Originally Posted by Spudracer
The reason I'm not heartbroken over tossing the OEM wiper is that the Rain-X latitude and Bosch Icon blades both have a full length spoiler / air foil molded into the design. And it actually does some good because the blades themselves are extremely flexible and curve to fit the windshield. And the new blades use engineered silicone polymers in place of rubber so they tend to be quieter and last longer. And finally, I hate the mechanical spider that older designs use. It's a trap for leaves in the fall and a place for ice to cling in the winter. The floppy blades don't have these problems. I'm not at all troubled to spend $40 for a set of wipers once a year for each of our cars to have a clear view of the road.
The one caveat is that the floppy blades have to actually fit. If I can't find a set that work with the XFire J-arms, I will do exactly as you suggest.
When I replaced the VW New Beetle's wipers last year, I installed a set of Michelin blades that had the new single, flex wiper design. I really like the way they look on the car. Probably better looking than the factory wiper blades. And so far, they have held up real nice and performed better than expected. There isn't a downforce spoiler like the factory set, but I haven't been able to see any adverse impact because it wasn't there. Because this design has no openings along the wiper blade, the entire unit performs somewhat like a downforce spoiler.
It will be kinda interesting to see if the PIAA wiper refill in the factory wiper blade holds up equally well. Cost me $25.94 for the two Michelin blade assemblies compared to $29.72 (incl S&H) for the PIAA wiper refills. I may be going back to the Michelin wiper blades again in the future.