Beam Blade Wipers

[Mark86]

It is time to replace the wiper blades on my truck and I would like to convert to the newer beam blade wipers. I went to Walmart and bought the RainX blades. They fit great but left streak marks on the top left corner of the glass. After cleaning and readjusting with no improvement, I returned them. I then tried the Bosch and Michelins and had the same results. Does anybody have advice on which blades work best with the 4th generation 4Runners? What did you guys replace your factory blades with? Thanks for any help!

 

[blaniac22]

You know, I've been driving for almost 25 years now. I've tried a lot of different blades - some highly recommended, some established brands, some gimmicky, some cheap, some expensive. The most reliable, consistent blade I've found has been the regular old Anco wiper blades for around $5-6 bucks each at Wally World.

That said, I've heard the Goodyear blades you can get at Costco are pretty good - I haven't tried them yet.

 

[DexTech]

I have the goodyear blades from costco. I think they are about $16 for the pair. They work well, it's hard to tell because I use rainx on the windshield.

 

[Mark86]

So I took all of your advice and purchased the Goodyear blades at Costco for $7.99 a piece. So far, there is just a small area in the top right of the glass that streaks but definitely an improvement over the Michelin, Bosch, and Rain X! Thanks for the help everybody

 

[Uneek]

Generally, the OEM ones work the best.

But for the one piece blade style ones, I agree with everyone else, the Good Year blades at Costco are some of the best. They work just as well as the OEM on my Tacoma. I've yet to try them on my 4Runner. For $8 a pop, you can't go wrong.

 

[peroxide]

I got the Valeo blades, buy one get one free, from TireRack and they don't streak whatsoever. And since they don't have brackets, they stay put even at high speeds.

 

[jwyshrek]

Those 'beam' type wipers don't work too well on the 4th gens because of the compound curvature of the windshield. That is why it doesn't completely wipe at the top of the glass...you can actually feel the compound curvature with you hand.

 

[Mark86]

Ahh, it all makes sense now! I never noticed the curvature! I thought it was something crazy with my truck. The Goodyears streak a bit but are still useable. I would have probably returned them if they weren't only $8/blade.

Just out of curiosity, do the new 5th gens come standard with the beam blade wipers? They look different than those on the 4th gen but don't quiet feel all rubber.

 

[Uneek]

Just out of curiosity, do the new 5th gens come standard with the beam blade wipers? They look different than those on the 4th gen but don't quiet feel all rubber.

I don't know about the 5th gen 4Runner specifically. But some of the recent redesigned Toyota's, it appears to be "beam" style wipers, but they are not. Instead of having the metal "framing" to hold the rubber refill, it's an entirely plastic setup that looks and appears to be the "beam" style. The 6th gen Camry is like that.