School me on window tint.

[Langwilliams]

I've know a few people that got notes from their eye doctor to have the windshield tinted. If I were the cop stopping them I'd tell them to get some prescription sunglasses. I was deployed to the Arabian Gulf in the summer an Dubai was miserable hot in the summer. Most places would close during the afternoon an reopen for a while later in the evening.

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[GTGallop]

Here is a logic bomb for you...
I had a hybrid Ford Fusion. When I kept it in the garage or under a tree or covered parking, I got GREAT gas mileage during the summer. But when I parked in the sun, I got horrible gas mileage. The reason? AC takes energy and the more work your AC has to do, the more your engine has power diverted from it to run the AC.

Now - look at how much cooler (temp cool) a vehicle with dark ceramic tint is. That temp difference will equate to fuel savings and less repair bills on your AC later. Think of it this way; you are doing it for the dolphins, for the ozone, for the penguins, for the polar bears. If we all got our windows tinted dark and ceramic we could cure Al Gore!

 

[Chris M]

Here is a logic bomb for you...
I had a hybrid Ford Fusion. When I kept it in the garage or under a tree or covered parking, I got GREAT gas mileage during the summer. But when I parked in the sun, I got horrible gas mileage. The reason? AC takes energy and the more work your AC has to do, the more your engine has power diverted from it to run the AC.

Now - look at how much cooler (temp cool) a vehicle with dark ceramic tint is. That temp difference will equate to fuel savings and less repair bills on your AC later. Think of it this way; you are doing it for the dolphins, for the ozone, for the penguins, for the polar bears. If we all got our windows tinted dark and ceramic we could cure Al Gore!

You left out Greta!
And who doesn't love dolphins, penguins, polar bears, and ozone?
Curing Al Gore is such a bonus, too.

 

[BuzKilington]

I am using XPEL prime XR plus ceramic all around. 5% on all three rears. 20% on front. Does make a difference and worth the investment. XPEL warranty follows the VIN as well.

 

[FunInTheSun]

People here are actually tinting their windshields. Talk about a big no-no.

There is a ceramic "tint" that blocks IR, but is completely clear. I don't know if it's actually 0%, but you literally can't tell any difference to visible light. I'm saving my pennies to put that on my windshield. Florida sun is intense.
I used to have a car with super dark tints on the windows, and it was scary to drive at night. You literally can't see anyone driving without headlights on (it happens) and pedestrians / bicycles, etc. Had a couple of close calls. But they were pretty dark, so they might not have been legal.

 

[Bob902]

There is a ceramic "tint" that blocks IR, but is completely clear. I don't know if it's actually 0%, but you literally can't tell any difference to visible light. I'm saving my pennies to put that on my windshield. Florida sun is intense.
I used to have a car with super dark tints on the windows, and it was scary to drive at night. You literally can't see anyone driving without headlights on (it happens) and pedestrians / bicycles, etc. Had a couple of close calls. But they were pretty dark, so they might not have been legal.

They put a clear ceramic tint on the side Windows of our cars at work. Supposed to block the UV. Since I have had many skin cancer spots cut out, I was happy to hear this. It is also why I tint my personal cars although i don't go super dark. Us people of advanced age need help seeing anyway. ?

 

[canyonslicker]

Ok, WHY do you think you need it?

Esthetic then ok I get it. Medical I get that too!!

Otherwise in my mind it’s a waste of money… buy a damper instead…

 

[Mr Adventures]

Just had mine tinted today. The stock rear window tint tested at 29%. The front non-tinted tested at 84%. I got ceramic XPEL 30% tint on the front two windows only and it matches perfectly.

 

[f1loco]

I'm in Florida and love using Air Blue 80 on my windscreen and side windows. They use in on the cockpits of airplanes. Has a "faint" blue hue but doesn't affect night vision at all and yes, helps with the heat as well.

 

[Eskram]

I'm in Florida and love using Air Blue 80 on my windscreen and side windows. They use in on the cockpits of airplanes. Has a "faint" blue hue but doesn't affect night vision at all and yes, helps with the heat as well.

Same. AirBlue 80 on the windshield and ceramic 18% on side and back windows. Not noticable, and almost a requirement here in FL.

 

[rydfree]

Window film/tint is made up of several polyester layers . The cheapest have a "dyed" layer to provide the color while "ceramics" or " metalized" films have the color imbedded or mixed into one of the polyester layers . Dyed films usually have a maximum warranty in the 3 year range while most ceramics/metalized have lifetime . This is for the film only and labor/installation is up to the sellers discretion . Pick a reputable shop and even the dyed films can last 10-15 years with proper care .

Tint is rated in light transmission where the higher the number the clearer the tint . 5% film only lets 5% of the visible light pass through while 90% lets all but 10% through, therefore the 5% appears darker . Most all the benefits of window film are in the clear layers . A 90% film will keep out 99% of all UV light and a large percentage of Infrared , even the cheaper dyed film . Dyed films are available in the standard smoke as well as many bright colors such as red , blue , green , yellow etc . The metalized films will add a marginal amount of infrared rejection and give a slight reflective/grey appearance while the ceramic will add a little more IR and appear more grey to smoke colored .

As someone noted previously , some metalized / ceramics may add a slightly different look than the factory tint and will vary with manufacture so that could be a consideration when choosing . I'm partial to the Llumar brand as I used it for over 20 years when my shop performed 3-5 tints per day over that period .
https://llumar.com/na/en/automotive

I tinted my front doors with 35% but did not do the front windshield as the IR rejection will interfere with the sensors in my Lariat pkg .

On a side note : Pay attention to every automotive ad on TV over the past 40 years . They always show the windows tinted , even the windshield . They know it makes the vehicle look better , even though you can't order one that way

 

[rydfree]

Window film/tint is made up of several polyester layers . The cheapest have a "dyed" layer to provide the color while "ceramics" or " metalized" films have the color imbedded or mixed into one of the polyester layers . Dyed films usually have a maximum warranty in the 3 year range while most ceramics/metalized have lifetime . This is for the film only and labor/installation is up to the sellers discretion . Pick a reputable shop and even the dyed films can last 10-15 years with proper care .

Tint is rated in light transmission where the higher the number the clearer the tint . 5% film only lets 5% of the visible light pass through while 90% lets all but 10% through, therefore the 5% appears darker . Most all the benefits of window film are in the clear layers . A 90% film will keep out 99% of all UV light and a large percentage of Infrared , even the cheaper dyed film . Dyed films are available in the standard smoke as well as many bright colors such as red , blue , green , yellow etc . The metalized films will add a marginal amount of infrared rejection and give a slight reflective/grey appearance while the ceramic will add a little more IR and appear more grey to smoke colored .

As someone noted previously , some metalized / ceramics may add a slightly different look than the factory tint and will vary with manufacture so that could be a consideration when choosing . I'm partial to the Llumar brand as I used it for over 20 years when my shop performed 3-5 tints per day over that period .
https://llumar.com/na/en/automotive

I tinted my front doors with 35% but did not do the front windshield as the IR rejection will interfere with the sensors in my Lariat pkg .

On a side note : Pay attention to every automotive ad on TV over the past 40 years . They always show the windows tinted , even the windshield . They know it makes the vehicle look better , even though you can't order one that way

Same truck in different light .

 

[Allesky00]

I've got 35% on all four windows and the back glass, with a limo tint brow on the windshield. With the factory privacy glass in the rear, it comes down to something like 15%. It's perfect for me because even though it's illegal where I'm at, it's still light enough in the front that most won't notice. I can still see well enough at night, which is good for someone like me who already struggles to see at night. I got ceramic all the way around, and I can say that it does work in the Louisiana sun. I haven't measured, but I'd guess that I saw a drop of cabin temps in the range of 10-15 degrees after a long day at work (My parking spot is in direct sunlight 6-8 hours of the day.)

 

[meistreguy]

My tint is legal level but not worth spending money for it's so light...how are people getting away with much heavier/darker tint?

Depends on which state you live in. Here in Texas, the front 2 doors are a very light tint (don't know the percentage) but the rear 2 doors and back window can be as dark as you like.

 

[fraudguy77]

If you do any offroading at night, avoid a tint... in my opinion. You won't be able to see essentially anything out of them if the windows are even lightly tinted.

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