The boring thread.....

[Alex]

I've never noticed a difference either.  How come when you see them in the pack, they look the same size  ?

[Dextrous63]

Well, I can't say that I know him then.  Not living anywhere near Kingsway, so I have no idea how to find him in order to warn him about you!

Nor can interpol locate me 😬😬

[Mups]

I've never noticed a difference either.  How come when you see them in the pack, they look the same size  ?

I'm guessing that reply for me, Alex?   Only there have been a few posts in between.

Have you had a look at your wipers by any chance?
I could have sworn mine were both the same,  it seemed so illogical for them to be odd lengths,  but in fact the drivers side is  24"  and the passenger side only 15."     That's a huge difference. Seems crazy doesn't it.   Such a big difference.
I wonder if all cars are the same?

[Dextrous63]

I wish I hadn't read that last thing at night, Mups.  It's going to keep me awake trying to visualise how that optimises the amount of area getting wiped 🤬

[klondike]

I've seen both equal and unequal. I asked AI to explain why.....

Conversation with Gemini
Explain concisely why some cars have wiper blades of different lengths and others have them with equal size. Make it simple.

Windshield wiper sizes come down to maximizing visibility and fitting the shape of the glass:

Different lengths (Most common): The driver's side wiper is longer to clear a wider sweep directly in front of the driver's eyes for maximum visibility. The passenger side is shorter because the windshield's curve and frame prevent a longer blade from fitting or sweeping correctly without hitting the edges.

Equal lengths (Less common): Found on cars with opposing wipers (which start at the outer edges and sweep inward toward the center) or symmetrical windshields where matching sizes provide the best balanced coverage.

Gemini is AI and can make mistakes, including about people. Your privacy and GeminiOpens in a new window

[Dextrous63]

Cheers klondy, I pretty much understood that.  I was the shape of the truncated sectors and their intersections I was trying to figure out mentally.

In particular, whether it was necessary for each arm to rotate by the same angle as each other within the same sweep period.

Luckily, I fell asleep before my head imploded.  😬😬

[klondike]

The boring thread has served its purpose 

Conversation with Gemini
Explain concisely why some cars have wiper blades of different lengths and others have them with equal size. Make it simple.

Gemini tried but clearly misjudged some of the aufience 

[Dextrous63]

It did, but I knew all that already.  I was pondering over the set of parameters/variables.

It's hardly my fault if other(s) on her don't have my extensive intellect and curiosity 😬😬😬😬

[klondike]

In particular, whether it was necessary for each arm to rotate by the same angle as each other within the same sweep period.

I can answer that in a fashion. If you have even taken the mechanism to bits you'll remember that the two axles the wiper blades are attached to are linked with short connecting rods to an oscillating bar. The angle of rotation is governed by the length of that connecting rod. If the screen size and placement of the wiper arm axles dictate a need for different sweep angles that can easily be catered for by the length of the connecting rods
HTH

Oh a final comment in the unlikely event anybody gets this far - £9 for fitting wiper blades by somebody probably on minimum wage is a rip off. It's a 5 minute job. So long as you remember 5 minute jobs can involve much swearing, skinned knuckles, filthy hands and can sometimes take half an hour depending on the mood of the gods.

[Dextrous63]

Before we move onto discussions of the different types of diesel locomotives in the 1960s, I was pondering over the advantages of having two independent motors to operate the wiper arms independently.  

Of course they would have to function so that if, say, the driver wiper was on a fast setting, the passenger one on a slower or intermittent periodic wipe wouldn't crash into the faster one.

On a personal note, could I thank
Mups for bringing this subject to our attentions.  I, for one (and probably the only one), am having an absolute whale of a time pondering it and being unable to think about anything else.  🤬🤬

[klondike]

I was pondering over the advantages of having two independent motors to operate the wiper arms independently. 

I can answer that.
None.
There is no functional advantage and indeed the need for collision avoidance.
They are heavier and more expensive than linkages.
No car I'm aware of has ever had more than one for the same but less compelling reason no car has an engine for each wheel.

On a personal note, could I thank
Mups for bringing this subject to our attentions.

I am delighted that you feel so grateful and heartilly agree.

We could so easily be discussing the budget, inflation, cost of fuel, possibility of grid collapse or any nymber of other topics that would just put me in a bad mood.

[Scrumpy]

You won't believe this... Well some of you might.. 
I have just been outside to measure mine..
Tape measure in hand.. Inches only.. none of that metric stuff.
  18 inches..21 inches..

I shall sleep well tonight.. knowing this..

[klondike]

Tape measure in hand..

You are so lucky that your kitchen drawer is not inter-dimensionally connected as I fear mine is. Or perhaps you keep  one in your pocket because it is?

[Mups]

I can answer that in a fashion. If you have even taken the mechanism to bits you'll remember that the two axles the wiper blades are attached to are linked with short connecting rods to an oscillating bar. The angle of rotation is governed by the length of that connecting rod. If the screen size and placement of the wiper arm axles dictate a need for different sweep angles that can easily be catered for by the length of the connecting rods
HTH

Oh a final comment in the unlikely event anybody gets this far - £9 for fitting wiper blades by somebody probably on minimum wage is a rip off. It's a 5 minute job. So long as you remember 5 minute jobs can involve much swearing, skinned knuckles, filthy hands and can sometimes take half an hour depending on the mood of the gods.

Yes, I thought it was rather a lot too,  and he did it in about 3 minutes!

But  ... 
a)  I couldn't reach over the bonnet easily

and b) I didn't want the new wipers whizzing off across the A45 in the pouring rain if I hadn't fixed them on  properly.

Hence I had to cough up the £9. 





Yesterday at 09:46:44 AM

You won't believe this... Well some of you might.. 
I have just been outside to measure mine..
Tape measure in hand.. Inches only.. none of that metric stuff.
  18 inches..21 inches..

I shall sleep well tonight.. knowing this..

Yes, you will.   

And you never know when Bradley might ask you that question when you're on The Chase one day.   

[klondike]

There are usually instructions for fitting them in the pack. It's a tool free job you'd do from the side of the car. Do it in their car park and if you get stuck go back in.

I have paid £5 to get a headlamp bulb fitted there. It isn't technically hard but can be hard to get at leading to  "much swearing, skinned knuckles, filthy hands and can sometimes take half an hour depending on the mood of the gods" it depends on the car. I later did the other one on the car I'd paid for because the bloke did it in minutes and it was a 5 minute job.