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Old 01-13-2013, 01:53 PM   #1 (permalink)
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Fashion or functional...?

Never noticed before, but my Fiesta mirrors have these little VGs on them...



Maybe they do something, maybe they don't...
But from what I understand, thy look like they are properly placed...?

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Old 01-13-2013, 02:19 PM   #2 (permalink)
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I'd assume functional, as they look rediculous. Possibly to coerce air towards the void of the mirror surface?
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Old 01-13-2013, 02:23 PM   #3 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nbleak21 View Post
I'd assume functional, as they look rediculous. Possibly to coerce air towards the void of the mirror surface?
My thoughts exactly....
They are pretty low profile to not be hideous...but at the same time, these mirrors are huge!
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Old 01-13-2013, 03:06 PM   #4 (permalink)
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I wonder if it occurs to car companies that there are much lower hanging fruit?
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Old 01-13-2013, 03:08 PM   #5 (permalink)
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Incremental steps...
And all the tiny "touches" adds up to measureable improvements
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Old 01-13-2013, 03:19 PM   #6 (permalink)
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Side mirror VGs
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Old 01-13-2013, 09:47 PM   #7 (permalink)
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I agree, they're probably functional!

On a related note, I asked about the Juke's turn signals... how they stick up, and was told by a Nissan rep that they are actually designed that way to help air go around the side mirrors to be more aerodynamic! Strange little things the automakers do...
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Old 01-14-2013, 12:16 AM   #8 (permalink)
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Having bumps on the front fender is a common trick to kick air around the mirrors.
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Old 01-14-2013, 07:10 PM   #9 (permalink)
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wind noise

The original mirrors probably produced wind noise which was deemed unacceptable for the production car.
The VGs can alter the resonant frequency of a structure,moving it up or downscale out of the range of human hearing.

I don't think it has much bearing on mpg.
Acoustic, anechoic wind tunnels allow manufacturers to address these issues of Noise,Vibration,and Harshness (NVH) which is a standard procedure for modern auto design.
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Old 01-14-2013, 07:20 PM   #10 (permalink)
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Honda added these to the Ridgeline mirrors as well - as Phil says, for wind noise reduction.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...rrors-977.html

Quote:
"We were playing around in the wind tunnel and put some clay on the tops of the mirrors to see what would happen," Keller explained [Ridgeline's assistant large project leader for design]. "The ridges help to hold down wind noise and keep the cabin quieter."

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