For Sale: Smaller rear view mirror kits

[tesprit]

I am finally ready for sales of the rear view mirror kits described in the ET post "Alternative to Micromirror?". Alternative to Micromirror? - LotusTalk - The Lotus Cars Community These kits can be configured to fit all Elises with soft tops and hardtops as well as Exiges and will replace your overly large OEM mirror with a smaller one that is more appropriate for the Elise. The kits are available as follows:

Smaller Mirror kit #1 - For Elises with soft tops only and consists of a CIPA (AutoZone) mirror with an adapter to fit the OEM Lotus windshield mounting plinth. This kit may still work for those with the hardtop or Exige if you are 5'11" or shorter or if you have a short torso. I have reports that people of this height can still get enough adjustment in the mirror without needing a spacer. The price for this kit is $46.50 including USPS Priority Mail shipping to anywhere in the lower 48 states. The following photo shows this kit installed.

Smaller Mirror kit #2 - For Elises with hardtops and Exige and consists of a CIPA (AutoZone) mirror with an adapter and a spacer to allow clearance for the hardtop trim piece. The spacer can be removed for driving with the hartop removed. It looks identical to the photo above except for when the spacer is installed which will look like the following photo. The spacer drops the mirror base down about 5/8" and comes in a matte gray finish. I will leave the decision to paint the adapter and spacer up to the purchaser. The price for this kit is $51.50 including USPS Priority Mail shipping to anywhere the lower 48 states.


The above kits include the necessary hardware and instructions to do the installation. I can take payment for these kits via PayPal at 05elise*at*milwpc.com (replace *at* with @ for the correct I.D.) or you can send a check/MO. Please state your Elise Talk name and the kit you wish to purchase when you send your payment. Make sure to look at my other posts on the development of these kits and PM me or send an email if you need further information or have questions.

Dan

[bluejae]

i don't see a smaller rearview mirror

[tesprit]

Here is a photo showing the difference in size between the OEM and CIPA mirror:

I can also turn just about any windshield mounting plinth into an adapter, so if you find a mirror you like and it does not use the common wedge plinth, I can still convert your plinth into an adapter. Pricing for this service would be on an individual basis, but should still be reasonable. Let me know if you have any questions.

Dan

[bluejae]

a bit too late... i was about to correct my post... i didn't realize how big the oem mirror was... lol... i guess i was expecting something as small as the micromirror

sorry

[choi0706]

fyi, the 07 cars have a smaller mirror..

[redbutt]

FYI...I'm a happy owner of this kit (got one of the first batch). It's really easy to install, and works great. If you don't want to spend $140 on a smaller mirror (Sector111), this is a great alternative!

[RegGuy]

I also got one of the first five and the mirror size "feels" right in the car. Of course one can go smaller, but the size of this mirror is proportioned much better to the car.

I detailed my removal and installation here:

http://www.elisetalk.com/forums/show...173#post499173

[TekZones]

I too was one of the first five but I have an Exige and encountered the problem of spacing. Since I am 6'2" and the plinth is set very high, I could only get the original adapter 50% in place. The trim peice for the hard top was in contact with the arm or whatever it is called on the mirror. The spacer, though very simple in design, allows full adjustability for someone even taller if necessary. For anyone who is contemplating possible camera-view mirrors or other more standard mirrors, then any of these kits is the way to go. Even in an Exige the day/night feature is very useful. I am using the full kit and the mirror shows about 1/3 of each headrest and everything in between. I do like that it can be positioned very high to increase forward visibility.

Great job Dan.

Robert

[darkSol]

I totally concur. I was also one of the original five. It's a great piece of kit.

Only once did the mirror fall off while hard cornering. I've found you CANNOT overighten the single mirror set hex screw because it WILL push the mirror right out of the base. I have a track day this Friday and will let you know how it works.

Also, I think I'm going to cut a piece of speaker felt to fit/velcro directly over the place where the stock hardtop trim piece mounts. That thing is a PITA

[noel_audio]

DarkSol, I may need to get intouch with you sooner to check out this mirror, I'm finally done looking under my mirror to check the existance of cars on on-ramps and the such. I was going to try something myself but if this is the way to go for <$50 I'm game.

[darkSol]

I just sent you a PM regarding our 2-3 mile proximity to each other!

(I thought I'd be exclusive and you may be invading my territory )

Call me this weekend and you can check out the mirror and stuff.

[whl3]

I understand that the '07 Elises and Exige "S" models will come equipped with a smaller mirror that on previous '05 and '06 cars. I don't know if the '07 mirrors will fit the '05 and '06 mounts. Except for federalized reasons, any rearview mirror on the "S" will be worthless unless you want to stare at your intercooler!.

[def]

this is exactly what i was looking for - smaller, but has night/day viewing. a few questions:

-how is the sturdyness (same sturdyness/vibrations as stock)?
-same chance to damage/crack windshield as micromirror install?
-does it stick out over the edge of the windshield from the side of the car? ie standing at the side, can you see the mirror pop out at all? just trying to figure out how much "closer" it is to the driver.
-got any picts from the driver seat by chance? any more picts would be welcome

thanks! -kevin

[Domino]

Hi Dan -
I bought one of the first adapters and now that I have my mirror I realize I need the spacer. How much to get one?

-- thx, Bob

Originally Posted by tesprit

I am finally ready for sales of the rear view mirror/adapter combo kits described in the ET post "Alternative to Micromirror?"...... For Elises with hardtops and Exige and consists of a CIPA (AutoZone) mirror with an adapter and a spacer to allow clearance for the hardtop trim piece. The spacer can be removed for driving with the hartop removed. It looks identical to the photo above except for when the spacer is installed which will look like the following photo. The spacer drops the mirror base down about 5/8" and comes in a matte gray finish. I will leave the decision to paint the adapter and spacer up to the purchaser. The price for this kit will be $45.00 including USPS First Class shipping to the lower 48 states or $47.50 including USPS Priority Mail....

[ChrisB]

Originally Posted by def

this is exactly what i was looking for - smaller, but has night/day viewing. a few questions:

-how is the sturdyness (same sturdyness/vibrations as stock)?
-same chance to damage/crack windshield as micromirror install?
-does it stick out over the edge of the windshield from the side of the car? ie standing at the side, can you see the mirror pop out at all? just trying to figure out how much "closer" it is to the driver.
-got any picts from the driver seat by chance? any more picts would be welcome

thanks! -kevin

Sturdiness: I never had any real vibration problems with the stock mirror, nor do I with the Autozone mirror. It seems plenty sturdy.

Cracking windshield: Neither mirror will crack the windshield, that risk comes from removing the OEM mirror. I used the stack of nickels trick suggested by someone here (though I used some washers) and it worked just fine.

Stick out: If I understand your question, yes. The AutoZone mirror has a double-jointed arm on it that is a couple inches long. The good and bad of that is that it allows the mirror to be adjusted very high...overlapping the upper windshield frame. This provides a much better sight line under the mirror. The downside is that it places the mirror a little closer to your head so you lose some of the advantage of the smaller size. Even then, it is still noticeably smaller. Without having measured it, I would guess it is about 2" closer.

It has a very OEM look about it.

[tesprit]

Originally Posted by Domino

Hi Dan -
I bought one of the first adapters and now that I have my mirror I realize I need the spacer. How much to get one?

-- thx, Bob

Thanks for the question Bob. I will supply spacers free of charge to the purchasers of the inital batch of adapters and mirror combos because this was before I knew of a problem with the hardtop trim piece. I will PM you to get your shipping address again and send out a spacer as soon as possible.

Dan

[tesprit]

Originally Posted by def

this is exactly what i was looking for - smaller, but has night/day viewing. a few questions:

-how is the sturdyness (same sturdyness/vibrations as stock)?
-same chance to damage/crack windshield as micromirror install?
-does it stick out over the edge of the windshield from the side of the car? ie standing at the side, can you see the mirror pop out at all? just trying to figure out how much "closer" it is to the driver.
-got any picts from the driver seat by chance? any more picts would be welcome

thanks! -kevin

Thanks ChrisB for answering these questions for me. It is always good to have the opinion of a purchaser when trying to make a decision on a product. I will try to post some more photos of the mirror installed with the camera positioned in the proximity of the driver's head. I tried this before, but the camera doesn't focus well due to the reflection of the mirror. Please take a look at my other post "Alternative to Micromirror?" for more photos and the description of the evolution of these mirror kits.

[darkSol]

FYI: Here's a video of the car at Heartland Park Topeka yesterday.

Check out the mirror

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...78564166672027

[GaryD]

I just installed my adapter this afternoon. Nice piece of work! I have a couple of observations from in the garage - have not driven it yet:

1) On my car I found that the adapter does not fully tighten against the OEM plinth even when I have the two hex screws fully tightened down. I took it off and looked at it - at first I thought the intent was for the two hex screws to penetrate the silver piece and hold it in place by pushing against the back plate of the OEM plinth. Since they do not reach through the silver piece, I conclude the grip is provided by compressing the two parts of the adapter together against the side rails of the OEM plinth. If so, I think the silver piece is a bit too thick and needs grinding down - at least for my car. (I am wondering if Dark Sols mirror fell off with the adapter in it or if the adapter was left on the plinth - it may be the same issue if it came off with the mirror).

2) ChrisB's point above - I bought the Autozone having (predicatbly!) failed to research any alternatives. The double joint does bring the whole thing nearer your head and I agree you lose some of the benefit of the small size because it then blocks more of the windshield. Raising it higher towards the upper windshield frame helps but depending on your height, you then start looking at the upper frame of the rear window and tilting down narrows your filed of view - you see more of the tail of the car when the mirror is up high.

I would like to find a similar size mirror with Day/Night without the jointed arm to go there. So its a good mod that would be a great mod if I could find a better mirror!

Meantime - I should go out and drive it - I may have different impressions

[GaryD]

Oh - I should add to the previous post that I had no problems with the OEM mirror removal. I used a 90 degree hook tool as Tim did. Did not pry against the glass at all just pull the spring down and gently move the mirror when its retracted enough. I like the idea of using the nickels though - did not see that post til after I got it off the car...