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from the your-windshield-will-thank-you dept.
Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:
If you live in a place that sees freezing temperatures, you likely have had problems with wipers that freeze and windshields that ice up. It's a pain, and even on cars with heated washer systems, it can take ages for them to warm up and start working. Nobody has time for that at 6 a.m. in Detroit in the middle of December, so Ford came up with a better idea.
The VisioWiper system takes the idea of heated washer jets and builds on them, and it's getting its debut in the Lincoln Aviator. See, the main thing that sets the VisioWiper apart from other systems is the fact that the wiper blade itself has a heating element in it, and that it also dispenses heated fluid through nozzles integrated into the blade.
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Monday December 23 2019, @08:38AM (11 children)
which bit is new [speich.com]?
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 23 2019, @08:57AM (7 children)
Nothing here. The real problem is people get that cheap wiperfluid from the gas station. A lot of that stuff just has a 30 degree rating before it freezes. If you are lucky, it might have something like a positive 20 degree rating. Of course that stuff is going to freeze in freezing weather. Get the good stuff rated at lower temperatures and you are golden. Mine is 25 below zero, which I got from $1 per gallon from Walmart, and between it and my defrost I have clear windows in under 10 minutes. And remember to lift your wipers off the car if you are going to get ice and snow on the car while parked. They won't stick to the windshield on first use so they don't rip and you'll know they are good and melted when they lay flat again.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Monday December 23 2019, @10:22AM (6 children)
Agreed, pay a few cents more for the good wiper fluid, and your problems are pretty much solved. And, you can always add some alcohol to the mix, if you fear that it might freeze. Here in Arkansas, if you've bought the ever-so-slightly more expensive wiper fluid, you'll never have to worry. That 89 cents bargain cheapo crap may freeze before the water puddles around the car!!
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 2) by barbara hudson on Monday December 23 2019, @02:02PM (5 children)
SoylentNews is social media. Says so right in the slogan. Soylentnews is people, not tech.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Monday December 23 2019, @03:11PM (4 children)
I gotta disagree on the snow tires. An anecdote first:
'76 Chevy Nova, new from the dealer's lot, was a squirelly bitch in rain, snow, or ice. If there was ANYTHING on the road, the car was tricky. I wore original set of tires out, and I bought a set of those new-fangled modern radial tires. They were all-season tires, made by Uniroyal. That car became an entirely different vehicle. It hugged the road, under all weather conditions. Sure, if you acted like an idiot, it would break loose, and put you in the ditch. But, I drove that Nova across Ohio when the roads were officially closed due to snow and ice, without a problem.
Over the years since then, I've lived and driven all over the US, and a lot of Canada. Snow tires just don't seem to cut it. Those all-season radials go everywhere, they're quieter, I believe they give better fuel mileage, and you can always strap on a set of snow chains if the going gets really tough. None of that has touched on cost. I haven't even priced winter tires in years, but they always seemed to cost 10% to 20% more than the all-seasons.
We're all entitled to our opinions, but I don't believe snow tires give you anything more than good all-seasons, and if you're willing to strap on the tire chains, snow tires are definitely not any better.
NOTE: when choosing my tires, I look at the tread design. I always get the most aggressive design that I can find. Some of those super-quiet super-smooth-ride designs, like Michelin, probably won't get a good grip on the ice. I'm presently running Hancook tires, and they're as good as good gets. Hercules has a nice design, that I'll probably buy next month or two, since my Hancooks are almost worn out.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 3, Informative) by barbara hudson on Monday December 23 2019, @03:57PM (2 children)
SoylentNews is social media. Says so right in the slogan. Soylentnews is people, not tech.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 24 2019, @02:34AM (1 child)
Not to negate your point, but look for the "three peak mountain snow flake" or "3PMSF" marking. That is the official marking for snow tires sold in North America and most of Europe. It looks like a snow flake surrounded by a mountain with three peaks (looks like this [wikimedia.org]). Some less scrupulous places will call their tires "snow rated" or use other snowflake symbols when they don't actually meet the standard. Also check the minimum tread rating, which may be higher than you are used to with all-season or M+S tires.
(Score: 2) by barbara hudson on Tuesday December 24 2019, @03:37AM
SoylentNews is social media. Says so right in the slogan. Soylentnews is people, not tech.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 23 2019, @05:14PM
alternate anecdote:
A good friend lives at the end of a dirt road in Vermont. For years he had rear-drive cars with positraction (locking rear differential) and with studded snow tires he could get up his very steep, 500 foot long gravel driveway, as long as the snow wasn't too deep. Come the era of SUVs everywhere with 4wd or awd and his visitors were unable to climb the driveway with all season tires (with all 4 wheels driving).
For certain conditions real snow tires are a world of difference, much better than all seasons.
In my case, all seasons are fine--I work from home and rarely have to go out early in the morning. By the time I go out, the roads have usually been cleared.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by c0lo on Monday December 23 2019, @10:23AM (1 child)
The bit in which the snow on the windshield is melted with additional to form ice behind.
All at a cost of half-a-cat-battery worth of current (if you don't start the engine. If you do start it, you gain 3 less minutes until yurt windshield is clear).
Ah, of course, silly me...in addition, this is done "ob a computer" - actually an IoT thingy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday December 23 2019, @11:38PM
(lesson: never post on S/N while standing during the commute train)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 23 2019, @02:58PM
It's called WDWDI... The Warm Douche Windshield De-Icer.