At first glance, Car Wiper Blades look just the same today as they appeared when Mary Anderson first patented them in 1903. Since then, there’ve been quite a few improvements along the way, e.g. Vacuum and then Electric Power overtaking hand cranks, new materials in the form of Silicone Wiper Blades, Rain Sensitive Controls and many others.
Nonetheless, until recently, a passing glance at Car Wiper Blades could easily leave you with the feeling that nothing much has changed. This all altered lately with the arrival of Flat Wiper Blades
Lack of space between the trailing edge of the bonnet and the windscreen, cost reductions, product reliability, aero-dynamic drag, image, pedestrian crash legislation, have all pushed vehicle designers & their counterparts in the component industry to try something totally new. Finally there’s an advance that we can recognise; Flat Wiper Blades or Beam Wiper Blades as they’re often called within the manufacturing companies.
Committed campaigns by car manufacturers, are in hand to dramatically reduce vehicle fuel consumption. This means windscreens are becoming more inclined, and this needs longer Wiper Blades, which in turn need more powerful motors & transmission systems, all at a reduced weight & taking up less room than before.
Flat Wiper Blades have a lower profile than traditional Car Wiper Blades, making them more visually impressive as well as ensuring they are aerodynamically much more efficient, both in terms of cutting drag and improved contact with the windscreen, particularly at high speeds. Flat Wiper Blades don’t have joints that are liable to seize or clog with ice and snow in freezing weather. This guarantees a much safer and clearer wipe on those cold dark and dangerous freezing mornings. If you combine the technology of flat Wiper Blades with Silicone Wiper Blades, you have an exceptional winter wiper blade, thanks to the jointless design & silicone’s low temperature flexibility and resistance to the solvents used to prevent screen wash freezing.
Most European vehicle makers now specify Flat Wiper Blades on all new model launches, and have been doing this for a few years now. At first drivers were faced with some horrific prices for renewing Flat Wiper Blades because there was no competition to force the prices down to sensible levels. Moreover in the last two years, we’ve seen many competitors coming into the market place with Flat Wiper Blades both as replacements for the Original Equipment, and also as retrofits which allow owners of cars with classic Wiper Blades to update the appearance, Performance and safety of their car.
Maybe the next important innovation will be the 1st car to be equipped with Silicone Wiper Blades as original equipment. The average working life of a rubber wiper blade is six months, although the average European driver will make his Wiper Blades last at least three times that. Silicone Wiper Blades typically last three to five times longer than rubber Wiper Blades, and can be bought at similar or slightly lower prices than quality rubber Wiper Blades.
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