Blind spot with frosted door window

[Capeteacher]

Hi all,
I have a Thor Vegas. I travel alone so I don’t have the advantage of having a passenger to help with making turns to the left. When coming out of an exit going to the left the frosted door window creates a blind spot for seeing on coming traffic. It’s a scary situation. Does anyone have a solutions to this problem?

 

[ducksface]

Ours was two panes of glass. A Frosted and a clear.
Frosted was an add on and simply silicone in place.

Remove it.
We did.

If yours is a single pane
Have it replaced.

The clear glass was a monumental improvement.

If, like my spousal unit, you think someone 7' tall is going to peak into the kitchen she is never in when undressed, do as we did and make a pressure fit piece of cardboard or similar.

 

[16ACE27]

Hi all,
I have a Thor Vegas. I travel alone so I don’t have the advantage of having a passenger to help with making turns to the left. When coming out of an exit going to the left the frosted door window creates a blind spot for seeing on coming traffic. It’s a scary situation. Does anyone have a solutions to this problem?

Approach the intersection at more of a 90 degree angle so you can see out the passenger side window.

 

[OldWEB]

Is your Vegas a…..

Most hyway tractors have no extra glass or passenger to assist them, learn how to approach properly.

 

[dkoldman]

This sounds serious, but I assume I may be missing something.

Is the OP saying the passenger window is frosted, or is she saying the door window is frosted?

If it is door window that is frosted isn't that behind the passenger's seat? Even if passenger is in the RV the passenger would have to turnaround?

I am hoping it is not the passenger window, as that would seem to a really bad design by TMC?

Assuming it is the door, I never look out of my side door while driving? Our window is clear, but we have a MCD shade to pull down for privacy.

 

[ghnl]

I assume that post #1 refers to the situation where an intersection is not at the usual 90* angle. The advice in reply #3 is good practice if possible to accomplish. But there are some situations where that is not possible (or it's too late to re-orient the motorhome). Thus the advice to replace the frosted glass with plain clear glass is probably the most useful.

 

[16ACE27]

This sounds serious, but I assume I may be missing something.

Is the OP saying the passenger window is frosted, or is she saying the door window is frosted?

If it is door window that is frosted isn't that behind the passenger's seat? Even if passenger is in the RV the passenger would have to turnaround?

I am hoping it is not the passenger window, as that would seem to a really bad design by TMC?

Assuming it is the door, I never look out of my side door while driving? Our window is clear, but we have a MCD shade to pull down for privacy.

Go back and read the first post again and your question will be answered.

 

[dkoldman]

Go back and read the first post again and your question will be answered.

OMG, I just thought that I was missing something, or maybe typed as not what was really meant. I have never used the side door window when driving. I would think that in the event of an extreme case where it was a hard deep slanted left turn off the freeway DOT would know this and require a Red light for safe passage. But if you are out far enough where side door is the only way to see incoming traffic, you are too far in the intersection.

 

[ghnl]

Here's an example close to our home. When travelling north on Efland-Cedar Grove Rd the intersection with NC 86 is at an acute angle. There is barely enough room to swing wide to get the MH at 90* to the main road for a clear view of oncoming traffic.

 

[ducksface]

The clear window gives advantage if advantage is needed.
It is a tool to use as use is dicated by life, the life that suddenly throws you something out of the norm.
I use it about 3 times in 5days of travel...because I can.
I Consider it as the passenger side rear windows in any rear-seated car. Either a door window or a quarter window. Of course I'm going to look through it as needed/able.

(Like a sweeping left into an unknown five point intersection. It's rare but not unheard of.
My driveway is just like Cedar Grove road in the picture)

 

[dkoldman]

Here's an example close to our home. When travelling north on Efland-Cedar Grove Rd the intersection with NC 86 is at an acute angle. There is barely enough room to swing wide to get the MH at 90* to the main road for a clear view of oncoming traffic.

This is a good picture. Lets assume you are sitting in the driver seat. If you look back to look of the door window, what angle would you say that was? idk, but I will guess 35 - 45 degrees.

Now lets say you stop your RV at the intersection with the acute angle, I will assume stopping on the E & F of the name Efland in the picture. If driver is looking back 40 degrees I don't see how you se incoming traffic?

To be clear, I get that the possible 180 degrees if it were a perfectly squared 90 turns on all sides, but I am just trying to grasp how you see through the side door traffic that is incoming? The cars that you would see, would have be on a straight line of sight from driver seat through that window. In picture shown, I would think it would be hard to see that highway even with clear glass. Again, I am NOT say the normal view is not diminished, it is.

The irony is that at worse, if I had my wife with me, and pulled up to a intersection like this, I may have to ask her to sit up if she had that table out in passenger seat doing something with her laptop.

On a side note, I am just curious.... are there any street signs or lights at that intersection? I couldn't see anything in the picture.

 

[dkoldman]

The clear window gives advantage if advantage is needed.
It is a tool to use as use is dicated by life, the life that suddenly throws you something out of the norm.
I use it about 3 times in 5days of travel...because I can.
I Consider it as the passenger side rear windows in any rear-seated car. Either a door window or a quarter window. Of course I'm going to look through it as needed/able.

(Like a sweeping left into an unknown five point intersection. It's rare but not unheard of.
My driveway is just like Cedar Grove road in the picture)

I am gonna be looking for this, I will take a picture from driver seat if see anything close. I may get a chance to use trig by calculating what that angle or line of sight from my driver chair really is. Maybe in my coach it is more severe than a Vegas so it is hard for me to grasp?

I agree with what was stated above no need for a frosted window anyway. Get the clear glass and you will have if needed.

Below is picture I took straight down the line of sight from my door window about a month ago. it gives some perspective from my coach why I see as a rear looking and it would be hard to use for any inbound traffic unless it was maybe some side parallel road that would some how swing in front of me?

 

[ghnl]

are there any street signs or lights at that intersection? I couldn't see anything in the picture.

No lights, just a Stop sign. Speed limit on NC 86 is 55 mph.

https://www.google.com/maps/@36.215...try=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTEyNC4xIKXMDSoASAFQAw==

 

[16ACE27]

on a side note, i am just curious.... Are there any street signs or lights at that intersection? I couldn't see anything in the picture.

 

[ducksface]

From my driving position I could not see the Approaching laser equipped file cabinet out of my side window or side mirror.


(A file cabinet sneaking up on you is probably worth a parsec or two in the Infinite Probability Drive)(look it up)

 

[dkoldman]

Damn you guys are good. I calculated the rear line of sight to my door window and got 30 degrees, so it is not as steep as my 35-45 degree assumption.

As I looked through that door window while sitting in driver seat, I could not possibly imagine driving with the blind down ( or frosted). Given fact that I have always driven with the shade up, meaning clear view for me, I can honestly say I have never used it. I may have used subliminally, I will stand corrected as it may have value over the long haul.

 

[dkoldman]

From my driving position I could not see the Approaching laser equipped file cabinet out of my side window or side mirror.


(A file cabinet sneaking up on you is probably worth a parsec or two in the Infinite Probability Drive)(look it up)

Now that I see the issue and pursuit of Infinite Probability Drives, here is my recommended solution for you. Since you will be at such a deep angle with the approaching laser equipped file cabinet, couldn't you just temporarily flash your right turn signal until your file cabinet clears your side video camera, and then when road is clear switch to left turn signal and make your turn

 

[ghnl]

On the subject of useless windows (topic change!), why did Thor put a window above the door? So we can see airplanes on final approach before crossing a runway?!?

 

[16ACE27]

On the subject of useless windows (topic change!), why did Thor put a window above the door? So we can see airplanes on final approach before crossing a runway?!?

Because they found an extra one on the shop floor?

No clue what the design engineers were thinking.

 

[dkoldman]

On the subject of useless windows (topic change!), why did Thor put a window above the door? So we can see airplanes on final approach before crossing a runway?!?

While we are talking TMC windows, can I ask how you like the Doggie Door window? We came so close to buying a TMC Hurricane and a Windsport), but that Doggie window was not something my wife liked. We don't have pets any more. We were looking at ways to cover up before we even bought. Two TMC Dealers helped blocked us from buying, so we never got to find out.

Our SOB coach came with what they call PAL, but I believe it was simply a fixture to tie down a pet outside under the awning? If true, and if we had a our pet dog, I would be afraid to tie him down to that PAL on the RV. Rules and laws vary so much it might be illegal in some places? Dogs can't run free, and you can't tie them down; so you must be with them on a leash or have them inside 24/7 We took the PAL off, an we do not have doggie window, nor the air port view (pun intended); so it is no worries for us now.