The Best Wiper Blades for Winter
Wiper blades play an integral role in your driving, especially during the winter season. During heavy snowfall, your windshield will have poor visibility and it will only take some time for it to get fully covered. However, during winter, you have to use durable wiper blades that can endure the harsh outdoor elements. Below, we discuss some of the best options if your area is getting heavy snowfall.
How do I know if my wiper blades are in poor condition?
Wiper blades that aren’t designed for snow will squeak, chatter, and scratch your windshield. Some will also smear and skip the wiping motion. This is quite dangerous, especially if you’re driving on a highway with heavy traffic.
Conventional wiper blades also aren’t enough to withstand and scrape snow off your auto glass. It will bend and break, leaving you with poor visibility on the road.
Best wiper blades for winter
If you’re preparing for the winter season, consider getting one of these wipers for your vehicle:
Heated windshield wipers
If there’s one best wiper you should have during the extreme winter season, it would be heated wipers. This has the best snow-plowing power that will remove thick layers of ice from your windshield.
This wiper works using a defroster system to melt the snow so it will be easier to scrape away. Also, since it has a heating element, it reduces the risk of the wiper blades from breaking.
Usually, car owners can purchase retrofit kits to have heated wipers if their car doesn’t come with them.
All-season wipers
All-season wipers are durable options that can endure almost all outdoor elements. It’s designed to stay useful under extreme heat, snow, and wind.
However, all-season wipers tend to be more expensive, though it’s a great investment for your vehicle. Just make sure that it’s properly installed for optimal efficiency.
Beam windshield wipers
Another option that you have is the beam windshield wiper. This is one of the newest models in the market and boasts a bracketless and frameless structure where the blades are integrated straight to the rubber.
This has a curved construction that gives a strong wiping motion to remove thick snow. Aside from that, this is also a great wiper for heavy rainfall as it clears away water even in windy situations.
Hybrid windshield wipers
On the other hand, hybrid windshield wipers seem like a conventional wiper, but with flexible springs. This was first introduced by Michelin. The construction of hybrid wipers helps the blade contour well into the windshield glass so it can wick away snow and other elements properly.
Aside from that, the spring component of this blade gives additional pressure so it can perform well under harsh conditions. With this, it’s best to have it installed professionally.
Final words
During winter, thick snow and strong winds will compromise your safety on the road. Instead of taking chances, you should use windshield wipers that are made to withstand unforgiving outdoor conditions. Aside from getting the right type, you should also ensure that they are installed properly.