Towing mirrors - good or bad

My new to me 07dc has the towing mirrors. Been considering swapping in the stock mirrors. Thought ther could be cleance issues . Could always but them back on if i start towing. Any experience from the group? Am i over thinking it?

 

I went the other way, I had "sport" mirrors (I think thats what they are called) and went to towing mirrors. I dont tow much but I liked the looks and the amber lights/turn signal were a plus for me. I'm a vehicle lighting nerd. It took a little getting used to with the tow mirrors as cars tend to hide in my blind spot so utilizing the smaller lower portion of the towing mirrors is crucial.

I guess my post offered no real help or insight

but overall, I guess the sport mirrors were easier to use day by day and the tow mirrors have their place but were a little more difficult to use for day to day driving (in my personal opinion). do what is best for you and your use of the truck and the looks you like

 

I have manual extend OEM mirrors on a '21
I don't extend them, I can back up big trailers without them extended
Mine also are heated so that comes in handy a couple times per year

I would not mess with them unless they are in your way somehow

 

I took my tow mirrors off for the std ones. The tow mirrors are a big blind spot. And the small lower section offers a very weird view point. At least in my opinion. I could never adjust them to a good view point for daily driving. The std mirrors have been great. Easier to walk around them in a parking, offer a better view point in day to day driving.

I don't ever tow a trailer, so maybe I'd feel different if I did.

 

I put OEM tow mirrors on my 2018 and wont go back. Granted I tow fairly often, but as a daily driver thing I like having them vs the stock ones sheerly for visibility.

 

I agree with this.

I have a bad back and do not rotate easily, I found the tow mirrors provide me so much more visibility (granted I have the GM style ones but assume stock tow would be similar). Life plans changed and I really haven't towed much with them, but for daily use I love having them and I personally wouldn't go back.

If OP is on the fence, I recommend finding another Tundra locally with stock mirrors and asking to drive it some to see what you like.

 

I had the OE tow mirrors. Loved them while towing. Hated them when I was not.

I ended up going back to the stock mirrors. Like a previous poster had mentioned there are huge blind spots with the tow mirrors. I think that there are two factors here.
1. They are quite a distance from the door so it is hard to get a good view angle.
2. The passenger side is not convex. This should be compensated with the convex mirror. But the Toyota one is just too small.

My brother has a GMC and my dad has a Ford. Both of those have excellent tow mirrors. I think that the bigger convex mirror is the key.

my two cents.

 

I have the tow mirrors on my, new to me, 2020 Tundra. I like them so far (bought it yesterday) I want to take it through the car wash. (frame needs some cleaning mostly) I don't think they are motorized to retract...so do I just force them towards the windows? I have done some searching of the forums but haven't seen this mentioned

 

I have the OEM ones and they fold in just like the small stock mirrors.

 

I have both, and i prefer the regular mirrors over the tow mirrors for daily use.

 

How easy are they to change out?

 

Super easy. Three bolts per side and an electrical pig tail. You are supposed to pull of the interior door card, but if you are sneaky (and don't drop one of the bolts, you can sneak out the third bolt with only removing the interior sail panel, which literally just pulls off. Just don't bend it side to side while trying to remove it. Else, it is plug and play. Super simple.

I prefer the sport mirrors but tow often and appreciate the additional sigh lines of the tow mirrors with bigger trailers. So it's tow mirrors for me.

 

Less than an hour to swap both sides.

Pop off the cover behind the door pull and remove the screw, pop out the felt insert and remove the screw in the door pull area. Then pop out the window controls. From there you can remove the door panel, it's held in with clips. Start at the bottom and work your way around until it's broken free and lift up and off. You'll need to disconnect the two cables for the door lock and door handle.
With the door panel off you can remove the front triangle cover piece behind the mirrors, and it's 3 10mm nuts and one electrical plug to swap the mirrors. Oh and make sure the window is down so you can reach through if you're doing it solo.

For what it's worth 07-21 are interchangeable. My tow mirrors are from my 16' with heat and BSM and they fit my 11' without issue, heat works as it should as well.