I'm wanting to replace my RainX blades & heard about the new Michelin blades......do they look like the ICON's STI? & what sizes did you get? :icon_cool:

 

Yes, they are:woohoo:
Thanks flakeyblakee for the link...

 

Looks nice!

http://www.michelinwiper.com/technology.php

 

Looks nice!

http://www.michelinwiper.com/technology.php

Thanks for the link flakey :icon_biggrin:

afor, I agree the OE blades are not good. :icon_cool:

 

How do they work when it's cold outside? The stock wiper blades suck. When it gets about 15 degrees outside the blades tend to deform and it doesn't clear the windshield off cleanly. I've tried getting all the ice off the blades and I've used the wiper deicer, but it doesn't do any good. When the temperature rises to about 25 degrees it works fine. My forester is only 3 months old so I can't believe that I need new blades already. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Art

 

They sure look cool:rock: how do they work??

 

STI, please let us know your overall thoughts of these blades in the next little while.....I'm very curious to know how they will perform in the extreme cold temps we are expecting soon. :icon_cool:

 

So far only tried in light rain on highway, I love the looks and they work will on highway. BUT...this coming Thursday and Friday the temperature will drop to 20 high, and may be some snow too, will keep everyone info. The blades stated will work in all weather...I will see how well it work soon.

 

They do look good and the price seems pretty good too... One strange thing is that for a French company, I can't get them over here in France! Grrrrrrrrrr!

 

Hi Telemarker74,

In good ol' Europe these are marketed as "Valeo" wipers: http://www.valeoservice.com

Regards from snowy Austria

Thomas

 

Thomas, are you sure about that?
I've looked at the Valeo ones before and they don't seem to be the same...
Simon in the snow too...

 

Hi Simon,

Yes, according to Valeo's press-releases they are in joint marketing with Michelin for wiper blades, and in Europe these will be marketed under the "valeo" brand, in US as Michelin. The strange thing is that Michelin doesn't even mention the production of wiperblades or other car components on their corporate homepage. Maybe it's only a marketing gag in the US as nobody knows Valeo there...

 

Quite possible, as Valeo does make the OEM 'floppy' wipers for Renault, etc.. I've seen the Valeo ones in the shops over here, but never found them for the Forester. They're not a cheap as in the US either!

 

The past ice storm, with a lot of sand & salty spray being kicked-up at speed, pretty much killed the Anco Aero blades on the front - could at least see on the wiper up-stroke driver's side only. So, I tried the local Wal-Mart that stocks the new Michelin blades - had every size but the 22's. Next stop was AutoZone which finally got more of the Bosch Icon's in & just decided to pay the extra $10 instead of running all over town for other stores posted on Michelin's web site. I bent the wire stays on the rear & it's doing its job again.
I can attest that the Icon's don't skip, streak or make noise upon installation...for now. I'll try the Michelin's for a rough comparison on my Trooper when it's time...since my wife is trying to digest the cost of the Icon purchase.

 

I couldn't find 22 inchers at Walmart today.

 

If I would have known AutoZone was restocked on the Icon 22's, I would have bought the Michelin 19's while at Wal-Mart & save $4 plus get direct comparison.

 

Add the Rain-X Latitude to the list of the new blade type.

For cold weather and snow the Bosch Icons have done quite well for me down to around 15 degree Fahrenheit so far.

 

Update

The Radius is going fast at walmart, I recheck my local store is almost all gone...So far so good...tonight we have snow :Banane36:, although is very light snow & wet. I was driving on the highway at 80, the Radius still going strong. The temp is about 34 going down slowly...:bananapowerslide: I love the Radius, it does hold down during high speed, but time will tell...:biggrin:

 

Thanks STI.....the Walmart stores here don't carry the Radius blades, but Costco does & from what I remember, they were quite reasonably priced. I should pick up a set one of these days. Were they easy to install?

TAG, I've heard about those new RainX blades you mention......but considering how disappointed I have been with my current RainX Weather Beaters.....I won't buy RainX blades again. :icon_eek:

 

Thanks STI.....the Walmart stores here don't carry the Radius blades, but Costco does & from what I remember, they were quite reasonably priced. I should pick up a set one of these days. Were they easy to install?

TAG, I've heard about those new RainX blades you mention......but considering how disappointing I have been with my current RainX Weather Beaters.....I won't buy RainX blades again. :icon_eek:

Install as usual, hop it will work for you:icon_razz:

 

Update

This morning when I woke up, here there are SNOW! The temp is 22 now, I just went out to clean the snow/ice off my frosty. First thing I notice about the wipers, because the wiper are very flexible, the ice on it is much easier to get off from the blade. I just warm up my frosty, turn the heat on for a few minutes, and "wing" the wiper a little and the ice break off, just better then the old style...:rock:It's that easy:Banane08:

 

I finally located the 22" blades at the fourth Walmart I tried in two states. Each store had a different assortment and a different layout. The key to finally locating this blade was discovering that there was a special Michelin wiper blade display in a main aisle, a bit of a distance away from the actual wiper blade department.

 

I take it you now have them on too bb? If so, what are your impresssions?

 

Not yet. Would have liked to try them while in snowy NH but have now driven back to MD where it's milder and other jobs have risen in priority. I'll let you know when they're on and tested.

 

I have to check the brand of the wipers I just got at Walmart because they SUCK!..
I know that they are about $13 - $14- per wiper and feature the molded-in spoiler cross-section. They feature Triple Blade technology but, on today's drive it in, I tried them and they missed swaths of the windshield including right in the freaking middle!

These are very flexible and just seem to not lie on the screen evenly......I'll get the brand off the package tonight and post for other buyers.

They are NOT Michelins which is the next brand I'll try.

Steve

 

The wipers that I bought at Walmart and will be returning as completely useless are Jamak Glider beam blades...from the maker of Tripledge......

Stay away from them...they flat out don't work.

Next will be Michelins....stay tuned.

Steve

 

Found Michelin Wipers BUT NOT Radius branded....I have to go back and see if I can locate afree-standing disply elsewhere in the store.

Steve

 

Found Michelin Wipers BUT NOT Radius branded....I have to go back and see if I can locate afree-standing disply elsewhere in the store.

Steve

I got to get my butt to Costco & pick myself up a set. :icon_cool:

 

In the past I've used 20s vs the specified 19s. And 18s on my wife's Impreza vs the specified 17s (which aren't available in Radius).

I just installed Radius on my Forester. Haven't tested them yet. Be sure you push hard enough to hear the click, or you might find yourself leaving $15 by the side of the road.

 

Ha ha ha...

I found the Radius branded wipers right next to the rest of the wipers, on their own end cap at Walmart. Can't tell my wife that I missed seeing them when I picked up the first crummy set or the "regular" Michelin wipers. I must be blind. Two freaking trips getting the wrong ones, a third to get the right ones. Now you all know why an advertised 5 minute job taks me 15-30 minutes.

The Radius wipers look good.....Yeah, I made sure that they popped on with an audible snap. They seem to be pretty well made and do cling to the windshield well. have to try them out on Monday when I make the commute.

BTW, they were $13.95 (each) at our local Walmart.

Thanks for the tip about them. The OEM ones just aren't that good.

Steve

 

I haven't had enough weather to really test them out, but on a few quick sweeps across the windshield they seemed to do a nice job, without streaking. But we had a big flock of birds (starlings?) descend upon us today, gobbling up Sweetgum seeds from the lawn, who appeared to be able to poop Gorilla Glue onto the windshield. They also sullied the American flag next to the front door. The Radius blades couldn't even put a dent in this. It took bigtime scraping to get it off. I don't know if I'm going to be able to rescue the flag.

Funny how Walmart prices and available products are different from store to store. They have a reputation for having a really great IT system that tracks local experiences, so perhaps they try to optimize the mix and the pricing to the buying preferences of each individual store.

 

I bought a set today. So far they work well, but all wipers work well at first. I bought a 16" for the rear but it doesn't fit. The rear arm was very different. Anyone know of a brand that will work for the rear?

Thanks,

 

Not ALL new wipers work well. Trust me, the Jamek Gliders truly suck. Left wide swaths of unwiped screen in the middle of the passenger side blade, at the lower end of the drivers.

Avoid like plague!

Steve