Towing Mirrors

[LClexus550]

What are people doing for towing mirrors? These mirrors look rather tucked in and it doesn’t look like there is a wide angle option.
I will purchase a GX by the end of this year.
I use a clamp on mirror to tow the Airstream now, but was hoping for a better choice.
Thanks

 

[Chubs550]

Just curious, what is the weight and length of your Airstream?

 

[LClexus550]

19’
Sticker weight 4500 lb.

 

[foovius]

Any updates on this topic? My GX 550 OT+ should be fully capable of towing a single-axle off-road camper with a GVWR at around 7500 pounds (I don't own one yet, but there are several on the market). The issue will be camper body width, which is typically 84-ish inches. Must find workable mirror extenders, or else the GX is simply not usable or safe to tow a standard camper.

 

[LClexus550]

No replies on the mirror topic. Canceled my order in favor of a fully optioned Tundra.
I have towed with Dometic clamp on extension mirrors (they are ok). They didn’t damage the mirror housing on a Tacoma.
Hoping the wider vehicle and the surround view cameras are sufficient.
There is an available wireless rear trailer view camera that I may also try.

 

[steveperry]

I know the OP has moved on to a Tunda (we have a 2024 Tundra that tows are 23 foot Airstream wonderfully - although we usually use the GX since I like a smaller vehicle once we're at our location - which also tows it well). However, I wanted to mention that we use these:

MILENCO Dometic DM-2899 Aero3 Towing Mirror (Twin)​

They work well for our 23 Airstream and are easy to install. (link to Amazon).

 

[LClexus550]

Thanks, I’m sure either vehicle should tow pretty well. It’s great that you have
options Those are the mirrors I use now. I was hoping there might be a factory option. Those mirrors really work well but I’ve always been careful to find the sweet spot between crunching the mirror plastic and having them fly off down the road.

Hoping that the wider vehicle and surround view cameras are OK but if I have to, I’ll go back to those mirrors.

 

[steveperry]

Thanks, I’m sure either vehicle should tow pretty well. It’s great that you have
options Those are the mirrors I use now. I was hoping there might be a factory option. Those mirrors really work well but I’ve always been careful to find the sweet spot between crunching the mirror plastic and having them fly off down the road.

Hoping that the wider vehicle and surround view cameras are OK but if I have to, I’ll go back to those mirrors.

LOL, yeah, we've been paranoid about crushing the frame around the mirrors as well.

I think you'll find the mirrors on the Tundra work well. It wouldn't hurt my feelings to have them out just a touch more, but I can use them without issue with our 23' AS.

 

[GX550Key]

Always nice to have a extension mirror that won't damage the vehicle when the mirror pull in button is accidentally hit.

 

[foovius]

I ended up buying one of these to try it out:

Amazon.com

The extension mirror straps on with two rubber straps that should go around the back of the Lexus mirror. Unfortunately, that mirror is shaped kind of like a wedge, almost as if it was intentionally designed to prevent a good connection for a mirror extender. It’s really a terrible design if you want to tow something. My conclusion is that I would need to rig up some additional straps to prevent the mirror falling off.

A previous post had suggested a mirror that only clamps to the bottom, but there’s no space for such a clamp on the Lexus because again that is a wedge shaped piece.

Aside from this problem with the mirrors, I am so super satisfied with my GX 550, but if I can’t solve this, I may end up having to get rid of it in the future, simply because of the stupid mirrors, and end up getting some giant F350 or something obscenely big like that. And that would mean needing a second car for city living (I’m a solo widower and have no desire for multiple cars).

If somebody made a telescoping third-party mirror replacement that looked halfway decent, I would totally buy it, but these mirrors have a lot of tech built into them so I doubt that’s going to happen.

I wonder if all of this is completely intentional on the part of Lexus, since the short wheelbase might not be great for towing a large camper, even though the vehicle is capable. But I suspect it is simply lack of attention in some areas.

Oh, another note: the tolerance for having the mirror fold in is super tight, so I don’t think any mirror extender is going to work with having the mirrors fold in. You would need to turn off that feature or damage the mirror or the car. This extension that I tried certainly wouldn’t allow the stock mirror to fold in, and I realize that the tolerance is so tight that I don’t think any mirror extender would allow the mirrors to fold back. Something else that was either lack of attention or absolutely intentional to prevent mirror extenders.