Help me out: 55% or 70% windshield

[Gize]

I have 20% all around and just had my windshield tinted 50% today. View attachment 521110

Definitely looks good! Definitely looks tinted!

 

[XLR82XS]

50% at least. I have XR prime on my 3 and it's a great film. Ceramic on all glass except rear.

 

[XLR82XS]

Correct. Stuff is expensive but so much better.

It is. Wouldn't think about anything else in the Florida sun.

 

[XLR82XS]

View attachment 521059Front window tint makes such a difference with heat reflection. After driving the one on the right for a few months I couldn’t imagine not doing it right away on the new one.

Amen. I can't own a car without windshield film.

 

[Mrcarcrazy]

I can see tinting being a huge improvement on a sunny day, but how does it affect night driving?

Negligible. Unless you go silly dark.

 

[Electric Steve]

Negligible. Unless you go silly dark.

And silly-dark isn't street legal here, anyhow.

 

[SpigoT]

I did 50% ceramic on my windshield along with 20% everywhere else. I was a bit nervous that it was too dark. It’s illegal here in Colorado as well to tint anything other than the top 4 inches. I would say it’s perfect and I have zero questions about it’s safety and/or visibility. Plus it looks dope AF.

 

[Electric Steve]

I did 50% ceramic on my windshield along with 20% everywhere else. I was a bit nervous that it was too dark. It’s illegal here in Colorado as well to tint anything other than the top 4 inches. I would say it’s perfect and I have zero questions about it’s safety and/or visibility. Plus it looks dope AF.

Aren't the top few inches of the windshield where the front-facing camera goes? I wonder if tinting would affect nighttime performance of the sensor package.

 

[Matsayz]

Aren't the top few inches of the windshield where the front-facing camera goes? I wonder if tinting would affect nighttime performance of the sensor package.

They apply the tint film around the camera area. The shop would have to be pretty dumb to do otherwise

 

[SpigoT]

Aren't the top few inches of the windshield where the front-facing camera goes? I wonder if tinting would affect nighttime performance of the sensor package.

yeah, they just cut around it. You can’t even tell. Looks great!

 

[Skione65]

I did 50% ceramic on my windshield along with 20% everywhere else. I was a bit nervous that it was too dark. It’s illegal here in Colorado as well to tint anything other than the top 4 inches. I would say it’s perfect and I have zero questions about it’s safety and/or visibility. Plus it looks dope AF.

Photos?

Ski

 

[lotusland]

And silly-dark isn't street legal here, anyhow.

Not sure if you are referring to the windshield like most posts here are, but I don't think any windshield tinting is legal unless you stay above the factory tint line.

 

[Electric Steve]

Not sure if you are referring to the windshield like most posts here are, but I don't think any windshield tinting is legal unless you stay above the factory tint line.

It varies.
Window Tint Laws in the USA: How Dark Can You Go?

 

[SpigoT]

Photos?

Ski

Here you go. It’s crazy, 20% doesn’t seem dark at all on the inside. For me, this was the perfect combo.

 

[SpigoT]

It varies.
Window Tint Laws in the USA: How Dark Can You Go?

It’s not legal in Colorado.

 

[Electric Steve]

It’s not legal in Colorado.

This source I posted agrees. This source contradicts it.

Glass/Window Tinting - AAA Digest of Motor Laws

 

[Electric Steve]

I was in a 1998 or 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan whose back window was factory tinted. Looked fine, but really made it hard to see cars through my rearview mirror at night. Scary hard.

Hoping the MY's tinting isn't like that. But, even if it is, the rear camera not only bypasses that but may well have better night vision than I do.

We'll see. Hopefully, soon. Reading the manual's making me antsy.

 

[Premiertint]

Here is the actual chart from the International Window Film Association. ...
No tint allowed on the front doors in Colorado. 70% is the limit on the front doors in California.

 

[Tbbroder]

So here in sunny south fl I've opted to have crystalline 60 installed on my model 3’s windshield and i like it better than the 70 i had on my model s. Keeps the car cooler and protects my interior but is also light enough not to attract attention from cops

 

[DaveRZ]

Remember when interpreting the law that it doesn't take into account whether or not the car has factory tint in the glass. So if the law says you must have 70% light transmission, that doesn't necessarily mean you can go to a tint shop and have them install 70% tint. The factory glass is often slightly darkened already and will probably be pretty close to 70-80% if a light meter is used to measure it.

FWIW, I've tinted my side windows on every vehicle I've owned and in 30 years I've only gotten a cited 4 times. Two of those times I had 20% tint on my front sides, so I was kinda asking for it and got pulled over specifically for window tint. The other two times I had ~35% tint and got pulled over for other reasons (my younger days) and cited for window tint at the same time.

I think the key to getting away with it here is to have an obvious difference in the darkness of your front and rear windows. Meaning, the fronts should always look lighter. The car looks best when it all matches, of course, but then its very obvious you have "illegal" tint. My typical setup is to have 20% in the rear and 30-40% in the front.