Re: Anyone made a 1 Arm Wiper for 80/90?

[ti@amb.org (Ti Kan)]

Alexander van Gerbig writes:
>     I really dislike the wipers on my 80.  I have good blades, Bosch
> MicroEdge, and there is something about the whole setup that bugs me when it
> rains.  They doesn't cover much area, they just don't do it.  I have been
> look at pics of a 80 from Europe that has a custom 1 arm wiper.  The 1 wiper
> arm is connected in the stock location of the passenger's wiper.  Instead of
> the bent arm of the stock wiper it has a completely straight arm.  I
> happened by a picture of the car with a dirty winshield so I could see area
> that the wiper is able to clear, much better than stock.

I fail to see how a single arm wiper can cover more area than the stock
dual arms, unless you have the wrong length wiper blades...  The driver's
side windshield upper corner is not covered at all with a single arm.
Most of the VW people who convert to single arm setups do so not because
it actually works better (it doesn't), but just because it's "different"
and "kewl".

Also, thw wiper arms on stock dual arm systems can be optimized
aerodynamically (with airfoils) to generate downforce and prevent
lift.  Audi does this on the driver's side arm on most models.
On a single arm setup, since the arm has to traverse to both extreme
sides it cannot be optimized the same way with an airfoil.  The air
foil, when lipped up on one side would cause downforce on one end
of its travel but cause lift on the other end.

Mercedes has a really complex single arm setup on some of their models,
where the arm actually becomes longer and reaches out into the two upper
windshield corners as it sweeps by.  But aftermarket single arm
conversions don't do that.

-Ti
96 A4 2.8 quattro
84 5000S 2.1 turbo
80 4000 2.0
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