pics of mirror turbulence in the rain

[kamesama980]

A few times now I've been driving in the rain and noticed the wind eddies from my trucks asymmetrical mirrors and thought wow that'd be a great pic to compare. well I finally had a camera and my gf to take pics of the drivers side so here they are:
passenger side: there's no mirror on this side, just the stud where someone broke it off. nice line where the current from the side of the truck fights the currrent from over the top. clean flow


Drivers side: huge *** conversion van style mirror over here.

[theholycow]

I get a small vortex/whirlpool spinning on my window just past and above the mirror. I may have posted video before, and I recently took more video of it.

...ok, looking through my camera, I took similar still photos. On my truck the pattern is very different.

[GasSavers_maximilian]

Possibly a dumb question, but how clean were these windows?

[theholycow]

Mine were probably quite dirty.

[kamesama980]

outside was fairly clean. it'd been raining for a day or 2 with me driving in it. the inside was pretty dusty tho.

as far as the shape of the vortices, I'm sure there are a million and 1 variables going into it including rake of the hood, windshield, fenders, etc. how rounded the edges are, how much of a lip there is at the edge of the window trim, etc etc etc.

yours also looks more like drops tracing paths on a fogged window wheras mine is more of channels of water.

[samandw]

I don't have any pictures, but I've noticed on my Subaru that I actually have flow reversion on the front windows. aka the flow is actually flowing forward on some areas of the window. Makes me wonder what a mirror delete would do to my Cd. . .

[GasSavers_mikemoss]

as far as the shape of the vortices, I'm sure there are a million and 1 variables going into it including rake of the hood, windshield, fenders, etc. how rounded the edges are, how much of a lip there is at the edge of the window trim, etc etc etc.

Idk about how much anything other then the mirrors effect those things. On my grand prix, that I no longer have, the passenger mirror was missing and the rain would go strait back that window while on the drivers side it would look like the pictures you posted. Maybe that was vehicle specific and I have no proof of this bc I no longer have the car.

[theclencher]

xwinds will have a strong influence

[GasSavers_Pete]

Originally Posted by samandw

I don't have any pictures, but I've noticed on my Subaru that I actually have flow reversion on the front windows. aka the flow is actually flowing forward on some areas of the window. Makes me wonder what a mirror delete would do to my Cd. . .

Yes , I get that on my car as well.

Looks like a mini tornado some days and the main area is just below the mirror which I am guessing is the result of air flowing around the mirror and heading back toward the front of the car again.

Pete.

[evoracer306]

I drive a 2005 Silverado and I was wondering what effect the mirrors have. For the last tank I ran I folded in the right side mirror. I saw slightly better than a half MPG increase when I filled up and that was even using the A/C on one hot day.

Todd