s2kshepard

Anyone ever remove their side mirrors? Seems like good aero/ weight savings, and NASA TT4 rules don't seem to require them. Was thinking about getting one of those super wide interior mirrors. I think mirrors are terrible aero. Any experiences?

I hear they're hell to remove.

dc2-2-ap1

They are fairly easy to remove, only takes a few minutes. Wide mirror won't do much seeing as the mirror will sit lower than the top of the seats, so you still have massive blind spots. Mirrors are a safety item both for passing and being passed. I don't think removing them would be wise. There is a reason pretty much every professional race car still utilizes them.

robrob

I removed mine and regretted it. They're really not sticking out into the windstream as much as you'd think because of wind spilling off of the windshield laterally.

DavidNJ

It is virtually inconceivable that removing the rear view mirrors could reduce the drag by a measurable amount. The drag on the car is too high, The speeds too low. The level of competition to light. If this was a spec class on a high-speed track (e.g., NASCAR on a restrictor plate superspeedway) it could make a difference.

Effect of Size and Shape of Side Mirrors on the Drag of a Personal Vehicle · December 2016
Conference: International Engineering Research Conference (7th eureca), At Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

https://www.researchgate.net/profile...ication_detail

Far more important is seeing the cars around you. Knowing there is no one next to you lets you drive harder. The less time needed to understand the traffic around you leaves more time to focus on going faster.

s2000Junky

Get some lightweight manual apr mirrors.

DavidNJ

There is an argument that a larger mirror with a convex lens is better for racing because it provides a bigger field of view. This company makes mirrors for that application, the APR GT3 would be similar. Race Mirrors: Big Gets Very Good

Other than increasing the driver's field of view to the sides and rear, there are maybe 10,000 things that could be done that would have more impact on fun, lap times, and safety.

In the book/movie Failsafe an equipment failure (an unnoticed blown vacuum tube) sends six B-58 bombers to attack the Soviet Union. After some discussion, the Soviets are shown how to defeat the electronic countermeasures (1960 countermeasures) and they shoot down 4 of the bombers. The 5th plane is the countermeasures plane and they go after that. The Americans plead for them to leave it alone...it is unarmed and sending the fighters there will let the last bomber through. They shoot down the countermeasures plane, then the Soviet commanding general realizes he's doomed Moscow and collapses. If only had focused on a faster exit entering the main straight instead of working on his mirrors.

roel03

Mirrors make a sizeable difference, but not on our cars. They have a big effect on car with corner hood exits/fender exits. In the near future you're going to see turning vanes become popular on mirrors.

s2000sccaracer

I have the APR GT3 mirrors and they are great. I had to reverse which side they were mounted on since one of my cage bars was blocking the view, as they were intended to be mounted.

One issue that I had with them is that it would loosen up. I drilled the large mounting nut when it was tight and safety wired it. Problem solved.

freq

Sounds like replacing those mirrors with cameras is good too.

DavidNJ

Do you have a reference to research, CFD, or experimental data? I think some mirrors have had vortex generators, but generally just getting them out of the boundary layer seems to be all that they do. Tesla and Prius mirror, both where low drag is critical, below.




The race mirrors versions have set screws and a broader selection. Both are convex.

There is also a stick on Spoon mirror that is convex with a glare reduction that could be beneficial on the track. They may be also useful on the street. Now that I know about them I may get them.





There was another thread about this. Cadillac and maybe some others have this in production. It has been used on GT cars. It is tremendous in giving the driver a wide, unobstructed view, especially when there is a small rear window and obstructions like wings. Additionally, they can dim glare, especially important in endurance racing at night.

If two aftermarket side mirrors are over $500, the $1000-$1200 cost of these may not be out of line. They can eliminate the side mirrors, but currently, aren't the side mirrors required by law?


The more information the driver has about the traffic around them on the track, the more time they can focus on going fast...and the risk of contact is reduced.