Wiper Blades

[Vitz_man]

The main problem i have in the Yaris though is wheelspin, not intentionally at all but when the roads are wet, i have to be so carefull pulling out from junctions ect because it just wants to pull and there's no grip sometimes.

Then again the front tyres i have on now are quite worn Michelin somethings and i want a tyre that offers brilliant wet weather grip, looks good, lasts well and does'nt slaughter my wallet.

So on that, can anyone reccomend such a tyre? ;)

Toyo's :)

T1-R's on my car are pretty good at reducing wheelspin. In standing water you're pretty much the same with any tyre other than the "hurricane" tyres they used to fit to F1 cars pre-2005. They've got that amazing directional V tread on them which really gives them a bit of presence. As for long lasting life I couldn't really comment. Im on my first brand new set, but had a used set with the alloys I got for the car: apparently they'd been on for a while, and managed to get another year of out them with some pretty harsh driving at times.

I've recently done the whole "tyre-shop-around" thing so I would say I have pretty comprehensive knowledge on the subject. You could spend a little more on Dunlop SP Fast Respones's but they're a little bit more pricey and for the extra money the ever so slightly better review doesn't seem worth it to me. Although to be fair i'm a bit of a cheapskate at the moment and you may have the money to pay a little bit more. Of course you could follow the crowd with the Goodyear Eagle-F1's, but they're quite pricey aswell.

When its dry, the Toyo's are great fun. I went from a set of Michelin's to the Toyo's shortly after i'd bought the car and couldn't believe the difference. The new set i've got on at the moment do wonders for the car, although I always get the feeling my Yaris would get so much more out of them if the suspension was a little stiffer and the car had reduced body roll on the whole - coincidently, anyone got any tips on this? I did think about a set of TTE lowering springs but I know theres hundreds of manufacturers of suspension kits out there and im sure some hold more benefits over others.

To put my bit in about Wiper Blades, i've got a set of Halford one's on the front - seem to do the job okay although they're getting a bit worn now and they've only been on for 9 months. Think they would be best avoided in my opinion. Will certainly consider a set of PIAA's in the future when I get round to replacing them.

[Cherry Red Pocket Rocket]

My Wiper Blades are still going strong and are amazing when it rains! I've recently bought some special concentrated screen cleaner stuff that I add to my screen wash. It says that it also removes silicone. Would it be best for me not to use this as it might remove the film from the silicone Wiper Blades or should it be okay?

[gar]

I have been 'running' PIAA's on my Yaris now, for a few years so feel confident enough te express an opinion, so here goes!

They were expensive and I could only get the drivers side one before a trip from london, to Cornwall...

Cleaned the screen, fitted the blades and conditiond the windscreen as per!

On the trip, the blade seriousely out-performed the (Admitidly worn) Bosch I had in the passenger side.

Superb performanc, so much so that on my return, I ordered and collected the pasenger side one within days of my return. (From Burtons, the Ford engine people in Essex). Went through the clean/condition process again to fit that one, too

The Burton's guy said they are expensive, but outlast most other wipers so draw back some cost that way, plus the improvement made them a bargain!

So, they cleaned very well indeed and did make the rain peel off the screen at modest speed, meaning less wiper use......

FOR A WHILE!

They then deteriorated, quite rapidly, making vision poor again, to the extent that I nearly threw them away.

I then re-cleaned and conditioned the screen, WOW! new blades again!

..............Until, after a while, they started to deteriorate, rapidly, to the extent that I nearly threw them awy!

I then re-cleaned and conditioned the screen, WOW! new blades again!

.............Until,.. I think you get the picture!

They work great but the slidge they put on the screen seems to make them fail after a while unless you keep the screen clinically clean... Seems strange to need to clean a substance that, by desighn, is meant to help vision!

I have noticed that PIAA sell their own (Expensive) brand of screenwash and this may just be the solution to overbuild of muck as they are desighned hand in glove, so to speak. I have not tried it yet, but may do a consumer test on it soon as my blades are now failing again, rapidly....

I may need new ones now as they are at least 3 years old but I will try the cleaning method first as this has always worked in the past.

It may be helpful to know from the PIAA rep, above, whether he uses their wash too and if this is designed to prevent too much build up.

On the bulb front, In the new edition of RiDE ( A motorcycle mag, not saucy ladies) They tested both H4 and H7 bulbs and some makes were better at one, than the other so well worth a sneaky peek next time you are in W.H. Smith!

The same thing happens with tyres, some exell on certain size vehicles/tyres, whilst other sizes may be worse so tread (?) careful! What may stop a large saloon quick, may not suit a Yaris or similar!

[alfiejts]

Fully agree with what you have written gar. I've done the same - swapping PIAA blades because the visibility became poor - then I realised that cleaning the screen properly (approx every month or two....) cleans off all the cr@p and they are brilliant again.

I use a spray glass cleaner and a microfibre cloth, give it a good wipe and hey-presto - good as new again....

Like you say, I suspect that ordinary screenwash isn't enough to keep the grease off the screen - but the PIAA screenwash is very expensive.

A good clean each month with glass cleaner when washing the car is no trouble and much cheaper....

[Cherry Red Pocket Rocket]

I've recently bought some special concentrated screen cleaner stuff that I add to my screen wash. It says that it also removes silicone. Would it be best for me not to use this as it might remove the film from the silicone Wiper Blades or should it be okay?

According to what has been posted it is probably best if it does that and if I give my blades a clean as well. The blades are designed to set down a thin silicone film every time they are used to I presume using this special screen cleaner to clean all the crap off my windshield should improve things further, the life and use of the blades?

[Shappers]

Its a simple matter of using your fingers and wrist to manoeuvre it in carefully without touching anything.

as the bishop said to the choir boy...

[Raeman]

Now that's funny!

[Shappers]

Now that's funny!

Funnily enough, thats what she said :(

[SlamHamwich]

Save Yourself Some Time: The Toyota Yaris' 14" passenger side replacement windshield wiper is very hard to find in the newer-style beam blades. The 12" rear is also very hard to find because its a special rear blade that fits the special rear arm.

After exhaustive research, I've only found one aftermarket set-up that works: 'Trico NeoForm Beam Blades' on the front (yes, they have a 14") and 'Trico Exact Fit Rear Integral Blade' on the rear (yes, it fits the special rear arm). All of the above come with step-by-step, illustrated removal and replacement instructions - easy install. Got the whole set-up online.

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