Forum Discussion

Second_Chance's avatar
Second_Chance
Explorer II
Jul 31, 2013

Towing mirror opinions for a 2005 Tahoe

My wife and I have decided on a travel trailer (2013 Surveyor Sport 220) and will pick it up next week. I had some clip-on towing mirrors when I first bought the truck (had a Coleman pop-up at the time), but no longer have them. Our RV dealer has some of the CIPA slide-ons (the $65/pair, molded contour kind), but I've also seen on-line the CIPA electric extendables that replace the OEM mirrors (there are probably other brands, too). The premanent replacements seem to run in the $350 - $400 range for a pair. For occasional recreational towing, which approach would y’all recommend? I’ve read some comments that say the slide-ons are a bit small on the mirror area but work OK. $350 - $400, on the other hand, seems like a lot of money when they’ll be used in the extended mode only about 5% of the time. Your thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

Rob
Tow Vehicles

8 Replies

  • dspencer's avatar
    dspencer
    Explorer
    Jul 31, 2013
    I have been using the CIPA slide on's for 2 seasons on my 12 Silverado. I love them for the price you can't go wrong. They are very solid have never had any problem with vibration or coming loose. I would do them again in a heart beat!
  • rightyouareken's avatar
    rightyouareken
    Explorer
    Jul 31, 2013
    I've got a set of the CIPA slide on mirrors for my F150 and love them. They are cheap and effective. No vibration or wobble like I've had with strap on mirrors. They install and remove in seconds, and leave the stock mirror fold function intact. I like them even better than the OEM dumbo extending mirrors because even when retracted the extending mirrors are several inches wider than my stock mirrors and would be a pain on tight city roads and garages. I like having the smaller stock mirrors for the 90% of the time when I'm not towing, then just slide the CIPAs on when I need them.
  • APT's avatar
    APT
    Explorer
    Jul 31, 2013
    OEM Clone towing mirrors from Ebay should be under $200/pair for power/heat. $250 for power/heat/signal. That's what I recommend.

    If you want to spend less, then I recommend the K-Source. I have the similar model for 2007+ GM SUVs. They aren't big or extend out much, but are a good value.
  • fordownr's avatar
    fordownr
    Explorer
    Jul 31, 2013
    We just bought two of the CIPA 11650s Door Mount ($39 each at Walmart.com) for our 11 F-150 as the strap-ons (mounted to the exsisting mirrors) we bought didn't extend far enough to fully see down the right side.
  • Bumpyroad's avatar
    Bumpyroad
    Explorer
    Jul 31, 2013
    when I bought my TT I tried one of the type that had hard plastic L brackets with two rubber straps to attach them to see how much wobble/vibration I had since years back I had some strap ons that had too much vibration to be useful. after a short drive I went back and bought another one. I think I spent about 40-50 for both of them.
    bumpy

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