It seems simple enough- side mirrors are used to see objects behind and beside your truck or car. But to Katherine Ralston, it's a much bigger game.
That's because the Ford Super Duty lineup consists of some big trucks which require big mirrors to help drivers keep an eye on their surroundings. A big side mirror might pose more challenges than you think. Ralston, the engineer in charge of their development, shares an interesting story.It takes place in Australia. Ralston says "I was driving down the wrong side of a dirt road at 80 kph (50 mph), holding a force gauge attached to the mirror to take wind force measurements while the team in Dearborn (Mich.) was having trouble with the mirrors folding back under wind load."This sort of testing and engineering was required to create a well designed and high quality tow mirror- and the result is quite possibly the best OEM or aftermarket mirror on the road. It's huge- the main mirror measures 7 by 8 inches and a smaller spotter mirror is installed as well. Ralston adds "We were always teased during development of the 2008 Super Duty that we were developing the mirrors that the truck attached to."The mirrors integrate heated glass, clearance lights and turn signals, as well as power folding / power telescoping functionality- the latter two features unavailable in the aftermarket.