[Billy]

:lol: Yesterday I drove home in a new 2003 silver 5-speed! After driving my 2002 for one year (51,200 miles) I figured this was my last chance to get a new one, so I traded mine in. The new one has air and only had 6 miles on it. I paid $17,220 although my car took a pretty good hit for high mileage. I am very excited and today the first thing I am doing is removing all four wheels and waxing the back side of the wheels. I hope to keep this car show-quality clean, top and bottom.
The drive home from Seattle, WA to my house was 320 miles, and my lifetime mpg is 92.3. So I'm off to a good start, but I'm not quite as good as Rick Reese. I have 49lbs air in tires and K&N air filter, and have already removed the right side mirror.
It was difficult to find this car; 2003 5-speeds are very scarce.......As usual I encourage everyone to keep your cars clean, slow down a little, and maximize the lean burn mode if you desire high fuel economy! See ya later, Billy......

 

[Resist]

Removing the right side mirror is a mistake. Gas mileage should not take priority over safety!

 

[Insighter]

Have to agree...

Congratulations on your purchase!

But I have to agree that removing the right side mirror is a bad idea. How much of a mileage difference could that make? Even without the safety issue, the car won't look right without it.

 

[Billy]

Brand new Insight

Hey guys, take it easy on me! First of all, I do ALL freeway driving; none around town. I don't need a right side mirror. My Porsche 914 and my Honda CRX HF, which I drove 503,000 miles, do not have right side mirrors. I have never used one, so with me it's not a safety issue. On the freeway you develop an awareness of who's near you, and you depend more on the rear view mirror. Secondly, the Insight has rather large mirrors for the size of the car. I know of 2 owners who have removed BOTH mirrors, and replaced them with a video camera pointeds out the side quarter window, with a wireless monitor velcroed to the dash. And I have shaved & sculpted the black plastic mounting piece into a smooth shape for best airflow, it really looks terrific. Everyone who has seen it agrees. I am a pilot and used to race airplanes, and we learned that getting ride of any parasite drag is a big advantage at high speeds........Billy.....

 

[Atheos]

I feel blind as a bat with my insight.
I added mirror bubble stick on's, to assist my
view and I don't see how in the world someone could
remove their right mirror and still be able to drive safely!
The rear video camera is a good idea, and I may do this
at some point in the future to assist my mirrors.
Would anyone else agree that the high backs on the seats
complicate the blind spot on this car?
I was thinking that if the height on the top of the seat was
lower, visibility may increase.

 

[Rick Reece]

New Insight

Hi Billy,
The new 03 silver 5sp sounds great and the best part is you already know how to maximize your mileage. I was in the mid 70's for my first 12k miles and thought that was great until I saw what was possible with a bit slower speed. I havn't removed a mirror but I did fold them in once. I do agree that on the Interstate the rearview mirror and keeping track of whats near you works well. Besides to keep that 90+ mpg lifetime average your most lifely going to be in the righthand lane anyway. Have fun, RIck

 

[Macwarrior]

Actually, it's a bad idea to use the rt. side mirror. It distorts everything in it - relying on data from there is no good. that's why sports cars don't (always) have them - no point in using them, so take em off and save weight and drag.

take a look here for someone who removed both mirrors:

http://www.arstechnica.com/reviews/3q00 ... ght-4.html

I want to try that someday.

 

[Guest]

new

Billy
Wow!
congrats on the new Insight.

rodney
'03 silver MT

 

[Rick]

Nah, my right side mirror is just a second thought before I contort myself to look back through the side window and rear window before changing lanes. I personally think the mirrors look kind of out of place on the Insight. You have this sleek body with mirrors sticking out. I think it looks much better with a smooth shaved off look anyways.

 

[jcollum]

Tell us more about the cameras and LCD displays would you please?

 

[Will M]

When my 2000 Insight was new, I pulled too far into an intersection at night and quickly backed up into another car that I simply didn't see, since it was too close for me to see the headlights in the rear view and I didn't use my right mirror then. Fortunately, it was another Honda, so the bumpers met. The other driver got out, looked and yelled, "No problem!" and we got back in as the light changed and we drove on.

Most of my cars have not had right-side mirrors, but most have had better rear view. With a lot of intentional effort, I figured out the best place to aim the mirrors. If I tilt my head, I can see the sides of the body on the Insight, but in normal driving position, I barely see the body at all. This gives the widest view with the mirrors and eliminates blind spots.

The right mirror distorts, but through figuring out when I'm seeing the same car in the rear and right mirrors, I've learned to judge distance in the right mirror. Having made this effort to learn how to do that, I feel like I have better all-around vision in the Insight than I've had in other vehicles.

I wouldn't trust freeway driving without a right mirror. It's simply too easy to daydream and forget a car in the right-rear blind spot that the right mirror fills in. It's a big enough blind spot that much mischief could happen there, like an idiot weaving traffic on a motorcycle at high speed just as I'm changing lanes to the right.

Still, it's your car and your choice. Enjoy it. I hope you don't encounter that sort of idiot, though they are numerous on the highway. Sometimes, I feel like applauding people who do things on the highway that are NOT stupid, since they seem so rare these days. If I could safely clap my hands while driving, I'd do so every time someone signaled their intent to change lanes, for example.

 

[Will M]

... take a look here for someone who removed both mirrors:

http://www.arstechnica.com/reviews/3q00 ... ght-4.html

I want to try that someday.

The review had a few interesting points of ignorance. For one thing, the windmill on top of the car is of a design that can be gotten in either 12 volt or 24 volt. I almost bought one for my solar house, but the house was in a small valley and there's no wind there.

I'd bet it's 12 volt and he's charging the tiny 12 volt battery, ignorantly thinking he's recharging the 144 volt system.

He also talks about how bad the Insight is for accelleration. He probably doesn't know to drop two gears instead of one when you want that kind of accelleration.

Oh well.

 

[Atheos]

Will,
I was thinking the exact same thing about the windmill, and frankly
I think it look rediculous. The insight doesn't need help charging any of the batteries, 12V's or 144V's if driven properly.
I can respect the amount of work involved with the camera and the windmill, but I can imagine putting that time to better and more practical use.
Now, put the windmill on a total electric car and you've got my attention.

 

[Tim Maddux]

The review had a few interesting points of ignorance.

Yes; the reviewer is a little misleading in referring to the Insight as a "parallel" hybrid with an accompanying description that sounds more like the Prius engine. They did a little better with the Civic Hybrid:

http://www.arstechnica.com/reviews/02q3 ... -hy-1.html

 

[amplifiedmouse]

am i the only person who has no problem seeing out of the insight?

 

[Hambone]

am i the only person who has no problem seeing out of the insight?

Well, I doubt it. Ahead, to the sides, and behind, I find no problems. Personally though, I have a nervousness about my blind spots, because the way the rear side windows and framing for the hatch are located, the blind spots can hide a car fairly easily. Other than that though, I don't have any real problems.

 

[Atheos]

I'll bet there is a relation between the blind spot on this car, and the drivers height.
I'm 5'4" and I have a difficult time seeing cars to the right rear
of my car.

 

[The Citrus Smoothie]

Congratulations on your purchase Billy. Good luck in keeping your new, beautiful Insight in showroom condition.

 

[bfivelover]

I read that review on the Insight on arstechnica. He says, "The car doesn't exactly inspire confidence when taken hard around a bend in the road, producing a touch of understeer when pushed hard". What???? Consumer Reports also said it didn't handle well. Are they testing the same car I am driving? There are a lot of sharp curves here on route 9 in WV, and I love taking them as fast as I can. If the sign says 25MPH, I usually take it at 50MPH, sometimes higher. This car flys around curves. I love it, except when I have a slow driver in front of me. Does anyone else have problems with curves?

 

[puck]

=+=

:arrow: :arrow: :arrow: yeh what kind of camera does one use and how easy is it to install :?: :?: :?: