Quote:
Originally Posted by Gasoline Fumes
Anybody see this?
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I saw it!
They wanted a contribution from a "fuel economy obsessive" for the piece. (Though I prefer the term "fuel economy
enthusiast".)
I was a little surprised at the lack of understanding about aerodynamics in the comments. I guess I shouldn't be.
Several people simply dismiss the aero impact of mirrors, despite the evidence. Several more say "the automakers could make mirrors less draggy if they wanted to". Right. And they haven't been trying?
The more aero optimized the rest of the vehicle is, the larger the relative impact that mirrors have on fuel consumption. "Standard" mirrors on a VW XL1 would probably account for more than 10% of its energy consumption at highway speeds.