Winter and Frozen Wipers...

My 4runner has heated windshield wiper strips on the low windshield. It probably could be added to Tacoma as well.

 

I added a heater washer fluid system that does wonders for the thin ice. Still not a perfect solution but it works

AlphaTherm AT-38OD Windshield Washer Fluid Heater

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0034GW1WW

 

These seem like a gag gift until you actually try them. Simple and they just work. Not the perfect solution but compared to more complex ideas these don’t break down or catch your vehicle on fire. I believe many of the heated washer fluid systems got pulled from the market because if a few fires.

If these work in your conditions @gearcruncher as the go to solution then that should say something. Now the issues with snow and ice refreezing is cause by too low a windshield temp. You have to keep warmth in the glass and it sounds like many are turning off the defrost instead of continually running it.

 

Lol, I feel ya brother! My bed cover could not come fast enough after I bought my truck a month ago.

Oh, the topic, my truck came with winter wipers but they freeze up, especially the passenger one, but crappy factory wipers is not new.

I found that when I start the truck up in the -10c and below days and if I turn the Temp setting until it says HI then turn the fan to full then hit the defrost button that it really starts to quickly defrost the windshield, I think I read somewhere that this is an auxiliary electric heating element down in the ductwork in the passenger side.

I also found that when I was driving through some nice freezing slush that was causing I nice ice buildup on the bottom and sides and any other area that the wipers don't touch I had to turn heat right upto high and make sure the defog was in the air flow settings and the fan turned up before it really made a difference.
At a couple points had the hit the dedicated defog button to get it to clear off the windshield. But when I got home and saw almost the whole truck covered in 1/2" of ice and my wheel-wells filled with brown icebergs to the ground, I realized that was an exceptional driving condition. The heated mirrors work great!

Driving that day made me have second thoughts about converting to LED headlights...(or to research if they run cooler in the lens areas) my headlights were 80% frozen over that night, the Halogen bulbs were barely keeping the ice from building up on the lights. The high beam area and turn signals were buried in brown ice....

 

Guys... I have almost 40 years of experience driving in heavy snow and cold temps. There is no ultimate solution and believe me, I've tried them all.

The heated strip along the bottom or along the sides works great... at initial clearing. Once you drive for awhile they can actually be detrimental. Why? The cold air and snow only partially melts because it is coming too fast as you are driving. What happens is you can get a big ice ball either at the bottom or side of the windshield. Here is what works somewhat:

Rainx washer fluid - It helps but is not the end all solution. Lets you use the wipers less often.

Full defrost on high temp and fan - This again helps but is not full solution in really heavy snow or really cold weather. Probably the biggest and best thing you can do though. If you get hot, crack a window but let that defroster blow full blast.

Here's a trick that helps- "Bump" your wiper stalk to put your wipers up an inch or so on the windshield. This way, the defroster will keep them melted and they will not freeze in the wrong shape. Use your wipers intermittently with manual activation. This way, after a few swipes you can bump the stalk to get them parked in the correct location.

Winter (booted) blades - These work ok to keep your blade flexible. Problem is finding one that has a decent wiper blade! It serves no purpose to have a flexible blade if the thing only smears the water.

A glove - This is needed for your left hand in heavy wet snow. Sorry, nothing works better than sticking your hand out the window and clearing that strip of windshield next to your A pillar. Sometimes it just has to be done. There is nothing that will keep that strip cleared in a heavy hard big flaked snow.

This is what works. Sorry there is not some whiz bang thing. If there was, some OEM would have it as an option.

 

Everything you wrote there...is just right.

 

Thanks! I'm an engineer so if I'm wrong it's a problem lol.

 

Indeed...although Mother Nature has confounded a few engineers once or twice!