Rear View Visibility with Topper

[ShirtlessCubsFan]

Good day, folken.

I've searched and found no other questions or mentions of this so I figured I'd ask. With a bed topper/shell, how is your rear view mirror visibility when forced to look through two tinted windows (rear tinted window + topper's tinted back glass)?

I've owned 4 trucks in my life and my Gladiator will be the first time I've actually needed a truck, and part of my needs will require a topper, something I've never needed or had before. I tend to label myself as an extremely safe and cautious driver and am concerned about losing my rear view mirror functionality.

Anyone have pics of their rear view looking back through a topper?

Sponsored

 

[LostWoods]

Bad enough that I swapped out the mirror for a Ram ball mount for my ham radio head. It's not completely useless but you will lose a lot of visibility that isn't directly behind you. Personally, caps aren't that secure and can be opened with just a little leverage on the door so I blacked out the rear hatch glass to prevent people looking in. If it didn't add 6+ months to my lead time I would have opted for just the metal hatch.

I've been looking into rear-view cameras and might go that route down the road. For now I find the backup camera more than adequate and the narrow body of the truck has never left me wondering what's behind me down the road using just the side mirrors.

 

[Mtpisgah]

My situation is a little different since I cannot see out of my back window at all, but I added a Brandmotion FullVue camera and love it. If you determine you need more visibility, check them out.

 

[Stsdroog]

I have an RSI smart cap and can see fine out of mine. There is a bit of a reflection/glare on the cab side window of the cap from the uconnect screen that is annoying though.

 

[ShirtlessCubsFan]

I have an RSI smart cap and can see fine out of mine. There is a bit of a reflection/glare on the cab side window of the cap from the uconnect screen that is annoying though.

I apologize, and maybe it's the campfire beers, but can you elaborate on this? I'm not sure what you mean.

I'm including proof that I'm inebriated and not just stupid.

 

[spectre6000]

I've had toppers on nearly all my trucks. Most recently, I had a topper on my '20 ZR2 Bison. Tool boxes on both sides, so no windows but the back, and the boxes themselves take up maybe a quarter or so of the view from there. Without a backup camera, it might have been an issue. With a backup camera, couldn't be bothered. If you use your REARview mirror to see to your REAR, and use your SIDEview mirrors to see out the SIDE, you'll have zero issues. The only vehicle(s) I can think of that are exceptions to this are pre-backup camera commercial vehicles, and only then when backing up.

Up until at least the late-50s, possibly early-60s, there must have been enough people who had never seen cars before, even in the American market, that manufacturers felt compelled to put instructions on adjusting mirrors in the owners' manuals. Stopping this was a bad idea.

Procedure: adjust your rear view mirror (the actual one) with your rear window centered. Easy peasy. For your passenger side sideview mirror, lean toward the center of the vehicle, and adjust the mirror to where you can just barely see the side of your vehicle. For the drivers' side mirror, lean to where your head is more or less against the window, and do the same. From there, get on the highway, and pass/be passed while observing when vehicles leave/enter your rear view mirror, side view mirrors, and peripheral vision. There should be some slight overlap as vehicles traverse these zones, and no blind spots. Adjust as necessary until this is the case. Now you can drive safely and aware of your surroundings!

Hint: If you can see to your REAR in your SIDE view mirrors, stop, drop everything, bop yourself in the nose, say "NO!", and fix it.

Further hint: If, while driving in a normal seated position, you can see the sides of your vehicle in your SIDE view mirror, the rest of what you see is BEHIND you. See the previous hint, and fix it.

Failing to adhere to the above will result in three rear view mirrors, zero side view mirrors, actual blind spots, and you're going to have a bad time. If you've been doing it wrong for a long time, it may take some time to adjust. Suck it up, and just do it.

 

[ShirtlessCubsFan]

I've had toppers on nearly all my trucks. Most recently, I had a topper on my '20 ZR2 Bison. Tool boxes on both sides, so no windows but the back, and the boxes themselves take up maybe a quarter or so of the view from there. Without a backup camera, it might have been an issue. With a backup camera, couldn't be bothered. If you use your REARview mirror to see to your REAR, and use your SIDEview mirrors to see out the SIDE, you'll have zero issues. The only vehicle(s) I can think of that are exceptions to this are pre-backup camera commercial vehicles, and only then when backing up.

Up until at least the late-50s, possibly early-60s, there must have been enough people who had never seen cars before, even in the American market, that manufacturers felt compelled to put instructions on adjusting mirrors in the owners' manuals. Stopping this was a bad idea.

Procedure: adjust your rear view mirror (the actual one) with your rear window centered. Easy peasy. For your passenger side sideview mirror, lean toward the center of the vehicle, and adjust the mirror to where you can just barely see the side of your vehicle. For the drivers' side mirror, lean to where your head is more or less against the window, and do the same. From there, get on the highway, and pass/be passed while observing when vehicles leave/enter your rear view mirror, side view mirrors, and peripheral vision. There should be some slight overlap as vehicles traverse these zones, and no blind spots. Adjust as necessary until this is the case. Now you can drive safely and aware of your surroundings!

Hint: If you can see to your REAR in your SIDE view mirrors, stop, drop everything, bop yourself in the nose, say "NO!", and fix it.

Further hint: If, while driving in a normal seated position, you can see the sides of your vehicle in your SIDE view mirror, the rest of what you see is BEHIND you. See the previous hint, and fix it.

Failing to adhere to the above will result in three rear view mirrors, zero side view mirrors, actual blind spots, and you're going to have a bad time. If you've been doing it wrong for a long time, it may take some time to adjust. Suck it up, and just do it.

Thanks!

I'm mostly concerned about the rear view essentially being blacked out due to aiming out of two tinted windows.

I'll have sports equipment and other items that will need to stay dry, but may not necessarily fit under a tonneau cover, so this is what's forcing me to consider a bed cap or a Plan C.

 

[Jaxmax]

The answer to the question of how is the visibility looking through three windows out the rear view mirror with two of them tinted is….IT SUCKS, like nighttime when looking in rear view mirror… I posted here in the marketplace that I was looking to swap my tinted window black hard top for a Sport base model untinted window hardtop plus $100. World of difference,much brighter view out rear! I was very pleased with the swap, guy named Chris met me three hours from my house in a fast food restaurant parking lot and we swapped , took less then half hour from handshake to wave goodby…..Jack

edited: rear view mirror' in instead of "rear view camera".

 

[Hipbilly]

I'm not mad about it. I've got the soft top back window, plus [now] the Bestop Supertop for Truck 2 with the tinted back window.. It definitely makes the whole cab noticeably darker during the day, and driving at night I'd say its akin to flipping your mirror to night mode. As for the uconnect reflection, the extra 2 layers of vinyl don't make it any worse than it already was with the regular rear window.
I'm probably going to add a tint brow to the windshield to dial the contrast back, some. I think that'll help a lot with seeing out the back, on top of looking cool (top priority).

 

[ShirtlessCubsFan]

I'm not mad about it. I've got the soft top back window, plus [now] the Bestop Supertop for Truck 2 with the tinted back window.. It definitely makes the whole cab noticeably darker during the day, and driving at night I'd say its akin to flipping your mirror to night mode. As for the uconnect reflection, the extra 2 layers of vinyl don't make it any worse than it already was with the regular rear window.
I'm probably going to add a tint brow to the windshield to dial the contrast back, some. I think that'll help a lot with seeing out the back, on top of looking cool (top priority).

That's exactly what I wanted to see! That's not nearly as bad as I assumed it would be. Thanks!

How do you like that soft cap?

 

[Hipbilly]

...How do you like that soft cap?

So far I love it!
The twill-on-twill looks amazing on my truck (black & silver), but the functionality is all there too. There's a slight learning curve on how to man-handle the frame and install the bottom tabs/zippers all in the right order, to keep it all tight. once you get a feel for it, it goes fast.

Sponsored