folding wing mirrors
Author
Discussion

trooper1212

Original Poster:

9,457 posts

280 months

Wednesday 6th August 2003
quotequote all
I posted something along these lines in the griffith forum, but this question is actually a more general one!

Is it possible to get an electric wind mirror folding kit for a tvr? The garage is a bit of a squeeze you see!

shpub

8,507 posts

300 months

Wednesday 6th August 2003
quotequote all
You might want to ask the question "If I need to fold in the wing mirrors to get the car in the garage, how do I open the door to get out? Or is this why the roof comes off?"

Assuming you are pushing the car into the garage, the mirrors will fold in a bit but I am not aware of any folding in kit.

Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk

trooper1212

Original Poster:

9,457 posts

280 months

Wednesday 6th August 2003
quotequote all
ah... but how many garage walls are flush with the entrance? In mine the garage door is a good foot or so slimmer than the rest of the garage.


shpub

8,507 posts

300 months

Wednesday 6th August 2003
quotequote all
You think that will be enough

In practice you need about another 70 cm to get the door open wide enough to swing your legs out over the sill. It all depends on physique etc

You do need to try it first or push the car in and out.

>> Edited by shpub on Wednesday 6th August 14:50

trooper1212

Original Poster:

9,457 posts

280 months

Wednesday 6th August 2003
quotequote all
it's not too much of a stress with the NSX at the moment, and that has stupidly long doors too. I'm quite bendy

I do need to try it though, hence the post in the griff forum.

squirrelz

1,186 posts

299 months

Wednesday 6th August 2003
quotequote all
I thought garage doors were a standard width nowadays. Or are we talking about some old shed (not the NSX )

trooper1212

Original Poster:

9,457 posts

280 months

Wednesday 6th August 2003
quotequote all
it's a brand new apartment block, but the garage has an electric door, so I don't know if that makes a difference. I'm going to measure tonight and I'll report back later.

If it'll never fit then I'll have to start thinking about a chimp instead...

shpub

8,507 posts

300 months

Wednesday 6th August 2003
quotequote all
Same width.

simpo one

92,564 posts

293 months

Wednesday 6th August 2003
quotequote all
Be careful if you fold the existing wing mirrors in and out too much - you can loosen the fixing, as I found out in my S3.

trooper1212

Original Poster:

9,457 posts

280 months

Wednesday 6th August 2003
quotequote all
shpub said:
Same width.


what's the same width? A Griff and a Chimp?

As far as I can see:
Griff = 1943mm
Chimp = 1865mm

shpub

8,507 posts

300 months

Wednesday 6th August 2003
quotequote all
Depends on the angle of the mirror.

Page 18 of the Bible. "Does it fit my garage"
Measured my Griff and it was 1870mm.

Hence really same width. If a Griff don't fit then a Chimaera is unlikely too either.

Really, it is try it time.

M@H

11,298 posts

300 months

Wednesday 6th August 2003
quotequote all
I think the answer to the original questions got to be a no.. due to the Mirror post being effectively at about 45% out of the door, and that being the only plain of rotation available, all you would do (having spent months creating small motor housings, switches etc) is spin the mirrors upwards and really not gain much width saving.

Edited to add.. unless you re-made the whole mirror to move where the adjustment "clicks" are at the top of the mirror tripod, but thats just silly

Cheers
Matt.

>> Edited by M@H on Wednesday 6th August 16:43

nchilds

4,703 posts

276 months

Wednesday 6th August 2003
quotequote all
I recently had the same worry. Garage only 2100, Chim 1850ish. But the mirrors are easy. It's the wheel arches I struggle with 'cause I haven't got room to get properly straight and it's hard to see how close you are.

That said, after rubbing a minute patch of lacquer off (no paint damage) I think it's time for some foam on the doorframe.

Like you I get the extra foot inside, but getting out with the roof on is a little uncomfortable. Roof off, using the doors, is no problem.

trooper1212

Original Poster:

9,457 posts

280 months

Wednesday 6th August 2003
quotequote all
Right...

Done some measuring, my garage door is 2130mm wide and the garage walls are 2400mm apart. Assuming the measurements are as stated in the books, I think I'll be able to manage to get the car in the garage. Getting out once i'm in shouldn't be any more difficult than with the NSX I would expect. I only have about a 450mm gap to open the door in and get out for that, as I'm such a skinny bugger it's quite easy

The strange thing is that all the stats on the NSX state that it is 1811mm wide, yet I measured it from tip to tip and it was just over 1900mm??

If there is somebody else out there with garage measurements like mine, who can fit a griff in, I'll stop worrying about it...

oggs

8,817 posts

282 months

Wednesday 6th August 2003
quotequote all
Trooper if the griff and chim are the same i'll pop the chim round and then you'll see for yourself
I'm only in Dunstable

FourWheelDrift

92,186 posts

312 months

Wednesday 6th August 2003
quotequote all
Just drive in with the roof down then you can easily hop out, no need to open the doors

The Wing mirrors themselves don't protrude that far out in comparision with the body, they are fixed at the top then the body curves out as it goes down then in.

I have in the past parked my Cerbera in a modern narrow garage and didn't need to fold the mirrors in, unlike a 3 series BMW which needed both folded in to go into the same garage.

PS Griff width of 1943mm does include the wing mirrors.

>> Edited by FourWheelDrift (moderator) on Wednesday 6th August 21:09

trooper1212

Original Poster:

9,457 posts

280 months

Wednesday 6th August 2003
quotequote all
oggs said:
Trooper if the griff and chim are the same i'll pop the chim round and then you'll see for yourself
I'm only in Dunstable


Thanks oggs, I may well take you up on that offer. I'll mail you if I need to if that's ok?

FourWheelDrift

92,186 posts

312 months

Wednesday 6th August 2003
quotequote all
trooper1212 said:

oggs said:
Trooper if the griff and chim are the same i'll pop the chim round and then you'll see for yourself
I'm only in Dunstable



Thanks oggs, I may well take you up on that offer. I'll mail you if I need to if that's ok?


Chimaera's width is 1865mm including the mirrors. See above for Griff width.

Ballistic Banana

14,706 posts

295 months

Wednesday 6th August 2003
quotequote all
My Door width is 2130 and the garage internal width is 2400mm. I park the Griff in straight and can open the door(not all the way) enough to get out. Parked like this i have room to walk all around the car.
I think if you park with the passenger mirror nearly on the wall you will be fine.
But time for some carpet/rubber protection on the walls.

BB

RichardR

2,907 posts

296 months

Wednesday 6th August 2003
quotequote all
nchilds said:
Like you I get the extra foot inside
Wahey!!









Sorry!