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Old 03-16-2012, 04:12 PM   #2 (permalink)
MetroMPG
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: 1000 Islands, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 22,527

Blackfly - '98 Geo Metro
Team Metro
Last 3: 70.09 mpg (US)

MPGiata - '90 Mazda Miata
90 day: 54.46 mpg (US)

Even Fancier Metro - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage top spec
90 day: 70.75 mpg (US)

Appliance car Mirage - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage ES (base)
90 day: 62.14 mpg (US)
Thanks: 4,078
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Conventional side mirrors account for 0.03 of a vehicle's drag coefficient, according to a comment made by one of the engineers on GM's PNGV Precept.

That figure is repeated & quantified at 3-6% of total vehicle drag for a modern car in a report called " Contribution of different devices to the total drag " (PDF). (link is now dead.)

I replaced my Firefly's passenger mirror with a convex inside mirror placed just inside, next to the window glass. I figured removing one mirror was good for 1.5% increase in fuel economy on the Metro/Firefly.

Reflections on side mirrors: testing drag vs. MPG - MetroMPG.com

Like many individual mods, it's too small an improvement to detect outside of normal tank-to-tank variability, but it's real.
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Project MPGiata! Mods for getting 50+ MPG from a 1990 Miata
Honda mods: Ecomodding my $800 Honda Fit 5-speed beater
Mitsu mods: 70 MPG in my ecomodded, dirt cheap, 3-cylinder Mirage.
Ecodriving test: Manual vs. automatic transmission MPG showdown



EcoModder
has launched a forum for the efficient new Mitsubishi Mirage
www.MetroMPG.com - fuel efficiency info for Geo Metro owners
www.ForkenSwift.com - electric car conversion on a beer budget
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