Cameras for each tire ???

Post a video of you getting within a 1/2in from a obstacle from your front bumper, right front quarter panel, and rear bumper, then I'll .

 

Without depth perception (you're looking at a 2D screen), it's pretty hard to get that close with a camera, too...

Look, all kidding aside, the camera idea is a cool set of gadgetry, and I commend the innovation and thought that went into it. However, I'd just caution people not to rely on it. I've seen it with backup cameras: people stop looking behind them and rely too much on just the camera. I see many people who literally never turn their head while backing up, and it scares me. My wife even hit a wall while staring at the backup screen because she didn't realize she was *that* close. I use the backup camera on my 4Runner for hooking up the trailer, and maybe 50% while backing up. But I could easily see where people stop looking outside and bury their heads in their screens (why not just play a video game, lol). And yes, I do realize I sound like a grumpy old codger while saying this...

Ultimately, (IMO) it adds cost and complexity to your system, and an additional point of failure. I know plenty of people with overly complicated rigs, mostly because they were sitting around with some some time to kill and wanted to tinker with something. I've certainly done it.

 

I agree with any new technology, we have to balance the cost/complexity / reliance(like only staring at the screen), etc. But since I rarely have someone riding shotgun, my passenger mirror and front bumper camera has been invaluable on the trail.

I like the innovation of the birds eye system, but you don't need a driver side camera, like you said, just look out your window. It's that front passenger corner that is the hardest to place within a half inch of a rock or tree.

Sure it's a few extra wires but if it fails, it doesn't impact anything else. Plus adding two cameras only cost me a total of $50. It's how you use it, I don't always stare at the screen, but I glance to it to spot myself, and continue navigating the trail. Out of all of the mods on my truck, those cameras are actually my favorite and frequently used ones. If my truck didn't come with a backup camera standard, I would never have installed one.

I was grumbling saying people should just know the limits of their vehicles, you don't need a back up camera, but man, once i used it, I realized why they are so popular.

And like you said, you shouldn't just state at the screen, everything in moderation. It sure enhances the trail experience for me, saves me from body damage, and makes my friends freak out when they think I am about to bump something but manage to squeeze by heh heh.

 

I actually don't worry about my passenger side too much, and focus mostly on the driver side. Say you've got 2 trees on either side of the trail and it's a tight fit (another reason the 1st gens are better than the 2nd's, lol). If you get your driver side as close as possible to the tree on the left and you still don't fit, you're not going to fit no matter how many cameras you have on the passenger side.

I think of it kind of like using a calculator. You really have to know how to do the math that the calculator is doing for you in case it fails. If that happens, hopefully you didn't rely so heavily on it that you forgot how to add or subtract (lets be honest, we all use calculators to add/subtract numbers, lol)... Same with the driving, and knowing your corners. The cameras should add to your driving skills, not replace (some of) them.

I guess some of it for me is just the fact that I'm lazy, lol, and the cost/benefit isn't there for me, but I certainly do geek out on the technology part.

 

I hear what you guys are saying but I still am going to at least try it. Being able to see exactly where my tires are going is a big deal when crawling through lava fields, especially if I have no spotter.

But, I'm 8 days away from getting my truck lifted so everything else is on hold until then.