What Do You Use Your Trail Sights For?

[prospectfour]

Heavily considering these, but my boat fishing rods are a bit too short to warrant them...

Yeah if you have 7ft rods, just tossing them in the back is fine. These are nice for the longer surf rods, the angle they’re mounted lets you get through all the highway underpasses as well.

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[GroovyGeek]

The "trail sights" have a purpose (hence the name). They are not just an aesthetic design point, even though some owners choose to delete them, which is their prerogative.

Speaking only for myself, on my vehicle, the forward-facing cameras under the side mirrors provide a great, visible reference for the outside edges of my Sasquatch tires, but the inside edges are not visible from the driver's seat. However, I know from experience that the trail sights are directly above the inside edges of my tires, so I use them as reference points when traversing rocky terrain. Just an inch or two off on an approach line can make a difference between passing over an obstacle or slicing a tire. Visible reference points are helpful.

In my case, I also use the trail sights as an attachment point for limb risers, which are handy on the narrow, overgrown trails in the Ozark National Forest (hence my short video clip).

Obviously, YMMV.

Thank you for the response. I am sure that the placement of the trail sights is as you describe, but I am questioning their utility for tire placement.

When I drive on the road and place the lane divider line in the crease of the hood to the right of the driver trailsisht the lane divider is about half a foot outside of the driver side tires. The line on the passenger side needs to be in the middle of the hood for similar placement of the passenger side tires.

If I want to place either set of tires on the respective lines I need to do so relative to features of the hood, and the trail sights play no role. Tor line of sight needs to be in line with the trail sights for them to play any role.

What am I missing?

 

[Rydfree]

Got rid of mine. No plans to ever use them and I think it looks better.

To me that just looks like something was supposed to be there and now isn't. The crooked front edge that doesn't even match the hood to fender line really bugs me ,lol

 

[Razorbak86]

Thank you for the response. I am sure that the placement of the trail sights is as you describe, but I am questioning their utility for tire placement.

When I drive on the road and place the lane divider line in the crease of the hood to the right of the driver trailsisht the lane divider is about half a foot outside of the driver side tires. The line on the passenger side needs to be in the middle of the hood for similar placement of the passenger side tires.

If I want to place either set of tires on the respective lines I need to do so relative to features of the hood, and the trail sights play no role. Tor line of sight needs to be in line with the trail sights for them to play any role.

What am I missing?

What you are missing is the adjective… trail… in front of the noun… sight.

You are attempting to use them for on-road lane-keeping at speed. That’s not their design purpose.

 

[GroovyGeek]

What you are missing is the adjective… trail… in front of the noun… sight.

You are attempting to use them for on-road lane-keeping at speed. That’s not their design purpose.

I am not attempting to use them on road, just described the spatial relationship between the driver's line of sight and the placement of the trail sights. Any 1-2 ft tall rock is obstructed by the hood when ~15ft away from the bumper. Using the trail sights for tire placement requires choosing the line 15 ft away from the obstacle, so I struggle to understand how they can be used for tire placement unless they are meant for very large rocks. I am assuming that this is user error on my part.

 

[Razorbak86]

I am not attempting to use them on road, just described the spatial relationship between the driver's line of sight and the placement of the trail sights. Any 1-2 ft tall rock is obstructed by the hood when ~15ft away from the bumper. Using the trail sights for tire placement requires choosing the line 15 ft away from the obstacle, so I struggle to understand how they can be used for tire placement unless they are meant for very large rocks. I am assuming that this is user error on my part.

I don’t think the trail sights are intended to be used like rifle sights as semi-horizontal lines of sight projecting forward from the driver’s eye and the corner of the hood to the obstacle.

They are intended to be used as vertical visual references of the location of the inside of the front tires… to avoid obstacles underneath the vehicle that are not visible from the driver’s seat.

 

[GroovyGeek]

ImThey are intended to be used as vertical visual references of the location of the inside of the front tires… to avoid obstacles underneath the vehicle that are not visible from the driver’s seat.

Thanks, kind of makes sense. Except that if the obstacles are not visible from the driver's seat what good is that reference? Perhaps they make sense with the 360 cameras where you can see where the outside of the tire is.

I am still baffled by Ford's choice not to offer 360 cameras except at the very high trims. Leather seats, power seats, heated seats, back massagers, perfume spritzes, anal probes... sure, reserve them for those that have money to burn. But if you are allowing diff lockers as an option on the BB it is dumb not to allow the 360 cameras. You are not going to induce a BB customer to go to a BL+LUX no matter how hard you try, you might as well make incremental profit from things they do want to pay for.

 

[MEAT_GOD]

Thanks, kind of makes sense. Except that if the obstacles are not visible from the driver's seat what good is that reference?

Short-term memory allows you to remember what the obstacles underneath you are, and you can use your imagination to think about where those obstacles would be.

I am still baffled by Ford's choice not to offer 360 cameras except at the very high trims. Leather seats, power seats, heated seats, back massagers, perfume spritzes, anal probes... sure, reserve them for those that have money to burn. But if you are allowing diff lockers as an option on the BB it is dumb not to allow the 360 cameras. You are not going to induce a BB customer to go to a BL+LUX no matter how hard you try, you might as well make incremental profit from things they do want to pay for.

Not everybody needs 360 cameras. It's just a luxury and not really necessary for a car with visibility as good as the Bronco's. If you actually plan on taking your Bronco off-roading where you'd need the 360 cameras, then if you absolutely must see what's ahead of you, then you can just... walk out and go check for yourself.

 

[GroovyGeek]

Not everybody needs 360 cameras. It's just a luxury and not really necessary for a car with visibility as good as the Bronco's.

I actually find the visibility of the Bronco quite poor relative to the Wrangler. That long hood does not help. And neither does the extra width. On the Wrangle I could stick my head out the driver window and have quite clear view of the side of the vehicle. Not so with the Bronco, and I am not short. I was not advocating for it to be a standard item, but I see no reason for it not to be an option - expensive if need be.

If you actually plan on taking your Bronco off-roading where you'd need the 360 cameras, then if you absolutely must see what's ahead of you, then you can just... walk out and go check for yourself.

Not if you are alone and in a tight spot where a few inches make the difference between denting a rocker panel or not. Sure, you can drive two inches, go out and take a look, then another two inches.

 

[MEAT_GOD]

I was not advocating for it to be a standard item, but I see no reason for it not to be an option - expensive if need be.

Yeah, this makes sense. A lot of the things on the Bronco should be options instead of part of packages, but that's how modern automotive greed works unfortunately.

 

[Figmo]

I am still baffled by Ford's choice not to offer 360 cameras except at the very high trims

Meh. By the time the lawyers were done with this it is virtually worthless except when rock crawling.

In fact, just about ALL the tech on a Bronco has one or more limitations on it that render it anywhere from less useful to useless.

 

[CalvinT]

Thank you for the response. I am sure that the placement of the trail sights is as you describe, but I am questioning their utility for tire placement.

When I drive on the road and place the lane divider line in the crease of the hood to the right of the driver trailsisht the lane divider is about half a foot outside of the driver side tires. The line on the passenger side needs to be in the middle of the hood for similar placement of the passenger side tires.

If I want to place either set of tires on the respective lines I need to do so relative to features of the hood, and the trail sights play no role. Tor line of sight needs to be in line with the trail sights for them to play any role.

What am I missing?

I agree with you. I don't think you're missing anything.

I don't see how they're useful for tire placement. Years ago I had a Z-28, I had no trouble running over a can or cup in a parking lot with a right or left tire and I couldn't see the front of the hood. It's just a matter or knowing where your tires are in relation to your hood line. That comes from practice.

I don't think they're useful as "sights" because of parallax. When I first saw them on a Bronco, I thought they were intended to be a tie down. I still think that's their best use. I think they were named by the marketing department.

 

[stampede1]

Short-term memory allows you to remember what the obstacles underneath you are, and you can use your imagination to think about where those obstacles would be.



Not everybody needs 360 cameras. It's just a luxury and not really necessary for a car with visibility as good as the Bronco's. If you actually plan on taking your Bronco off-roading where you'd need the 360 cameras, then if you absolutely must see what's ahead of you, then you can just... walk out and go check for yourself.

Unless you are proceeding at speed covering lots of terrain reeaally quickly.

 

[CalvinT]

If you actually plan on taking your Bronco off-roading where you'd need the 360 cameras, then if you absolutely must see what's ahead of you, then you can just... walk out and go check for yourself.

That's what I've always done.

 

[orion]

Meh. By the time the lawyers were done with this it is virtually worthless except when rock crawling.

In fact, just about ALL the tech on a Bronco has one or more limitations on it that render it anywhere from less useful to useless.

I don't know why they can't be used as dash cams like Tesla cams???

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