Driver's Rear Blind Spot / Grab Handle Delete

[thebigdu]

I'm not sure why Ford removes the small convex "spotter" mirrors on trucks with BLIS. BLIS is nice for most situations, but it doesn't help in merging situations where a car is either two lanes to your left or too far back in a merging lane for BLIS to read. I almost had a run-in with a dump truck this morning trying to merge on an offramp, and I was extra frustrated because when I turn my head to physically check my driver's side blind spot, the massive rear grab handle on the B pillar is directly in my line-of-sight.

I would like to eliminate this grab handle, since I have a second kid on the way and will only have car seats back there 99% of the time I own this truck. I wonder if anybody else has considered removing the grab handle to help eliminate the blind spot obstruction, and if anybody on here with 3D printing skills/access would be willing to take a shot at making some caps to blank off the B pillar trim where the handle attaches.

PS - I don't think RAM or GM remove the convex mirrors when you have BLIS. Maybe another cost cutting measure by the blue oval.

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[Snakebitten]

You could add the convex mirror yourself?

I admit that once your eyes are trained, that feature is very valuable.

 

[thebigdu]

You could add the convex mirror yourself?

I admit that once your eyes are trained, that feature is very valuable.

Thought about it, but these mirrors aren't large enough to add a spotter mirror and not cover the BLIS indicator. Also, it'll look cheesy on a $70k truck.

 

[Handle]

I think sooner than later a Forscan mod will enable the the camera mirrors, if the truck has 360 camera system, so with a flick of the turn indicator the blind spot image will pop up on the infotainment screen. The other forum had some discussion about this the other day.

 

[thebigdu]

I think sooner than later a Forscan mod will enable the the camera mirrors, if the truck has 360 camera system, so with a flick of the turn indicator the blind spot image will pop up on the infotainment screen. The other forum had some discussion about this the other day.

This would be great!

 

[Kodiak]

I think sooner than later a Forscan mod will enable the the camera mirrors, if the truck has 360 camera system, so with a flick of the turn indicator the blind spot image will pop up on the infotainment screen. The other forum had some discussion about this the other day.

That is what I am dreaming for. Though the positioning of the 360 cameras may not be good. At some point a perfectly positioned dedicated camera will be utilized for blind spots. Hyundai does this with the Santa Fe and it is a wonderful feature. I also think Lexus is exploring an option to dump the side mirrors and have a smaller side camera set up. It displays the blind spot view on a dedicated screen and gives the BLIS warning.

Trucks should be getting this before cars but that probably will not happen.

 

[Zengineer]

My 2020 had standard mirrors that were large enough to add an aftermarket spot mirror. I used one that was actually advertised for the Ram but was almost a perfect fit for the lower outboard corner if the standard gen 13 F150 mirrors. They did not look at all out of place.

When I saw the size of the standard gen 14 mirrors, I decided to go for Tow Mirrors. It takes some adjustment to live with the forward bl8nd spot they create at intersections but it is no different than adjusting to a 157 wheelbase or any other difference...you adapt. In the case of tow mirrors you learn to check for pedestrians and such as you approach an intersection and not only after you are at a stop.

Gen14 vs Gen13. The views aren't precisely the same scale or perspective, but the Gen 13 were significantly taller.

 

[thebigdu]

My 2020 had standard mirrors that were large enough to add an aftermarket spot mirror. I used one that was actually advertised for the Ram but was almost a perfect fit for the lower outboard corner if the standard gen 13 F150 mirrors. They did not look at all out of place.

When I saw the size of the standard gen 14 mirrors, I decided to go for Tow Mirrors. It takes some adjustment to live with the forward bl8nd spot they create at intersections but it is no different than adjusting to a 157 wheelbase or any other difference...you adapt. In the case of tow mirrors you learn to check for pedestrians and such as you approach an intersection and not only after you are at a stop.

Gen14 vs Gen13

View attachment 54748

No question the tow mirrors excel with regard to rearward blind spots. I just wish the non-tow mirror was larger; we need an intermediate option for us folks who don't tow regularly but also don't want a Fiesta-sized mirror on our F150s.

 

[Handle]

This would be great!

The other workaround option for a rear view camera at speed would be to use the trucks tow camera capabilities . If your truck is so equipped you could tap into the 12pin and wire up a camera using 4 of those wires, power , ground ,video + and -
Where to mount it depends on the camera, etc

 

[powerboatr]

I think sooner than later a Forscan mod will enable the the camera mirrors, if the truck has 360 camera system, so with a flick of the turn indicator the blind spot image will pop up on the infotainment screen. The other forum had some discussion about this the other day.

that how it works in my motorhome, you see a great view down the side , in the screen as well as a flash in mirror. it works really well.
not sure why we cant take the turn signal trigger to turn on that side camera as one more piece of help to make sure we see well beside us.

only down side is those times when you have to swerve or change lanes RIGHT NOW. then its the OWL head swivel event to look out the window .

 

[Snakebitten]

No question the tow mirrors excel with regard to rearward blind spots. I just wish the non-two mirror was larger; we need an intermediate option for us folks who don't tow regularly but also don't want a Fiesta-sized mirror on our F150s.

Agree wholeheartedly!

I have great respect for those that make sizeable efforts to get their F150's as sleek and svelte as a performance SUV or sedan, but visibility is a stalwart virtue of a truck. The standard no-tow mirror on a truck should still be a truck mirror. Visibility shouldn't be a complaint.

Let the aftermarket provide solutions for the few folks that want to make the visibility sacrifice for their own personal build preferences.

 

[FrankThompson]

I think sooner than later a Forscan mod will enable the the camera mirrors, if the truck has 360 camera system, so with a flick of the turn indicator the blind spot image will pop up on the infotainment screen. The other forum had some discussion about this the other day.

My daughter's new Kia does this and it's awesome (hurts me to say that about a Kia). When she moves her turn signal to make a left turn the tach has an image of her driver side and when she puts it to make a right turn the image is in the speedometer.

That said, I'm not sure the camera's on our trucks would be much help. They don't point back, they point down. you would get a lot of skewing to make it seem worth it. I haven't looked at my daughter's car closely, but my guess is either the cameras re-adjust or there is more than 1 set of cameras on the mirrors. Maybe I'm wrong about the cameras orientation in our trucks though. I know they point back some (or fisheye), but I don't think they have the field of vision to give you a good virtual side mirror experience

I also think that putting it in the gauge cluster is a lot better than putting it in the infotainment screen.

 

[powerboatr]

My daughter's new Kia does this and it's awesome (hurts me to say that about a Kia). When she moves her turn signal to make a left turn the tach has an image of her driver side and when she puts it to make a right turn the image is in the speedometer.

That said, I'm not sure the camera's on our trucks would be much help. They don't point back, they point down. you would get a lot of skewing to make it seem worth it. I haven't looked at my daughter's car closely, but my guess is either the cameras re-adjust or there is more than 1 set of cameras on the mirrors. Maybe I'm wrong about the cameras orientation in our trucks though. I know they point back some (or fisheye), but I don't think they have the field of vision to give you a good virtual side mirror experience

I also think that putting it in the gauge cluster is a lot better than putting it in the infotainment screen.

that is GENIUS...and i bet we could have that easy in our trucks with the lcd dash cluster.
i really like this . kia gets a gold star

 

[hotrodmex]

FWIW here, I am a performance driver with a good amount of track experience in a low powered car, so I know the value of situational awareness at speed.

So, how do people adjust their mirrors? I learned a while ago about the "head lean" method of setting your side mirrors, and it allows you to get virtually no blind spot. This combined with BLIS and while I still shoulder check out of (good) habit, I don't feel like it's really needed. If I really want to get a complete mirror view a quick lean forward I feel gives me better info than any view-distorting bubble mirror does.

I think sooner than later a Forscan mod will enable the the camera mirrors, if the truck has 360 camera system, so with a flick of the turn indicator the blind spot image will pop up on the infotainment screen. The other forum had some discussion about this the other day.

Forscan is a configuration tool, not a programming tool. It can only set something Ford has already programmed. I think people get excited at what they think it can do.

That is what I am dreaming for. Though the positioning of the 360 cameras may not be good. At some point a perfectly positioned dedicated camera will be utilized for blind spots. H

That said, I'm not sure the camera's on our trucks would be much help. They don't point back, they point down. you would get a lot of skewing to make it seem worth it. I haven't looked at my daughter's car closely, but my guess is either the cameras re-adjust or there is more than 1 set of cameras on the mirrors. Maybe I'm wrong about the cameras orientation in our trucks though. I know they point back some (or fisheye), but I don't think they have the field of vision to give you a good virtual side mirror experience

The side mirror cameras on the F150 I think have to be 360 dome lenses. They capture from the front fender all the way back to the tail-lights from a static location. With these kind of cameras, software can pick out a section of the dome and show that as its own cropped feed, especially if it already does the processing for the existing 360 cam display. I'm 90% sure this is how the Bronco Tire View Cam works (THAT would be great if it could enable via Forscan), but there might also be a dedicated camera for that.

The other workaround option for a rear view camera at speed ...

Hmmm, don't remember, but does the bed cam offer a wide enough rear view?

My daughter's new Kia does this and it's awesome (hurts me to say that about a Kia). When she moves her turn signal to make a left turn the tach has an image of her driver side and when she puts it to make a right turn the image is in the speedometer.

So sik.

 

[Kodiak]

@hotrodmex - The bed camera does give you some blind spot angle but it is not the best. If I was not going to get the rear view shot at speed (from OTA 2.8.3) like a proper digital rearview mirror, that bed camera could work in a pinch. I think you would still need to use the side mirror or just look out the window, but the bed camera can help. There are a couple of youtube vids with it and a couple of posts in here somewhere with a shot of what it looks like.

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