"active" aero grille slats on 06 civic concept
 

06 civic sedan modified by aftermarket japanese company - note increasingly common camera side mirror trick. more interesting from an aerodynamic perspective (and arguably more effective) is the lower grille area closed by plastic slats.

these are likely "active" slats and only open to permit airflow through the engine compartment when necessary, reducing overall drag significantly.

https://response.jp/issue/2006/0103/a...3036_thumb.jpg
zoom in

https://response.jp/issue/2006/0103/a...3037_thumb.jpg
zoom in

full gallery (japanese site)

.

correction: apparently it is
 

correction: apparently it is a honda concept vehicle (not aftermarket) - and a hybrid to boot.

WTF? It's so ugly. But
 

WTF? It's so ugly. But anyway, I like the slats, but they're prolly computer controlled aren't they?

I've been told that the
 

I've been told that the video rear view is actually illegal. Is this the case? I'd love to put one of these on my car.

That might be a local law or
 

That might be a local law or something, my friend (from like 8 years ago) had a van that can video rear view cuz you couldn't see anything out the back of it, pretty sure it was stock.

Re: WTF? It's so ugly. But
 

doesn't say, but i'd think so. it's really just a photo gallery, slim on details.

it'd be a relatively easy thing to do, hooked up to the coolant temp sensor. although it would obviously cause problems in winter conditions. they'd get frozen in place by icy winter road spray/wet snow & freezing rain. for that reason, we'll likely never see 'em in production (at least in cold weather markets).

the more interesting question about the mirrors would be to compare the energy required to power them and their view screens to the savings they offer from reduced drag. hmmm...

don't forget they have to be powered all the time, even in city driving where their aero benefit is nil.

Re: WTF? It's so ugly. But
 

I would assume they are on a thermostat controlled circuit, similar to the cooling fan(s), so that when a specified temperature is reached, the ECU tells the slats to open.

Re: WTF? It's so ugly. But
 

This is what ultimately made me abandon this modification months ago. Now only would the energy consumption high high, but the resulting aerodynamic benefit would be next to zero. Add to that the cost of the cameras and a small LCD screen and we're talking lots of money.

Here is one guy's insight with the camera:

https://image60.webshots.com/60/7/86/...4KMPJMZ_ph.jpg
https://image53.webshots.com/53/7/50/...9ckfZzQ_ph.jpg

The camera itself is mounted at the rear by the rear lights.

here is a thread discussing it:

https://www.insightcentral.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1640&highlight=camera

cool link matt. (guess i'm
 

cool link matt. (guess i'm not going to get much work done today...)

good points in those
 

good points in those threads. they don't discuss energy use, which is unusual for a bunch of hybrid geeks (said with due respect and envy). however someone raised the point that cameras aren't as good as eyes, esp. in the dark.

then again, an outside mirror replacement isn't strictly necessary...

have you ever seen the super-wide rearview mirrors that are sectioned to provide a panoramic side-rear-side view?

you could also put a mirror inside the car at the corner of the window.

but worrying about the mirrors is the wrong place to start. there's other low-hanging aerodynamic fruit that can be picked first on the average car (the insight not being average).

Quote:have you ever seen the
 

This has been mentioned before on this site as an alternative to side mirrors, except with just having a really big rear view mirror. I have never used one to know what it's like, but certainly and interesting concept.

Just an interesting note, the crx hf (cheap and good mpgs) did no come with a passenger side mirror for some years/markets. I dunno if it was to save money or to lower cds.

it used to be that right
 

it used to be that right side mirrors were uncommon on all cars, but i'm sure that's also been said before. as for the crx xf, who can say for sure. the metro xfi was also mirrorless on the right side.

the most interesting tidbit i came across in the insight mirror thread (unrelated to mirrors) was the guy (with side-view cameras) who also uses a wind generator to top up the insight's batteries at night...

https://arstechnica.com/reviews/3q00/honda/windmill.jpg
details
.

I don't get why he has to
 

I don't get why he has to mount it on top of his car. Why can't he just put a windmill on top of his garage/barn there and then run a wire to his insight? Seems like much less hassle if you ask me.

He's a pimp.
 

He's a pimp.

he's a geeky pimp who had to
 

because he's a geeky pimp who couldn't resist driving down the road with it attatched (i'd probably try it).

... actually, it makes it portable.

Re: he's a geeky pimp who had to
 

When I make my electric car I'm planning on getting either a solar grid or a windmill to charge it during the day/night.

Or I can just get an electric moped instead, which is probably much more cost effective.

i wonder if these guys have
 

i wonder if these guys have met?

https://solarvan.co.uk/vansmall110604.jpg

https://solarvan.co.uk/

matt, you've seen the solar electric scooter, right?

Re: i wonder if these guys have
 

Nope. Enlighten me please.

DIY Solar scooter - 1000
 

https://www.treehugger.com/files/TH_bikermain_031905.jpg

DIY Solar scooter - 1000 solar miles and counting.

Re: good points in those
 

back to mirrors: lowering my car by 1.5 inches would reduce its frontal area the equivalent of taking off one outside mirror.

Hmm, 1.5 inches is a lot, so
 

Hmm, 1.5 inches is a lot, so mehbe the mirrors make a bit of difference, eh.

to clarify - didn't mean to
 

to clarify - didn't mean to imply the 2 actions (lowering vs removing a mirror) would have equal reduction in drag. just equal reduction in frontal area.

if i had to guess, i'd say the drag reduction would be greater from lowering vs mirror removal. it would reduce not only the amount of surface area facing the wind, but would also the amount of air going under the car (an aerodynamically dirty area).