Door mirror options?

Woody928

Events Officer
Staff member
Club Member
Hi all,

I'm considering what my options are regarding door mirrors for the 240Z. Without having driven our car yet, I can't imagine the single door mirror on the left hand door being sufficient or sensible long term. Style wise I'm not after something all chrome or blingy, and have been looking at my options. I quite like Matt black mirrors which will be in keeping with my plans.

I've come across the ones linked below, however I'm not sure how good they will be for rear visibility after some comments that have been made to me before. Has anyone had any experience with mirrors like these? Aesthetically I like the idea, just not sure how functional they really are.

http://www.s-v-c.co.uk/product/bullet-mirror-black/

Cheers :thumbs:
 

toopy

Club Member
There not that big by modern standards, but i think you'd be surprised how much you can see in them, besides its always best to double check by glancing over your shoulder before doing anything rash! :)
 

Wyn

Club Member
Have a pair like them bullet type mirrors new in my shed somewhere
Never did fit them ;)

No need for mirrors on a Z car anyway :D
 

Woody928

Events Officer
Staff member
Club Member
There not that big by modern standards, but i think you'd be surprised how much you can see in them, besides its always best to double check by glancing over your shoulder before doing anything rash! :)

Seems a very reasonable and realistic approach to the matter, couldn't agree more though. I always do a life saver check before changing lanes on the motorway.

Have a pair like them bullet type mirrors new in my shed somewhere
Never did fit them ;)

No need for mirrors on a Z car anyway :D

Sounds like you have good taste as well :)

Not suggesting you have some you would be interested in parting with are you? Black bullet mirrors?

Care to explain? lol
 

moggy240

Insurance Valuations Officer
Staff member
Club Member
The bullet mirrors look nice but have limited adjustment. Much better if the mirror can move where the neck joins the mirror otherwise you might find that you have to move the mirror as far forward on the passenger side to see.

I like the look of vitaloni's on zeds or JDM wing mirrors which look nice but not easy to see.
 

status

Well-Known Forum User
As you look over your shoulder when pulling out ( like me )then the ones that Wyn has will be ok as they are a waste of time but look good so it won't matter,if you are fitting mirrors then do something that does the job,see my gallery on my Zed,similar but better than bull it types,just going by experience,,use to put em on all the old fords in my younger days,
 

toopy

Club Member
The bullet mirrors look nice but have limited adjustment. Much better if the mirror can move where the neck joins the mirror otherwise you might find that you have to move the mirror as far forward on the passenger side to see.

I like the look of vitaloni's on zeds or JDM wing mirrors which look nice but not easy to see.

attachment.php


I have this style, and yes the passenger mirror could do with ever so slightly more adjustment, i have the lense moved to its maximum and it's fine, but not perfect.
But then its not used every day so its not a problem, just something you get used to :D
 

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Wyn

Club Member
I like the look of vitaloni's on zeds or JDM wing mirrors which look nice but not easy to see.

Like these ?
These are the type I have sorry, not the bullet type I thought

Was going to fit them but never did

£40 + pp if any use
 

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Woody928

Events Officer
Staff member
Club Member
Thanks for all of the feedback, and views all! Great to have some first hand advice :D

Wyn, thanks for the offer however unfortunately that's not exactly what we're looking for. Thanks for digging them out though! :thumbs:

Sounds like all mirrors of this sort are more aesthetic then anything else, that being said for the low price we're going to give a set a shot and see how we get on so to speak. If nothing else in the short term I'm sure lifesaver checks will keep me out of trouble, and I'm sure having some sort of passenger mirror is better than none!

Worse case we can spend a small amount again to get something more practical albeit less aesthetically pleasing. We'll see how we get on....
 

richiep

Club Member
I'll disagree with the aesthetic point in the particular case of JDM wing mirrors, as long as we are talking about the "real" ones (the black, taller stalked ones, not the chrome 510/Skyline ones) mounted in the correct, offset locations.

I have these on my JDM car and think they work really well for the size and distant location. For example, when executing an overtake, a car will come into view in the LH one when its clear for pulling back in. On the drivers side, e.g. once you can no longer see an overtaking car in the mirror, you should be able to see it in your peripheral vision, i.e. pretty much eliminating the blind spot.

Of course, they are NLA and mind-numbingly expensive secondhand from Japan, but you get what you pay for!

Just don't bother with straight-up, cheapo bullet mirrors on the doors. Mine had them when I first owned it (having been long-shorn of its original wing mirrors), and they were okay to look at but useless. Something like Toopy posted might be better, or TBH, simply a pair of original rectangular OEM mirrors.

Anyway, as with the talk about suspension, actually spend some time driving the car before planning what to change on it as you are guessing at the moment! :p
 

chrisvega

Well-Known Forum User
I'll disagree with the aesthetic point in the particular case of JDM wing mirrors, as long as we are talking about the "real" ones (the black, taller stalked ones, not the chrome 510/Skyline ones) mounted in the correct, offset locations. :p

Still a case of practicality over aesthetics for me as I said in conversation with you at the weekend. Correctly set or real ones makes no difference, they just interrupt the sweeping lines of the front wings. Would have to fill them in if I had a JDM car :p
 

richiep

Club Member
Yeah, yeah! :p

I'm just a JDM fanboi through and through! :D

There are very few door mirrors I like personally. Something like this wouldn't be bad though:

chrome-door-mirrors-4.jpg
 

Woody928

Events Officer
Staff member
Club Member
I'll disagree with the aesthetic point in the particular case of JDM wing mirrors, as long as we are talking about the "real" ones (the black, taller stalked ones, not the chrome 510/Skyline ones) mounted in the correct, offset locations.

I have these on my JDM car and think they work really well for the size and distant location. For example, when executing an overtake, a car will come into view in the LH one when its clear for pulling back in. On the drivers side, e.g. once you can no longer see an overtaking car in the mirror, you should be able to see it in your peripheral vision, i.e. pretty much eliminating the blind spot.

Of course, they are NLA and mind-numbingly expensive secondhand from Japan, but you get what you pay for!

Just don't bother with straight-up, cheapo bullet mirrors on the doors. Mine had them when I first owned it (having been long-shorn of its original wing mirrors), and they were okay to look at but useless. Something like Toopy posted might be better, or TBH, simply a pair of original rectangular OEM mirrors.

Anyway, as with the talk about suspension, actually spend some time driving the car before planning what to change on it as you are guessing at the moment! :p

Cheers for the input about JDM mirrors Richie, I quite like the JDM wing mounted mirrors. I'm just not sure I could ever have them on my car imo. Datsun wings aren't exactly the strongest, there's the rarity/price factor, and I think they interrupt the lines of the car as well. That being said each to their own, certainly makes sense eliminating your blind spot.

I've already ordered a set now, so will see how I get on or not. They certainly attract very mixed reviews... Worse case they can be swapped out at a later date for something else. I was just keen to have mirrors from day one and want them to look good as well as function well. Like you I think there's very few door mirrors that really suit the lines of the 240 that well.

Very prudent advise which I will heed, I fully intend to see what's there as a package before making any serious changes. That being said I wanted to add some mirrors for practicality purposes off the bat. Regarding the suspension thread, from a spin in a friends car with US suspension and everything I've been told about US spec suspension I'm almost guaranteed to be swapping it out as it won't be to my liking. With that in mind I thought it prudent to start get some first hand advice from those in the know, that way when the time comes I'm clued up and don't have to waste any time. In all other regards I want to see what base line we have before going mad making changes/alterations.

I hope by this I haven't caused any offence, or appear to be wasting peoples time by seeming overly enthusiastic. I'm just trying to be practical and make the most of my time while I patiently wait :unsure:
 

johnymd

Club Member
That's the type I fitted to my red car. Really like them and the quality was great. Very cheap too. About £30 rings a bell. I like the us factory mirror, just a shame they never did a right hand one.
 

Albrecht

Well-Known Forum User
I've already ordered a set now, so will see how I get on or not.

Only thing I'd add (mirrors are a very personal choice...) is to beware of drilling too many holes in your doors. It's all very well if you get it 'right' first time (both in style and location) but if you change your mind you could end up with drilled holes where you don't want them anymore...

Kind of obvious I suppose, but worth bearing in mind.
 
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