Which mirror has better aero

[Piotrsko]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Sometimes what could be the best aerodynamically-wise ends up being a PITA when it comes to practicality of its fitment.

Not sure if there's enough drag difference to measure unless they like totally mess up the side flow. 1% improvement or degradation gets lost n the data signal

[MeteorGray]

Yeah, Edgar has said that when he tests modifications or devices to improve aerodynamics on a car, he's looking for at least more than a 1% drag reduction, and preferably at least 2% or more before he considers it worthwhile for implementation and further testing. At such small levels of improvement, it's darn hard to separate the noise from the signal due to all the potential misleading influencers like wind, grade, inadequate testing instrument sensitivities, etc and etc.

But the fact is, we're often faced with eking out small gains if we're going to make improvements in fuel economy from some starting base, but even a few ones and twos can add up to fives and tens and more, eventually.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by MeteorGray

we're often faced with eking out small gains if we're going to make improvements in fuel economy from some starting base, but even a few ones and twos can add up to fives and tens and more, eventually

Most people are often looking for a "miracle", instead of looking for any minor improvements which could lead to an overall better result.

[AeroMcAeroFace]

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

Not sure if there's enough drag difference to measure unless they like totally mess up the side flow. 1% improvement or degradation gets lost n the data signal

https://metrompg.com/posts/mirrors.htm

The paper referenced there claims 3-6% as a result of mirror drag, so remove both mirrors and you will get 3-6% lower total drag.

If you are looking for 2% for a mod to be worthwhile and your mirrors are 3% of total drag, that means that you need a mirror that has one third the CdA of the baseline mirror.

Testing mirrors on a car is virtually impossible. Unless the car is very low drag to begin with.