What a Drag: Time to Get Rid of Outside Mirrors (Car Talk article)

[Giovanni LiCalsi]

I'm using my GoPro for a rear veiw.

[ConnClark]

The problem isn't a technical or economic one, its a legal one. You have to get the bureaucrats to go along with it, then you have to change both federal and state laws.

[P-hack]

I don't think they should die a quick death, but as an option it would be great. You get enough of them on the road and the legislation is moot. Like those bloody blue projector headlights that turn your pupils into a singularity at night...

If it isn't working then that's a ticket, like any rearview. You'd think the commenter is going to burst into flames immediately if his rearview goes out.

[niky]

Originally Posted by elhigh

It appears to be a bit of a theme around iPads, especially following a software upgrade, and iPads are supposed to be some of the highest-quality home electronic devices you can buy.

Even when cracked into dozens of pieces, you can still usually glean a useful image from a mirror.

And my truck is carbureted.

iPads aren't cameras. They're computers with ultra-miniaturized cameras built into them.

Robust digital cameras that don't have tiny sensors and which don't need to be tightly packaged in with other hot electronic items have a decent shelf life, and they cost a lot less. Using a standardized part would make camera replacement painless.

I currently have to pay a few hundred dollars to replace a power-adjustable side mirror after some loon has knocked it off. My GoPro costs less than that, and many high-definition off-the-shelf security cameras cost even less.

And nothing new, nowadays, is carbureted.

[P-hack]

suitable cameras are dirt cheap, as are lcd's to display them. I don't fancy more wiring, but in this case you get a better view of things all around (in a more convenient location) and less drag with minimum outlay (well, conceptually anyway) and minimum current drain. my prius NEEDS a rearview camera, can't see crap behind me.

[basjoos]

In addition to simplicity, mirrors have another advantage over video cameras. With video, the view you get with the camera is all you get. With a mirror you can move your head forward or back and side to side to shift your angle of view relative to the mirror to see objects that just out of view from your usual head position.

[elhigh]

Originally Posted by basjoos

In addition to simplicity, mirrors have another advantage over video cameras. With video, the view you get with the camera is all you get. With a mirror you can move your head forward or back and side to side to shift your angle of view relative to the mirror to see objects that just out of view from your usual head position.

An excellent point, and one that I discovered for myself earlier today. I was backing a vehicle at work, a late model CR-V with the reversing camera. I found it quite useless as the rear view was so distorted and so limited that it lacked context by which I could judge the position of the car.

So I used the mirrors.

[NeilBlanchard]

I've been driving with video mirrors on my Scion xA for about four years now, and while they are not perfect, I do not want to go back to optical mirrors.

The main benefit is better fuel economy. And that is because they have lower aerodynamic drag - for two reasons. One is they reduce the frontal area, in my case by about 1 square foot. The second is that the remaining piece is very sleek, so the coefficient of drag is also improved. The resulting lower CdA helps improve the miles per tank.

They function better than optical mirrors in some situations, and not as well in others. Video mirrors are much better in the rain than optical mirrors, mostly because with optical mirrors you have two layers of water droplets, and sometimes fog to look through. Video mirrors only have the occasional water on the lens, when you first get in the car, and a quick wipe with a fingertip is all that is needed. Once you are driving, the water (and snow) stays off the lens, as it is facing backwards.

Video mirrors are also better at dusk, and there are *no* blind spots. I see the side of my car all the way to the bumper of the car that is even with my shoulder. Also, no headlight glare blinding me at night.

The one time that video mirrors are not as good as optical mirrors is in full sunlight, because the cameras get too much light, washing out the image. But you can still see enough to know that something is there or not.

There are other advantages: no need to adjust the mirror for different drivers, and in my case, I installed both monitors (I'm using 7" diagonal LCD's with LED backlighting) right in front of me next to each other. So I just have to look at one place to see virtually everywhere behind and beside me. Usually I can see the vehicle behind me in *both* monitors.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...tml#post398017

http://neilblanchard.blogspot.com/20...-on-my-xa.html

If you have questions - ask away!

[Cobb]

I had an 06 xa and managed 44 mpg with mirrors. For my insight I wasnt able to pass 100mpg til I removed the passenger side. Up til then I flirted with the mid 90s for some time.

[gone-ot]

In the "whole BIG picture" scenario, mirrors fall WAY behind wheels in drag creation.