These are fairly beefy mirrors. They look tough, and they take a pretty good beating.I smacked one pretty well a few weeks ago, and I was sure it was going to be broken, but I was able to just spin it back into place, and re-adjust it, and all was well.I'd recommend bringing the little adjustment key with you for the first couple of rides, as what I thought was "tight enough" turned out to be loose enough for them to rattle out of place.You do not want to strip the screw, or break the mount, so don't over-do it... In My opinion, the optimal installation will allow them to remain in place without movement under normal operation, but also allow them to not snap off if you hit a branch, or scuff a tree.I've seen people drive a screw through them to secure them to the frame, but this pretty much ensures that it's going to break if you hit something.We drive these things like we stole them, so any accessories I add on, I'll usually leave a little "wiggle room" for those "oopsie" moments.I never really noticed that I needed them, until I got wise and started wearing a helmet, because I know someone who got a pretty nasty head injury. Yes, helmets are bulky, and they are hot in the summer, and all that, but you only get one brain. Use it, and wear a darn helmet!Because a helmet makes it harder to spin your head around and look behind you to make sure your amigos haven't fallen off the trail, having side mirrors is awesome! You can keep your eyes on the trail, check your six, and keep everybody safe.If you have one of those buddies who likes to ride your rear bumper, this will also allow you to keep from stopping too suddenly, and causing a collision.If you don't have side mirrors on your UTV, get them! (and a helmet!)