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hey all, im wondering if anyone has any tips on good, aerodynamic windshild wipers?
thanks
thanks
most aerodynamic windshield wipers
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........I considered this subject for many years. I was going to remove the wipers completely, until I realized the following:
At speeds above about 32 mph, the whole bottom windshield to rear hood area is NOT a factor aerodynamically. It is bypassed. The airflow goes from the front of the hood, directly to the forward roof/top of windshield. Therefore, aero wipers are a moot point. They are actually in a vacuum area, so changing or removing them will not increase MPG.
At speeds above about 32 mph, the whole bottom windshield to rear hood area is NOT a factor aerodynamically. It is bypassed. The airflow goes from the front of the hood, directly to the forward roof/top of windshield. Therefore, aero wipers are a moot point. They are actually in a vacuum area, so changing or removing them will not increase MPG.
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ahh..good to know, now i can get the most functional ones as far as getting the rain/snow off my window!
any opinions on which ones are the best?
for the winter, i love the anco winter wipers, cause they dont freeze up in the terrible New England weather
for the summer, i prefer to use double bladed wipers, as they get the rain off alot better, IMO
any opinions on which ones are the best?
for the winter, i love the anco winter wipers, cause they dont freeze up in the terrible New England weather
for the summer, i prefer to use double bladed wipers, as they get the rain off alot better, IMO
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Bosch Icons, 24-A" driver's side, 19-B" passenger side, 19-A" rear... WITH Rain-X on all windows for good measure. I looooove the way they look (I can't imagine any aero gain that would be measurable) and they are absurdly easy to install. 
By the way: "A" are regular wipers, "B" have a more pronounced "bend" so they hug the windshield in reduced-radius situations, like on the furthest reach of the passenger side. They still miss about 1/4" at the very tip, but it's not an issue for me or for visibility, either.
By the way: "A" are regular wipers, "B" have a more pronounced "bend" so they hug the windshield in reduced-radius situations, like on the furthest reach of the passenger side. They still miss about 1/4" at the very tip, but it's not an issue for me or for visibility, either.
Installing the more aerodynamic wipers may help but it doesn't solve the problem that the wiper arms are exposed to the high speed air flow.
Installing an extension to the hood so the air goes over the wiper arms and wipers is the best solution. And it will reduce wind noise.
Check this out:
http://autospeed.drive.com.au/cms/A_2445/article.html
Installing an extension to the hood so the air goes over the wiper arms and wipers is the best solution. And it will reduce wind noise.
Check this out:
http://autospeed.drive.com.au/cms/A_2445/article.html
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384 Posts
Aerodynamic wiper & arm options
Option 1) Remount the windscreen wipers so that the blades are mounted closer to the bottom of the windshield. This helps to move the blades & arms somewhat out of the airflow. It is a very easy mod, just requires undoing the windscreen wiper arm bolt, moving the arm closer to the bottom of the windscreen and then doing up the wiper arm bolt. The slight downside of this is that the angle of travel remains the same so less of the top of the windscreen is wiped.
Option 2) Replacement of wiper arm assembly with a modern low drag design. Most modern cars have an improved wiper arm arrangement where the wiper arm attaches to the blade from the front rather than from the top. This means that the arm is less exposed to the airflow and hence produces less drag. The wiper arm arrangement, which I think is a very good (aero) design and fits the Insight G1, is from a Vauxhall Astra H Mk5 (e.g. year 2007). It is slightly thicker metal so there is a small weight penalty but it is a much flusher design with the wiper arms being much less exposed to the airflow. I got a pair including blades for £25 off ebay. Its geometry means that slightly more of the window is cleaned compared to the OEM arrangement.
Option 3) Flat-blade wiper deflector trim/delete. The latest flat-blade designs have a deflector that does not seem very aerodynamic. I have sliced these off with a scalpel blade (they are not structural). Perhaps they are helpful during operation at high speeds (for stability) but I have not noticed any problems without them. Slight reduction in aesthetics (depending on how cleanly they can be sliced off) but much lower profile.
I think the ultimate aero design (maintaining windscreen wiper functionality) would be a flush well angled deflector covering the windscreen wipers. Options 1) & 2) can be used to allow a deflector to be closer mounted to the wipers and hence more aerodynamic.
Having been inspired by talking to Alex (Albad) & seeing his G1 Insight I would like to share a few cumulative options that I have done to reduce wiper blade/arm drag:
Option 1) Remount the windscreen wipers so that the blades are mounted closer to the bottom of the windshield. This helps to move the blades & arms somewhat out of the airflow. It is a very easy mod, just requires undoing the windscreen wiper arm bolt, moving the arm closer to the bottom of the windscreen and then doing up the wiper arm bolt. The slight downside of this is that the angle of travel remains the same so less of the top of the windscreen is wiped.
Option 2) Replacement of wiper arm assembly with a modern low drag design. Most modern cars have an improved wiper arm arrangement where the wiper arm attaches to the blade from the front rather than from the top. This means that the arm is less exposed to the airflow and hence produces less drag. The wiper arm arrangement, which I think is a very good (aero) design and fits the Insight G1, is from a Vauxhall Astra H Mk5 (e.g. year 2007). It is slightly thicker metal so there is a small weight penalty but it is a much flusher design with the wiper arms being much less exposed to the airflow. I got a pair including blades for £25 off ebay. Its geometry means that slightly more of the window is cleaned compared to the OEM arrangement.
Option 3) Flat-blade wiper deflector trim/delete. The latest flat-blade designs have a deflector that does not seem very aerodynamic. I have sliced these off with a scalpel blade (they are not structural). Perhaps they are helpful during operation at high speeds (for stability) but I have not noticed any problems without them. Slight reduction in aesthetics (depending on how cleanly they can be sliced off) but much lower profile.
I think the ultimate aero design (maintaining windscreen wiper functionality) would be a flush well angled deflector covering the windscreen wipers. Options 1) & 2) can be used to allow a deflector to be closer mounted to the wipers and hence more aerodynamic.
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are they really aluminum? How can you tell. They seemed like normal metal ones to me when I took them out to clean.One thing I like about the I1 is all the touches.... and that includes the aluminium wiper arms.
Seems a shame to revert to 'normal' ones
If they are attracted to a magnet, they're steel. Some stainless steels are only weakly attracted to a magnet, but we know they're not stainless steel.
If they aren't attracted to a magnet, they're almost certainly aluminum. We know they're not a non-metallic material. Is there any other non-magnetic metal that is inexpensive enough and has the right properties to be used?
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Does G1 have Steel or Aluminium Wiper Arms?
Having just checked I can confirm that the G1 wipers are magnetic i.e not aluminium. They are however much thinner gauge steel (& hence lighter) than the more aerodynamic wiper arms I replaced them with.
If anyone knows of super-light wiper arms that fit the G1 and are ultra low profile (see pics in my original post above) please let me know?
Having just checked I can confirm that the G1 wipers are magnetic i.e not aluminium. They are however much thinner gauge steel (& hence lighter) than the more aerodynamic wiper arms I replaced them with.
If anyone knows of super-light wiper arms that fit the G1 and are ultra low profile (see pics in my original post above) please let me know?
Fantastic! I've been spying in the work car park for suitable replacements but havent yet managed to find ones of a suitable length (although Golf Mk6 look like they could come close). The originals are looking quite tired now too...
Well done on finding and doing this, is now most certainly on my mod list, as well as smaller side mirrors / interior mounted convex on one side like you mentioned at the meet.
Well done on finding and doing this, is now most certainly on my mod list, as well as smaller side mirrors / interior mounted convex on one side like you mentioned at the meet.
The paint has flaked off due to the corrosion underneath, the corrosion is clearly aluminium oxide rather than rust. Aluminium is a normal metal..
UK car if that makes a difference I wonder?
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384 Posts
Have you tested them with a magnet?The paint has flaked off due to the corrosion underneath, the corrosion is clearly aluminium oxide rather than rust. Aluminium is a normal metal..
UK car if that makes a difference I wonder?
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384 Posts
Aluminium or Steel... or both?
It seems we were both partially correct: the upper & middle section of the wiper arm is magnetic i.e not aluminium but the short section next to the attachment nut is a much thicker metal section and non-magnetic. The first 2 pictures show the non-aluminium parts; the third shows the aluminium part.The paint has flaked off due to the corrosion underneath, the corrosion is clearly aluminium oxide rather than rust. Aluminium is a normal metal..
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Great! somebody finally did it right....Good job pascal28.
Willie
Willie
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384 Posts
Having done the above described aero mods to the wiper arms & blades I was still bothered by the spray nozzles that stick out into the airflow. Latest cars tend to have the nozzles hidden (for aesthetics and very small aero benefit).
Front Windscreen Spray Nozzle Relocation Mod:
1) Remove bonnet heat shield
2) Remove spray nozzles
3) Relocate tubing to windscreen base (drilling 2 holes to allow tubes to come out)
4) Make small AL brackets that the nozzles fit into making sure that they are angled to spray the correct location on the windscreen
5) Attach brackets onto windscreen plastic base with 3M Dual-Lock
6) Carbon Fibre (or other FRP) over inside of bonnet holes
7) Filler & paint gap at top of bonnet
Front Windscreen Spray Nozzle Relocation Mod:
1) Remove bonnet heat shield
2) Remove spray nozzles
3) Relocate tubing to windscreen base (drilling 2 holes to allow tubes to come out)
4) Make small AL brackets that the nozzles fit into making sure that they are angled to spray the correct location on the windscreen
5) Attach brackets onto windscreen plastic base with 3M Dual-Lock
6) Carbon Fibre (or other FRP) over inside of bonnet holes
7) Filler & paint gap at top of bonnet
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