Does window tinting helps to reduce heat in the car?

And beyond UV are x-rays and gamma rays. As cool and helpful it would be to block x-rays, lead windows seem difficult to see through. Not sure if anything can block gamma radiation, but if your car is subjected to it, the driver has probably erred.

 

I think it totally makes the car feel more comfortable, especially in the summer, like the shade analogy. Even if not much cooler, at least it'll ease the direct sun when it's next to you. I see it as shade and sunglasses all in one.

I can't believe some of the prices quoted. I had Llumar ceramic tint put on all the windows plus a windshield strip for $320 installed. I'd recommend the guy to anyone in the east Pheonix area. Perhaps region has a lot to do with it though.


iPhone ?

 

3M or tint installers pitch their Crystalline as the preeminent luxury and heat control automotive tint film, so they're asking the huge premiums for that. Then there's the "hey, you live in the Bay Area so you can afford to shell out 50-100% as much!" premium.

I've just discovered Prestige Film's Spectra Photosync which (unfortunately) doesn't list spectral transmission info beyond 2.5um to the mid and far IR regions of the em spectrum, but is at least that much more complete a spec than even 3M's. Of course, install for this retails for even more than 3M Crystalline by all accounts (circa $1300 - $1500 for a full coverage tint), and they seem to be keeping it that way as way high-end luxury car improvement, but at least the data, the demos, and the lack of a single negative testimonial on the satisfaction with their heat rejection (reports of 15-20 deg cooler than outside ambient temps) seem a better justification for that insane price than 3M's has been for their ~$1k prices, as good as their film is I'm sure.

 

Any thoughts on its impact on rear visibility at night? I've never had tints, and a bit concerned since the spoiler already makes rear night visibility a challenge (you have to see the actual car behind you in the dark, since its headlights are often blocked.) However, Prius is my first hatchback, and I'm finding that the stuff in the trunk gets a bit warmer than I'd like. Also, I guess there's battery longevity issues. So considering whether tinting is something I should go for, at least in the rear. (Legal issues with front tints in CA anyway.)

 

Photosync does this interesting thing where it darkens when subjected to sunlight, especially the stronger the sunlight, up to about 5% less in VLT, so 75 effectively becomes 70% VLT during a hot day in sun, and so forth, and moves back to 75 at night for increased visibility.

It's major benefit though is heat rejection over the entire Near IR range at least. (I'm considering pestering the manufacturer sales manager or one of their techs for data on how it handles mid an far IR from 2.5 micron up to 1.0mm wavelength, since I don't really see any productive use for passing those wavelengths either.

As for legal issues, in CA, you can tint the front side windows down to 70% VLT net (glass & tint combined), which I'm planning to do, and net 70% (or was it 90%?) along the top 4" of the windshield now, post-'99 legislation. It technically also permits a "completely clear" 'tint' film for UV/heat rejection if and when such become available on the market. I will probably be willing to chance the full windshield in their clearest tint available, since most people report most police tend to ignore it as not noticeable. But yes, anything not strictly legal is on your own head.

I care mostly about heat though than privacy tinting. The darker tint in the rear half of the car is more effective at screening it though and anything behind the front seat windows can be any darkness in CA.

 

The front side windows are already factory-tinted 75% in the glass and I don't think there's any 93.33% film on the market if you want to be technically legal (93.33% x 75% for an aggregate of 70%). However, any film above 50% will hardly look tinted on the Prius especially in bright sunlight.

 

Would be nice if one could request them to not factory tint, or to tint with our own choice of tint..

 

I don't see any benefit not to have the factory tint as it's tinted in the glass rather than a film and one can always add a near colorless ceramic film like Air Blue 80 or Crystalline 90 to provide additional heat and UV cutting properties on top of factory's up to 55% solar heat reduction rate and 100% UV cut rate (see aforementioned link).

 

The benefit is like you said. They don't make a 93.33% tint that allows someone to stay strictly legal in this state (let alone the varied restrictions of other states). So it actually makes sense if you can choose your own.

Of course, if the CA police/highway patrol never minded, neither would I, but sometimes they do..

 

With too many blatantly illegal tints around here they most certainly will not touch a 80 or 90% film even on top of factory's ~75%.