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Best tint options

7K views 30 replies 15 participants last post by  ScotMcCall 
#1 ·
I've never had my windows tinted other than the OEM 'UV'.
I'm looking for information on the 'best' type of tint, which windows should be tinted, and which side of the glass is best for a three to five year lifetime.

Does a higher tint price get a longer lifetime?

My uneducated thoughts are ceramic and all windows with outside as the best. But I would like to be pointed to different opinions and the reasons for the choices.

I'm not going for limo or illegal tint. 60% max (all around) unless there is a good reason to go darker as I do use the Holden windows shades.

I would love a polarized matte tint that allows me to take off my sunglasses during the day and is vivid at night.

Thanks in advance.
 
#2 ·
Window tint film is pretty soft and will scratch very easily if its on the outside.

You probably wouldn't be able to tell it was tinted at 60% VLT. The factory glass is probably 75-80% VLT.

You won't tell a lot of visible difference in tint quality in the short run, say 3 years or less. Higher quality tints usually have much better UV blocking and will hold their color without turning purple for much longer.

I have my windows at 35% VLT, which is the legal limit in NC. The windshield has a almost "clear" (to the human eye) UV blocking film.
 
#3 ·
I too have 35% tint. Solar Gard which happens to be from the company that makes our factory windshields, Saint Gobain. Tint meter shows 26% VLT on factory glass with 35% tint, which gives our glass about 75% VLT from the factory. My state allows for a 70% VLT minimum, so basically no tint. Tint has held up nicely for seven years, though the SS is not my daily. Same tint from the same guy on several vehicles over the years, all of which stayed outside 24/7 and were daily drivers, all looked good upon sale or trade. I believe I have the HP supreme, but honestly it may just be the charcoal, I'm not certain. My PPF is the Clearshield Pro listed at the bottom of the page.

 
#4 ·
I went with the CXP tint. To me it offered more uv protection versus the standard or the mid grade. In all, mine was $460 which included all 4 doors, the back window and the sunroof. I went with I‘m thinking around 20% because the car is black. It looks darker on the outside versus what you see from the inside looking out. I think my red one is NC legal tint as that was there when I bought it. I’m including the link of the tint and a side view of mine.



Wheel Car Tire Land vehicle Vehicle
 
#5 ·
Haven't had the SS tinted, but the Chevy dealership applied their LLUMAR tint film to the front inside windows on the Silverado. It is almost six years old and has no visible scratches, bubbles or de-lamination. It is a very durable product.
Can't tell it's there except for the reduced interior temperature and the obvious darker view of the tinted part if window is partially down. Solar rejection is outstanding.
 
#7 ·
Haven't had the SS tinted, but the Chevy dealership applied their LLUMAR tint film to the front inside windows on the Silverado. It is almost six years old and has no visible scratches, bubbles or de-lamination. It is a very durable product.
Can't tell it's there except for the reduced interior temperature and the obvious darker view of the tinted part if window is partially down. Solar rejection is outstanding.
Had Llumar on a truck in Vegas, held up great to the relentless Vegas sun and heat.
 
#6 ·
This time around, I’m running 30 in all directions. I never tried doing anything on the exterior, although I would consider the windshield with the invisible bra.
Wheel Tire Car Vehicle Automotive lighting
 
#9 · (Edited)
Huper optic. High end ceramic film with UV and heat blocking and a life time warranty. I went with 80% windsheild, 30% front doors, 5% rear doors, back window and sunroof. I can see great at night and in cloudy days. I don't even really notice its tinted. Huper optic has a silverish color.

You might look at PPF by stek as an alternative to front windsheild and get headlight done at the same time.

It really comes down to finding a quality installer instead of brand of tint. My installer is huper and stek certified but cant do installations without damaging my car. He scratched the driver A pillar, rear passenger stationary window, one scratch on the rear window and gouged the crap out of my OEM rear roof spoiler because he said he needed to remove it, I dont understand why. I've spoken with other installers who said it wasnt necessary. Be prepared ...
Car Tire Vehicle Wheel Window

Current best pic of window tint. Shows the darker 5% tint on the rear, 30% front, 80% on the windshield....

Heres the damage ...4 scratches on the A pillar. Can only get 2 to show on camera.
Automotive lighting Hood Azure Blue Vehicle door

Hood Azure Window Automotive lighting Vehicle door


Big gouge on the inside of the passenger rear stationary window.
Water Liquid Vertebrate Window Fluid


One light scratch going down the outside of the passenger side of the rear window.
Water Hood Azure Automotive lighting Windscreen wiper


A crack and gouges on my OEM rear roof spoiler.
Hood Wood Automotive mirror Automotive exterior Bumper

Hood Automotive lighting Wood Automotive tire Automotive design

Automotive lighting Hood Vehicle door Automotive mirror Fender

I would have been happy if it weren't for the damage. I went to get my cars looks improved not make more work for me to fix...😡
 
#10 ·
I have 3M Crystalline on the SS. I went too light and regret that. Also, it's a little blue. Put the 80% on the windshield. All windshields should be tinted, IMHO.
I put the top of the line ceramic Suntek on the Canyon and then it's replacement the Silverado. It's more grey.
Had ceramic Forumula 1 (Llumar) on my 97 Tahoe for 23 years. It was awesome. I did need to get it re-done once from bubbling but it was lifetime warranty so all it cost was time. Would've done it again but the closest place I trusted was over an hour away. The 3M and Suntek is in my work parking lot. (he stopped carrying 3M)

Both have held up to Phoenix sun and temps fine. Granted, the Suntek I only had for 2 yrs max so far where as the 3M I've had for 7 years. Then again, the 3M stays in the garage 98% of the time, only 14,600 miles of sunshine.
 
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#11 ·
I'd say spend the money on good product and use a tech who does alot of tint jobs. start with super clean glass. Educate the tech on what the car is, a test drive usually works. I think I did 35 all around. Make sure rear window gets applied perfectly around the defroster bars, mine came out slightly fish-eyed, only complaint. I did a darker tint 4" along the top of the windshield, 2 pieces seamed at the factory tint around the "safety sensors". Looks good and works well. Let it cure for a few days and dont ever clean it with spray Windex crap! The cabin in the Commodore is an OVEN in the summertime. So tinting a windshield fully is a damn good idea, Darkened windows and a 6 SPD, serious carjack eliminators.
 
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#15 ·
my neighbor owns Presto Window Tint in Huntington Beach Ca. He‘s happy to talk to you about window tint and just as important the instal. I’ve seen the aftermath from some of these so called “pros” such as broken door panel clips, loose panels causing squeaks to broken panels. I’ve seen one shop set window felts on fire to remove the fuzz. So give Chris a call if you have questions 714-848-TINT
 
#16 ·
I have Llumar on all of my vehicles.

The tint shop did make the CHMSL cover start to rattle on my car. A little piece of felt cured it.
 
#17 ·
It does seem to be a toss up of the two major brands. I have decided on a ceramic tint for the IR rejection. I appreciate the photos of the installed tint, but it has a side effect that makes me want to wrap my PBM. Burt's tinting in steps help make the windshield look not tinted, which may be a good strategy.

Those with all windows tinited, do you have any cell phone signal, bluetooth or WiFi issues when the tint is between (ie windows up and connecting to something outside of the vehicle)? Basically, trying to confirm minimal losses as I have certain projects that monitor my car. Does the HUD get affected? Anyone use a dash cam with front and rear cameras?

The contenders are:
Crystalline 60
i3 Ceramic 56

I feel like those choices may be too dark as originally I was going to go with 70%, but Autobahn/Hyper Optics doesn't go that high.

Seems that i3 has the best warranty, but I can't find a written description of coverage.

I think the next step is samples and night viewing to confirm the precentage.
 
#25 ·
I’m running 30% on the windshield, and my dash cam worked perfectly fine. Sidebar: I ended up ditching the cam in search of something better. 🤷‍♂️
 
#18 ·
I dont drive my SS a whole lot and almost never use my phone so I cant verify there wont be an issues. I do use the HUD and have zero issues after having the film installed on the front windsheild.

Huper optiki/Autobahn is available in 80%, 70%, 60% etc...I guess it depends on what the installer has in stock. 3M crystalline is supposed to be good at heat rejection as well.
 
#19 ·
I have had no signal issues in any vehicles that have been completely tinted ceramic. Also, like Burt, I have zero issues with the HUD. I don't have a dash cam but I've mounted a gopro that had no issues recording out the front windshield.
 
#20 ·
There’s lots of good ceramic tint out there. Dependent upon your residence, weigh the % choice on sticking out to LE. Mine is certainly not legal and I’ve gotten bad attention because of it.

I think the best choice I made was making sure that sunroof gets tinted. It makes a world of difference in the summer and overall temp inside the car is noticeable.
 
#21 ·
Went out to a certified 3M tint shop is the area. Looked at the Crystalline 90 (windshield) and 70 (the rest).
Here's the breakdown:
Windshield - $450
Moonroof - $200
Rest - $650

Still waiting on the Autobahn installer.

Thoughts? Is the price reasonable for the material? They said the Crystalline is very difficult to install. I asked about the limited warranty and was corrected that it is a complete warranty, but for three things.
 
#22 ·
I paid a discounted price of $450 in 2016 for Crystalline on front sides, rear sides, and rear window. The owner of the shop threw me a 20% discount.

I ruled out windshield tint. These boomer eyes don't see as well as they once did.

That's alot of money for window tint but IMO worth it if you plan on keeping the car.

Good luck.
 
#24 ·
3M Crystalline is the way to go if you want to block heat. You also have to do the entire windshield if you want to keep the heat down since that is a big piece of glass (greenhouse). They offer the Crystalline in some lighter shades that still block heat. I do 50% on the windshield and 20% on the rest. I did the same on my SUVs and also put 40% over the factory rear tint.
 
#26 ·
Just a quick update. Autobahun never got back to me with an authorized distributor or a quote, so it looks **** I will be going with 3M Crystalline.

Next biggest question. The CFR has a lot of regulations about windshields. How do I determine if the 90 is legal or not? It isn't a coating (41.205) or a tint, but a film. Just interested for muddling through legalese.
 
#27 · (Edited)
Just a quick update. Autobahun never got back to me with an authorized distributor or a quote, so it looks **** I will be going with 3M Crystalline.

Next biggest question. The CFR has a lot of regulations about windshields. How do I determine if the 90 is legal or not? It isn't a coating (41.205) or a tint, but a film. Just interested for muddling through legalese.
Did you try autobahn/huper optic website for installer location?

Knowing what I know now, I would do a Stek PPF on the outside of the windshield and not worry about tinting the inside. I'm pretty sure you will get UV protection and rock chip protection from a Stek film on the outside. Do the headlights and mirror backs to if you can...

In my state no film on the front windshield is legal except for a small strip across the top. I did an 80% anyway. Which was as light a tint option my shop had in stock.

In my state only trucks, vans, and SUVs can go full dark tint in the rear side and back windshield for some reason sedans get left out. I did it anyway...

In my state we are required to have a front license plate but I wont install it on my SS.

My SS mostly goes to car shows and quick trips on the weekend because I have the luxury of a company truck during the week. I have yet to get pulled over or hassled about any of these and I have had plenty of police eyeballing my SS...

Do at your own discretion. My state is Washington...
 
#30 ·
Just adding in my update on this. I went ahead with the Crystalline all around.
Windshield and moonroof @ 90%
All other windows @ 70%
I went very light with the install as I didn't want it to diminish my night time visibility.

I can definitely feel a difference in how quickly the HVAC cools the car. My afternoon drive northbound at 5pm has gone from an uncomfortable drive (AC set to 72 auto) due to the sunloading on me to very pleasent (AC setting of 78 auto). The tint reduces the feel of the heat considerably and if ~$1k is a budget for tint, I would recommend it.

Pros - The solar load is greatly reduced and the interior gains heat slower. It also feels like the interior isn't as heat soaked, but that could just be me. I haven't put my Holden sunshades back in yet, but will soon.
I haven't noticed any negative side effects on the lighting or cooling logic when things are set to auto.

Cons - Has the annoying rainbow effect with polarized sunglasses. I specifically asked about this and was told it wouldn't happen. Even when looking at the tint before installation it didn't have this. After the install with strong light the timt rainbows in patterns that, to me, mimic the stress introduced when installed.
Introduces a lot of glare. The rear window is pretty bad due to the heating strips adding texture.

I will post up some pictures when time allows. I hope to capture the good and bad aspects so everyone can make an informed decision.
 
#31 · (Edited)
Wow, that's a great set of options you're looking at. It definitely sounds like you're doing your research! I've heard about Crystalline, but the range of snapshades.com is more suitable for my needs and budget. Also, if you're looking for a way to keep your car cool and protect your little one from the sun, you should check out this link: Baby Car Sunshades Landing. They make special sunshades that fit over the windows, to keep your car comfortable and your baby safe from the sun's UV rays. Good luck with your hunt for the right installer - make sure you check reviews and ask around for recommendations.
 
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