Did you know that as season change from summer to winter, part of your vehicle maintenance includes changing your wiper blades? It’s true! Just like changing from summer to winter tires, we also need to consider changing our wiper blades, and here’s why.
Summer blades are designed to wick away water with a lightweight design that allows them to glide across your windshield. In the winter, however, summer blades get held up by their lattice design, which traps snow and ice, reducing their flexibility.
Winter wipers are better equipped to handle the cold because they have an extra layer of synthetic rubber, which allows them to stay soft without tearing.
Wiper blades come in frame or beam styles. Booted frame blades are a common choice for winter. They’re encased in rubber boots to stop their joints from icing up. Beam-style wiper blades are another winter wiper blade favourite. They come with a piece of high-strength, tensile steel along the length of the wiper and have tension springs within them to stay flexible in the cold.
Either of these winter styles will get the job done, but the main difference is that beam blades have a memory curve, so they can perfectly fit your windshield. (source: napaautoparts)
Here is a chart from Kaltire for a quick reference.
