what kind of wiper geometry do you prefer the most?

[ben_david19]

tsikoteers, kung kayo ang masusunod, ano ang gusto niyong wiper na nakalagay sa auto niyo ngayon?

1. common cars ganito ang design.




2. an example would be Honda Civic FD




3. single wiper only. hindi po yung tinanggal lang ang isang wiper, ito po yung hinahagod ng 1 wiper lang ang buong windshield.




not counted since this is for buses only hehe, but I still posted it anyway.

[ben_david19]

ako sa choice no. 1 pa rin since sanay ako dito hehe.

[ghosthunter]

This option: "I don't care as long as the wipers do their work properly."

[ben_david19]

This option: "I don't care as long as the wipers do their work properly."

nothing beats that choice for sure sir hehe.

[raine]

pwedeng dagdag sa option

4. sa itaas ang wiper like sa mga jeepneys

[ben_david19]

pwedeng dagdag sa option

4. sa itaas ang wiper like sa mga jeepneys

FTW! hindi ko naisip yun ah hahaha. tapos yung switch nasa itaas din or worse.... alam niyo na, yung manual pang ginagalaw ng driver hehe.

[Taurus]

It looks like the one for the buses has the biggest area for keeping the windshield clear although the wiper holders may be a distraction when at rest.


I like this option since the limits are not in hindrance when you are driving, yun kasing first option pag huminto sa gitna may naiiwan na water then saka lang wipe off on the second stroke.

[meledson]

Hmmm, dapat isama sa list, IMO, ang mga gumagawa ng 1 wiper lang pero dapat 2.

[jut703]

Among all minor car parts, wipers are my favorite.

For cars that have windshields that are about as high as they are wide (i.e. Civic with that extremely huge dash+windshield combo, minivans), opposed wipers (option 2) covers the most area. For cars with windshields that are wider than they are high, tandem wipers (option 1) covers the most area because opposed wipers will have to be so far apart that they won't even be able to wipe the middle just to cover both corners.

Single wipers (i.e. Fiat Uno) are very inefficient because there is no second wiper to take care, albeit partly at best, the remaining area the first wiper was unable to wipe. Mercedes ingeniously solved this problem by having the wipers extend outward when the blade is at a 45º angle so as to cover the most area. However, a system like this wipes slower and in heavy rain conditions as well as strong snow, the wiper is unable to keep up. My lolo once had a C220 that had this system. It was extremely interesting and eyecatching seeing the wiper dance, but its fastest mode wiped as quickly as a modern car's normal wipe speed.

With regard to tandem wipers (option 1), the trend in the 90s was that both blades were of almost equal length, with the driver's side one slightly longer. The equally long second blade (passenger side area) allowed the outer wipe to be wider. However, equal lengths like these left a significant amount of triangle in the lower-middle part of the windshield (equal to the distance between the end points of the two blades). The wider the windshield was, the bigger this triangle became (i.e. vans like the HiAce and L300 have really big triangles).

In the 2000s, I noticed that car wipers tended to undergo a length change. The driver's side wiper was made as long as possible, almost as long as the blades of cars that used opposed wipers, and then a shorter second wiper was there to cover the remaining area of the windshield. This greatly reduced the width of the middle triangle on the windshield, though height wasn't changed that much because the radius of the outer wipe was increased. Then finally manufacturers realized the two blades could actually overlap and therefore eliminate the middle triangle and at the same time increase blade length which ultimately increased wiping area.

Currently, I think the best wiping system is that of Mercedes, wherein it uses the traditional tandem method, but has the passenger side blade extend (like it did in its single blade systems before). Not only is it very effective, it's very amusing to see the right blade dancing while the left blade monotonously moves up and down.

[niky]

I've always liked Mercedes systems... very practical compared to other cars.

But the new short-long combo on cars is pretty good... lots of viewable area compared to before.

I think the bigger question is... flexible rubber wipers, or metal backbone?

[jut703]

Only thing I don't like with the short-long combos is the high height of the middle triangle in relation to it's base width. Minor thing, but I was used to near isosceles triangles of the 90's.

I've always been a fan of banana wipers (colloquial term for the flexible ones) since they came out. Got our Corolla a nice Bosch pair when it was new. Then, China came along and now they're as cheap as conventional metal blades. The uniqueness is gone, but it does help a car look less old when it has that kind of wiper blade.

In comparison with conventional blades, Bosch metal blades still wipe better than China banana blades. However, comparing same quality levels, I've noticed less jitters (especially on the longer blade, the driver's side one) with the banana blades. In theory, it should be smoother, because unlike metal blades, which have around a total of 12 joints to apply pressure throughout the length of the blade, banana blades would be like having infinite joints because the whole blade in itself is designed to bend inwards, thus creating a downward pushing force on the windshield.

All is well then for the frameless banana wipers...not. The question now is, why do car manufacturers still use framed wipers? Though it's important to note that these framed wipers look different from before (compare 01-08 Altis wipers to 08-current Altis wipers and there's a difference in design), it's still weird that they haven't really gone for the frameless type.

[niky]

Probably cost-savings. Good bananas cost quite a bit... staying with regular wipers allows them to use cheaper wipers without compromising quality or safety. Cheap bananas flap in the wind.