Suggestions re Preventing Curb Scuff... Sensor, Camera?

C

Cdn17Sport6MT

Joined
Sep 30, 2017
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Location
Vancouver, BC Canada
Do folks have any suggestions re putting in place some kind of curb sensor or camera... not for the front or rear of the car... but for the tires/wheels (i.e. for the side of the car)? To be sure, here, NO, I don't rash my alloy wheels. But I also have an interest in not rashing the car's sidewalls either. I can imagine that a fairly durable camera, with a small F-stop (???) / narrow field of focus that is focused centred at the rear wheel location would allow the driver to see just how close the wheel is to the curb...? Durability of same, though?

No, I will not put on curb feelers 🙁...

What about an ultrasonic device, laterally aimed, that (similar to a rear bumper sensor) beeps with increasing frequency 'til it goes "solid" at a setable distance? Accurate enough?

Any ideas out there?
 
No expert here. Most cars have a backup camera. Couldn't a person mount another camera (don't know where, maybe on the right mirror? ) that shows side of car. Then have a two position switch with both camera feeds. Gunna park, flip the switch. You "know" there is a 4th grader out there that probably has it on his electric Monster Truck as we speak.🛻
 
Cdn17Sport6MT said:
Do folks have any suggestions re putting in place some kind of curb sensor or camera... not for the front or rear of the car... but for the tires/wheels (i.e. for the side of the car)? To be sure, here, NO, I don't rash my alloy wheels. But I also have an interest in not rashing the car's sidewalls either. I can imagine that a fairly durable camera, with a small F-stop (???) / narrow field of focus that is focused centred at the rear wheel location would allow the driver to see just how close the wheel is to the curb...? Durability of same, though?

No, I will not put on curb feelers 🙁...

What about an ultrasonic device, laterally aimed, that (similar to a rear bumper sensor) beeps with increasing frequency 'til it goes "solid" at a setable distance? Accurate enough?

Any ideas out there?
Click to expand...
newatlas.com

SmartRim takes sideways approach to preventing wheel damage

Few driving noises can be as deflating as that of a car wheel scraping against the curb when parking. It means you've misjudged your distance from the sidewalk and inflicted some ugly and potentially expensive damage on your wheel. The SmartRim is a device aimed making this a thing of the past.
newatlas.com newatlas.com
 

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Honestly don't see the need for this type of thing and simply be more mindful of your driving/parking. It's unbelievable how many rely on backup cameras instead of actually looking in mirrors, over shoulders, etc. Yes cameras can be helpful for some instances, but humans are becoming lazier/more relaxed by the day, lmao.
 
I just use the mirrors on the car. My Mercedes has a feature where when you go into reverse, you can have the passenger side mirror dip down so you can see your back wheel and how close you are to the curb. I actually have memory seats which also memorizes the power mirror settings. So I set up the 3rd position so that the mirrors are dipped down and then I switch back to the 1st position afterwards on one car that doesn't have that feature. For the driver's side you can just open the door to see how close you are. Haven't curbed a wheel in years.
 
Can’t you just lower your mirror and aim it at the rear tire? Many cars do this automatically when shifted into reverse. Alternative is to practice parallel parking a lot. I grew up street parking in NYC, people are amazed at my ability to parallel park without using cameras or hitting things, I’m not Fernando Alonso, just practiced a lot.
 
Hey, I'm 'real good at parallel parking, with 42 yrs of practice... and besides the practice I'm a 'real good driver. I grew up and live in Vancouver where the curbs are not pseudo-curbs (i.e. drainage troughs)... and I'm darned good at single-swoop 6" away from the curb parallel parking... BUT I have several sizes of car, and like I said at the outset, on my good car I generally don't want to scrub the sidewalls (there is absolutely no issue with the alloy rims). Just trying to see if there's some technology that can assist...

As for, generally, techno-aids... I never even look at my backup up camera... and the car is a base model/"stripper"...
 
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Wife’s Suburban has cameras in the mirrors with views to see the front or rear tires. It really gives you a great look at the curbs, if you use them! She’s got the Z71 so the sidewalls are decent size compared to her old Denali but I’m sure she’ll manage to scrape them at some point. The local Dunkin drive through has a pretty tight turn for longer wheelbase vehicles and she frequents it! Just a matter of time. Not sure how an aftermarket solution would work.
 
Spyderman24_7 said:
Honestly don't see the need for this type of thing and simply be more mindful of your driving/parking. It's unbelievable how many rely on backup cameras instead of actually looking in mirrors, over shoulders, etc. Yes cameras can be helpful for some instances, but humans are becoming lazier/more relaxed by the day, lmao.
Click to expand...
^^^^ this is why my 20 & 18 year old sons learned on a 2005 Jeep GC Laredo when they started driving! No bells and whistles. You have to be aware of your surroundings. Funny thing is they both back in to parking spots. No back up camera.

I drive a 2012 Ram with only a backup camera and pull a 36’ trailer. No bells and whistles on it either. The camera is nice for positioning the ball to the hitch but like my kids always back in to park.
just my $0.02
 
Cdn17Sport6MT said:
As for, generally, techno-aids... I never even look at my backup up camera... and the car is a base model/"stripper"...
Click to expand...

If you don’t look at your backup camera then chances are you won’t look at the tire cameras either.

Curb feelers and mirror stick ons that show you the rear tires.

The ideal solution would be a Birdseye camera. Then again……
 
Most people here COMPLAIN about the nanny systems car makers are putting in cars now a days and how they never want to use them. This poster wants to ADD one. Maybe improve on your driving skills? I'm still waiting for an add-on AUTOSTOP kit to come on the market.
 
Set up rubber cones in a parking lot with broom sticks sticking out of them. practice parking against them so that the stick moves but does not fall. I had an amazing drivers Ed teacher. Those sticks will want to fall. When you can park against them, tipping the sticks but them not falling, you will know precisely where the boundaries of your car are.
 
I'm flummoxed by some of the dumb-*ass comments; yes, thank you for taking the time to comment, but please review prior posts to see if you're making sense with your post! No, I don't need further instruction to better parallel-park; I'm ****-good at it! If I'm asking if such a technology exists and who is using it, maybe, just maybe, if I install it I'd use it! No, I often forget to view the rearwards camera... maybe because I DO back-up into most parking spaces using my side mirrors (where a drive thru, i.e. the safest alternative, is not available)... When you back-up into a space, your forwards-view of what you're backing-in to immediately prior to backing is what makes this safest (perhaps with the possible exception of a harem-scarem shopping mall that is nearing parking capacity!) Backing-up into a parking spot is statistically proven to be safer than driving-in, backing-out

No, I don't want curb feelers... Though they'd probably work best, sorry, the "look" just won't do.

At the outset I said I don't want to scuff my sidewalls... but the perhaps-not-obvious-to-some-of-you related statement is YES I want to park close to the curb!
 
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Cdn17Sport6MT said:
I'm flummoxed by some of the dumb-*ass comments; yes, thank you for taking the time to comment, but please review prior posts to see if you're making sense with your post! No, I don't need further instruction to better parallel-park; I'm ****-good at it! If I'm asking if such a technology exists and who is using it, maybe, just maybe, if I install it I'd use it! No, I often forget to view the rearwards camera... maybe because I DO back-up into most parking spaces using my side mirrors (where a drive thru, i.e. the safest alternative, is not available)... When you back-up into a space, your forwards-view of what you're backing-in to immediately prior to backing is what makes this safest (perhaps with the possible exception of a harem-scarem shopping mall that is nearing parking capacity!) Backing up into a parking spot is statistically proven to be safer than driving-in, backing-out

No, I don't want curb feelers... Though they'd probably work best, sorry, the "look" just won't do.

At the outset I said I don't want to scuff my sidewalls... but the perhaps-not-obvious-to-some-of-you related statement is YES I want to park close to the curb!
Click to expand...
So what about my suggesting to aim the passenger mirror at the rear tire?
 
Not all of the comments were dumb. Good, but I am loath to over-use it... and having to set it up again for safe side-view. That's just me. Many such systems are set up that way.
 
Meep. Your comment was not an unreasonable one; why did you edit/remove it?

No, I don't want to park exactly a gnat's eyebrow's width close-to but not contacting the curb... but I want to be close... I think the notion of possibly mounting a camera on the passenger mirror housing, and as another poster suggested, having the OEM back-up camera two-way switchable with the mirror-mount camera might be the ticket. I didn't know Tahoe's and the like had that feature. Thx.
 
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