Wiper blade length

[mach2andy]

My car came with 11" wiper blades, but 2 of the rubbers are in poor condition. When I came to buy some replacements, I was told that they should be 12" ?
So, what is the correct length? And, at the end of the day, does it really matter?

[Heuer]

The 'Arm for Windscreen Wiper' #8663 was made by Lucas and specified as being chrome plated, 10.5" long with a tip cranked at 10.5 degrees. The wiper blade #8664 was supplied by Lucas (marketed as 'Rainbow') and specified as being 11" long and chrome plated (after market and modern replacements are polished stainless steel). Around November 1963 the wiper blade specification was changed to 12" long #10232 and the wiper arm #10079 was a modification to compensate, with a 10 degree cranked tip rather than 10.5 degrees used with the 11" blades. The arm length remained the same and both parts were supplied by Lucas. The change to the crank angle does not sound like much but Jaguar and/or Lucas obviously thought it was important.

Best wiper blades available today are the Lucas/Aeramic copies at a cost of about £16 each. Avoid the £6 Tex blades as they look clumsy and don't work very well on the E-Type's curved screen.

[mach2andy]

Thanks for that David. My problem is going to be finding a supplier of the blades that you suggest. All of the usual suspects supply the Tex replacements.

[Heuer]

SNGB supply the good ones - part 8183, not 8183* aftermarket:



Cost is £16.29 + VAT compared to £7.43 for the crap one: https://www.sngbarratt.com/English/#/UK ... e3dd6dedf3

[Geoff Allam]

David, i s there also a preferred wiper arm available. I find that the ones I have do not really provide much downward pressure on the screen.

[Heuer]

Yes, SNGB sell them with up-rated springs in both LHD and RHD:
https://www.sngbarratt.com/English/#/UK ... r%20arm%60

[Geoff Allam]

Sounds great. Thank you.