As the UK, and Europe's, leading manufacturer of towing mirrors our interest had been focused on how legislation would change the shape and performance of door mounted driving mirrors, and how those changes would affect towing mirrors. In essence there were four major changes to vehicle design we needed to consider. Firstly Vehicle construction and shape was changing so that the car door mirrors have become more aerodynamic. And secondly the springs used to keep the mirror in position have been softened so the vehicle door mirrors will now easily spring back when hit. The third area of change is the flanges for mounting are much thicker due to new vehicle safety regulations. The fourth is that all new cars sold after January 26th 2007 can have additional towing mirrors that project 25 cms beyond the caravan where previously this was 20 cms.
In 2001 we took the decision to design and engineer the ultimate towing mirror. It would conform to all existing and planned future legislation, would have soft curves so as to be pedestrian friendly and would present minimal Aero drag so that the existing car mirror wasn't forced back at higher speeds. It would also be aerodynamically clever to use airflow to stabilise the mirror head. The mirror was also designed to be stable at very high speeds far in excess of the legal limit. (For towing speeds sometimes seen on autobahns) And most importantly it would fit to the new shape and construction of 100% of car door mirrors.
An associated company undertook the initial design using a computer simulation programme as used in F1, Sports Car and MotoGP bike racing as a way of creating aero efficient designs. And just as in F1 when the design had been finalised on the computer it went into the wind tunnel to confirm that the numbers given on the computer were accurate. They were, and in fact exceeded our expectations.
As motor racing engineers would be quick to confirm not everything that works in the wind tunnel works on the track so our next stage was to make a full size prototype, and try it on a range of vehicles. The way the air flows around a vehicle can have an enormous effect on the way the air flows around the towing mirror so we tried our prototype on a wide range of vehicles. This included a motor caravan, a Van, 4 x 4's and most everyday cars including Ford, Vauxhall/Opel, VW, Mercedes, BMW, Audi and Toyota. In every instance the speed at which the drag from the towing mirror started to move the vehicle mirror was massively higher than any speed obtainable when towing. Many thousands of development miles have been driven in a wide range of conditions perfecting this design.
We have tried aluminium alloy, mild steel and stainless steel for the arm, which carries the mirror head. Alloy had the right strength to weight ratio but there were serious problems with flexing. Surprisingly stainless steel and Aluminium caused problems with resonance. We finally developed a unique size of mild steel tube coated in polyester, which gave us the performance properties needed for the ultimate towing mirror.
The clamp assembly screw threads are stainless steel running in brass thread inserts. It isn't the cheapest solution but it is the engineer's best answer to ultra long life and no corrosion.
This is another Milenco first and offers superior performance over previous designs.
On the Aero Mirror, the clamp thumb wheels also are much bigger and the unique shape is easier to grip, therefore easier to turn.
Anyone who has used any existing towing mirror held by a clamping mechanism, can see that the new clamping pads are at least four times larger than those used anywhere else. They also spread the load out better over the vehicle mirror, which means we don't have to use straps. We have also designed the totally new clamping mechanism, so our mirrors will securely clamp to the compound curved shapes of all current vehicle mirrors. Our Aero mirror does not cover or blind any of the existing vehicle's door mirror, which is of course a legal requirement in all EU countries.
What you won't see is that our mirror glass conforms to the latest safety standards which prevents dangerous shards of broken mirror injuring road users in the event of an accident.
It is also the first and currently only towing mirror that is approved to the latest pedestrian safety requirements.
At a time when dangerous towing mirrors are being sold from China, which have not been tested or approved to any standard. You can be sure it is totally legal in all EU member states and has been independently tested by the British Standards Institution in the UK. It's safety, is certified by the Vehicle Certification Agency.
We are completely confident that the new Milenco Aero is the best ever-towing mirror in the world. It will fit every existing vehicle and all popular vehicles dating back 20 years. Our towing mirror will not cause the vehicle's mirror to fold back at any legal towing speeds or in any conditions. It has been designed to fit securely and easily even if your hands are frozen and wet from rain. And finally it is to quality product made to last and last.
|
