A quick guide to Clearview’s towing mirrors

Unsure which towing mirrors you need? We take a look at and compare the different towing mirror options from Clearview Accessories.

There’s little doubt that selecting the right towing mirrors for your set-up is not as straightforward as it once was. With more technology and practical improvements being incorporated into these things at an almost exponential rate, it’s more important than ever to ensure you’re getting the right fit for your tow rig.

And for the naysayers who think they don’t need towing mirrors: If your trailer is wider than your vehicle, then having extended mirrors is a legal requirement. With more and more caravans edging ever closer to the maximum allowable trailer width – the average for 22ft van is now 2.46M, with several bang on the legal limit of 2.5M – choosing the right options in a mirror becomes even more important. The last thing anyone needs is to have their insurance voided in an accident.

And so the question remains – how do you know which mirrors to fit to your tow rig?

Don’t you worry champion, we’re here to help.

We’ve compared the range of Clearview Towing Mirrors to see what each one does, so you can decide which options will work for you and which model you should be shooting for.

The Original Towing Mirrors

The Clearview Original extendable towing mirrors have been in production since the early naughties, are ADR compliant and are available in over 40 different models. To put it simply, these things are massive and offer a huge amount of rearward vision down the sides of your vehicle and trailer. The mirrors are a hefty 310mm tall and, in the standard driving position, are 427mm long, giving a huge improvement over just about every OEM mirror on the market.

However, when hitched up and underway, the mirrors extend out to an impressive 530mm, allowing safe and legal vision for even the widest trailers. They’re built to withstand knocks off-road, have a steel construction so they won’t retract in high wind situations, and are designed to bolt into your existing mirror mounts on your vehicle. Oh, and they retain any electric functionality of your OE mirrors too. Indicators, heated glass, electrical adjustment and power folding are all options, as well as coming in either black or chrome finish.

Did you know…

…the reason for the double mirror design is to increase the available vision for the driver? The large upper mirror is a 1:1 reflection, meaning it gives an accurate representation of where things are located behind you. The smaller bottom mirror has a slightly curved surface, meaning that the field of view is much wider and significantly reduces blind spots while making objects appear further away.

Next-Gen Mirrors

After a lengthy R&D period, Clearview released their Next-Gen series of mirrors for those of us chasing a more modern-looking product with increased functionality. The Next-Gens feature the same double-mirror design as the Originals, maintaining the 1:1 ratio on the larger mirror and the convex surface on the lower mirror, yet are slightly shorter (271mm) which lines up nicely with the fancy streamlined compound-curves on late-model tow rigs.

These things also introduce a bunch of new electrickery – things like 360-degree cameras, outside air temp sensors, blind spot monitoring and can cook a microwave burrito to perfection… probably. There’s also three positions – standard, semi-extended and full extension – to accommodate different width trailers, offering a range of widths from 351mm to a dumbo-spec 531mm. They’re available in black or chrome or can even be supplied in a raw finish so you can have them colour-matched to your vehicle for the ultimate in stealth mods.

Did you know?

If you happen to drive into a tree or off-road obstacle with your mirror (no judgment, we’ve all been there), the Clearviews are designed to fold forwards or backwards without damage. Pretty nifty, eh?

Compact Mirrors

Clearview’s compact towing mirrors are for folks looking for a lot of rearward vision without looking like their vehicle is related to King Charles (that’s a big ear joke, not a Prince Andrew joke, just so we’re all on the same page). They still offer the same great features as seen in the Next Gen mirrors, including the full 531mm width extension, but in a more svelte 222mm height.

Essentially, these are the towing mirrors for people who don’t want to look like they have towing mirrors. The under-the-radar pilots, if you will. All of the functionality, off-road toughness and electrical inclusions are in a smaller package.

Did you know?

If your vehicle has had a GVM upgrade, you may need to fit extra lights to adhere to ADR 6/00, Category 6, which is basically a rule that requires supplementary side indicators. Both the Next Gen and Compact mirrors from Clearview have this available in LED as an option.

About Clearview Accessories

Clearview Accessories has been a mainstay on the Australian aftermarket adventure scene since 06. They have been at the forefront of product development and have been synonymous with high-end accessories for nearly twenty years now, and they are showing no signs of slowing down.

The entire range of Clearview products are available from outlets all over the country, but this yarn is about their mirrors – so to find out which ones are your cup of tea, jump on over to the Clearview Accessories website.