Interior Side Veiw Mirrors??

[Sven7]

I generally don't trust any of my mirrors because my summer daily (81 VW convertible) has giant blind spots when the top is down, which is basically all the time.

For the Probe I got a $4 convex bicycle mirror from Target and stuck it to the interior rear view. It worked fine until the adhesive let go. I plan on getting full width race mirrors for both cars. On the outside I carefully taped over it with black duct tape, from the bottom first, working upward so water doesn't get in. It looks fine from a few feet away and most people don't even notice it.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by ryan5895

How much of a reduction in drag might I be looking at here? Basically, would it be worth it to do it?

I have only one article which deals specifically with side mirrors.And I don't have it with me.It's from HOT ROD Magazine from the early 1960s and they are referring to data supplied from Ford Motor Co.
If memory serves me,they said that removing a side-view mirror would save 3 cents over 100 miles of driving (at a time when gasoline was 25-cents/gallon).
I'll dig out the article and verify the numbers.I no longer trust my memory.

[Vman455]

Originally Posted by SentraSE-R

OP, see this thread.

I used these same mirrors, from Autozone for $5 or so. I found they sagged after a while, so I epoxied the mount where it swivels at its base, but otherwise they're fantastic. If your stock mirrors were adjusted correctly (i.e. aimed at your blind spot, not the back of the car) you should find it quite easy to transition to the interior mirrors. It's pretty easy to aim them so you see 95% what you did with the stock mirrors.

Originally Posted by 3n3rgystar

I used bondo sanded it and painted over it with a can of black to match the rest of the trim. But the carbon fiber would look cool I think.

I did it this way, too. See this thread.

[Sven7]

Originally Posted by aerohead

I have only one article which deals specifically with side mirrors.And I don't have it with me.It's from HOT ROD Magazine from the early 1960s and they are referring to data supplied from Ford Motor Co.
If memory serves me,they said that removing a side-view mirror would save 3 cents over 100 miles of driving (at a time when gasoline was 25-cents/gallon).
I'll dig out the article and verify the numbers.I no longer trust my memory.

Mirror design has come a long way in that time as well. I think from the late 80's on, companies have started tuning them in wind tunnels for efficiency.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by Sven7

Mirror design has come a long way in that time as well. I think from the late 80's on, companies have started tuning them in wind tunnels for efficiency.

yeah,at least Ford has claimed zero-impact for some of theirs.

[aerohead]

I found the article.It's from 1962.
Ford claimed that the outside rear view mirror increased fuel consumption by 0.05 mpg.It's drag was 1-lb at 65 mph,and over 1,000 miles would cost an additional 7-cents in fuel.
yep! my memory sucks!

[NeilBlanchard]

I swear I saw a setup years ago that had convex bumps in the side windows and they nestled the mirrors on the inside -- these would stay dry and give you a good viewing angle. That part of the window would have to be fixed, obviously.

[oil pan 4]

Side mirror delete:
Side mirrors - EcoModder
2.5% fuel economy boost average for 6 drivers.

[kach22i]

On many aircraft (like jet fighters), the mirrors are inside of the canopy, but I thought that was illegal on cars. At least on the driver's side.

[ryan5895]

Well, if aerohead's numbers from his article are correct, even at todays fuel prices you would only save about $40 over the entire life of your vehicle.

I had it typed up all nice and then it got deleted....

So, basically save your time, effort, and the appearance of your vehicle and leave your side mirrors attached.