Let's talk tint (%) for the front side windows

[Master Blaster]

I guess I have a really poor understanding of the Texas dark window tint fetish. Aside from being dangerous at night, why can't you just open the rear slider to keep the temperatures down? Just like all this month so far, its 33C (91F) here with 80% humidity today and I can just jump in my truck with its leather seats and go. Does dark tint look more "cool" or something?

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[Kenv24]

I guess I have a really poor understanding of the Texas dark window tint fetish. Aside from being dangerous at night, why can't you just open the rear slider to keep the temperatures down? Just like all this month so far, its 33C (91F) here with 80% humidity today and I can just jump in my truck with its leather seats and go. Does dark tint look more "cool" or something?

Man….you are SOO far off the mark with what tint is and does it seems. It’s like you’re one of the guys in the Progressive commercials and we’re trying to tell you not to be like your parents. I don’t have a rear slider either. .

 

[JJMM]

No tint on the sides and front, as the law states here. Use sunglasses instead, and open the back slider to keep it cool.

Regarding the law; if anyone in your family has wrestled with skin cancer, get your doctor to write a prescription for tinted windows. Put the prescription in the truck with your registration and get those windows done!

 

[Phimosis]

Regarding the law; if anyone in your family has wrestled with skin cancer, get your doctor to write a prescription for tinted windows. Put the prescription in the truck with your registration and get those windows done!

That’s a big NOPE. Visible light doesn’t cause cancer. Ultraviolet does. Llumar air series and 3M crystalline series block 99% of UV light while blocking nearly 0% of visible light. And those don’t require a prescription from a medical doctor to use. And they don’t break state and local laws regarding window tinting.

If you ask a medical doctor to write you a prescription for something that is illegal, 99.9% of them are going to tell you no, because they don’t want to be held liable for violations of the law.

 

[Phimosis]

iirc, the oem windows are .70 transmittance in the front and .20 in the rear. When I got my Maverick tinted, I went with the installer’s recommendation of .30 tint, making the fronts visually match the rears. .70 oem glass x .30 aftermarket tint = .21 transmittance compared to .20 in the oem rear windows.

And I regret doing that. During the day, it is great. But at night, it is too dark. At stop signs in poorly lit areas,, I routinely roll down my front windows to make sure I don’t mow down a pedestrian wearing dark colored clothing.

I recently bought a Chevy Blazer EV and had the front side windows tinted. I went with a .50 ceramic tint. .50 x .70 =0.35 transmittance. It still blocks 2x as much light as the .70 oem windows, but is also lets in 66% more light than the .21 windows in my maverick.

Visibility at night is much improved and I never feel the need to roll down the windows to double check. .50 tint is the new sweet spot for me.

And the .50 ceramic tint blocks just as much UV and infrared as .05 limo tint does. Dark tint doesn’t block more heat, it just blocks more visible light.

 

[710-oil-614]

iirc, the oem windows are .70 transmittance in the front and .20 in the rear. When I got my Maverick tinted, I went with the installer’s recommendation of .30 tint, making the fronts visually match the rears. .70 oem glass x .30 aftermarket tint = .21 transmittance compared to .20 in the oem rear windows.

And I regret doing that. During the day, it is great. But at night, it is too dark. At stop signs in poorly lit areas,, I routinely roll down my front windows to make sure I don’t mow down a pedestrian wearing dark colored clothing.

I recently bought a Chevy Blazer EV and had the front side windows tinted. I went with a .50 ceramic tint. .50 x .70 =0.35 transmittance. It still blocks 2x as much light as the .70 oem windows, but is also lets in 66% more light than the .21 windows in my maverick.

Visibility at night is much improved and I never feel the need to roll down the windows to double check. .50 tint is the new sweet spot for me.

And the .50 ceramic tint blocks just as much UV and infrared as .05 limo tint does. Dark tint doesn’t block more heat, it just blocks more visible light.

I’ve got the 20% on my front windows and I agree it is too dark at night.

 

[Master Blaster]

Normal automotive side window glass will only transmit 50-60% of light frequencies below 400 microns. UV from the sun is centred around 375 microns, so no tint at all will get you a 60% reduction in exposure. People who tint their windows are fooling themselves that it actually improves something, and the tint industry are very happy to amplify that insecurity.
If you're really worried about the reduced UV exposure inside your vehicle, then get it TiO2-coated, which will get you to almost 100% reduction without any significant visible light loss at all.

 

[Kenv24]

Normal automotive side window glass will only transmit 50-60% of light frequencies below 400 microns. UV from the sun is centred around 375 microns, so no tint at all will get you a 60% reduction in exposure. People who tint their windows are fooling themselves that it actually improves something, and the tint industry are very happy to amplify that insecurity.
If you're really worried about the reduced UV exposure inside your vehicle, then get it TiO2-coated, which will get you to almost 100% reduction without any significant visible light loss at all.

You are missing another very big point of the tint. The tint also helps on the front driver‘s window and passenger window to keep the glare of the EXTREMELY bright new LED lights on the newer cars from blinding you in your mirrors while sitting at lights and general driving. I don’t give two shits about exposure. The tint on my vehicles is 100% for brightness and light.

 

[JJMM]

That’s a big NOPE. Visible light doesn’t cause cancer. Ultraviolet does. Llumar air series and 3M crystalline series block 99% of UV light while blocking nearly 0% of visible light. And those don’t require a prescription from a medical doctor to use. And they don’t break state and local laws regarding window tinting.

If you ask a medical doctor to write you a prescription for something that is illegal, 99.9% of them are going to tell you no, because they don’t want to be held liable for violations of the law.

My tinted windows block 90% of UVA and UVB rays. California law prohibits tinting the front windows but allows it if you have a prescription in the vehicle. Works for me. Have a great day!

 

[710-oil-614]

My tinted windows block 90% of UVA and UVB rays. California law prohibits tinting the front windows but allows it if you have a prescription in the vehicle. Works for me. Have a great day!

The point is that TINT doesn't do the blocking. The ceramic film does which can block it with no tint at all.

I would also be interested in seeing your prescription for tinted windows....

 

[Phimosis]

I would also be interested in seeing your prescription for tinted windows....

Exactly what I was thinking: Show us the prescription.

You don’t need a prescription for clear film to block UV, if you have a history of skin cancer.

The way you can get a prescription for tint, to block visible light, is if you have a condition that makes you photosensitive, such as albinism.

Albinos, with their white eyes, are extremely sensitive to bright light. And even with sunglasses on, the light bleed from the sides can make it difficult for them to see. So having tinted windows makes them safer, because it improves their vision.

Any doctor that writes a prescription for window tint, for a “history of skin cancer” is just asking for a reprimand by their state medical board because visible light, that window tint blocks, does not cause cancer.

 

[710-oil-614]

Exactly what I was thinking: Show us the prescription.

You don’t need a prescription for clear film to block UV, if you have a history of skin cancer.

The way you can get a prescription for tint, to block visible light, is if you have a condition that makes you photosensitive, such as albinism.

Albinos, with their white eyes, are extremely sensitive to bright light. And even with sunglasses on, the light bleed from the sides can make it difficult for them to see. So having tinted windows makes them safer, because it improves their vision.

Any doctor that writes a prescription for window tint, for a “history of skin cancer” is just asking for a reprimand by their state medical board because visible light, that window tint blocks, does not cause cancer.

In California it’s not just as simple as getting the prescription, tossing it in the glovebox, and “gotcha officer!”

You have to file with the state for approval.

 

[JJMM]

The point is that TINT doesn't do the blocking. The ceramic film does which can block it with no tint at all.

I would also be interested in seeing your prescription for tinted windows....

Thanks for the note. My primary care doctor wrote a script that says, "Tinted windows required. Patient has a history of skin cancer."

Has to be done on controlled script paper and kept with the registration.

 

[710-oil-614]

Thanks for the note. My primary care doctor wrote a script that says, "Tinted windows required. Patient has a history of skin cancer."

Has to be done on controlled script paper and kept with the registration.

Mmmhmm

 

[Master Blaster]

You are missing another very big point of the tint. The tint also helps on the front driver‘s window and passenger window to keep the glare of the EXTREMELY bright new LED lights on the newer cars from blinding you in your mirrors while sitting at lights and general driving. I don’t give two shits about exposure. The tint on my vehicles is 100% for brightness and light.

I guess that you do not intend to drive at night, when you can't see much with that ridiculous tint. Get a pair of yellow driving glasses instead. And get your cataracts fixed.

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