Hey Guys,
I have thought about this for a while.
Now since the new readout displays actual instant MPG maybe
this can be done. I also have a Scangauge that would do the same
thing, but it is not in the truck right now.
Just thought of this after reading a couple of posts etc...

Can anybody on an open flat stretch of road fold in the mirrors while
driving and report on what they see with MPG differences?
Would be interesting to see, especially with the big towing mirrors.
Even though, the standard mirrors are big enough to begin with.

Hopefully this has not been done. I tried to search for some info
and didnt find anything.

Just a thought and figured some of you could do this and may
also be interested to find any results.

Good luck.

 

I can't believe having the mirrors folded in makes a notable difference. Although lately almost every other truck/suv I see has the passenger mirror folded in.

 

My passenger mirror stays folded in. Probably just me, seems it reduces drag.

 

It would be negligent for such a big vehicle. Our #1 gas killer is rolling friction. And even if it did do a change, it would be a tenth of a percent. I've done all sorts of testing as far as wind resistance with my airplane. That's why they are so more efficient versus cars- no rolling resistance, just air resistance. A more promising (and safer) change would be electric fans. Besides, its a truck!

tl;dr- such a small change, it would be like saving maybe a quarter of a gallon a month. The risk of not seeing traffic is a bigger concern than gas to me.

 

In understand all of this and makes sense for sure.
I just thought that if people have the instant gauges for MPG and scangauges
it might be interesting to see if there is a noticeable "instant" difference
with them folded in?
May not be alot just trying to see if anyone would like to try this?

 

If you fold them in your mileage will go significantly higher, especially when the tow truck pulls your truck off for scrap and an ambulance hauls your corpse to a hospital. I'm all for lowering fuel usage but by removing the mirrors you pose a risk not only to yourself but to other motorists. If you are using the truck as a truck then the slightly increased resistance won't be an issue.

Or like Raptor posted, folding them in would improve mileage but not enough to reliably track.

 

The mirrors are aerodynamically designed for the vehicle, so folding them in or removing them will not really save you any money. It may cost you money in the long run when you hit another vehicle because you can't see them, its a big safety concern no matter what anyone thinks. If squeezing every last mile out of the tank is the major objective, maybe driving a truck is not a good decision.

 

I agree. Ford put a lot of R&D into making the mirrors and everything else as aerodynamic as possible to help with MPG's.

 

I'm not sure the OP was suggesting that this was a good idea for anyone to drive around like this on a consistent basis. Just sort of a curiosity thing. That said, asking someone else to test a theory to please a curiosity is a little selfish. Kind of like... I wonder if the splash size from a belly flop attempted from 10 feet would be different from a belly flop attempted from 100 feet. Will someone try this out for me and report any findings?

T-shirt guy.... you do the belly flop test, I'll do the mirror test. You first, and I want video evidence.

 

For most of the driving public I agree that this is as dangerous as it is unlikely to result in any real gains, BUT...

There's plenty of highway w-a-y out in west Texas and New Mexico (and other states I'm sure) where you can drive an hour or more and not have someone pass you going the same direction. At least once a year we leave the San Antonio area to go to some remote property near Las Vegas, NM. It averages 14 hours. I'd sign up to take on this challenge but I have no idea when we'd be going this year AND I'd probably forget to do it as my 'trusty' copilot routinely sleeps as much as possible during these drives.

You folks who are so quick to jump on the safety wagon need to think outside the box. We don't all live/drive in the concrete jungles 24/7/365.

 

When I started driving, outside mirrors were an option and very few cars had one on the passenger side. We learned to drive using the inside mirror and looking over our shoulders.

Give the guy a break - if he wants to fold the mirrors in for a test he isn't a rolling hazard.

 

Isn't it illegal to have that? You can fail inspection for a cracked mirror.

 

Who says that you have to take it in for an inspection when the mirrors are folded?

 

I'm just saying a cop might cite someone for thar

 

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f176/...r-laws-565361/