Quote:
Originally Posted by benphyr
So on my Odyssey which has large flat mirrors (almost like a pickup truck's) and which fold inwards rotating on a vertical pin it would actually be better aerodynamically to fold them horizontally? The folded frontal area would be exactly the same but the proportion that is right near the body of the van would be less and the proportion further away would be greater. (All other things being equal, etc.)  And does it matter if they are directly on the A-pillar?
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I don't think all the research has been done yet to say for sure.
*For a horizontal mounting,some successful lower drag cars used mirrors which were relatively wide for the height and moved away from the body.
Here is Volvo's Environmental Concept Car mirrors.They would be a benchmark for a horizontal mount mirror
http://image.motortrend.com/f/wot/vo...ee-quarter.jpg
*On you Honda,if you fold them vertically,your reducing frontal area but moving the mirror into faster air which seems to be a no-no.
*If you fold them horizontally,you maintain the same velocity profile around them,but the strut which attaches them is still in fast air causing high interference.
*For 'vertically' mounted mirrors,they're also moving the mirror away from the body into slower air,like Stingray.And the mounting strut may be more like a streamlined strut.
For lowest drag,the mounting strut would want a profile like the center strut in the following table,and you'd want to blend it into the 'wall' with a fillet to kill hook-vortice formation there.
