glass roof super hot. Any way to reduce it?

[Lasttoy]

Mine is tinted dark , but so hot, i cut a silver windshield screen. Fastened to the 2 sunroofs, cut down on the HEAT compltely.
Also put white towel on dash all the daytime to keep dash from getting hot
The ac works much colder in daytime whe dash is cooler

 

[Lon12]

My S has a solid roof. When I drove a glass roof loaner the other day I was amazed at how much heat was radiating down from the glass. Wish they still had solid as an option. It is warmer in the winter as well. When I upgrade I'll definitely look at installing a silver windshield cover like Lasttoy mentioned.

 

[SouthBayGuy]

The TM3 has a LOT of glass. I put ceramic tint on all glass including the windshield to reflect the heat. That helped. But the sun shining through the roof still bothered me. So I purchased a sunroof shade from Tesla. That helped a lot. Now the car feels like your average car with a metal roof.

 

[TaoJones]

I actually don't like Tesla sun glass roof. It filters UV, but seems to absorb Infrared, and becomes super hot during summer time. I paid $1500 for white paint for the car, but the roof is still super hot. I can feel it when I sit at the rear seats.
Anyway to fix that? Does any film/coating apply to it? Thanks.

I just had Photosync 35 applied right over the factory tint. Immediate glare reduction and some heat reduction as well. No more low tech solution required (baseball cap), and it certainly is not "too dark". With that said, if you leave the car in the sun for hours without venting the pano, it will still get toasty - just not *as* toasty, as prior tests have indicated. Plus now it really won't get as toasty since the AC kicks in at 105F due to the relatively new anti-progeny/pets cooking feature.

I'd recommend Extreme Autowerks (now in Brea, CA) for excellent installation of that tinted window film, but only if you were planning upon a Disneyland vacation as I note you're up North. So you'll have to find a Photosync installer up thataway.

It's worth noting that I would have gotten essentially the same amount of glare reduction with Photosync 75, which is essentially clear. It's been excellent for the windshields of both cars.

 

[Garlan Garner]

I actually don't like Tesla sun glass roof. It filters UV, but seems to absorb Infrared, and becomes super hot during summer time. I paid $1500 for white paint for the car, but the roof is still super hot. I can feel it when I sit at the rear seats.
Anyway to fix that? Does any film/coating apply to it? Thanks.

Why is the glass being hot a problem? Especially since its never really touched.

 

[ucmndd]

The Model 3 glass roof is the same glass as the S glass roof. And obviously Tesla has sold a lot of Model S with the glass roof (it’s the standard roof) and they aren’t going to change it, so apparently it is not an obstacle to sales. Out in the sun the glass roof certainly can be hot to the touch, but maintaining the cabin temperature is not difficult according to people in very warm climates, such as Texas.

It was a refreshing 106 degrees here today in the smoke-filled flatland bowels of California and I was thinking about this thread on my drive home. Over 53,000 miles in my glass-roofed Model S I've never once felt there was any significant (or even perceptible) heat intrusion or discomfort from the glass roof.

To have such a negative perception in San Jose of all places? Something's not right.

 

[SageBrush]

To have such a negative perception

There is physics, and then there is subjective perception. Occasionally they correlate.

 

[ucmndd]

There is physics, and then there is subjective perception.

I used that word on purpose, and definitely agree.

 

[SageBrush]

I used that word on purpose, and definitely agree.

Perception of thermal comfort is a really interesting topic. Part of it is just people liking different things: some like humidity at 40%, others want 80% etc. Then preconception bias stirs the pot.

 

[ucmndd]

Perception of thermal comfort is a really interesting topic. Part of it is just people liking different things: some like humidity at 40%, others want 80% etc. Then preconception bias comes into play.

Maybe that's the problem, it's a hundred eleventeen here with 6% humidity, so I don't actually feel heat any more. Anything inside the car is better than anything outside.

 

[brkaus]

It is interesting... I find my S has been just fine with the panoramic sunroof in Texas... BUT... today when I was sitting in a parking lot for an hour (reading a book waiting for kids to finish an activity)... I felt the glass was hot and reflecting heat into the car.

Would the airflow cool the glass when driving more than sitting?

Sunny and outside temp was 102.

 

[SageBrush]

Maybe that's the problem, it's a hundred eleventeen here with 6% humidity, so I don't actually feel heat any more. Anything inside the car is better than anything outside.

The human body handles dry heat in the shade really well, so long as perspiration is working well.

Even though I know it is true on paper, I'm always pleasantly surprised by my comfort level bicycling on hot days. The increased wind more than offsets my work.

 

[SageBrush]

Would the airflow cool the glass when driving more than sitting?

Big time. The outside surface approaches ambient while driving, but I have measured both sides of the glass at close to 60C after sitting in the sun.

 

[Quesder]

I can feel the glass heat when I sit at the rear seat. There is only 1.5 inches between my head and the roof .

 

[gambit48]

Do you have any tint?

Yes, without any tint, even the factory tinted areas can feel heat when you're up close.

I have Spectra Photosync 35 on mine. Even over the factory tint. It helps a lot when you're up close. However, I'd say that it makes things too dark. I mean, technically you can still see through it, but it's so dark that everything looks super dim and you lose that open feeling. From the outside, unless it's noon and sunny, you can't see through it. But, at least heat is gone. And it gets fairly warm in San Jose. Just nothing compared to my neck of the woods.

Also, I'm not impressed with the Spectra 75%. I still feel a good amount of heat. Yes, it does cut a lot compared to my windshield or if you roll down the windows, but it's still hot. I didn't measure or anything, but I'd say it feels hotter than the old V-Kool 70 I have on my other cars. Just by a tiny, but kinda noticeable amount.

35 is great, but I thought my old Huper Optik 30 was great too.

 

[Quesder]

Do you have any tint?

Yes, without any tint, even the factory tinted areas can feel heat when you're up close.

I have Spectra Photosync 35 on mine. Even over the factory tint. It helps a lot when you're up close. However, I'd say that it makes things too dark. I mean, technically you can still see through it, but it's so dark that everything looks super dim and you lose that open feeling. From the outside, unless it's noon and sunny, you can't see through it. But, at least heat is gone. And it gets fairly warm in San Jose. Just nothing compared to my neck of the woods.

Also, I'm not impressed with the Spectra 75%. I still feel a good amount of heat. Yes, it does cut a lot compared to my windshield or if you roll down the windows, but it's still hot. I didn't measure or anything, but I'd say it feels hotter than the old V-Kool 70 I have on my other cars. Just by a tiny, but kinda noticeable amount.

35 is great, but I thought my old Huper Optik 30 was great too.

so, I suppose you did that Tint on the exterior of the glass roof, right? Thanks.

 

[slipnslider]

The TM3 has a LOT of glass. I put ceramic tint on all glass including the windshield to reflect the heat. That helped. But the sun shining through the roof still bothered me. So I purchased a sunroof shade from Tesla. That helped a lot. Now the car feels like your average car with a metal roof.

Which kind of begs the question - what's the point of a glass roof if you have to tint it and add a screen to it?
A CLEAR glass roof, like on the protoypes, looks awesome, but is too hot for most situations. A dark tinted one is less hot but might as well be solid metal.

This is why no one has done glass roofs before. Not because it couldn't be done, but because it's not a very good idea.

 

[slipnslider]

It was a refreshing 106 degrees here today in the smoke-filled flatland bowels of California and I was thinking about this thread on my drive home. Over 53,000 miles in my glass-roofed Model S I've never once felt there was any significant (or even perceptible) heat intrusion or discomfort from the glass roof.

To have such a negative perception in San Jose of all places? Something's not right.

Someone posted that their car's UV protection spray layer hadn't been applied properly on the glass and they had a ton of heat coming in. When water was sprayed on it you could see it was only protected in a small area. Maybe this is a common occurrence.

 

[AltLogic]

My Model 3 is like my garage in the summer, it feels warm up to about 8 feet but it is really hot above that. My Model 3 seems to trap all the hot air in the top 3-4 inches of the car. The idea that someone posted about pointing the vent to mix that hot air might work.

 

[SouthBayGuy]

Which kind of begs the question - what's the point of a glass roof if you have to tint it and add a screen to it?
A CLEAR glass roof, like on the protoypes, looks awesome, but is too hot for most situations. A dark tinted one is less hot but might as well be solid metal.

This is why no one has done glass roofs before. Not because it couldn't be done, but because it's not a very good idea.

Very true. The view for the rear passengers is nicer with a glass roof. I got 50% tint all around. So one can still see out during the day and night.

I think only someone who has very long legs, and thus has the seat all the way back can appreciate the glass roof as a driver. On the other hand, I like the way the exterior looks with a glass roof. Plus I don't have to deal with waxing the roof.