Buy beam blades, problem solved.
Wipers that work - is there such a thing?
- Thread starter grampi
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I've used Rain-x for years - works great. I don't see any degradation in night vision, if anything, the beading water droplets offer far clearer vision than the slight smearing left by wipers on plain glass.
I also use Rain-X washer fluid - less chatter and streaking.
I've tried the PIAA Silicone wipers on the Volvo (yep, spoilers on the blades) and they work great, including at speeds well above the legal limit. They've been on the car for a year and are as good as new. I think their key advantage is durability. Brand new Volvo blades (made by Bosch) are almost as good, but don't hold up as well.
On the low-speed cars (4Runner) any brand works well - just replace after a year.
I also use Rain-X washer fluid - less chatter and streaking.
I've tried the PIAA Silicone wipers on the Volvo (yep, spoilers on the blades) and they work great, including at speeds well above the legal limit. They've been on the car for a year and are as good as new. I think their key advantage is durability. Brand new Volvo blades (made by Bosch) are almost as good, but don't hold up as well.
On the low-speed cars (4Runner) any brand works well - just replace after a year.
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There are a lot of factors with windshield wipers... windshield shape, aerodynamics, climate, etc.
For my car, the beam style blades (Rain-X Latitude) were terrible - they didn't wipe well in the middle on the driver side, and they tended to lift off the windshield slightly when in use above 60 MPH. We hardly ever get snow around here (and when we do, everything shuts down), so the biggest benefit of these blades (not clogging with snow and ice) doesn't mean anything to me.
Cheap blades with the old-fashioned frames did not have this problem, but quality was an issue and they did not hold up well at all. After a few months, they would always start chattering and not wiping cleanly. Cleaning the rubber blade helped keep them quieter, but I had to do it every few weeks after the first cleaning. The sun just destroys the cheap rubber, and the further south you go, the worse it is.
I'm running PIAA Super Silicone blades now (regular style frames, not the beam style) and they have worked better than anything else that I have tried. The silicone rubber does not deteriorate, so I don't have to constantly clean them. They seem to be quiet in all conditions, even on a dry windshield.
They also leave a coating on the windshield that acts like Rain-X, so at higher speeds, the wipers aren't even necessary in many cases. This coating does not cause any smearing or other visibility issues that I can detect.
I have also heard good things about Silblade, but I like the fact that PIAA has refills for their blades.
For my car, the beam style blades (Rain-X Latitude) were terrible - they didn't wipe well in the middle on the driver side, and they tended to lift off the windshield slightly when in use above 60 MPH. We hardly ever get snow around here (and when we do, everything shuts down), so the biggest benefit of these blades (not clogging with snow and ice) doesn't mean anything to me.
Cheap blades with the old-fashioned frames did not have this problem, but quality was an issue and they did not hold up well at all. After a few months, they would always start chattering and not wiping cleanly. Cleaning the rubber blade helped keep them quieter, but I had to do it every few weeks after the first cleaning. The sun just destroys the cheap rubber, and the further south you go, the worse it is.
I'm running PIAA Super Silicone blades now (regular style frames, not the beam style) and they have worked better than anything else that I have tried. The silicone rubber does not deteriorate, so I don't have to constantly clean them. They seem to be quiet in all conditions, even on a dry windshield.
They also leave a coating on the windshield that acts like Rain-X, so at higher speeds, the wipers aren't even necessary in many cases. This coating does not cause any smearing or other visibility issues that I can detect.
I have also heard good things about Silblade, but I like the fact that PIAA has refills for their blades.
I've been using the Michelin Optimum beam type blades for probably two years now. No signs of tearing smearing or chattering as of yet...on the windshield anyway. It didn't work on the rear wiper at all. I upgraded to the Anco beam style and it didn't work either on the rear. It chatters and will only wipe one direction.
Fortunately, the Mazda is unlike truncated rear hatchbacks and SUVs. I only use the rear wiper when stopped. When moving, the back window stays as clear as any sedan. So when the light turns green, I sweep the rear as clean as it will get and drive off.
The irony is that the absolute cheapest Pylon frame type will work just fine on the rear but I am too vain to have mismatched wipers and have already spent the money on the "better" wiper for the rear.
Fortunately, the Mazda is unlike truncated rear hatchbacks and SUVs. I only use the rear wiper when stopped. When moving, the back window stays as clear as any sedan. So when the light turns green, I sweep the rear as clean as it will get and drive off.
The irony is that the absolute cheapest Pylon frame type will work just fine on the rear but I am too vain to have mismatched wipers and have already spent the money on the "better" wiper for the rear.
I've tried Rain-X and applied exactly as instructed.
The stuff does help bead the water and make things look a little clearer...BUT this also creates DRY spots between raid droplets and when the wiper blade hits them it makes them CHATTER and skip.
The stuff does help bead the water and make things look a little clearer...BUT this also creates DRY spots between raid droplets and when the wiper blade hits them it makes them CHATTER and skip.
Silicone does nothing. Natural rubber works best. This has been tested repeatedly by all the major wiper companies (NWB, Valeo/SWF, Bosch) and the natural stuff always worked better.
Buy beam blades. Replace every spring and fall. Avoid exposing rubber to chemicals or other harsh cleaners. That's the best you can do.
(this comes from the son of a former 25+ year Bosch wiper engineer)
Buy beam blades. Replace every spring and fall. Avoid exposing rubber to chemicals or other harsh cleaners. That's the best you can do.
(this comes from the son of a former 25+ year Bosch wiper engineer)
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