Side mirrors

Introduction
Side mirrors are absent from most high efficiency concept vehicles for a reason: they increase both frontal area and the drag coeffecient (Cd or CoD). They are present on most production cars for a very good reason as well.

Many jurisdictions do not require a passenger side mirror, so that is most often the one deleted. This may be conditional however, for instance on whether or not you have a rear view mirror (California).

Some will replace the outside mirrors with smaller mirrors, or more aerodynamically shaped mirrors from similar models or aftermarket manufacturers. Others replace the outside mirror with convex, in-car mirrors or wider rear view mirrors. Cameras and LCD screens are a favourite of the concept car circuit, though they can be a somewhat costly option and they may not be a legal alternative in your locale.

Instructions for mod

File:Mirror nuts.jpg Find the bolts holding on the mirror (most cars this is from the cabin).

Remove the bolts (or nuts) And any wires going to the mirror. Then pull off the mirror. Now you need to make a cover to go over the holes. This can be done by putting bondo over the area, making a metal cover, taping over the holes, making a colorplast over, or other ways as you see fit. The idea is to make a smooth transition from the A piller to the window.

For a more detailed "how to" see each users links in the table below.

User experiences

Please enter your user name and any relevant data in the table

User data
User Name	Car Make, Model, Year	Cost of Mod	Time to Perform Mod	MPG Before Mod	MPG After Mod	MPG improvement	Instruction Link
Weather Spotter	Toyota, Matrix, 2006	$4 (inside mirror & paint)	4 Hours	43.31	44.99	3.72% (ABA)	HOW TO Page
MetroMPG	Ponteac Firefly			55.145	56.51	2.47%	Removed passerger mirror hole covered, driver side mirror folded back Side mirror drag & effect on fuel economy - quantified
Peakster	Geo Metro 1997			36.15	36.96	2.21%	Video: Ditching the Side Mirrors Increases Fuel Economy
Soulster	Kia, Soul, 2010	$0	30 min			With the mirror removed but holes open ABA testing showed a 1.1% increase.	Soulster's side mirror removal saga
Saand	Mazda, 626, 1991	$0	2 Hours
Big Dave	00 F-350 XLT			26.32 MPG	26.99 MPG	2.5% ( or .66 MPG) ABA testing. Mod is swapping OEM telescoping trailer-towing mirrors for smaller OEM paddle mirrors	[Tested: Pickup Truck Mirrors]
cons	04 Ranger	$0	1 min	30 MPG	31 MPG	3.23% (1 MPG) tank to tank testing. Mod is folding in mirror

Problems / Consequences of mod

- Difficulty seeing, creation of blindspots.

- Possible legal implications, In Australia only a single rear vision mirror is required. Most places in the US require two, with one on the drivers side door.

- Extra noise if covers over holes are not perfect.