Fisherguy

The gauges on the pillar don't have a whole lotta affect, the vent visors DO add a little to it though.

It bothered me a bit when I first got the truck but now I'm used to it, it's not like we really can do anything about it, right?

05HDRAM

I'll deal with it, many cars and trucks have them. The new FJ cruiser is horrible. When I get out of the truck and drive a car, I feel like my vision is very limited. Sitting up higher let's you see much more than a standard car.

My guess is the size has to do with safety, to keep it from crushing. Since the metal they use now is thinner, it would have to be larger to provide more support.

Pooter

Its really not that bad, its a pillar, like any other vehicle. In any other car/truck you have to look around it too. Its just part of driving and being a responsible driver.
I really dont think you guys would like a 1/2" wide/thick pillar there instead, if you ever get in an accident

Fisherguy

It's not so much that as the angle of the widshields these days. When they were almost straight up and down the pillars didn't need to be as thick to support the roof of the cab (in case of a roll over?), but now with the windshields at such an angle the pillar needs to be stronger and thicker.

ovrszd

I hate driving a car. I came out of jacked up Jeeps into my Dodge truck. My wife drives an '02 300M (pre gansta model). We took a 250 mile trip in the truck the other day and when we got home she commented on how much more she sees out of the truck versus her lowrider car. I told her to back off, we weren't trading.

The A pillar problem was my first complaint when I started driving my truck. I'm used to it now and take extra precautions.

92'1stGen

Theres a sharp, uphill, "S" curve coming up the road from my house and everyday I have to move my head far to the left, close to the window, so I can see if anyone is coming down the hill. Also, when I make a left out of the end of my subdivision road, I have to strain to the right to look past the passenger side pillar to see if anything is coming.

As another poster said, the vent visor's only exacerbate, (**** SAT's), this problem. I have never encountered it on another vehicle though, all the other A-pillar's of car's I have driven are thin. But it doesn't bother me enough to get something else, it would be a stupid reason if it did.

Ram Daddy

I`ve never owned a veh. with such large a-pillar blind spots.....my vent visors and lift don`t seem to help it much either

Last week , as I was pulling out of work , I just about drove into a guys drivers side door....the funny thing is , he didn`t even flinch ,slow down , speed up....nothing

Scared the out of me though. I looked like I always do , but never even saw him coming. He must have been in the blind spot the entire time. That would have been really hard to live down

Just have to be extra carefull from now on.

redraider2011

the dodge cabs are pretty sturdy! had a gen two gasser that i hit a tree with doing 60, the rear passed the front and i ended up upside down, bad crash but the truck and the good lord kept me safe!

attached is a picture of the truck facing the opposite direction on the road

CrashCade

This is sort of a silly question. The mfg's don't build in a problem. The A pillar has to be there. The pillar by itself isn't all that bad, but then people, including myself, put triple pod pillars in and cause the problem. I don't really like having to look around mine either, but I have become used to it and it doesn't really affect me anymore.

There are solutions to solve the problem the pillar pods cause. Check out the overhead pods or even the column mounts!

Highway 4x4

I wasn't serious there. One reason the blind spot is so big is because the A pillar is not far from our face. I keep my seat back as far as I can to minimize the problem.

Spooler

I have no issues. This blind spot is very very minimal compaired to the one on both sides looking rearward.

_Adam_

That is good to know in case an oak tree runs out in front of me!

In all seriousness, it is good to hear that you came out alive and that the cab is sturdy. I hope that doesn't happen again.

ovrszd

I agreed with your first post. It is definitely a design issue. My Son has a Superduty and it doesn't have this problem. I think the Ford design is a lot better, especially the lower position of the mirror which minimizes A pillar dimensions at dash level.

ovrszd

A friend of mine was hit head-on by a loaded dump truck in a second Generation V10 straight cab truck. The valve covers were almost touching the seat back. Although a person is depending on guardian angels during times like that, I still think the structural strength of his truck saved his life. Tore his heart loose from his chest cavity, but he survived.

Highway 4x4

Want to buy a Smart Car? Saving gas won't mean squat if you're turned into a speed bump on the highway.