Advice on tinting windshields

Where are you - your profile is blank. Depending where you are on the planet, you'll get different answers.

 

This is what you might see in your rear-view mirror..... unless you can get some type of clear tint that reflects heat?

 

If he happens to be in Australia - it's NO.

"After-market window film cannot be applied to the windscreen, even if the film is optically clear, except for a visor strip across the top of the screen (which is outside the driver's primary vision area)."

 

Ceramic tint is what can help reduce the temperature inside the cabin.

Huper Optik is one of the best ceramic tints.

Good luck .

 

Alabama window tinting laws.

• ONLY the upper six inches of the front windshield may be tinted. (MATERAL APPLIED MUST BE TRANSPARENT)
• ALL OTHER windows (sides and rear) may have tinting that allows at least 32% light transmission with a 3% tolerance.
• Reflective material may not reflect more than 20% of light.

 

Alabama Tinting Regulations

Passenger Cars and Station Wagons
ONLY the upper six inches of the front windshield may be tinted. (MATERIAL APPLIED MUST BE TRANSPARENT)

ALL OTHER windows (sides and rear) may have tinting that allows at least 32% light transmission with a 3% tolerance.

Reflective material may not reflect more than 20% of light.

 

If the heat really bothers you, I'd consider doing what my tint installer called the "Eyebrow" strip on the front window. That evidently 6 inch strip. I actually thought when I had it done on my previous, previous vehicle, that I wouldn't like it, or it wouldn't be very effective. I was impressed with how much heat it did seem to block, (kept the steering wheel cooler), and as I drove? I'm tall enough that I could use it as an emergency glare blocker, if I suddenly found myself driving into the sun. So it wasn't full tint. But it was legal, and I found it of worth.

Come to think of it, I should look into how much it would cost to have it done again to my new vehicle.

I think the only down side is that it kind of creates the "illusion" of a smaller windshield. But besides that? I think I liked it much more than I thought I would.

PS.
That's strange in Australia.
" Aftermarket window film cannot be applied to the windscreen, even if the film is optically clear"

Can someone explain why?
If it is optically clear, who would know? Why would anyone care? How would you enforce a law against it?

I missing something there.

 

I'm just a "tad" over the legal limit for tint. And it still gets plenty hot in there. But I have not (And will not) do anything to the front windshield/windscreen.

 

You need to check that again.
Pretty sure that it is NOT legal for windshields, because there is a uniform national standard.

 

yes -
Ceramic is excellent as a heat rejection film.
Photosync is even better at heat rejection than ceramic. But it is way expensive. Do a search for ceramic versus photosync on Google & you can see the difference - the application people point a heat reading Gage at both and it is quite surprising.
Photosync has the added benefit of polarizing, & the amount of glare that it reduces is its primary benefit. Many of the Tesla Model X's had a double vision phenomena because the glass is over 6 ft long from top to bottom. We had photosync applied primarily for this reason, but with a 6 feet top to bottom windshield, the heat rejection was an added benefit.
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How much difference in thermal effects do you notice?

Planning on doing our RX450h to the front 2 windows and windshield. Ceramic was the plan, but based on this, might be worth reconsidering ?

Was quoted $250 for the windshield and $180 for the front windows by the local Huper installer. Didn’t think that was too bad .

How long have you had it installed and still satisfied with it?

 

One other detail ... for the helpful reminder folks who are quick to bring up windshield tint legality. Illegality is driving a few mph's over the speed limit too -
One is an expensive moving violation, while the other is a fix-It ticket - yet when people talk about driving 80 on the freeway, folks are usually much more relaxed about chiming in about that ... just an observation ....

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Or less if you know someone .

I’ve got my bases covered.

 

Only you can decide if the consequences of not complying with the law is "worth it." I used to have a Camry Hybrid on which I tinted the front windshield with 70% (and the other windows too, of course), to reduce heat. After a couple days, I ripped the tint off the windshield (kept all other windows) and swallowed the cost.

Pros:
Definitely cooler on hot days where the sun was strong. I recall having my AC on 25% or so when it was 100 degrees outside.

Cons:
Illegal in my state.
More than just the risk of being pulled over is the potential liability risk. For example, if I were to be involved in some kind of front-end accident at dusk and it was discovered that I have a front windshield tint, I was concerned that the insurance company has the right to decline coverage, citing that I obstructed my own view with an illegal modification.
Star-patterned light dispersion at night when the headlights of other cars shown directly into the windshield.
The ceramic tint had a slight haze when the sun was at an angle. It's noticeable on all the tinted windows, but it's particular bothersome on the front windshield.

In my case, I took off my tint because the trade off of having to put my AC on 50% (instead of 25%), but not having to deal with the admittedly slim chances of the worst-case ramifications of a front windshield tint, was worth it.

 

Advice on tinting windshields: don't.

I think claims it lowers the interior temperature are overrated, suspect it might actually raise temp's. Also, it is aftermarket, and no matter how pro it's done, it shows, you can see the edges, it's scratch prone.

If I was ever used vehicle shopping, had two similar vehicle but one had tint, I'd go for the one without tint.

Full disclosure: I went through a pro-tinting phase, about 35 years back, did some side windows myself, left the rear window to pros. Maybe they've improved, as far as the heat deflection, not sure. But still, I'd pass.

 

Mendel Leisk, post: 2766531, member: 69191
......snip..... If I was ever used vehicle shopping, had two similar vehicle but one had tint, I'd go for the one without tint ....snip.....

10 to 1 odds - the op knows that it's not legal to tint a windshield as 99.9% of people already know. That debate is not what the op asked for. It's like the speeding analogy. We can ramp up the seriousness of speeding, say 5 or 10 mph. And you have an accident, guess how horrible we would feel because we were speeding and the cop said speeding was the determining factor. It's over dramatizing to some extent like with the windshield tint , presuming especially if it's so light that you can't even tell.
Another fun tangent, what's the fastest I can Cannonball from New York to California. We could go for pages on whether it's legal or not, just like window tint on the windshield. That's said, a photosync application can be done so light so non-tinted looking, you could have 2 cars next to each other & not tell which is which, that is - if the op is concerned about losing nighttime visibility - which may be a valid concern of the op. I'm certain he has all the facts, and can come to a reasonable conclusion.
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Hill, I replied to his question, there ARE other issues. He specifically asked for any input. You can argue I am the kind of owner who does not speed (when other drivers can get around me), and am concerned with my state laws. But to ignore them when asked if there are "any other issues... Thanks for any input!" seems near sighted.

Had he mentioned that he was not concerned with legal issues, or said other engineering issues, I would not have replied.

 

Oh ... by issues, I guess I wrongly presumed, since the op mentioned sensors, that any other 'issues' would pertain to that type of point - such as matters of application, whether some tint materials are known to peel, fade, crack, change color, & the like - as being tint issues , Sorry for my misunderstanding. I guess I was confused - because things that pertain to VEHICLE CONDITION (smog checks, modified exhaust, side view mirrors, headlights, TINT, ground clearance, working headlights, signals, bald tires Etc) are regulated by rules of the motor vehicle code, & crazy as it sounds, & being capable of passing one's drivers license test that this necessarily means we already know all that stuff. There I go thinking crazy again.

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