Obscure Car Details: Windshield Wipers

"Michael Woyahn" (michaelwoyahn) 01/18/2016 at 14:30 • Filed to: None

8

36

The Ford Fusion just got a refresh for 2017, bringing the V6 and Sport designation rightfully back to the midsize sedan. However, there is one detail that has remained the same on this facelift, as well as the other new European Fords: the windshield wipers. Why did Ford suddenly switch to the “mini van” style?

Yes, this has truly been in the back of my mind since the 2012 Ford Focus came out. Now that I am on winter break and have plenty of time to waste, I have finally looked into this topic. Though, researching turned out to be a little difficult since I had no idea what the name of the wiper setup was. I had to scrounge through forums and YouTube demos to find out that the new Fords use an opposed wiper system, despite the fact that a simple Wikipedia search could have answered all of my questions.

As I am sure you know, this is not a new design. Just a few examples of the opposed setup can be found in the Honda Civic from 2006 to 2015, and the Dodge Grand Caravan from 1996 to 2007. Now, there’s something that both of these cars have in common.

They both have huge windshields. Even the new Fords have pretty big windshields, and this is more important than it seems. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! require a certain percentage of the windshield to be cleared. The windshield is broken up into three different areas and a percentage of each area needs to be cleared, ranging from 80-99%. So, in some cars, clearing the needed areas of the windshields can only be realistically done with the opposed setup.

But I think there is more to Ford’s decision to switch than simply clearing the windshield. Ford uses a new system developed by Bosch. Instead of connecting each wiper to a single motor, as shown above, they use two individual motors for each wiper. They call this !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! because there is no mechanical linkage between wipers and motors; they are directly connected. Of course, this means that a computer is needed to control them so there are no wiper to wiper collisions.

Bosch actually took this opportunity to make their wipers even smarter. The wipers can detect a build up of snow and ice, or maybe mud caked on after an off road rally run in a Focus ST, and make adjustments to work more effectively. The computer reduces the area the wiper sweeps and stops them before hitting the blockage. The video below explains how the systems works.

However, I think the greatest incentive for Ford to use this style of wipers is with pedestrian safety requirements in Europe. Ford gains way more space under the hood by using two independent motors and ditching the linkage. This space can be used to absorb a pedestrian impact, which is vital for Ford to sell essentially the same car in all markets. Each car has to pass all of the safety tests in every country, and this is a somewhat cheap solution to one test.

A perfect example of this is with the 2015 Ford Edge. The Edge soldiered on for 7 years using the usual style of wipers, but the second it left the continent, it switched to opposed wipers. The same goes for every Ford, except for the Mustang, interestingly. The Mustang’s higher hood most likely absorbs enough energy in impacts, which allowed for the engineers at Ford to keep the tandem wiper design.

Now, if you’re like me and still find this layout to be a little odd, keep the wipers in mind if you check out that new Fusion Sport. But don’t forget that if you make good use of the twin turbos and all wheel drive in the rain, the high speed wind should just carry the drops right off; you wouldn’t even have to touch the wipers.

Photo credits to PartService, Wikipedia, Google’s Patent Drawings, and Bosch

DrJohannVegas > Michael Woyahn 01/18/2016 at 14:34

0

Glad to see someone else hyperlinking 49 CFR 571. I was getting tired of being the only one!

Nice piece!

Cé hé sin > Michael Woyahn 01/18/2016 at 14:38

6

Another reason: same wipers for lhd and rhd so money saved.

dogisbadob > Michael Woyahn 01/18/2016 at 14:39

1

use they’re awesome! Also, it’s easier/cheaper to make one set of wipers for both sides of the road. With the tandem style, you need two different sets for LHD and RHD

deekster_caddy > Michael Woyahn 01/18/2016 at 14:40

2

The opposed wipers makes a lot of sense. First of all, it’s ‘global’. The same design works for RHD or LHD. Windshields are also larger so ‘tandem’ wiping requires some funkiness with the passenger side wiper. Who cares if the area behind the rearview mirror doesn’t get wiped?

Also, Rain-X makes your wipers nearly obsolete anyway. Put on a real coat of rainX from a bottle, don’t just use the washer fluid. It’s amazing.

iSureWilll > Cé hé sin 01/18/2016 at 14:41

0

If they're the same wipers, do I need to rotate them so they wear evenly? :)

Probenja > Michael Woyahn 01/18/2016 at 14:47

2

Other wipers...

Controlled single wiper:

Single wiper with double arm:

Three Wipers:

BigBlock440 > deekster_caddy 01/18/2016 at 14:55

0

Got my first taste of RainX when I decided to not cheap out and get good wipers. I’m not sure if that was a good decision or not, because the wipers were/are garbage, but they introduced me to the wonder that is RainX. The stuff is fantastic, I had to go buy a bottle when the wiper coating started to wear. Though now I am curious how a coat of wax on the windshield would work, because I already had that and RainX does the same thing.

Cé hé sin > Probenja 01/18/2016 at 14:55

1

Two opposed wipers parked vertically:

deekster_caddy > BigBlock440 01/18/2016 at 14:57

0

I would expect wax to get cloudy or not last as long... or something? Try it and let us know how it goes! For that matter, put wax on the passenger side and RainX on the drivers side, because science!

Mattbob > Michael Woyahn 01/18/2016 at 14:58

0

whoop whoop, bosch! I’ve worked on the testers for those systems.

BigBlock440 > deekster_caddy 01/18/2016 at 15:00

1

When it warms up I probably will. If I don’t, it’ll keep nagging me, the thought always there. I don’t see why it would get cloudy, it doesn’t cloud up on paint, but maybe it won’t stick to glass as well.

Frank Grimes > Michael Woyahn 01/18/2016 at 15:03

0

I think its a bout time wipers go away and some kind of lasers clear our windshields.

dogisbadob > Probenja 01/18/2016 at 15:21

0

Single wipers are awesome!

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Michael Woyahn 01/18/2016 at 15:42

1

This doesn’t really reflect how much better it is. The blades on this style are much longer than with tandem blades and their pivot points are closer to the center, which results in better wiper coverage.

punkgoose17 > Michael Woyahn 01/18/2016 at 15:51

0

Thanks for the interesting write up. Opposed wipers always remind me of my father’s 1991 Pontiac Grand Prix.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > deekster_caddy 01/18/2016 at 15:52

1

Rain-X is amazing stuff, but you can’t avoid wipers. It does massively help with visibility in almost all conditions, though, and I don’t know how people drive cars in the rain without it.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > BigBlock440 01/18/2016 at 15:54

0

It works that same way, but I think Rain-X lasts longer on glass. A really good wax will do the same thing, mind you.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Cé hé sin 01/18/2016 at 15:57

0

Technically, that’s not true because many companies charge more for longer wipers. It is simpler to buy and stock them, though, because you don’t need different ones.

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > Michael Woyahn 01/18/2016 at 15:58

0

There's a movie about intermittent windshield wipers?

Michael Woyahn > Cé hé sin 01/18/2016 at 16:00

0

I didn’t think of that. Good point!

Michael Woyahn > Probenja 01/18/2016 at 16:03

0

Those are awesome! Gotta love the FJ Cruiser’s wipers.

Michael Woyahn > dogisbadob 01/18/2016 at 16:04

1

That is a very good point! Somehow I didn’t even think about the LHD and RHD differences.

Michael Woyahn > punkgoose17 01/18/2016 at 16:08

0

Thanks for reading! I didn’t even know the 91 Grand Prix used opposed wipers. That’s pretty cool!

Michael Woyahn > DrJohannVegas 01/18/2016 at 16:11

0

Ha, it is a useful document! Thanks!

Michael Woyahn > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) 01/18/2016 at 16:12

0

Yup, I guess Ford and Bosch were very proud their wipers!

Michael Woyahn > Mattbob 01/18/2016 at 16:14

0

That’s really cool! It seems like they work well, too, so good job haha!

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Michael Woyahn 01/18/2016 at 16:38

1

W126 Monowiper is king!!

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > Michael Woyahn 01/18/2016 at 16:40

1

The cover is probably a centerfold of a windshield wiper in 6000x2000 resolution swiping beads of water away....but I mustn't make myself soil my pants

Michael Woyahn > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 01/18/2016 at 16:42

0

Love that design!

Cé hé sin > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 01/18/2016 at 18:17

0

I was thinking of it being cheaper for the makers to be able to simplify production. With opposed wipers you get two long wipers rathet than one long and one short so I doubt if there’d be any saving for the poor punter.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Cé hé sin 01/18/2016 at 21:16

0

There isn’t much there. They have to be mirrored, so it probably isn’t a single wiper arm part, so I am not sure that it’s a major cost savings. The fact it’s universal for all countries is probably the main source of cost reduction...

John Norris (AngryDrifter) > Michael Woyahn 01/18/2016 at 21:38

0

At least half the full size cars in the late 50's and early 60's had opposed (oppo?) wipers.

Never knew the term for that. Thanks for the education. Without the correct terminology I think I used to describe the difference with some flailing arm motion.

Michael Woyahn > John Norris (AngryDrifter) 01/18/2016 at 21:52

0

I didn’t know they were that popular around that time. Interesting!

I had no idea what the term was either. I called them center wipers or mini van style wipers, but there was definitely some arm movement in my descriptions too ha!

Mattbob > Michael Woyahn 01/19/2016 at 09:47

0

I didn’t work on the product itself, just the durability testers that all the wiper systems are tested on. But it’s always cool to see products I had vaguely had something to do with in actual cars. Last time I was really drunk I got way too excited when I found out a guy had a tesla, because I wanted to see a part on it that I had worked on testing for.

Michael Woyahn > Mattbob 01/19/2016 at 11:33

0

Haha that’s awesome! That sounds like a pretty cool job!

Caddyman > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 03/17/2016 at 20:54

0

yes sir, my 99 c230 has the mono and it is badass. only problem is it tends to eat motors unless i just have bad luck....which may be the case.