DIY Side Mirror Delete & Door Hole Cover for Cybertruck

[HaulingAss]

You're right, getting an accurate measure of the efficiency gain by removing the mirrors would require a controlled test, like two identical CTs, one with and one without mirrors driving together for a 100 miles. I'll leave that to Kyle Connor.

As you know, drag is proportional to the CD and the frontal cross sectional area of the vehicle . I estimate the combined cross sectional area of the mirrors at about 1 sqft. The cross sectional area of the Cybertruck has not been officially disclosed, but a rough measurement gives about 31 sq ft. Based on these numbers, I should expect a drag reduction of (30 x .382 - 31 x .387) / 31 x .387 = (11.46 - 11.997) / 11.997 = - 0.0447 x 100 = -4.47%. That's not an insignificant improvement in efficiency. Others have estimated 3%. I'm expecting to see a range improvement of somewhere between 9 and 14 miles on a full to empty charge.

Is such a small improvement in range worth removing the mirrors? I pretty sure that Tesla engineers would say yes, and they would have if not for NHTSA.

Good job trying to quantify the aero hit of mirrors! I haven't checked your measurements for frontal area but, if they are in the ballpark, that implies a 3% increase in aero drag due to the increase in frontal area alone. That's without considering the hit due to the lowering of the Cd due to the turbulent air created by mirrors, so the actual increase in drag would be considerably higher.

The Cd's measured in small wind tunnels cannot be taken seriously due to the fact that you need a really large, very expensive tunnel to accurately measure a car or truck, and the first inaccuracies due to vehicle size are going to be on the drag differences between mirrors/no mirrors (since the mirror drag can get lost in the turbulent air created by the wind tunnel itself).

In other words, the aero advantages of mirror delete would be under-estimated in anything but a full-sized wind tunnel specifically designed to accurately measure drag of cars and trucks. That said, I'm not arguing that people should necessarily remove their mirrors, even in states in which it is currently legal to do so. As much as I appreciate efficiency, I don't have a range problem, and even 15 more miles of highway range isn't going to change the way I use the truck. I just don't like to see people claiming that mirrors don't cause much hit to range, it flies against the actual facts.

Elon Musk knows this, which is why he's chomping at the bit for the legalization of camera-based mirrors. Plus, his views on this are certainly reinforced by imminent autonomy.

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[Cyber_Punk_SFL]

Now, that it’s been a few months, hows driving with no side mirrors. I’m thinking of doing this also and wonder how it is after driving like that for a while.

 

[Stuck4ger]

It totally changes my scan - learning that I don’t need mirrors & in addition to the camera display, I can look at the synthetic display to see if anyone is in my blind spot or right behind me. But I’m on biz travel this week with no CT & having to look over my shoulder again.

 

[Cybergirl]

Now, that it’s been a few months, hows driving with no side mirrors. I’m thinking of doing this also and wonder how it is after driving like that for a while.

I like it a lot. I took the approach of replacing the side mirrors with separate right and left cameras (repeaters) and a dedicated display so that I always have the map displayed. I have a better view to the sides of the truck, a wider view when backing up, and I can check to the sides and rear of the truck without turning my head. But now that I have FSD, which I use on every drive, blind spot monitoring with side mirrors/cameras isn't as important.

 

[WILLK]

Wouldn't there be a noticeable reduction in wind noise without the mirrors?

 

[hemiarch]

Where did you get that iPad mount?

Yes. Curious about that myself

 

[Tesla Patriot]

Wouldn't there be a noticeable reduction in wind noise without the mirrors?

There is a very biased sense that its better in my weeks going mirrorless, but it's unscientific.

 

[mahdir35]

I've been thinking about removing the side mirrors on my Cybertruck ever since I stupidly damaged the driver side mirror and was looking at $500 out of pocket to replace it. I have reasons for doing it other than to avoid that cost though:

1) The Cybertruck looks so much better without mirrors
2) Putting my Model Y and the Cybertruck in the garage is tricky (that's how I broken the mirror two weeks into ownership)
3) The mirrors take a beating on off road adventures when brushy trails get narrow.
4) The mirrors produce drag, reducing driving range, and they add to the lost visibility due to the A-pillars.
5) The truck has right and left camera displays that, frankly, provide better rear visibility.
6) It's not as illegal as people think. My research found that only 14 states explicitly require side mirrors, and 5 of those 14 only require it for in-state registered vehicles.

Removing the side mirrors presents some difficulties as well:

1) It takes some time to get used to camera displays instead of mirrors.
2) Cybertruck's rear, left, and right camera displays cover up the navigation map.
3) You run the risk of getting an equipment violation ticket in states that insist on have side mirrors.

There are after market products that address the problem of covering the hole in the door when the mirror is removed. I chose a DIY approach which I hope will be interesting to others. It started when I discovered that the shape and size of the hole is nearly that of a standard credit card. I looked on Amazon and found a pack of 8 stainless steel card blanks that I hoped would fit the hole with just one straight cut. Turns out they fit more perfectly than I imagined. The link is here. The project boiled down to making a support for the SS card, cut to size, and glued in place.

I made the support from pieces of 3/4" oak board I had lying around. I measured the angle of the top section of the door at 10 degrees and cut oak support blocks to that angle on a miter saw.

I used the mirror as a template to mark the next two cuts.

I put several layers of artist tape on the top of the block to match the thickness of the SS card, then stapled a piece of wood across the top to hold the block in place to mark the bolt holes. I drilled two 9/32" holes and hammered in 1/4" pronged T-nuts.

This was then bolted into the Cybertruck door. Note the recess drilled into the wood to make room for the rubber cover's attachment plug.

I then removed the wood strip, staples and tape. What remains is a solid, flat surface to which the SS insert can be glued.

As you can see, the SS card fits the hole in the door almost perfectly.

I only have to cut off the excess material along a straight line to align with the edge of the door.
I used a grinder to cut a groove along the line until I could bend and break off the excess, then touched up the cut to remove the sharp edges.

I then used some Gorilla Glue to glue the SS piece to the wooden block. The block can be adjusted a little to get a flush surface.

The SS card is finished with a course brushed surface so it doesn't blend in with CT's surface perfectly, but I don't find it objectionable.

I will do the passenger side the same way.

Here's a view from a distance. Not bad. Some rubber trim would make it even better.

When I'm required by law to have a side mirror, I'll slap this ugly accessory on the door to avoid being cited for an equipment violation. It's a 3 1/2" motorcycle mirror attached to the truck with a strong magnet. Tesla's SS is magnetic, but not exceptionally so. I haven't tested it yet at speed on a rough road. The mirror is large enough to meet Canada rules when I take my dream adventure trip to Alaska. Needless to say I won't be using this mirror all that much. I called it my "compliance mirror".

And here's what it looks like while driving. It actually works. I'll mount these mirrors when someone else is driving, like if I bring the truck in for a service appointment and a Tesla tech needs to do a test drive. Mounting the mirrors would be the safe thing to do.

The cost? Less than $100, both sides, including the mirrors.

1 question: Why????????? lol

 

[cybersky]

Anyone tried these?

https://www.amazon.com/COOLAUTO-Mirror-Cybertruck-Accessories-Passenger/dp/B0F536NCYJ/

 

[Stuck4ger]

I went with the full mirror delete nearly a year ago and have never looked back. Once you learn the scan and use the OEM sensors, it’s just superior. And safer. IMO 3rd party add-one just complicate things and detract.

 

[cybersky]

I went with the full mirror delete nearly a year ago and have never looked back. Once you learn the scan and use the OEM sensors, it’s just superior. And safer. IMO 3rd party add-one just complicate things and detract.

I totally agree. But I often need other people who are not necessarily familiar with tesla to drive my truck. I worry they might be confused and get into an accident if there are no physical mirrors.

 

[Stuck4ger]

Yeah, thankfully I don’t have that problem. My Beast is unique and I sure don’t want anybody else having a fender bender because they haven’t learned the sensors and scan.

 

[hemiarch]

I totally agree. But I often need other people who are not necessarily familiar with tesla to drive my truck. I worry they might be confused and get into an accident if there are no physical mirrors.

Just tell them to enter a destination, fasten the seatbelt and press the right scroll wheel.
Then just shut the fuck up and enjoy the ride.
Of yeah…ok to pick music on iTunes if they want.
Other than that, touch nothing and be grateful.

 

[cybersky]

Just tell them to enter a destination, fasten the seatbelt and press the right scroll wheel.
Then just shut the fuck up and enjoy the ride.
Of yeah…ok to pick music on iTunes if they want.
Other than that, touch nothing and be grateful.

I am glad it works for you. My use case is different. So just wondering of first hand experience with this product. Not likely anyone tried it, but doesn't hurt to ask.

 

[hemiarch]

I am glad it works for you. My use case is different. So just wondering of first hand experience with this product. Not likely anyone tried it, but doesn't hurt to ask.

It doesn’t. I have mirrors on my car…I was just pointing out that FSD has gotten so good it will soon hardly matter.

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