Winter Wiper Blades Review: Pros and Cons

Winter Wiper Blades Review

ALCA Winter 21″ Wiper Blades Review

ALCA Winter 21″ Wiper Blades Review

Pros of ALCA Winter 21″:

  • fasteners are excellent and not flimsy;
  • do not wobble;
  • do not freeze in the cold;

Cons of ALCA Winter 21″:

  • no obvious disadvantages

Technical Overview of ALCA Winter 21″:

The articulated mechanism is weighted with a waterproof cover (also protects the joints from corrosion and rust) so that the wiper blade can cope with heavy wet or frozen snow. In the manufacture of wiper blades uses a special compound of rubber with the addition of natural rubber and graphite impregnation, the edge of the cleaning tape is formed by laser cutting. There are options for almost all car brands, including Renault, Kia, Audi, Skoda, Mercedes.

CHAMPION Winter WX Wiper Blades Review

CHAMPION Winter WX Wiper Blades Review

Pros of CHAMPION Winter WX:

Cons of CHAMPION Winter WX:

Technical Overview of CHAMPION Winter WX:

A brand from Switzerland. There is no doubt in the quality. A special feature of these winter wipers is that their carcass is hidden under a special soft casing. Due to this, the frame mechanism has less contact with the environment, and in the conditions of the megapolis, this environment is very aggressive. The manufacturer emphasizes the special composition of the rubber and a reliable framework.

LYNXauto LW500 500 mm Wiper Blades Review

LYNXauto LW500 500 mm Wiper Blades Review

Pros of LYNXauto LW500 500 mm:

  • frame remains elastic;
  • do not freeze snow on the surface;
  • soft rubber

Cons of LYNXauto LW500 500 mm:

  • at a speeds above 120 they tend to cling weaker
  • sometimes leave streaks

Technical Overview of LYNXauto LW500 500 mm:

LYNXauto Winter Wiper Blade are made decently. Pretty heavy, the metal is strong and not flimsy, the cover is quite soft. Graphite coating strip wipers. For the city – a great option.

BOSCH Aerotwin AR Winter Wiper Blades Review

BOSCH Aerotwin AR Winter Wiper Blades Review

Pros of BOSCH Aerotwin AR:

  • Quality manufacturing
  • Good cleaning performance
  • work very quietly

Cons of BOSCH Aerotwin AR Winter Wipers:

  • Higher price than average winter wipers

Technical Overview of BOSCH Aerotwin AR:

Quality wipers by BOSCH. According to the reviews of car owners this model lasts for 7 – 8 months, then they start to leave streaks and smear.

TRICO ICE Wiper Blades Review

TRICO ICE Wiper Blades Review

Pros of TRICO ICE:

  • eliminates lifting by the wind
  • achieves 90% coverage of the cleaning surface

Cons of TRICO ICE:

  • low adherence at the edges

Technical Overview of TRICO ICE:

Innovative development of TRICO, is not just a winter wiper blade, but it is a severe fighter against winter weather. The coating of the wiper belt is Teflon. TRICO ICE are available for most arm types, including the new mounting systems.

Goodyear Winter Wiper Blades Review

Goodyear Winter Wiper Blades Review

Pros of Goodyear Winter Wiper Blades:

  • Does not stick/form ice in heavy snow
  • sealed rubber cover

Cons of Goodyear Winter Wiper Blades:

  • outer rubber cover cracked by the end of winter
  • bulky, large size

Technical Overview of Goodyear Winter Wiper Blades:

Winter wipers with graphite coating. Wipers have a protective cover, included instructions, a few adapters. Suitable for 95% of cars. According to user reviews, enough for 1 season.

For safe driving it is very important to prepare for the season and install wiper blades that will do their job even in extreme conditions.

The Main Problems of Winter Wiper Blades


The rubber wiper element of wipers loses elasticity, “hardens” at low temperatures. The leading manufacturers of windshield wiper systems are constantly improving the composition of the rubber element to ensure good performance both in winter and summer. This problem is not solved completely, even the best brands may require some time after starting the engine to warm up the windshield and make the wiper blades work without skipping. However, the temperature range of premium brands is still wider, so it makes sense not to save on safety by purchasing winter wipers.

Ice freezing in the grooves of the rubber band. This effect is present practically in all models of the wiper blades, because due to the section of the rubber band “herringbone” in it there are grooves in which the water freezes. As a result, the contact angle of rubber band with glass is broken and the wiper blades “smear” on the glass, until the ice melts. The solution to this problem is to clean the ice from the edge of the wipers before the trip. Experienced car owners lift the wiper blades away from the glass when they leave the car overnight. This reduces the amount of water in contact with the rubber band and reduces the formation of ice. A radical solution to this problem is to use special winter wipers with rubber wedge-shaped section, without the “herringbone. Such wipers in the summer time worse burns to the glass due to less transverse elasticity of the rubber, but in winter helps avoid the problem of ice in the “grooves” of the rubber element wiper.

Freezing of the hinges of the “carcasses” of frame and hybrid wipers. Due to their design, such wipers have movable joints of the carcass, and, as a consequence – another source of “winter” problems. Frozen ice blocks the underwater articulation, the clamping force of the leash is distributed unevenly and wipers leave large uncleaned areas. Rubber element in this situation may not touch the glass at all. The solution is to lift the wipers and check the mobility of wiper joints before a trip. Hybrid wipers also have a “boom”, but they are a little better protected by a plastic casing from moisture. Therefore, the owners of these wiper blades have fewer of these problems, although not completely rid of them. A radical solution – to use frameless wipers with no “rocker” in the design or a special frame wipers in a rubber cover that protects the design from moisture.

Freezing of the wiper to the glass. Almost everyone faces this problem – at night the wiper rubber freezes to the windshield, trying to use wipers, the wiper is detached from the glass with great force. This leads to premature wear of the rubber element and reduces the life of the wiper blades. A good solution is to raise the wipers at night or put them in “service mode”.
Windshield icing inevitably follows all car owners. This effect is dangerous in the fact that when you clean the ice-covered windshield, there are micro-tears on the rubber band, which strongly reduces the resource of wipers. The way out of the situation is to clean the windshield with a scraper or a special means “Antilode”. In addition to facilitate the cleaning of glass can be a quality antifreeze, based on fluorine compounds. In our catalog it is Ombrello/Auapel.
Freezing of the windshield wiper mount. This is another moving element of the wiper system, where frozen water can prevent normal operation. This problem is common to almost all types of mounts, but modern mount options are usually less let down by this problem.

Types of Winter Wiper Blades

Usually, you can recommend almost any frameless wipers from reputable manufacturers for winter operation, they do not have problems with freezing of the moving joints, thus making life easier for the car owner. However, they do not solve all the “winter” problems and require preparation before driving (see below).

Frameless Winter Wipers are produced by a well-known brand Trico. Trico ICE wipers are specifically designed for winter use and are very popular in the northern United States. They have an optimized low-temperature composition of rubber and rubber element profile, reducing the freezing of ice in the grooves of the “herringbone. The wipers in this series are also suitable for summer operation.

Framed Winter Wipers in a cover – the most extreme version of the winter wipers. Usually, they have a rubber band without “herringbone” and completely covered with a rubber cover from moisture. At the same time, they warm up the other option of winter wipers visually and are not suitable for summer use due to the large sail and poor attachment at high speeds. Another limitation – these wipers are usually available only for “hook” mounting.

Heated Winter Wipers – the most technologically advanced version of winter wiper blades. They are connected to the electrical system of the car and contain heating elements along the rubber band. This allows you to solve all the problems with winter operation. These wipers are originally installed on some new Volvo and Mercedes-Benz cars. According to the company Valeo, the developer of this system, soon we will see the AquaBlade system on the market for installation on any car. To date, there are other manufacturers of such systems, but so far we are testing them and do not offer them to customers.

Preparing your car for a winter trip. General recommendations.

Some cars have a heated parking area wipers, for others it is helpful to put the wipers in winter mode when they are higher in the heater zone. Check your car’s owner’s manual to enable this option.
When leaving the car overnight, it can be useful to lift the wipers off the windshield or put them in service mode, which is used to replace the wipers (do not do this if you do not think the parking space is safe enough. This mode makes it easy to remove the wipers).

If you have framed Winter Wipers:

  • Start the car and turn on the windshield blower
  • Wait a while (depending on the temperature) until you can lift the frozen wipers without much effort. If you did not forget to lift the wipers, you can skip this point.
  • Raise wipers, clean rubber band and, if possible, grooves “herringbone” from the ice.
  • Check the mobility of all joints of the frame, remove the frozen ice.
  • Check mobility of the wiper relative to the wiper arm
  • Clean the windshield from ice with a scraper and/or special chemical defroster.
  • Lower the wipers.
  • The car is warmed up, you may drive!

Frameless Winter Wipers:

  • Start the car and turn on the windshield blower
  • Wait a few minutes until you can lift the frozen wipers without much effort. If you raised the wipers at the end of your previous trip, this point does not apply to you.
  • Raise the wipers, clean the rubber band and herringbone grooves from the ice.
  • Check wiper mobility relative to the guide.
  • Clean the windshield from the ice with a scraper and / or a special product “Antifreeze”.
  • Lower the wiper blades
  • Your car is ready to go!

Framed Winter Wiper Blades:

  • Start the vehicle and turn on the windshield blower
  • Wait a while (depending on the temperature) until you can lift the frozen wipers without much effort. If you did not forget to lift the wipers, you can skip this point.
  • Clean the windshield of ice with a scraper and/or a chemical defroster.
  • Lower the windshield wipers.
  • Car is warmed up, ready to go!

Frameless Winter Wipers with AquaBlade system, MagicVision Control

Switch on windshield wipers remotely and the car will perform the preparation procedure by itself:

Warms up the wipers

  • Melt the icy windshield with hot windshield washer fluid
  • If you don’t have this useful option, you will have to start the procedure manually.

DIFFERENCE BETWENN SUMMER AND WINTER WIPPER BLADES

Getting your car ready for winter and snowfall involves more than just changing tires, checking the heating system, and other work. Before the onset of cold weather it is necessary to change the wiper blades as well. They, like tires, come in summer and winter. But how do winter wipers differ from summer ones, and why do wipers need to be changed? This is something every motorist should know.

MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN WINTER AND SUMMER wiper blades:

The windshield needs extra care in the winter, because they can get covered with ice, snow and grit. And the summer wiper blades will not cope with this task, because they are designed only to remove water and splashes of dirt from the glass.

The main difference between winter and summer wipers is that the former are equipped with a special cover made of plastic or rubber. It provides them protection from snow and ice and allows wipers to work effectively in difficult weather conditions. Knowing how to distinguish between winter and summer wipers, you will be able to quickly choose them in the store and will not be confused.

There are other differences between winter and summer wipers: winter ones use materials that are resistant to sub-zero temperatures and fluctuations in temperature. Wipers made of them will not crack or crumble even in extreme cold; winter wipers can be equipped with a built-in heating system. They are especially good because the heating gives them reliable protection against frosting.

For example: if it rains on a winter day, and then the air temperature drops quickly, the resulting frost will form on the wipers. It will have to be cleaned off carefully. But thanks to the heating, the ice will simply melt, which will save the driver the trouble of cleaning the blades; the difference between winter wiper blades and summer wiper blades can be seen in the price. Winter wiper blades models are more expensive, because they require more materials to manufacture (because they have a cover), and the materials themselves are more reliable and durable. It is clear that wipers with built-in electric heating are not cheap. As you can see, the difference between the winter and summer wipers is quite significant.

NOT RECOMMENDED!

  • Bashing the ice by hitting the glass with your cheek. This can cause damage to the wiper. For example, very often in this situation, plastic plugs of frameless Winter Windshield Wipers break, since the plastic becomes brittle in the cold.
  • Turn on the wiper on the frozen glass. This causes premature windshield wiper wear!
  • Ripping the frozen wipers off the glass. There is a great risk of damaging the wiper blade and reducing the service life of the rubber element.