Mirrors Interior and Exterior

[vfx]

If you follow the Mulivex thread at the Lotus Forum
Multivex Mirror review - LotusTalk - The Lotus Cars Community
there are those who love and swear by it and a few that won't even try it. Did not see any trying and removing even though it's a non destructive mod. One said seeing the edge of the glass became no big deal after a while and some others painted or put plastic around the mirror. Some decent solutions actually. (with pictures)

I have only been through the first three pages where there was talk about the UK mirrors but no one had bought them yet (by page 3). There are dozens of aftermarket sellers for Lotus many in the UK. Check this page:
http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f172...herwise-36414/
I want to try this first. Am am interested in CF same-shape mirrors.

[SByer]

I installed the microMirror last night, haven't gotten a chance to drive with it yet.

The surprising thing was that the Roadster's mirror (at least in #383) uninstalled completely differently than the instructions for the Lotus - it simply slipped towards the rear. It has no locking clips, or anything - it's just one big plastic piece that slides into the plinth. Took me a second to just try moving the mirror and figure that one out. I have pictures, but can't get at them right now (the home server didn't pick up on the new images).

I still need to get better LockTite for the bolt (I had blue, they recommend red - the blue doesn't quite hold if trying to adjust counter clock wise).

I'm pretty sure I'm going to be really happy with it. It sure looks better in the car.

[ra-san]

I read the *whole* thread. Long. The approach that looked best to me was the couple of folks that disassembled the factory mirror, made a plastic backing plate for it, and basically replaced the stock mirror glass with it. Even then though, the glass cut wasn't perfect and there were some gaps. Looked like it still may have stuck out a bit at the middle top too. Still, looked pretty good, and a lot better than the stick-on pics. The second best looking installs were by the guys that wet sanded the mirror edges, then trimmed them with either paint (best choice I'd think) or electrical tape (sounds hokey, but looked good actually, just would worry about lifespan).

The thread was very positive overall, and I admit I'm almost convinced to try it

[vfx]

I read the *whole* thread. Long. ...
The thread was very positive overall, and I admit I'm almost convinced to try it

Takin' one for the team.

What about the euro-spec mirror?

[dpeilow]

If anyone needs assistance getting parts from over here, let me know.

[vfx]

Manly Multivex install.

[RoadDad]

Hey vfx. I saw your post over on LT and thought I'd drop by here to add my $0.02 to your thread.

Anyone knows if this carbon fiber side mirrors are street legal?
I dont think so, although I dont know why ...

Yes, the carbon fiber mirrors are indeed street legal.

When I was in Europe I went to a Lotus dealer and bought a euro-spec, driver side, rear view mirror replacement for an Elise 2. It's the exact same plastic mount as the US-spec flat mirror on the Roadster and it snaps right in after you unsnap the original. The mirror is convex and has excellent optics....

Grand total of about 40euro...

This ^ is an excellent option and obviously appears the most OEM.

I installed the microMirror last night, haven't gotten a chance to drive with it yet.

The surprising thing was that the Roadster's mirror (at least in #383) uninstalled completely differently than the instructions for the Lotus - it simply slipped towards the rear. It has no locking clips, or anything - it's just one big plastic piece that slides into the plinth. Took me a second to just try moving the mirror and figure that one out. I have pictures, but can't get at them right now (the home server didn't pick up on the new images).

I still need to get better LockTite for the bolt (I had blue, they recommend red - the blue doesn't quite hold if trying to adjust counter clock wise).

I'm pretty sure I'm going to be really happy with it. It sure looks better in the car.

The Lotus rear view mirror plinth changed in '07 from the "hard to remove, easy to crack your windshield, requires complex instructions and finesse" plinth to a "slide it backwards and slightly up to remove" rear view mirror plinth just like the ones in the Tesla. It seems as though your were reading the '05-'06 Lotus instructions.

If you use red locktite on the bolt, first be sure you never want to remove that mirror as you will either need to apply too much torque (and possibly crack your windscreen) or too much heat (and melt things) to get it loose.

One thing to keep in mind as you first start looking backwards with the Micromirror is that you can typically only see with one eye through that mirror due to the narrow width (unless of course you are very beady eyed ). It can be difficult and even a little unnerving at first but with time becomes much less of a problem for most (not all, so stick with the blue locktite for a little bit ).

Manly Multivex install.

David's installation ^ is by far the most aesthetically pleasing and slickest installation of the Multivex mirrors and the one that I recommend if one is going to use them. I would, however, recommend using a temporary solution (i.e., the supplied double stick tape) for a week or so to see if you want them long term prior to smashing your glass, etc.

The Multivex do take some getting used to initially as the optics aren't great and the curvature distorts the picture a bit. Most users are either used to them in about 1 week or decide to go a different route and remove them. You will also have to get used to the change in depth of field. Remember that dumb little "objects are closer than they appear" on your passenger side mirror? That now applies to a greater degree and on both sides.

Cheers,
RoadDad

[RoadDad]

Another mirror worth mentioning;

Zoom CF Mirror

fits the
'05-'06 Elise
'06 Exige

don't know if it will fit a Tesla but it does have carbon fiber finish that would match the rollbar nicely.

Sorry I missed this one the first time around.

The Zoom CF Mirror will unfortunately not fit the mirror plinth in the Tesla (same as the '07 Lotus) as it is not the same as the '05-'06 Lotus plinth.

[SByer]

RoboDad, thanks for the info. I had thought I double-checked which instructions I was reading, clearly not.

I've put an album of the pictures up here. I tried to place the images in line, but something wasn't happening quite right.

[RoadDad]

RoboDad...

Ha ha. I'm not a spambot .