Lets talk side mirrors!

[j0oftheworld]

It seems like a no brainer weight saving/aero advantage that could be cheap. Does anyone know what a pair of pwr mirrors weigh?

What are you running?
Weight?
Co$t?

:pimp:

[mamzak]

weight difference is probably like 5-7 lbs and would also be a nill aerodynamic advantage unless you were exceeding about 100mph. I don't see the point in aftermarket mirrors personally.

[Jand3rson]

I have ALWAYS been curious about how mirrors like these would look on an E30.

[j0oftheworld]

Well 2 of our local 7 tracks here in AZ have high speed sections.
PIR's oval and Firebird's main (dragstrip).. plus Buttonwillow/Willow Springs in So.Cal.. so plenty of time over 100mph for me.
Mainly looking for a discussion with track car guys who do see the benefit.

[j0oftheworld]

It always seems like tiny/aftermarket mirrors go unnoticed to me.
If you look at a GRM or similar book those style mirrors usually look fine.

[Jand3rson]

Mainly looking for a discussion with track car guys who do see the benefit.

My bad, would the DTM vented mirrors be suitable?

[j0oftheworld]

My bad, would the DTM vented mirrors be suitable?

The other guy (and I'm sure street car guys) won't see the benefit.
Those DTM mirrors are $$$$ everywhere I've seen them, so I'm thinking the best option might be the tiny/universal type you posted before!

[Jand3rson]

I've always really liked the look of those, but I've never seen them on an E30. Do it and blaze a trail!

[SA E30]

I've seen them on an e30 before and they don't look all that bad, but the DTM style mirrors def look better.

As for aero, they must be a huge reduction of drag over stock! I mean if you think about it have you ever driven and stuck your arm out the window and felt the drag it causes.

[j0oftheworld]

Very good point! Stick your arm out at 100+ and you might hurt yourself!
I know that mirrors in the USA at least, need to be pretty tall/wide so you have a decent viewing area. DOT laws. Just compare a prototype to the real thing once.

Here's the C6R CFD image.. so you could imagine how bad a road car would be..
Red high pressure spots all over!
Mirrors/ fender lips/ antenna/ wipers/ etc..

[ck_taft325is]

Very good point! Stick your arm out at 100+ and you might hurt yourself!
I know that mirrors in the USA at least, need to be pretty tall/wide so you have a decent viewing area. DOT laws. Just compare a prototype to the real thing once.

Here's the C6R CFD image.. so you could imagine how bad a road car would be..
Red high pressure spots all over!
Mirrors/ fender lips/ antenna/ wipers/ etc..

That's bad ass. I've never seen something like that before.

[e34john]

Are you trying to compare the aerodynamics of an E30 against a brand new Corvette?

[dnova89]

haha, the drag coefficient of an e30 is actually less than that of a corvette surprisingly. there was a few threads discussing it a while ago. they're not actually bricks after all.

edit: here's one of the threads i was talking about:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=290933

[Kershaw]

there is a lot more to the Cd than just the number... it matters where that drag is used.

rx8 = .31
f430 f1 = .34

the rx8 in stock body form. that is, not lowered, not kitted, no lip, etc. gets really floaty above 140mph. too much air gets underneath it.

the f430 on the other hand, is designed so a lot of that drag is used as downforce to keep the car planted. a higher Cd does not mean much unless you understand the entire picture. look at that spoiler on the race corvette above. its one gigantic red mark. it adds huge amounts of drag. but its extremely beneficial to keeping the car planted at high speeds.

if it looks like a brick..

[5KWattson]

that is actually kinda surprising i always just assumed we literally drove bricks