Questions about glass tinting

F

Florientale

New member
Hi,



I've got a few questions about window tinting, hope this is the right board.



The law in my state specifies 35% for rear window, front/back side windows, and 5" at the top for the windshield. Having never had glass tinted before, I'm not sure how dark this is or if it affects nighttime visibility. Does anyone have any pictures and can you tell me how, if at all, it affects nighttime driving?



One of my reasons for tinting is UVA/UVB protection. There is a UV Shield made by Formula One which serves this purpose but it is almost clear and I was going for a more tinted appearance. Do the darker tints provide the same type of sun protection (UVA)? This is for health reasons, so it's really important.



Finally, any suggestions for choosing a decent place to have tinting done. This is probably fairly obvious but I just wanted to check in case there is anything I should know before I begin the search. Many shops in my area advertise "computer cut" films, is this advantageous? Thanks in advance for any tips. Cheers!
 
35% is really light. It won't effect nighttime driving much at all. Most tinted glass from the factory is around the 35% mark. (I think dodge does 25%)



5% is considered limo black and is very dark. Being on the side windows it really shouldn't effect your driving much either. THe combo will look decent. 35% all away around is almost not even worth doing. But being able to go down to 5% on the side will darken up the car considerably.



Professional films are a much higher grade film than anything you can buy at a autozone or such. I would personally let a professional do it. The results are garunteed and the film in just so much better it's worth the cost. And as far as the UV protection goes just ask your tinter what their film is rated. You can get more or less protection in all shades of tint. so yes you can definatly have deep tinted glass and goodUV protection as well
 
Hi,



Thanks for the reply. That kinda blows about the 35% VLT. The nearby states all have the same laws.



What I can't figure out is that I keep seeing all these cars in this area going around with very tinted windows, many of them including the front side windows. They don't all look like gangbanger cars either, some of them have been family-looking mini-vans, owned by the sort of people who actually care whether their vehicle is legal. How are they not all being pulled over and ticketed? Do most states actually enforce these laws on the road or do you only have to be concerned with it if you're going through inspection?
 
I have 15% all around and it's almost too dark at night. My buddy has 5% all around and he has to roll his windows down sometimes at night to see.
 
Jakerooni said:
35% is really light. It won't effect nighttime driving much at all. Most tinted glass from the factory is around the 35% mark. (I think dodge does 25%)
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For reference my 2004 Toyota 4-Runner has 20% in the rears from the factory. So I matched it on my front two.
 
If you have clear windows, I know that at least with Toyota, the stock tint is around 70%, which is the legal limit in places like Pennsylvania.



Regardless, most OEM glass these days come with nearly 99% UV protection. The only place that they are lacking in is IR protection - so the sun's heat still comes through the glass. Oh, and obviously the lack of privacy with such a light tint, too.



I run legal (for Florida) - 28% all around. Technically, I could do 28% on front two, 15% on rear, and unlimited on the hatch.
 
I use to have 5% on my rear windows and it was difficult to see at night, all you can see is lights. You have to be very careful w/ pedestrians at night. I have 15% all the way around now and still get stopped, but it is a lot lighter compared to the 5% I had



Here is 15% all around

Sun006.jpg






and 15% front windows - 5% rear

may2nd073.jpg




Note: On white cars the tint seems a little darker due to the contrast
 
Just keep in mind the combination of the two will provide good results. 35% all the way around is not very good IMO but with the 5% on the sides it will make that back window look alot darker. I need to find a pic of my vibeGT I had. It was 5% on the sides and 35% on the back and it looked really good. and I could still see at night.
 
mikebai1990 said:
Wait a second.. Is the smaller percentage of tint=darker? I think I'm getting a bit confused :)
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The % = amount of light that passes through.



35% = 35% of the sunlight comes through



5% = 5% of the light comes through



smaller % number = darker tints
 
Hi,



Thanks for all the pics/replies. It looks like I'm gonna go with 35% all around which is the maximum allowable here. I found a couple of tint shops that have been around for 20+ years, so that should probably be the safest bet. Still haven't decided whether to do the 6 inch strip at the top of the windshield or not, can't decide if it's worth it.
 
Personally I would leave the windshield the way it is from the factory...I dont think your going to gain much by tinting it.
 
qballjr13 said:
Personally I would leave the windshield the way it is from the factory...I dont think your going to gain much by tinting it.
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You gain privacy, less work for A/C, more UV protection, less glare, less heat in the car... I think that's quite a lot to gain :nixweiss
 
mikebai1990 said:
You gain privacy, less work for A/C, more UV protection, less glare, less heat in the car... I think that's quite a lot to gain :nixweiss
Click to expand...



I was just refering to the 6" windshield strip. I agree with tinting the windows. Depending on the color of your interior 35% may look somewhat dark or it may still look very light. Like I said in my earlier post, I went with 20% on my truck...I tinted a Maxima with light gray interior at 35% and thought it was too light...so with the truck I went darker and I love it. No problems with the police either!
 
If want lighter sides but a darker overall look, you can try tinting your backmost piece of glass darker than the others.
 
Hi,



Decided to go with a UV Blocker for the front. No tint, just UV protection. I think I'm gonna skip the 5" strip.



35% is the legal limit in my state, so I'm most likely gonna go with that all around. I've seen a lot of cars with only the rear side windows and the back tinted, the front side windows left clear. I don't like that look as much but I still have some reservations about visibility with the front side windows tinted. Still, if you're concerned with heat deflection (i.e. summer driving comfort) and privacy it kind of defeats the purpose to leave the driver's window untinted.
 
^^ what state are you from if you dont mind me asking?here in HI legal limit on tint is 35% with a +/- 6% variance.illegal to tint front windshield unless you have the factory AS1 line.on my car i have 30% tint all around.noticably darker during the evening but not as noticable during the day time either, granted it still beats 35% tint pending film type

IMO
 
My friend did illegal 4% all around his car except he did a 4% strip on the windshield. Whenever I ride with him, I don't have any problem seeing out of his car at night.
 
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