TTT
Telescopic Trailer Towing Mirrors

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By Jim Bigley

Whether trailering through congested city streets or backing into a tight mountain campsite, towing mirrors are essential. For most of us, the best towing mirrors are of the extendable/retractable variety. This is a compromise we make that provides the utility necessary when driving without a trailer and when towing. Recently, Schefenacker entered the market with their telescopic trailer towing mirrors produced expressly for the 1999-current GM Silverado/Sierra pickups and 2000-current full-size SUV's.

Great style, superb engineering, top-notch fit and finish, excellent rear vision, and one of the best illustrated installation guides we've seen for an aftermarket product all describe our impressions of the TTT mirrors.

A simple 10mm socket, ratchet and extension are all that's required to bolt them on. Getting the lighting option connected may take a bit longer, but this aspect of the installation is thoroughly covered in the installation guide. More about the lights later...

 

Beneath the plastic facade is a robust cast-aluminum mounting head. The engineers who designed these mirrors were serious about creating a solid and shake-free mount. Any mirror shake you might see is largely the result of door flexing (which isn't much), not the mirror.

The plastic fairings that cover the door mounting area fit my truck perfectly. There were no mismatches, misalignments, or lifted edges.

 

 

 

Beyond design, style and optional features, it is the rear view that matters most when considering a new set of towing mirrors. While it is clear that style was factored into the size and shape of the mirror surfaces, the dimensions are more than sufficient to offer excellent rear vision.

 

 

 

 

This photo and the one immediately below were taken with the camera held in the same approximate position as the driver's head. This shot shows that even while able to see straight down the side of the trailer, the mirror still offers a commanding view of the opposite lane. The convex mirror provides excellent coverage for the typical blind spot, right beside the truck.

 

 

 

Rear-view coverage for most brands of passenger side extendable towing mirrors suffer from a more swept-back mirror angle (more sweep moves the mirror closer to the truck, reducing its reach). In addition, the awning supports on a typical travel-trailer add a few more inches to the width of the right side of the trailer. The combination of less mirror reach and more paraphernalia on the trailer combine to reduce the effectiveness of the typical passenger side towing mirror. By adding more reach to their mirrors, passenger side rear vision with the Schefenacker TTT remains excellent.

When properly adjusted, you can still see around the trailer. That is a car a couple hundred yards behind us on a straight stretch of highway.

When measuring between the outside edge of the driver's side mirror to the outside edge of passenger side mirror, the Schefenacker TTT mirror set measure 100-¾" retracted and 108-½" fully extended. This is a full 3" wider than other extendable mirrors we've seen. Sliding the mirrors from their retracted to extended position is smooth and positive.

The TTT mirrors come with replaceable shiny black mirror covers that can be left as is or painted to match the color of your truck. Optional chrome mirror covers (pictured) are also available.

Electrical harness adapters are available for the 2003-04 model year trucks, making it easy to get power, heat and lights operational. The power and heat mirrors simply plug in to the 2001-02 factory electrical connector, with red & yellow lead wires for lighting (see earlier photo). The lighting option is a cool feature that is worth the time it takes to make the connections.

The 2001 & 2002 model year trucks can take advantage of the lighting option by running additional lengths of automotive wiring into the dash. Complete instructions for running the wiring and making the connections are expertly covered in the 15-page illustrated installation guide.

There are two vertical rows of lights behind the amber lens on each mirror - marker lights and turn signals. The marker lights are oriented to direct the bulk of their light out and forward, while the turn signal lights are oriented to direct the bulk of their light to the rear. The turn signal lighting could provide a measure of safety, allowing cars traveling alongside your truck/trailer to clearly see your intentions, should you decide to change lanes. The mirror housing blocks the light from reaching the driver's eyes, so you won't be distracted or annoyed by the lights while driving at night.

While it didn't affect the installation in our 2001 GMC, we discovered while reading the included literature that the TTT mirrors do not currently support the automatic memory mirror adjustment function offered in the 2003-04 model year trucks. Schefenacker recommends that owners refer to their vehicle owner's manual to disable the related memory mirror functions.

A month or more after our installation, we heard from other TTT mirror owners who reported that a whistling noise could be heard while driving with the windows down. Sure enough, these mirrors will produce a noticeable whistling noise at speeds above about 30-40 mph. However, because I never drive with the windows down, we had not detected the whistle earlier. Schefenacker is reported to be working on a fix for the whistle, and the dealer listed below could give you more information.

The Diesel Page has reviewed many products through the years. Each of these reviews were for a product that we believed would satisfy a genuine need, was an excellent value or offered something owners of these GM diesel pickups and Suburbans would appreciate owning. Occasionally, we get our hands on a product that is a real standout, providing value, style and utility well beyond our expectations. The Schefenacker TTT mirrors are just such a product.

TDP