheap" windshields that won't hold up to a rock at 65mph and having "blindspots". Toyota is just so mean to make us buy their vehicles and not disclose the "blindspots.:silly:

 

sucks about the near collision.

I check my mirrors constantly. I've not had a blind spot problem yet. I guess that if I do, its because they were hanging out in the blind spot since I didnt see them drive up behind me, and well, they shouldnt be driving there anyway

 

I am glad that my feeble attempt at a joke at the expense of SMART cars has been able to renew discussions about blind spots. Quite frankly i think a smart car could hide in a bicycle's blind spot.

 

One problem i do have though that shows lack of design engineering insight is that when i am talking on the phone while drinking coffee and trying to change lanes i have to turn my head to clear my blind spots which often causes my Ipod earbud to fall out and sometimes i drop my doughnut. If i am having to shift gears while doing all this it becomes almost impossible and don't even get me started on the mornings i am trying shave and check my emails on the way to work. It is so bad i have had to stop reading the paper on the way to work. I think i am going to start a class action suit.

 

Milking it for all it's worth, eh? Ron

 

And don't even mention the things if your GF or wife is in the FJC with you.. lol

 

What is your mirror adjustment like? I am not jumping down your throat but if you adjust mirrors correctly, the blind spot is gets really small. And thats where the suicide windows comes into play. Driving vehicles at a higher height, I learned from my father and with more experience you aim your mirrors down and close to the body - not out. If you aim out, you create a bigger blind spot.

I usually test my mirror adjustments with a stationary small car - like our Corolla - or out on the highway with my GF in the passenger seat to watch the left lane. What do with the tests especially on the highway is let cars pass me on the left and right and observe where exactly does the blind spot starts and ends. Then I try to keep the car in the blind spot and do quick glimpses at the suicide windows. More times than not, you can hear the vehicles at that point. Understand how much more the mirror makes the objects bigger. That's the major difference from what I could tell. The mirrors "zoom" factor is more than what I was accustomed to. All my cars and trucks didn't zoom as much as the FJs mirrors. It throws your perspective off when you start using them.

E.g. Have a vehicle planted in either lane and compare the size of it in your side and rear view mirror. Its drastic. If they backed off on the zoom effect, I think blind spots would be smaller. Those spot/convex zoom away to help you see.

 

What is your mirror adjustment like? I am not jumping down your throat but if you adjust mirrors correctly, the blind spot is gets really small. And thats where the suicide windows comes into play. Driving vehicles at a higher height, I learned from my father and with more experience you aim your mirrors down and close to the body - not out. If you aim out, you create a bigger blind spot.

I guess i didn't make it abundantly clear, This a JOKE. I have no problems with blindspots, I adjusted my mirrors before i left the dealer the first day then fine tuned them on the highway and haven't had a single problem. I look over my shoulders, through the back seat windows and use my mirrors and have never had a problem. NOT even with the smart car, i was truly picking on the size of the smart. Sorry for any misunderstanding.

 

Plus the blind spot is so bad when the mirrors are pushed in against the side of the FJC, from narrow trails. After that happens, all I see in the mirrors is back inside the FJC...

Plus it is scary and very loud when the mirrors slam back against the FJC when trail riding. So much so, I might go deaf....... Another bad engineering problem... j/k folks

 

Ok, I realize that allegedly it was not the OP's intent to talk about blind spots (although you could have fooled me with the title). But with my side mirrors damn close to all the way out, when a vehicle is approaching me from behind to pass, it moves from my field of vision in my rear view mirror, to my field of vision in my side mirrors, to my field of vision out the windows (either side). I continually have visual contact with a vehicle on either side of me.

Conversely when I am passing another, the vehicle moves from my field of vision out the front windshield, into my vision out the side window, into my vision in the side mirrors, into my vision in the rear view mirror. There is at no point an instance when I cannot see a vehicle anywhere around the perimeter of my vehicle.

Now, if you were to put something much smaller than a smart car or a motorcycle, like a mail box, right up next to my FJ by the pillar, I would concede that I would not see it. That is the only time I need to lean forward a tad to see that alleged blind area.

 

I heartily agree.

 

I have been thinking the same thing with all the backing up I'm doing lately. :thinkerg:

 

ON the way home from a crawfish boil this evening...

This part of the story hasn't been touched upon enough in my opinion... was it a back-yard boil or did you hit up a local restaruant? Was the seasoning home made or was it store bought? Was the beer of sufficent flavor or was it some "light / lite" breeding? and was it in bottles / cans or was it a keeger?

 

This part of the story hasn't been touched upon enough in my opinion...

Nosy today aren't we?

was it a back-yard boil or did you hit up a local restaruant?

Sir, no self respecting *******, which i happen to be, would be caught eating crawfish inside a restaurant on a beautiful day like yesterday.

Was the seasoning home made or was it store bought?

It was store bought, augmented by a little of this and a lot of that.

Was the beer of sufficent flavor or was it some "light / lite" breeding? and was it in bottles / cans or was it a keeger?

It was can light beer. Such beverages are only allowable under two circumstances.
1. they are being used to wash down spicy boiled seafood of massive quantities OR

2. they are being taken down river either in tube or canoe where there is a good chance of water/beer interaction, two reasons for this exist:
____A. if water does by chance enter your beer you won't know the difference since light beer tastes like water anyway
____B. If said beer is lost to the river Gods hardly a tear is shed.

 

Those kind of "Pucker Momments" will make you a better FJ-Pilot. I have quite a bit of experience towing trailors and use that knowlege when I am FJ-Cruisen. I am glad that everyone is o.k.
I was being pulled over by a motorcycle cop and he was right off my rear bumper hiding behind my spare tire. I didn't see him for about 1/4 mile. He thought I was evading him.

 

I just found this, in 2010 the FJ Cruiser ((Pariscope)) option will be available..if you chose the "Periscope" option Toyota is going to supply 4 of these for better visibility. These will be supplied in a handy storage bag.

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Now you got me thinking, who needs a back up camera when i could install a periscope.

 

First thing, glad you are alright and learned about the spot the easy way.

But more importantly, I hope you realize that you have now screwed me for at least a week on food. :silly: :silly: :silly:
I am going to be craving Crawfish for days now, and there is no place decent around Phx that I know of for them now that Copeland's is gone. All of our good Cajun/creole places are gone, and the ones that are left are either great at way over cooking them, or they just do a horrible job on them.
Man I love good Crawfish.

 

Mudbugs

Now that's something worth talking about.. hed doun bout Lafayette ta da marche'... Ron

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