Whenever looking for a new pair of wiper blades, you’ll inevitably stumble upon a couple of popular tire brands selling wiping solutions in addition to their usual treads. Goodyear is one of these popular shopping destinations – it’s a familiar name, and they don’t often save on quality. It’s a sound option, in short.
Moreover, they don’t just have a small shabby category with just a couple of wiper blades – there are lots of offers. Depending on your preferences or needs, you might want a couple of high-performance Goodyears or a pair of durable all-season options. In fact, Assurance WeatherReady is one of such products.
Goodyear brand
Goodyear is a fairly old American brand. Although the overwhelming majority of their customers only know them as a distinguished tire-maker, there is lots of other stuff produced by this company. Wiper blades are one of these other product types.
Although secondary, they get just the same level of effort put into them as the top-class tires (of course, varying by the price category). Goodyear wiper blades are known for their innovation, good make and durability.
The company also isn’t known for making too many production mistakes or flawed design decisions. And for higher-class blades, like this one, they use quality materials and top-notch expertise, so you don’t need to worry them breaking suddenly.
Features
Assurance WeatherReady is supposed to be a long-term investment by all parameters. It is an all-season option that, reportedly, can survive all sorts of hazardous elements, including heat, ozone (and associated oxidation), and also toxicity. They also work well in a wide specter of temperatures – from -30 to +90 °C.
They used several features to ensure that.
First of all, it’s a hybrid blade. They basically put a well-balanced and flexible shell on top of the usual rubber beam. In this case, it is somewhat like a carcass in the conventional wiper blades. It consists of several flexibly and loose segments that adapt to the curvature and simultaneously apply more pressure to the windscreen.
Unlike the conventional blades, however, the pressure is applied homogenously, because they still use the tensioned rubber beams in the core, and the shell is just there to help it adapt and reduce the wind drag. Its other purpose is also in ensuring the necessary protection.
The shell also seals most of the beam and conceals it from the direct influence by the elements, such as rain, sun, chemical threats and somewhat from ozone. It ensures the rubber serves longer than it would, had there not been this protective measure.
It also seems to be a good against wind. The direct blows of wind are redirected by the superior shell design. That’s actually the primary purpose of most shells on hybrid blades – they redirect the wind so that it doesn’t lift the blades away from the windshield, reducing the effectiveness and even damaging them in the progress.
In terms of wiping effectiveness, they are pretty good, but also surprisingly uninspiring. There is no special compound (at least, as far as people know) – the beam is simply made of the natural rubber. It is good at getting rid of the water and simultaneously not crumbling to dust, and there’s nothing to complain about, really.
There is just a slight additive in the form of a hydrophobic coating that covers the windshield in the work process. What it does is force water into beading and rolling away instead of sticking to the glass and creating a haze of moisture. Overall, these blades do a very fine job all year round.
Luckily, they do last for a rather long time. Goodyear claims they underwent rigorous testing. They’ll last for at least a million wipe cycles, but the average is at about three million. You’ll have a couple of years, but the exact lifespan changes depending on how frequently they work.
That’s pretty much it on the main qualities. Sure, they are also quiet, owing to their natural composition, and the adapter can fit onto virtually all wiper arms in existence. The installation is also simple and quick most of the time. These are just a few more touches for better experience.
Is it worth buying?
Assurance WeatherReady is pretty effective, whenever you use it. Pair it with their evident durability, and you’ll be able to use them for a very long time without have to ever swap them. This makes for a very beneficial long-term investment, especially since they don’t cost too much, especially since they don’t really cost all too much.
Relative to the cheaper replacement models, they do. However, the price of 18 USD per blade is very generous compared to other top-tier brand manufacturers. It means that, for a price of ~35 USD, you’ll receive a decent wiping solution that’ll last you for several years.
If you have this kind of money and care a lot about wiper proficiency in all seasons, then it’s your pick.