Frostfighter defroster on polycarbonate windshield

[wvumtnbkr]

Anybody done it?

 

I see bimmerworld says it will have a difficult time sticking to the lexan.

 

Any input is appreciated!

 

Thanks

 

 

[Bremsen]

We have one on ours.  See, you should have come by at CMP,  lol.

 

It actually sticks ok, but our mistake was applying it while flat on a bench.  Once the lexan was curved/installed, the elements lift in certain places.  Still haven't used it and honestly, with any airflow in the car, the Lexan doesn't fog nearly as bad as glass.  It rained all day at Charlotte, and the only time the Lexan fogged was during pit stops.  YMMV.

[wvumtnbkr]

Hello Rob – Thank you for your interest in Clear View products.  I love Mazda RX-7’s.  I used to have a 1984 GSL-SE (13B engine) that I raced in autocross … back in the day!

Will a new (Clear View) kit work on polycarbonate?  The answer is “Yes” for Lexan.  This is because the Clear View defrosters have a typical operating temperature that is well below the Heat Deflection Temperature (HDT) of Lexan (polycarbonate resin thermoplastic).  Note that the following caveats apply:

• Compatibility of Clear View products with polycarbonate sheet is other than Lexan e.g. a bend such as PC/PBT, is subject to inquiry.
• The polycarbonate sheet must be rigid i.e., cannot be easily bent or folded.
• The grids will adhere to Lexan surface as long as you carefully follow the Clear View installation instructions and ensure the surface is CLEAN and DRY before installation of the defroster.

 

I hope this information helps.  Please let us know if you have any other questions.

Regards,

DefrosterDoc & Team

Frost Fighter

defrosterdoc@frostfighter.com

www.frostfighter.com

[wvumtnbkr]

So, install w indsheild and then stock your defroster in place.  Sucks to do, but it should work!

[Todd K]

On 7/7/2021 at 9:43 AM, Bremsen said:

We have one on ours.  See, you should have come by at CMP,  lol.

 

It actually sticks ok, but our mistake was applying it while flat on a bench.  Once the lexan was curved/installed, the elements lift in certain places.  Still haven't used it and honestly, with any airflow in the car, the Lexan doesn't fog nearly as bad as glass.  It rained all day at Charlotte, and the only time the Lexan fogged was during pit stops.  YMMV.

I installed ours flat on new lexan for our Integra - which has limited curvature, but it does curve.  I have the same issue as noted above, but doesn't seem bad enough to cause any problems, just a few areas here and there where the elements are not fully adhered to the lexan.  We have not raced the car yet but have tested the installation and with the defroster on -- no change in the adhesion.  If / when I were to do this again:

 

1. As much as it would be a massive PITA to install with the lexan mounted in the car - I would do so, especially if the curvature was fairly pronounced.

2. I'd go with a different size (smaller) instead of trying to cover as much as possible.  This would help simplify the installation.

3. I would remove the product from the shipping tube when received and lay flat so as to relax everything well before installing - I did not do this and really think it made the process more difficult - especially when trying to maintain the distance between the 'strips' of elements you have to apply.  Another issue this caused was during rolling out the paper / elements they ended up with small 'peaks' where the element stuck to itself as I applied.  This makes cleaning the inside of the window a nightmare because these 'peaks' snag paper towels or anything else and we have to clean in the direction of the elements so as to avoid lifting any or worse case breaking the circuit.

 

I did opt for the 'always on' controls setup instead of any type of timed out approach.  I think the idea is great and do anticipate we'll get plenty of use at our first race - PBIR.  So we are crossing fingers it really works.  I do have nightmares of a driver on the radio describing how the entire grid has fallen off the window during the race - they can't see - and are being electrocuted by the heating elements.......any of which I hope don't happen.