External Mirror Removal (with tuft testing)

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by 67-ls1

I just wonder how such minute changes translate to mpg’s.

There is no magic bullet. But many small changes = magic buckshot.

In 2006 (wow, that's a lont time ago!) I did A-B-A-B testing on my 1.0L Firefly (Chev Metro) and this is what I saw:



Testing details here:

Reflections on side mirrors: testing drag vs. MPG

[Blacktree]

Originally Posted by aerohead

I'm a big ' safety first' advocate, and personally, will suffer higher drag for the sake of good situational awareness.

Same here. I like to improve my car's fuel economy, but not at the risk of wrecking the car. IMO that's a false economy. If you do a lot of city driving, backing in & out of parking spots, etc then having usable side mirrors is a must.

That said, I'm currently testing motorcycle mirrors on the Prius. They're about half the size of the stock mirrors. So the drag reduction should be similar to deleting one of the stock mirrors. But I won't lose a mirror. IMO that's the best compromise between drag reduction and safety, for my driving conditions.

[Vman455]

Originally Posted by Blacktree

That said, I'm currently testing motorcycle mirrors on the Prius. They're about half the size of the stock mirrors. So the drag reduction should be similar to deleting one of the stock mirrors. But I won't lose a mirror. IMO that's the best compromise between drag reduction and safety, for my driving conditions.

A test such as this one would be interesting, to see just what the difference in drag between the two mirrors is. (Just because it's half the size doesn't mean it's half the drag).

[MetroMPG]

Clever.

[Snax]

Fortunately, here in Oregon, the code is relatively open:

"(2) A rearview mirror or device only
meets the requirements of this section if it
enables the driver of the vehicle to have
such a clear and unobstructed view of the
rear at all times and under all conditions of
load as will enable the driver to see any
other vehicle approaching from not less than
200 feet in the rear on an unobstructed road."

I can't reliably measure how much of an impact it has had on my i3 to remove the exterior mirrors without driving 1000s of miles, but aside from an absurdly wide 110 degree view on each side, the camera pods I installed work well for me. They eliminate the blind spots of the interior BS mirrors, and stupidity would be my only excuse for curb rash or cutting in front of a bicyclist now.

I have the STL for the fender mounted camera housings posted here.

[Vman455]

Originally Posted by Snax

I have the STL for the fender mounted camera housings posted here.

Those look really good!

I've got my interior mirrors angled so as soon as a car or cyclist moves out of view of the center mirror, it shows up in the side mirror. As a cyclist myself, I think I'm more cognizant than the average driver--having dealt with so many stupid drivers in the past (including being hit by someone failing to yield the right of way).

[Snax]

The biggest issue I found with BS mirrors was when parallel parked with another vehicle behind. There simply is no seeing past it without pulling out a bit. Not a big deal mostly, but requires extra caution.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Vman455

I've got my interior mirrors angled so as soon as a car or cyclist moves out of view of the center mirror, it shows up in the side mirror.

Some cyclists, mostly the so-called "bicycle activists", lack the common sense and seem to expect every driver out there to predict everything, even while they come from a blind spot acting as if they owned the road.

[tel]

what about lowering the mirrors to just below the window and adding transparent fairing to the mirror side?

[freebeard]

That might not work for the offside mirror.

Alternates would be on the front fenders, peep mirrors or those bus mirrors on stalks. Anything to get away from the A-pillars.