In some states, you are required to turn on your headlights when you use your windshield wipers. I’ve always wondered if a Rain-X defense would work.
I’m not upthread, but I do have a 66 Bronco with a feature that pretty much tracks wiper speed with vehicle speed. That truck has vacuum operated wipers, and as engine vacuum decreased, the wipers slowed down.
Of course, that mean that as the vehicle goes faster, the wipers go slower. In heavy snow, you have to get off the gas completely in order for the wipers to work at all. All in all, it keeps your speed slow enough for the conditions.
I’ll bet you feel silly now.
After the first winter, I was starting to doubt the slogan ‘Ford has a better idea’.
Yeah, that makes sense if the rain-sensing wipers work on how much water is on the windshield. I was under the assumption it was only capable of detecting if there was water or not (either yes or no, not varying degrees of how much water).
Yeah, that’s why I mentioned “I think” that my Expedition is speed sensitive. It’s hard to tell. Is there more water because I’m going faster, or because it’s raining harder? Doesn’t really matter; they work perfectly. So perfectly, that I leave them on all the time, and when the window-washer rats ignore my “no’s” and squirt my windshield, they automatically shoo off the miscreants.
What do you want to wager? From the Altima manual:
I’m a big fan of the additive to the windshield fluid made by RainX (Or competitive “Like” products). Pour it in, and it applies over time. It refreshes the built base each time you spray. I only like the “normal” RainX the day I apply it.
Daytime running lights are a godsend. Does the headlights rule require the rear running lights to activate? I’d bet that law enforcement would rule that Rain-X isn’t a defense against needing to activate your headlights in inclement weather.
Actually, I’ve chatted with a coupla cops I know and they feel the law is poorly written.
So, even if it is pouring, if the driver does not need to use wipers, they (per cops I’ve talked with) would not be cited, or if ticketed, would prevail in court.
My 1986 Starion had that feature. I miss that car.
Many cars in the '40s and '50s did this (my father remembered it as a particularly Ford trick) and if you stepped on the gas they practically staggered to a halt, and whipped round as you changed gear. I remember sitting in the back of a Dodge Weapons Carrier watching this.
My 1955 Chevy had this feature, sort of, well, actually kinda the opposite.
The windshield wipers were connected to some sort of vacume tube, so when I accelerated, the wipers would slow down, and when I actually floored it, the wipers would stop until I eased back on the gas.
(what was really wierd, was my 1970 VW Beetle for which my tire would go flat if I used my windshield washer too much)
I used to have an old pickup that did that, but it was more related to the fact that it was getting more voltage at a higher engine speed because the generator was pumping out harder. Pull up to a light, the headlights would dim, and the wipers would slow to a crawl.