Silicone Windshield Wiper Blades The Leading Extreme Weather Windshield Wiper Blades Particularly Relevant In This The Nastiest Uk Winter In More Than 40 Years
The cold temperatures are really and truly with us at the moment. In fact it looks like it might be a cold spell to outdo the last really cold one we had in the British Isles. That was 1963. It was so bitter cold then for such a long period of time that even my very cautious and protective allowed us to play on the frozen canal. Having said that; I believe we are still a long way from there yet, and I would certainly advise NOT going on any ice that’s over water deep enough to come over your knees.
Back to business: if you can forgive the pun; our little firm is thoroughly snowed under with requests for and enquiries about winter wiper blades. Many people are struggling with Wiper blades that have become rigid to such a dgree that they cannot flex to the form of the windscreen any longer. Another issue is that the ice can really grip the rubber, and as the motorist tries to free the wiper blade, he ends up tearing the rubber; so rendering the wiper blade useless.
We only sell Silicone Wiper Blades, and they really come into their own in extreme conditions. They normally don’t cost any more than premium quality rubber wiper blades, but unlike rubber wiper blades, any good brand of silicone wiper blades will come with a 12 month guarantee.
Silicone wiper blades have much improved resistance to ice sticking to them than rubber wiper blades, so they seriously reduce the risk of burning out your wiper motor or wrecking the windscreen wiper transmission system.
Also, silicone wiper blades remain flexible down to -60°C, so they continue to bend even in the coldest UK weather, this helps them to shake off any ice that does stick, and to follow the form of the windscreen, so shifting the snow much better.
In additions; silicone wiper blades are resistant to attack from the anti-freeze chemicals that we need to use to keep our windscreen washers operating in sub zero weather.
In heavy snow; I still advise wiping off the bulk of it with a brush before you start your wipers, because the additional load of the snow may damage your wiper motor or transmission. Doing this also prevents a build up of too much compacted snow at the end of the wiper blade’s sweep. When you get such a build up; it prevents the wiper from completing its full sweep, and this puts extra load on the wiper motor and the wiper transmission system. By not dealing with this issue you risk a burnt out wiper motor or broken wiper transmission system. Neither of these are cheap to replace on modern vehicles.
Even when I have silicone wiper blades fitted on my car, when it’s frozen; I just routinely lift my silicone wiper blades off the screen, and let them spring back. This ensures they are free and clear, and helps shake off any ice. I also brush off any excess snow, so that I know I’m not going to overload the wiper motor or transmission system, and that’s it. Clearer vision, longer lasting wiper blades, and when we eventually, I can rest assured that my silicone wiper blades won’t be attacked by the ozone or ultra violet in the sunshine, nor will they melt and stick to the windscreen, even in the hottest conditions.
