Windshield wipers (possible new thought - parking driver's wiper straight up?)

[UltArc]

Aerodynamics matter when A) absolute best performance matters, and B) you want to move as efficiently as possible.



I am guessing Koenigsegg didn't do it for the fuel economy

[Frank Lee]

He may have had to do that for the fluttering.

[PaleMelanesian]

But notice that the vertical wiper is centered. Along the sides of the windshield the air is swirling around past the side pillars. If you happen to have a center wiper, that's a good place to park it.

Then again, the F1 has a single wiper that parks off to the side, and it's certainly designed for high-speed aerodynamics.


Edit: it's probably in line with the airflow going to the side and around the cabin. I'm sure the designers tested it.

[Smokeduv]

24h Le Mans LMP1 racers do it as well. I suppose they are taken in account as the cars go faster than 200 mph. I don't know if they are there for fuel economy or just to accommodate 1 wiper as the windshield is curved, or anything else.

[UltArc]

To me it just seems more logical to do one wiper, and put it in the center.

-Only one setup- one wiper, one moving motor/mechanism, less power needed, less to break, so on.
-No need to hide it or have extra electrical to pull it away.

Depending on the mechanism, or how hard it would be to change, the single center blade could work for left and right. I know the upper corners would be missed, but that seems superficial to the benefit. It might just be me, but I also think aerodynamics look cool

[justme1969]

From air blowing over wiper. doesnt get more obvious than that.
most cars have a pocket of compression air at base of windshield and it hasnt got as much signature.
I seen tunnel test long ago when chevy did malibu or impala testing and it neatly made small omega symbol there in pocket. they also showed that thier side mirrors helped aero, believing it was impalas.

[Cd]

PaleMelanesian, I meant to bring up what you mentioned about the windshield curve.

Unless the wiper is dead center, the air will begin to flow outwards towards the edges of the windshield, possibly making the drag much worse, since more of the airflow is disturbed.

[NeilBlanchard]

The wiper on the R18 barely functions - the tip of the blade is not in contact with the glass in the parked position, and they have all they can do to get it to wipe the water off of the extremely curved windshield. Given those factors, the best place to park it is straight up in the center.

But for a regular car, with a much broader and flatter windshield that requires two wipers, parking it any way other than horizontal is worse. Interfering with the flow around the 'A' pillar is a bad thing. The i MiEV is an example of how not to do it:



The Smart ForTwo has a similar proportion windshield, and it is a much better solution:



Tuft testing will show that most wipers in the parked position are in still air. I have had maple seeds and such sit on the wiper and they move slightly only when there is a side wind gust. Otherwise they just sit there. Light rain mist hits my xA windshield almost 1/3rd of the way up - and that is with a very short and steeply sloped hood.