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Old 01-30-2014, 11:10 PM   #18 (permalink)
NeilBlanchard
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Location: Maynard, MA Eaarth
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Mica Blue - '05 Scion xA RS 2.0
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I've been driving with video mirrors on my Scion xA for about four years now, and while they are not perfect, I do not want to go back to optical mirrors.

The main benefit is better fuel economy. And that is because they have lower aerodynamic drag - for two reasons. One is they reduce the frontal area, in my case by about 1 square foot. The second is that the remaining piece is very sleek, so the coefficient of drag is also improved. The resulting lower CdA helps improve the miles per tank.

They function better than optical mirrors in some situations, and not as well in others. Video mirrors are much better in the rain than optical mirrors, mostly because with optical mirrors you have two layers of water droplets, and sometimes fog to look through. Video mirrors only have the occasional water on the lens, when you first get in the car, and a quick wipe with a fingertip is all that is needed. Once you are driving, the water (and snow) stays off the lens, as it is facing backwards.

Video mirrors are also better at dusk, and there are *no* blind spots. I see the side of my car all the way to the bumper of the car that is even with my shoulder. Also, no headlight glare blinding me at night.

The one time that video mirrors are not as good as optical mirrors is in full sunlight, because the cameras get too much light, washing out the image. But you can still see enough to know that something is there or not.

There are other advantages: no need to adjust the mirror for different drivers, and in my case, I installed both monitors (I'm using 7" diagonal LCD's with LED backlighting) right in front of me next to each other. So I just have to look at one place to see virtually everywhere behind and beside me. Usually I can see the vehicle behind me in *both* monitors.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...tml#post398017

http://neilblanchard.blogspot.com/20...-on-my-xa.html

If you have questions - ask away!
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http://neilblanchard.blogspot.com/
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