Honda thinks they are SO smart...did anyone notice that the wipers on "high" cycle ridiculously slower that ANY non Honda?...and "NO" its not just our car...brothers is just as slow! We actually did a comparison with our other cars and the E on "high" was only SLIGHTLY faster than our other car's " low" !! So the chick next door has a civic...SAME THING!!!

Our guess is that Honda purposely made them slow so the driver will slow down in inclement weather to a freakin crawl so that their cars are theoreticly involved in less accidents and thus perceived as safer. This reminds me of the BS with how Honda would set the speedometer 3mph slower so their drivers got less tickets. THE REALITY is that Honda drivers just end us annoying other drivers! First by slowing traffic with the speedo and now clogging up the highways in the rain!!
:evil:

I think the high setting is just fine...but what I hate is that it doesn't have many settings. My old Ford, don't hate me, had tons of settings, I could always find the speed that I needed.

Put Rain-X on your windows every month and don't even worry about your wipers. Then the speed of the car will determine how fast the water sheets off. :)

To be honest I have never had a problem with the speed or lack of speed of the wipers... already put 36,000+ on my E and have driven through some torrential rain storms, in particular the previous 8+ days worth of rain we had on Long Island.

Where is my anti-troll spray when I need it...?

User variable speed wipers would be on my wish list too!

I second the vote for rain-x. Once I get around 45 or so, I have no use for wipers.

I would like to have the option of variable speeds, too. I just drove through New England in some of the heaviest rain anyone in memory has seen there --the high speed was adequate for me. I don't know if it's slower than my Miatas' wipers were.

i agree with the rain-x option, i've also used a product called aquapel http://www.ppg.com/gls_aquapel/default.htm and i've had a great experience with it.

I vote for variable speed delay wipers too. That's been a pet peeve of mine. Could it really cost all that much more to have it adjustable instead of one preset time delay? :confused: I've got old cars from 1979 that have it!

Slow down in the rain when you can't see...How hard is that?

Increase the wiper speed, how hard is that?

Come on, stop defending Honda for every problem pointed out.

The two times I felt the importance of wiper speed - both times, I was driving in rain (of course) with perfect reasonable speed, at least I felt safe and everyone else was driving at about the same speed. Suddenly, the car in front of me on the next lane drove through a water puddle and splashes everything up and covered my windshield. For one second I was completely blinded until the wiper cleared the water.

That happend to me twice, and in both cases, I couldn't have foreseen it. I had the wiper speed on high on my Jeep, which is faster than E. It would haven taken half a second longer to clear the windshield in E. Maybe it wouldn't matter, maybe it would mean life or death.

In any case, it wouldn't hurt to have higher speed wiper.

Slow down in the rain when you can't see...How hard is that?

They do seems quite slower than our other cars.
Dan, because that would be BELOW the speed Limit!
We also use Rain-X with excellent results plus the faster you go the better they clear! Now u know why we get such bad mileage :-D

I use Rain-Ex wiper fluid, which seems to work as well as regular Rain-Ex and is applied every time I clean the windshield. Even the heaviest rains don't need the highest setting.

What I would like is a slooooower speed. Less than the first. Does anyone know of a DIY mod to make this thing variable?

michaelb.

A variable speed wipers covered by one or more patents? If so, what license does Honda have for the concept?

paulj

A variable speed wipers covered by one or more patents? If so, what license does Honda have for the concept?

paulj

Patents are good for only 17 years. If a 79 vehicle had it, I am sure the patent has expired.

Patents are good for only 17 years. If a 79 vehicle had it, I am sure the patent has expired.

Robert Kearns was the inventor of the intermittent wiper. He invented it and had it patented in 1967. Every auto manufacturer "stole" it either on purpose or by accident. He sued Ford and Chrysler in 1978 and 1982 respectively; eventually won and was awarded millions. The suit against GM and foreign companies was thrown out of court.

He died Feb 9, 2005. I believe he had given up on suing the auto industry years ago.

Back when everyone was swapping there steering wheels for leather, there was a guy who said he knew hoe to add more speeds to the wipers. Just wondering if he is still araound or if anyone else knows how to do it? If so can they give instructions?

On the ClickTrain e-mail digest, there was a "bitter apple" recipe that involved using rain-x and other stuff to discourage dogs from chewing. . .

The rain-x does keep the water off the windshield. Now if they would find a product to keep rocks off . . . :)

Dan, because that would be BELOW the speed Limit!


The "safe" speed to drive is often below the posted speed limit.
Particularly if it's raining so hard that your wipers can't keep the windshield clear.

Ranger,
Oh another CA driver! :D There was another post regarding CA drivers in the rain!
Actually, the speed limit SHOULD be 1.5 times what is posted for dry conditions :)~
Besides with the RainX you dont even need wipers the faster you go...hee heee
Seriously though,
Are you still running on the Wranglers? Then I could relate slowing down to a crawl...those things were horrible in rain!
I drive a speed that is safe according to traffic flow, conditions etc...one must vary speed and always be AWARE!
I remember reading that the "safe" speed during snow or rain is ONE-Half the speed limit which is laughable.
If you tried that in Jersey you'd likely earn some concrete galoshes :-D

Plus I wonder how the speed limit theory would apply in MONTANA? :0

I use Rain-Ex wiper fluid, which seems to work as well as regular Rain-Ex and is applied every time I clean the windshield. Even the heaviest rains don't need the highest setting.

What I would like is a slooooower speed. Less than the first. Does anyone know of a DIY mod to make this thing variable?

michaelb.

The same here. I love the Rain-X wiper fluid although it's not always easy to find. I do find though that it makes the wipers stick to the windshield a bit. It's not a problem as you generally don't have to use the wipers.

I would love adjustable intermittant wipers. Someone here had tried an experiment with fitting a stalk from a pilot to an Element but never really reported on it in any detail other than it worked.

Ranger,
Oh another CA driver! :D There was another post regarding CA drivers in the rain!
Actually, the speed limit SHOULD be 1.5 times what is posted for dry conditions :)~
Besides with the RainX you dont even need wipers the faster you go...hee heee
Seriously though,
Are you still running on the Wranglers? Then I could relate slowing down to a crawl...those things were horrible in rain!
I drive a speed that is safe according to traffic flow, conditions etc...one must vary speed and always be AWARE!
I remember reading that the "safe" speed during snow or rain is ONE-Half the speed limit which is laughable.
If you tried that in Jersey you'd likely earn some concrete galoshes :-D

Plus I wonder how the speed limit theory would apply in MONTANA? :0

Nope don't have the stock Goodyears anymore.
I've driven in over 40 states in every weather condition imaginable from 120 degrees to -30 in a blizzard.
So the California driver thing doesn't really apply to me.

I have been to Jersey and seen how people drive.
So I'd be hesitant to let traffic flow dictate what is safe out there.
http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/images/icons/icon12.gif

Back when everyone was swapping there steering wheels for leather, there was a guy who said he knew hoe to add more speeds to the wipers. Just wondering if he is still araound or if anyone else knows how to do it? If so can they give instructions?

That might have been me, but I didn't try it. I was talking with valkokir, who I believe did try it but reported to me it didn't work.

The idea was to use the wiper stalk from an RSX (which seems otherwise identical to the Element/2nd gen CR-V stalk) and run the extra wire to the ECU, somewhere.

But why this "10-cent" feature has been left out is beyond me. Apparently Honda only thinks people who drive fancier Hondas & Acuras would pay the extra $1 (or $10 etc.) it costs to incorporate this.

No Joke----- Rain-X !! I have been using it for years. In the E, Once you get above 43 yo 45 MPH. Just turn the wipers off !! You wont need Them at all !

The lack of truly adjustable wiper speeds seems to be Japanese corporate think on Civic sized/derived vehicles. My Mazda 3S is the same and I've always found it irritating. However, if you want to talk about s-l-o-w wipers...try a Miata! All 3 of mine were snail slow at best on their "high" speed setting. Oh well, as my last Miata was traded yesterday to pay for the bulk of my wife's early Christmas present(new '05 LX with auto and AWD) that problem is gone. DFO:rolleyes:

The Honda wipers are a big improvement over those on my first car, a 1957 Chevy. It came with a vacuum powered wiper motor. When accelerating, such as passing a car on a two lane road during a heavy rain, the wipers would slow to a crawl or stop altogether. That made for some exciting driving, but being 19 at the time it seemed just fine!

I have been to Jersey and seen how people drive.
So I'd be hesitant to let traffic flow dictate what is safe out there.
http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/images/icons/icon12.gif

Michael...I dont think you really get the point about traffic flow and personal safety in Jersey. It isnt the higher speed danger of traffic flow that is dangerous..... Its how pissed off you may make other drivers by clogging up traffic that will get you in trouble! Just a fact of life here ;-)
Ironicly, the complaint about CA drivers in rain I thought was on here wasnt on this board at all...but on the Beretta Forum! Now you get the picture?

Michael...I dont think you really get the point about traffic flow and personal safety in Jersey. It isnt the higher speed danger of traffic flow that is dangerous..... Its how pissed off you may make other drivers by clogging up traffic that will get you in trouble! Just a fact of life here ;-)

I was going to respond to that, too, only I wanted to say that NOT going with the flow of traffic is probably the most dangerous thing.

As for fast and slow drivers, in the Atlanta area the majority of people slow down on the interstate to unbelievably slow speeds in the lightest drizzle. On the other hand, I've had people tailgating me on surface streets going 50 MPH in torrential downpours here, too.

BTW, put me on the list of variable speed intermittent wiper wanters. Rain-X is fine if you're moving. Doesn't do much good in the city.