Windscreen visibility + Wipers

[Richard Anderson]

I recently completed a trip to Scotland and back (from London).

 

Amazingly, I got all the way there and back without getting wet in the car except on reaching the M25 on the return journey.

 

It was then I discovered how truly bad the visibility is in hard rain. I have a full race roll-cage, no weather equiptment and a heated (but not connected) windscreen. The wipers were just about useless and the windscreen had constant wetness on the inside, either from spray or condensation.

 

To say that it made things difficult would be a massive understatement...It was at night and I would have had no hesitation in pulling over to the hard-shoulder and just waiting it out, despite the soaking, had it not been for the thought that it would have been just as dangerous in these conditions.

 

How do other people solve this visibilty problem?

 

Are there replacement wipers?

 

 

 

R7 VHP

[Super_Rich_Bernie]

You could try RainX.

 

I have found that it works well and helps the wipers clear the screen.

 

Jonathan

[CHRIS CLARK]

Err, common problem! I turn on the heated 'screen as well as the wipers in the vain hope of it helping to clear the 'internal' wetness.

 

'Rain-X' (from Halfords) is very good and I actually use it on the inside too so the water droplets that occur on the inside run away!!!

 

My wind screen wiper blades are (if viewed from the point of contact to the arms) different lengths from top section to bottom section and from each other! I spent some time figuring out the maximum wipe area without the blades hitting the top or side of the screen or one another, hence the different lengths. Best one can do really!!!

[Dave H]

The problem with the having the windscreen fitted, is the rain gets sucked onto it, as immediately behind the windscreen is a low pressure area. The solutions are to fit a roof, or dump the windscreen - I prefer the second optioncool.gif

 

Dave H

 

1800 Zetec - on the road

[CHRIS CLARK]

Should have guessed you'd get in there Dave!

 

PS Sold my aero's to Chris Alston (C7 CAT) as I need to buy new shox!!!

[stevefoster]

I use a wiper side of an ice scraper to clear the inside.

 

A full face helmet and areo is much better in hard rain than the screen and wipers

but Freeeeeeeezing in winter!

 

/Steve

[tony pashley]

Richard - an experience I recognize. Worst was last year on a Belgian motorway: so bad I wasn't even sure which lane I was in - and this was daytime. The trailer I was following, I couldn't see its lights until I had almost joined the Seven already strapped to it. Like you, was sorely tempted to stop on hard shoulder - but I couldn't even see it. Think this was the most frightened I have been in a Seven. I'd taken my little Vauxhall race 'half-aero' (extremely effective, BTW) to fit on when I got there - but not wanting a repeat, left it fitted and drove home in my crash hat. Didn't rain again that trip, but have since done some very long drives in heavy rain and have to say this set up, if not ideal, is much preferable to full screen. Not, I suspect, the solution you were hoping for...

[FH]

This is probably going to get a resounding "Boo" from the masses but....

you have to drive to the conditions. If it's raining that hard and you either don't have the hood up or don't have a hood .... you have to slow down to the speed at which you can see to be clear. I always have a cloth at the ready to clear the inside of the screen and would prefer to drive with the hood safely cosseted in its bag.

 

If it's already storm force 9 when I have to depart, then I very reluctantly drive with the hood up but with the rear perspex screen unzipped and folded down. Good visibility to the rear and the trusty cloth to ensure reasonable vision to the fore.

 

I want to see that standing water before I aquaplane thank you very much, even if I have been given the advantage of knowing how to deal with it [;o]

 

Tuppence down the slot

FH wink.gif

[tony pashley]

<< ...to slow down to the speed at which you can see to be clear... >>

You are right, of course, for all conditions - but when that distance becomes a car's length or less, it leaves one in something of a dilemma. Stop? As bad as stopping on the hard shoulder, I would think.

Personally I'm not sure I'd want the hood up in that weather as I couldn't even take a quick peek over the top of the screen.

I reckon the screen being flat has much to do with the poor rain clearance, as there is no 'dispersing flow' to shed the sheet of water or the wave coming up the bonnet.

I had cause to refit the screen last week; I had forgotten how comfy it was with the doors and screen on. the visibility is terrible though, once you've driven without. Since the screen has been off the car, driver's side has been comprehensively cracked by application of a foot - so I put in on back to front; now this would make fitting the hood interesting.

Screen will definitely be coming off again...

 

 

[allen]

Think I'll have my couple of pence,

 

Yes FH, drive to the conditions by all means - in heavy rain in a hoodless 7 with full screen the conditions are different to that for most other traffic i.e.worse.

 

You may slow right down, however I am always well aware that much 'normal' traffic is moving much faster and a low car like a 7 with spray and poor visibility is very vunerable to a rear end shunt. I would rather try to keep the speed up as much as I dare.

 

Possibly this is just as unsafe but gives me a feeling of more control - if it all goes horribly wrong (or right) it's down to me, not some prat in a large saloon with wipers that turn themselves on automatically but brakes that do not...

 

Regards

 

allen

 

 

[FH]

At the risk of tempting people to become flagelliferous, -

 

regardless of weather conditions, we have a duty of care to ourselves to make sure we're seen by other, usually less alert, road users. Sorry, I know we've been here before sad.gif

 

On country roads, with dappled shade, I drive with headlights on.

 

If it's wet, dark and busy, you could consider putting on your fog lights. I'd rather anger the following drivers with the glare than have them not see me at all.

 

I never want to be in a situation where traffic is less than a car's length from me - unless I'm parked! If prat-face behind wants to be in front, then I let him. The one area over which we have no control is the car behind. Our comfort blanket needs to be doubly thick when we're in adverse weather conditions - so if I keep on sacrificing my "space", I don't let it get to me. At least I stand a better chance of arriving with me and car in one piece thumbsup.gif

 

Unless it's absolutely impractical, I try to avoid using m/ways. If I do have to, I'll plan where I put myself for maximum safety. If the heavens open, I'll move to lane 1. You usually make just as much headway as the masses in lane 3; there's less liklihood of standing water and I've got an escape area to my left if I see chummy behind barrelling down on me.

 

Well, that's fourpence-worth wink.gif

 

FH

 

[allen]

FH - I can't argue with your latest posting. I agree with it.

 

I was really just saying that in poor visibility I would not want to be driving substantially slower than the majority of cars coming up from behind. I would obviously put on fog lights, move to the inside lane and even, in some circumstances put hazard lights and leave the Mway at the next exit.

 

This would probably mean that I would try to press on and drive slightly faster than the visibility in a seven would really warrant.

 

Regards

 

allen

[Tony]

It might be me...but:

I've read many references, across lots of topics, to 'hood hate'. Actually I quite like doing it with the hood up (only driving in rain, this isn't a fetish). Apart from the obvious fact that you stay dry, it dispenses with the well-chronicled 'low pressure area' behind the screen, and allows the heated screen demister to do its job, which it seems to do very well.

But there is also a curious coccoon-like charm to driving with the hood up, a very different sensation to driving with the hood off, but by no means unpleasant. If it gets a bit stuffy, you can undo the bottom clip on the door and flip it up to let a refreshing blast of cool air in for a few seconds. I've done a few night or winter evening drives in heavy rain with the hood up, and I've enjoyed the 'capsule feel', the glow of the instruments, the whine of the diff etc and the fact that I'm dry and warm! And in case anybody is wondering, I'm 6ft 3ins so not a midget. Actually, the intermittent scalp massage from the roof fabric as you traverse highway undulations is also not wholly unpleasant...

I realise this advice does not apply to the no screen/aero screen brigade. So, er, helmets?