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Windshield Thickness?

8K views 8 replies 4 participants last post by  lucian688 
#1 ·
Does any one know the windshield thickness for the current gen vs. the previous gen? When I was at the dealer I was surprised that the new Outback's glass didn't look any thicker than my current glass, that's before I read up Acoustic glass. For most manufactures, the trend is to use thinner glass since the laminate layer has better sound dampening... but common sense, unless the glass composition has changed to be stronger, thinner glass will be more fragile, or not necessarily so?

It seems that all manufactures try to steer away from discussing the thickness of the windshield. Even for Mercedes, their S class tout "side glass have acoustic layers and at the same time glass thickness has been increased...from 5mm to 6mm" but they mentioned nothing about the thickness increase/decrease of the windshield.
 
#2 ·
#3 ·
That's exactly my concern & the reason I posted this... because I know Subaru Engineers are watching this forum. While the rest of the car is getting better year after year... note day to day other than the tires & the suspension (relatively tough/hard to break to begin with), the windshield takes the most punishment, it is also an integral part of the vehicle's safety. This is one place you CANNOT reduce durability for the sake of saving 5 ibs! Duh?

To Subaru Engineers, please speak up if I am incorrect but if I am right, please add thicker glass going forward & I'll upgrade. I also owned 07 & 08 Outbacks & the windshields were like bullet proof glass.

BTW in the meantime if any of the Engineers are reading, please don't change the glass in the Forester & add Memory Seats & I'll convert one of our vehicles.
 
#4 ·
... because I know Subaru Engineers are watching this forum.
Ha! I don't know why you would think that. If Subaru paid attention, a bunch of annoyances and problems would get resolved instead of going on for years. I wish they did pay attention.

My guess is they can't change to thicker glass without having to put the car through all kinds of expensive testing, from EPA mileage to crash worthiness. It's not a trivial change.
 
#5 ·
Subaru might have spiders reading the forum but they are forbidden to reply. I tried that before.
 
#7 ·
Just read the article about gorilla glass love the quote "if it's thinner... It better be stronger"... I don't mind paying a few hundred more for safety and convenience sake.

http://www.autonews.com/article/20150829/OEM10/308319972?template=mobile
It seems you missed the discussion regarding "Eyesight" and replacement windshields. Subaru insists on the use of ONLY OEM replacements to maintain proper "Eyesight" operation. Apparently, the insurance companies do not wish to take on the risk of using anything but OEM windshields.

From personal experience with many replacement windshields over the years... there DEFINITELY are quality differences. I have had some replacements which have noticeable ripple, aberrations and poor optical quality.
 
#8 ·
The new outback is an unbelievable deal with features beyond my expectations- back up auto brake, auto high/low headlights follow the road curve, heated steering wheel but I gave up waiting... On aboutautomobile.com 2015 outback logged 76 window complaints. In comparison forester had 7. Unfortunately the forester is going with outback's thinner acoustic glass in a few weeks... Quieter ride only for a couple of days until the original seal is broken. Back to my original post... Do all car manufacturers think consumers are morons... Unless the glass material is stronger how can thinner glass retain the same strength? Honda Pilot... Buicks... The list goes on. Please use gorilla glass. Aye... I was gonna get a "my 6th" sticker for my next Subaru but we may have to settle with the less capable xc70 or a less reliable grand Cherokee. Allroad is nice but it's pathetic ground clearance render it useless. Anything else that can tackle the engineer pass in Colorado that is not truck based? With no acoustic glass around 35-45k price point?
 
#9 ·
Grand Cherokee is out... Star Trek star got killed by its shifter. Besides its moose test fail is just ridiculous. Xc 70 is suppose to be all new, let's hope it's doesn't have acoustic windshield, has higher ground clearance and next the next gen Haldex AWD (if there is one). But it will take 1-2 years for any new problems to arise... I may have to stick with my outbacks for a couple more years.
 
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