FAQ's
The best way to determine the size you need is to measure the length of your vehicle from bumper to bumper. Although there are a few other variables to consider with trucks. Please make sure to purchase the size that is specifically sized for your vehicle. Purchasing the next size up won't provide more protection and will not install correctly on your vehicle. For more details, check out our page titled "What Size for Me?".
Breathable fabric allows moisture (even from the dew point) and heat (from the outside environment) to escape from your vehicle’s paint finish. Trapped moisture and heat on your paint finish are damaging to your vehicle paint finish. This is why most car covers utilize breathable fabric.
Beware of car covers that use PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) used in pool inflatables and covers that use rigid or flexible panels encased in breathable fabric. If the rigid or flexible panels are not breathable, then it doesn't matter what they are encased in. These covers will not allow moisture to properly evaporate from your vehicle paint finish and will not allow heat to properly escape. PVC car covers will also rub like rubber on your vehicle, especially in wind, marring the finish of your vehicle. The Hail Protector breathable fabric layer that rest on your vehicle doesn't move, even under wind and the impact of hail stones.
The Hail Protector System uses only breathable fabric and no rigid or flexible panels.
No. The inner layer of the cover doesn't move. Even under storm conditions, the inner layer does not move. No friction, no scratches. In fact, if you reach inside of the cover, at the rear, where the velcro opening is located, you can attempt to move the inner layer physically with your hand and you'll see how difficult it is to move. This material was chosen and designed to protect your vehicle.
No matter how effective the Hail Protector System is at stopping any size hail and protecting your entire vehicle, anywhere, if you are not aware that your location is in jeopardy of severe weather and/or not aware that your specific address is in jeopardy of severe weather and hail storm potential, then you are still guessing whether to install your cover or not. The Hail Protector System is as much about providing you peace of mind on days when severe weather is not imminent in your state or at your address, as it is about providing you peace of mind on days when the mother of all hail storms is at your specific address. The ability to be prepared in every way enables you to install your system in the most composed fashion, oftentimes well ahead of the first raindrop. The Hail Forecast portion of the mobile app is most important, as it enables you to look as much as 8 days into the future for hail forecasted across the USA. The warning alerts are the last line of defense. The mobile app is more about predicting the day, than the moment. You'll know the days of significant concern and will have ample time to install at your leisure without panic.
Yes, the system was invented, developed over a 5 year period, in North Texas, an area famous for its wind. It continues to be extensively tested and refined, now 10 years since the inception of the idea. The fact that the system cinches around the wheels of the vehicle, very low on the vehicle, and positioning your vehicle as we recommend, means winds are unable to find their way under the cover. The fact the system installs to create an aerodynamic shape means winds also flow more easily over the cover. The system uses constant airflow. It creates an envelope of high volume air around your vehicle, which means the force of the wind is met with the force of the high volume air within the system. The system has been tested in wind gusts as high as 80 mph.
The cover will barely move in straight-line winds in excess of 30 mph. There is literally no move movement whatsoever from the inner layer that rests on the vehicle. This is due to high volume airflow inside the cover and the barrier that the outer layer provides. Beware of the covers or umbrella devices that do not cover your entire vehicle and then will enable winds to gather underneath the cover creating a sailing effect. Some use the words windproof and then in the fine print they say the device will break away, so it doesn't get damaged. That's not what windproof means. In fact, in videos we viewed online, the umbrella protection device ends up banging on the roof of the vehicle.
No matter how strong the straps, if a cover or device allows wind to gather underneath it, it will have tremendous difficulty avoiding their own destruction and/or damage to your vehicle via friction of the moving layer in contact with your vehicle. A 60 mph wind has a force of 350 pounds on a vehicle and on the cover attached to it. Your car will be lifted off the ground by a tornado before The Hail Protector System comes off your car, when properly installed and utilized.
Hail Storm Products has created an in-depth instructional video that shows the user how to best position their vehicle in advance of severe weather. See it below.
What about those hailstones that have sharp edges, will the Hail Protector System stand up to those?
Yes, the Hail Protector System uses high volume air, not high-pressure air. The system is designed to absorb the impact energy of hailstones. This means that, similar to an “egg toss”, the movement of the cover enables the cover to have strength beyond the same fabric held taut. The generally fragile shell of an egg can avoid breakage from throws or falls of great distance when the energy created by the mass and speed of the egg is cushioned by catching the egg in a fashion that slows it down versus an abrupt stop.
Additionally, unlike a metal knife that has much the same strength and rigidity at its tip that it does at its handle, a hailstone will have much higher strength at its core than it will have at the tip of its edges. If you ever held an icicle you’ll notice the tip breaks off rather easily, while it becomes more difficult to break as you move to the larger end. Also, the density of a hailstone is roughly 0.6 grams per cubic centimeter, whereas the density of an ice cube from your freezer has a density of roughly 0.95 grams per cubic centimeter. The density of a hailstone is less than an ice cube because of the air that gets trapped inside the water as it freezes due to the way in which hailstones are formed. Density affects rigidity and strength. For this reason, the sharp edges of a hailstone are brittle.
This coupled with the energy absorption of the Hail Protector System makes it virtually impossible for a sharp-edged hailstone to penetrate the cover.
Is assembly required with the Hail Protector System?
Yes, a one-time assembly will take roughly 20 minutes. To make it as easy as possible, Hail Storm Products has created a step by step video instructions from unpacking your system to assembly to installation and removal.
Accessible in our mobile app, the hail forecast more typically gives a full day or more of warning of potential hail across the USA.
The Included ‘Early Warning Hail Alert and Weather App by HAIL PROTECTOR’ for iPhones and Android Phones will provide alerts for hail, thunderstorms, flooding, wind and a variety of other weather events.
These alerts will occur an average of 30 minutes ahead of the event, giving you time to activate your system oftentimes ahead of any storm conditions. While weather prediction is not an exact science, it becomes more and more accurate each year. Our mobile app uses the very best technology available and presents the information in a simple format for fast and accurate interpretation.
Many locations may be monitored simultaneously. Visit our "Included Mobile App page" for more information.
How long does it take to install The Hail Protector System?
Roughly 5 minutes, without the need of placing your knee on the ground.
After installation, The Hail Protector System will repack to a size between 3 cubic feet (CAR1 size) and 5 cubic feet (SUV3 size), depending on the size of the system. The longest dimension after packing is roughly 26 inches, no matter which size system you own. Some of the smallest trunks on the market, using the CAR1 size, include the Fiat 500 at 9.5 cubic feet, leaving 6.5 cubic feet for groceries or other items, and the MINI convertible at 6 cubic feet, leaving 3 cubic feet for groceries or other items.
The smaller the vehicle, the smaller the packing and thus the smaller the space required in your trunk, hatch or truck bed. The largest size of the Hail Protector System covers the Ford F-350 Crew Cab Dually Truck. This truck is the largest production vehicle in the world. It measures 265 inches long by 100 inches wide, thus the 5 cubic feet of space required to store the system, but the ample space the vehicle provides to store the system. This truck is among the vehicles the SUV3 size Hail Protector System is designed to fit.
If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact us at info@hailstormproducts.com
What is included with each HAIL PROTECTOR System?
Please visit our What's Included Page for details on the many items included with each HAIL PROTECTOR System.
The blower assembly included with each system runs continuously, when activated, due to the need for breathable fabric in any car cover. The blower assembly may be powered by one of three included power options. The three power options include a “AA” battery pack (batteries not included) that will run the system for about one hour, a car accessory plug that will run the system for three hours without depleting the starting power of your vehicle (assuming the battery in your vehicle is of reasonable health), and an AC adapter that will run the system virtually indefinitely.
There are many brands but we recommend something at least 500+ VA size. CyberPower is a good brand and has a 600 VA size for about $50 at Staples which will run for approximately 45 minutes during a power outage. On Amazon, there is an APC Brand - 550VA UPS that other customers have used successfully.
