I recently added a Chevy HHR to the "fleet" as my daily driver (the Crossfire is the weekend cruiser), and found that I had the same problem in that car as I do with the Crossfire - to get the pedals to feel comfortable, I must have the seat as far back as it will go in both cars, and this makes the view out the windshield a bit limited at the top. I have to duck down to see the traffic lights. It's a pain in the... well, neck. I'm sure a lot of you taller drivers have this problem, and perhaps not just with the Crossfire.

While cruising the HHR forums, I found mention of this handy little item, the Light-in-Site prism (yes, it's a Mini Cooper website). It's a little oblong triangular-ish piece of plastic prism that sticks to your upper winshield (from the inside) that "bends" the light, allowing you to see things above of your normal line of sight.



They were given a thumbs-up on that forum, so I bought two, one for the HHR and one to try in the Crossfire. I should have them in a week or so, and will post how effective they are after I get them installed.

They also talked about an old-school little triangular bit of plastic with a suction-cup mount, but that didn't sound too attractive to me...

 

Be sure to let us know how they work out for ya.

 

Please do share what you find -
I have the same issue

 

I'd be interested too.

Would sunlight streaming in be a problem?

 

Interesting.... Let us know how it works for you. I'm getting a migrane looking at the photo.

 

That has been asked on the other forum, and it does NOT appear to be an issue. I'm expecting these next week...

 

My condolences.


Nice gadget though.

 

One other thing-where will you put it? There is no space above the Crossfire rear-view mirror.

Straight in front of the driver will limit (for a tall person) straight-ahead view.

 

It goes directly in front of the driver's line of sight, at/near the top of the windshield. No issues with the rear-view mirror. I have the IMPRESSION that the effect on the straight-ahead view will be quite minimal - certainly far, far less than having the sunvisor down. We shall see...

 

Okey-dokey!

Let us know?

 

OK, I got 'em Saturday - pretty quick delivery. I was, I guess, disappointed when I took them out of the envelope - they are about half the size I expected them to be, and not much wider than a US dollar! Well, sez I, the proof is in the trying. I didn't get to the Crossfire, but I did put one in the HHR - they just stick on with a bit of water, like those no-adheasive vinyl stickers - and checked it out during my Monday morning commute.

Hey, it works!

I mounted it about a quarter inch from the top edge of the winshield (but now, I will probably lower it), straight in front of me - in other words, straight up from the steering wheel, NOT in the center of the windshield, or anywhere near the rearview mirror.

Sitting "normally" for me, I can just see about maybe an inch of it showing at the "bottom" of its arc, below the driver's side sunvisor in the "UP" position (which is slightly lower than stowed away, as I stash my sunglasses up there). It's not in my line of sight while driving at all. Pulling up to a traffic light, I see a "minature" display of what was just above and out of my line of sight - hey, I can see tiny traffic lights! If you were worried about sunlight and the "magnifying glass" effect, don't. It actually REDUCES the image, so that's never gonna be an issue.

The bad stuff? Well, it was slightly distracting this morning when I was THINKING about it and something passed by overhead that made an image "rush" along the edge of the prism - it reminds me of dew drops being blown back across the windshield on a wet morning. I'm thinking that after I've driven with it in place for a few days, that will stop catching my eye altogether.

Is this little piece of plastic itself worth $16? No way - It probably costs fifteen cents to produce. BUT! Is WHAT IT DOES worth it? It certainly seems to be a worthwhile accessory, to me - so far! Might be every bit as valuable a "convenience" as those little convex mirrors many people swear by to eliminate blind spots - IF you are a tall driver!

I'll try to take the Crossfire out for a cruise this week and give it a try, but I can't imagine that it wouldn't work just as well in that car - or in ANY car, where overhead visibilty like that is an issue for tall drivers.

 

Thanks for the get-back!

Now, (cheap buggerer that I am) I'll go looking for less-expensive freznel lenses!

 

Thanks for the update.
Think I'll pass.

 

OK, after installing it in the Crossfire, and with about a month of driving with it in the HHR, here's how it has worked for me:

Sundown to sun up, it's da bomb, works great. HOWEVER, in bright sunlight, the fact that it reduces the image so much makes it difficult for these tired ol' eyes to see the color of the traffic light - it's just too small.

Dawn, dusk, or at night, the traffic lights are bright enough to really stand out, and it's easy to see them. In the full light of day, not so much...

They'll stay in my cars, as they are not intrusive at all, and don't really affect the normal line of vision. I don't regret the purchase, because they do work well at night or in low light.

Would a I get another one? For a night cruiser, certainly. For a sunny day commuter, probably not.