There used to be a time when economy cars didn’t always have a passenger side mirror. For example, depending on the market, the CRX HF, which had a remarkable drag coefficient of 0.29, didn’t always come with one. Twenty-one years past the first production of the 2nd-generation CRX, we can’t speculate on Honda’s motivations, but judging by the fact that the low coefficient of drag is prominent in sales pamphlets, we can assume that aerodynamics had something to do with it.
Yesterday, I decided it would be a good time to take a high-tech approach to an old problem. It cost about $90 and took a few hours of my time, but now have a rear view camera in place of the mirror that once graced the side of my car. I hope you enjoy the video.
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First comment!
It’s a nice mod, definitely, but I could see more use for it being the actual rear view mirror, with no passenger side mirror at all.
Thanks for the comment. Once upon a time I had it set up this way, but I decided it would be best to add the camera in case anyone asked, even though I’m not violating any laws,
How does the additional power consumption of the video equipment compare to the fuel usage necessary for pushing the mirror through the air?
The 10 watts or so that it takes to power the screen and camera are minuscule compared to the aero benefits of eliminating the mirror.
The LCD power usage is somewhat akin to a couple of notches one way or the other on your stereo system.
Wow, I never would have even thought of doing this! Can you tell us what kind of change this made in the mileage? By the way, on ecomodder.com what is the feeling about using gallons per hundred miles (GPHM) instead of miles per gallon (MPG) to measure and talk about fuel economy? (reference to GPHM: http://www.mpgillusion.com/ )
The mirror delete is worth a percent or two of fuel economy, so I haven’t quantified it (too much noise to measure the increase accurately).
Also, gphm or l/100km would be better, but it’s not common, so we don’t use it. Me may eventually display them side by side just because. Or offer different display options for different users