Over the last couple of months, I’ve been testing the MiVUE 860 DC TYRE from Navman. This is Navman’s top of the range dash cam, plus it has the ability to also measure tyre pressures on the run. It has two cameras, once facing forward the other backwards. So, in terms of having all angles covered, it pretty much fulfils that role.
Both cameras are 1080p Full HD with a viewing angle of 130-degrees for the rear, while the front offers 140-degrees. It has WiFi capabilities that allow you to view video footage, share via email or on social media sites, think “Dash Cams Australia”. This is done via the free MiVUE Pro App via your smartphone. There’s also a microSD card slot, although you’ll need to purchase that separately.
The front camera is very small, being a 2.7-inch LCD touchscreen. What I found interesting about this product is the two major selling points – the tyre pressure monitoring and some of the driver assist assistance alerts. This kind of tech is already found in many modern cars, but it can be useful on older cars such at our 2010 Toyota Camry Hybrid.
The only thing I’ll say is that it pays to be very careful during the whole calibration side of things. Especially lane keep assist, this was the one area my wife started to get tired of due to the constant unwarranted alerts. You can adjust for city driving or country driving, but we never really nailed it.
The tyre pressure monitoring will detect all four tyre sensors automatically after installation wirelessly. This involves physically screwing on four battery powered sensors to each tyre valve. The sensors come with an anti-theft ring to prevent someone nicking them.
Installation of the whole set up does involve a lot of cable, with 7 metres worth needed to be concealed to connect the front camera to the rear. So careful attention needs to be paid to pulling back window trim, door trim and C-pillar lining to make it all look ok.
I see this device handy for older style vehicles, or the great nomad brigade. To be honest I’m not sure I like running all that cable through the cabin, plus much of the technology comes as standard on many cars these days. The Navman MiVUE 860 DC Tyre is available for $599.
Web: navman.com.au
