Towing Mirrors

[{tpc}]

Anyone know what if any model CIPA slip over mirrors would fit the envoy? The site seems to show all kind of ones that work with denalis, yukons, surburbans , etc, so I have to think that someone here at some point tried and found some that work.

I saw the reese ones and those are probably plan b. The cipa looked like more of a custom fit. Being removable is key for me. Even though some of the replacement jobs I saw on here looked very nice!

 

[TollKeeper]

I Installed some strap on (quiet Pervkins) style mirrors that I bought from Advanced/Autozone. They work well. Be cautious thou. This particular style comes in 2 fashions. Once that actually have a mirror, and ones that have a chrome-ish type of sticker. The sticker even looks dull, and unreflecting in the package.

 

[{tpc}]

Thanks for the reply. I will check them out. I also found some on amazon made by someone called "fit systems" that look like they might work. I was going to go with the Tow and See style initially, but I don't think I will be happy with them.

 

[{tpc}]

I ended up with these:

Ksource

They are called Fit System 3891 over on amazon. For $22 each, I think I am going to like them. Installed them last night just to see how they work, and once you figure out how everything goes together, work pretty nice. So long as they stay on, lol (I just did it in the garage).

Once I try them out officially, I'll report back, but I like hoe they function going on, and they don't look too out of place. Not as nice as a slip on but nothing I can do about that.

 

[DocBrown]

Those look nice. I used something similar on my TB. I found that the mirrors bounced a lot with the extenders on. Shame no one ever made slide on covers. I had them for my '95 'Burb and I just ordered a set for my Sierra.

 

[{tpc}]

Those look nice. I used something similar on my TB. I found that the mirrors bounced a lot with the extenders on. Shame no one ever made slide on covers. I had them for my '95 'Burb and I just ordered a set for my Sierra.

Ya I know about the slide on's. I think for these the best way to reduce the bounce (at least with mine) is to have them on as far to the inside as possible. This kinda negates the extended effect though we shall see. The reason is that if you can get enough of the one strap on the part that is really fixed to the door, I think it will help eliminate the bounce.

For instance our mirrors are the folding type, not power but you can fold them in (or out I think). On the driver side I noticed no shake (just talking the regular mirror here), but the passenger side showed some shake at highway speeds. I was going to take apart the door to tighten it up, except after inspecting it, the part on the door is rock solid on there. Its the part with the mirror and signal that can be rotated that has some up/down play to it. In my case a little more on the passenger side. But I noticed that when I tightened up this mirror on that side, one of the straps happened to be touching both parts of the mirror and it seemed much more solid and stable. So kinda hoping this helps with the possible vibration.

 

[DocBrown]

Interesting. My passenger side mirror was the one that bounced a lot too.

 

[{tpc}]

Interesting. My passenger side mirror was the one that bounced a lot too.

Must be something that makes it wear more on that side of the truck. There might be a way to tighten it if I get inside the mirror somehow. Haven't looked to see if there is anything like an exploded view diagram or something yet.

 

[Mooseman]

I tried those strap on mirrors and they did not fit very well because of the lower portion that wouldn't fit right. It sort of clips into the space between the mirror glass and the body but because of the turn signal (or fake plastic filler in its place), it won't hold. Wound up breaking one of my turn signals. They also rendered the stock mirrors useless as they could not be adjusted. They were too bouncy and it was not convex on the passenger side to see in the blind spot. Took them off and just used the regular mirrors.

 

[{tpc}]

Mooseman, I do see the possibilities of issues with the design, but I have not much choice at this point. I looked at the tow and see ones in a store, and I didn't like how cheaply the reflective material was made. These seem just like the real mirrors. There is however very little space for the clip underneath the actual mirror like you said, But I could keep my regular mirrors adjusted properly and have these attached....though I doubt any further movement of the regular mirrors would be possible....maybe if you were really careful.

So I'll just have to see when I actually try to use them I guess. As long as they don't break I could probably get a refund from amazon if I don't like them.

 

[gpking]

If $$$ isn't a big problem and you're feeling creative, you could retrofit some Silverado/Sierra towing mirrors.

Photo courtesy of Cody Dammann:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=284187715074546&set=gm.797582570271244&type=1&theater

 

[{tpc}]

If $$$ isn't a big problem and you're feeling creative, you could retrofit some Silverado/Sierra towing mirrors.

If it was my truck, I might do that....but the wife isn't having it. Sweet photo though.

I'm guessing before I retrofit the silverado/sierra mirrors to the envoy, I'll be retrofitting the envoy or my avenger to a silverado/sierra. LOL

 

[{tpc}]

Just to report back on my experience. They work pretty darn good for $20 mirror extensions. The passenger side one leaves a little to be desired, but I had it a little too close in, and never bothered to readjust it.

I never had the feeling they would come off at all, but I had them on there pretty tight. The rubber on the part that contacts the mirror may or may not leaves marks, but the wife said she didn't care about that, so I didn't inspect it closely after taking them off. They did have a little bit of shimmy but nothing that was overly bothersome, but the mirrors themselves do anyways, so I expected it. I'm sure I will continue to look for better options, but for now this works.

 

[07Denali]

Hey just searching for good towing mirrors for the Gmc Envoy and ran across these and wondering if any of you have tried them before. We are picking up our new travel trailer in March so just sorting out final items like towing mirrors now.
So there's this option more costly
http://www.amazon.ca/JR-Products-2912-Towing-Mirror/dp/B0095TC6I6
and this one
http://www.etrailer.com/p-KS3891.html
this one shows them being installed on a 02 Envoy so we know they will fit and work that way at least.

 

[07Denali]

looking at these ones http://www.amazon.ca/Fit-System-3891-Universal-Trailer/dp/B001AJH1HK/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423637603&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=KS3891+clip+on+mirror

by the way why did my new thread get dumped into this dead thread? ADMIN???

 

[BlazingTrails]

Because there are no dead threads. If you post in it it comes to the top of the list. It is the same subject.

 

[Bow_Tied]

Hey just searching for good towing mirrors for the Gmc Envoy and ran across these and wondering if any of you have tried them before. We are picking up our new travel trailer in March so just sorting out final items like towing mirrors now.
So there's this option more costly
http://www.amazon.ca/JR-Products-2912-Towing-Mirror/dp/B0095TC6I6
and this one
http://www.etrailer.com/p-KS3891.html
this one shows them being installed on a 02 Envoy so we know they will fit and work that way at least.

The second link doesn't work for me.

looking at these ones http://www.amazon.ca/Fit-System-3891-Universal-Trailer/dp/B001AJH1HK/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423637603&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=KS3891+clip+on+mirror

by the way why did my new thread get dumped into this dead thread? ADMIN???

I think this link is the same as the OP in the original thread used.

Thanks for bringing this up, I have an 06 Denali I need mirrors for so I am really interested in what you find out. Please let us know what you end up with.

 

[Mark20]

I have a set of the third type you linked to, they work but vibrate a bunch. It also gets old putting them on and off if you even remember to grab them before you head out.

 

[Bow_Tied]

looking at these ones http://www.amazon.ca/Fit-System-3891-Universal-Trailer/dp/B001AJH1HK/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423637603&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=KS3891+clip+on+mirror

What did you end up getting?

 

[{tpc}]

What did you end up getting?

A new truck! lol

It all seriousness, if you want the clip on ones that I tried, I still have them, and will make you a better price than anywhere else.

I ended up trying a different setup after the first couple times using those. It was door mounted deal with an additional round mirror I attached to it. That worked, unless you liked rolling down your windows...could never get it just right to stop horrible squeaking and probable scratching of the window.

In the end, the tahoe was the fix anyways. I have slip on covers for that which I like.

 

[07Denali]

What did you end up getting?

Those are the one I picked and im happy with them. Only have 2 trips on them but about 700kms up to 120km/h they seam to be the best bet.

 

[Bow_Tied]

A new truck! lol

It all seriousness, if you want the clip on ones that I tried, I still have them, and will make you a better price than anywhere else.

I ended up trying a different setup after the first couple times using those. It was door mounted deal with an additional round mirror I attached to it. That worked, unless you liked rolling down your windows...could never get it just right to stop horrible squeaking and probable scratching of the window.

In the end, the tahoe was the fix anyways. I have slip on covers for that which I like.

Thanks for the offer! I suspect though that shipping to Canada will make it pricey vs a local buy?

Why the new rig? Was it due to towing comfort?

 

[{tpc}]

Ontario isn't that far from detroit...road trip!

Envoy wasn't up to the task. It could do it, but it wasn't happy about doing it. As the wifes daily driver, seemed a bit risky to break her truck.LOL

Plus she wants to take some longer trips, which we actually did take one, and the envoy wasn't going to cut it for that. Short trips around town seemed fine though.

Tahoe on the other hand hasn't had any trouble...yet. When and if there is trouble, its going to be from age and maintenance more than anything else I suspect.

 

[Bow_Tied]

Interesting. Remind me please, was your trailer large/heavy? I'm getting a 24' hardbody travel trailer tomorrow.

I'm heading to port Huron on May 2nd... How far are you from there?

 

[{tpc}]

About 44 miles or an hour from the bridge.

You have the v8 envoy. We have the i6. Big difference. If you have the extended wheelbase you will be even happier.

My trailer is roughly 26 ft long (not the box, but the frame and all), and was something like 4400 lbs dry. I'm guessing your getting a weight distributing hitch? If not, get one.

 

[Bow_Tied]

Ah right, I6.... But I thought it wasn't much different in towing capacity? We have the short wheelbase.

I think the trailer are getting is actually 25' o/a. Dry weight is 3850 but I know the dry weights are somewhat fictitious. I'm definitely going to use load bars. Not sure yet how that'll work with the airbag suspension tho.

Hmm, I'll think about a side trip for the mirrors, thanks. Need to check schedule.

 

[{tpc}]

Up to you. Could maybe meet you at 26 mile and i-94, shave off some time? I was thinking like $20 USD. Might not be more than $10 for me after gas there and back, but at least someone would be using the mirrors.

As for capacity, its probably quite close. But you will have the power I didn't have. I've yet to figure it all out. The best I can determine is that you either go overkill and jump into a 3/4 ton that will make it feel like it isn't there (the smaller trailer), push the limits like I did with the voy and then upgrade to something a little bigger, or try to find middle ground from the start.

The best thing you could do to really figure it out, is pack it all for camping (I am assuming you are doing this) and then hit the cat scale in port huron and weigh everything since you will be there. Even with mine I want to hit the scale because its the only true way to figure it out. But thats a 2 or 3 hour round trip that I have to schedule in. There is simply no cat scales anywhere close to me at all.

Sounds to me like you will have no issue. Even loaded. If you really want to get into the meat of it, its the payload that gets you everytime. Its fine when its just you and the SO. Then you load up the dog, the kids, and all the crap, and you don't have the payload for it.

 

[Bow_Tied]

Agreed on all that. I won't have the trailer in port Huron going there for other reasons... But I had considered finding a local scale.

I wanted a Yukon but the Mrs didn't want a full size for intercity commuting everyday. Don't blame her I guess. It would have been close to double the price here too for same mileage.

Thanks for the offer if meeting me half way. I'll get back to you when my schedule dials in better.

As to payload, I have been checking this numbers and also found cargo/passengers/tongue wright to be the main issue.

 

[Derrick Rucker]

Don't get ugly slip ons get these:
This guy is on gmtnation I don't know him but I think they look good

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

I still think Ghost Trailer with those on a TB. Too big n goofy for me

 

[TollKeeper]

Agreed

 

[$ Khalid ! 9130]

What benefits are there to having tow mirrors in place of the existing one on the TB ?

 

[Mooseman]

When towing a wide trailer, you can see better behind you. Unless you tow, they're not needed.

 

[therealsethallen]

Anyone that actually tows anything will be best at answering this. If you want one of the extending tow mirrors they make a Dodge Style "Derpy Moose Mirror" for Chevy Trucks, and they at leeast fold into a presentable mirror form. I tow a car trailer with an endurance racer on it, and it seems to be fine with the factory mirrors. I tow a 1969 Airstream Globetrotter 21' about 3k miles a year with strap on ones that are perfectly fine, I can see perfectly fine with them.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

I tow several trailers off n on and have never wanted for tow mirrors personally. We have a few open utility trailers, an enclosed trailer, a dump trailer, and a car trailer.

 

[therealsethallen]

I tow several trailers off n on and have never wanted for tow mirrors personally. We have a few open utility trailers, an enclosed trailer, a dump trailer, and a car trailer.

The airstream was a little too rotund for me to safely tow without adding mirrors. Most any cargo/car/landscaping trailer should be fine.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

We got a couple sets of strap-on mirrors. I can see using them if it was going to be an extended trip or tight confines with a big box out back. I would not want the mickey mouse ears hanging out all the time though.

 

[DocBrown]

What benefits are there to having tow mirrors in place of the existing one on the TB ?

Depends on the trailer. I had a 17 ft travel trailer, 7 ft wide, that I could see around OK with the stock TB mirrors but with clip ons I could see even better. I towed my current 22 ft trailer, 8 ft wide, with the TB for a while and the stock mirrors would not have worked at all. I needed the extensions to see the back of the trailer. I have Cipa custom fit extensions for my Sierra.

Also in some states, like WI, towing mirrors are required for large box trailers.

 

[Mooseman]

I should use tow mirrors when towing a sled trailer, which is the max 101" wide. I had strap ons, they broke one of my turn signals and didn't hold well on these mirrors.

 

[Bow_Tied]

Since getting my 'voy I had been using the typical cheapy universal rubber strap mirrors for towing. I didn't like them as the had a lot of vibration, weren't easy to adjust (and installed slightly different every time), looked kinda cheap, and the passenger side didn't install properly due to the shape of the mirror so I needed to use some small S-hooks.

At the end of this season I got a set like this:

http://www.milenco.com/products/mirrors/milenco-aero-2-xxl-mirror/

I had tried this model (grand aero) from a friend which lead me to buy ones like above:

I LOVE them! Light, easy to adjust, came with a storage bag, easy to install. I do find the folding joint on the OE mirror likes to bounce a bit with these so I just add a black zip tie and these are then nice and solid and I can see much better down the side of my 24' RV trailer and these mirrors extend further outward for better vision. They are very adjustable and take a few minutes to set up properly the first time. Once set up, leave the clamp that tightens to the arm in place and only use the clamps that tighten to the OE mirror. I recommend them.

These are UK made and seem to have a following with air stream owners. I believe these are available on amazon but the distributor name to search for is "JR products" such as https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0095TC6I6/?tag=gmtnation-20 where I snagged the above pic from.