When Yuriman is trying to maximize fuel economy removing those wing mirrors reduces aero drag quite a bit.
Yuri, got any data showing the gains? I seem to recall you do.
Due to driving patterns, I haven't been able to have a real apples-to-apples, A-B-A test with and without the mirrors. I installed them in the dead of winter during a snowstorm, and the ideal time to quantify these things is in summer, clear weather on flat ground. I have A-B-A testing for other mods, but for this one all I can cite is the accumulation of all of the little bits I've done to my car. Others have quantified the gain to be between 2 and 4% at low highway speeds in larger and heavier vehicles though.
The 2000 Insight was EPA rated for 70 highway, 59 city, which was later revised down to 61 highway, 53 combined.
Here's 104 miles driving through the rolling hills with no net elevation change, taking it easy:
At higher speeds, I lose (percent-wise) far less economy than most vehicles:
Realistically, there are probably only a handful of (ICE) cars in the country (if any) which burn as little gasoline, and mine is nearing 250,000 miles so it could probably be higher with a younger engine. I'm aware of one Insight owner in Japan with far more modification that got nearly 1,700 miles on the 10 gallon tank, and a few members on IC which have had much higher short trips, but the others I know of are "cheating" by effectively running as PEHVs, charging the batteryand using an aftermarket modification to override the car's normal battery management to drive until it's flat and then not charge on the engine, then not calculating the electricity costs into their MPG.
Not that it matters. We're all having fun.
😛
Anyway point being, I don't care how the cameras appear aesthetically to some random person on the internet. I, just like VW, have replaced the mirrors to improve economy. It's doubly important in EVs because you can't just stop by a gas station and fill up.
As an aside, it astounds me that many Tesla owners (especially Model 3 preorders) are opting for sport rims instead of aero, when Tesla has promised an extra ~15 miles of range on the highway just by having smoother wheels. Camera-mirrors would probably be worth another 10-15 miles. Rear wheel covers, another 10-15 miles. It adds up.
