Tint Advice

[Suspendmix]

Asking for some tinting advice from the knowledgeable folks here for my Model Y in the San Francisco Bay Area. I've gotten a ton of quotes and trying to figure out which brand/company to go with. I'm nearing 50 so night vision is slowly starting to go. As it is, I think the rear window is already plenty dark and have a hard time seeing out of it though I can't be sure if its due to the dark privacy glass or cuz its the damn window is so freaking small. I'm thinking of doing 70% for the rears and 50% for the front (I have blue tint convex driver/passenger mirrors). So far here are the quotes Ive gotten for all windows except windshield and roof. Rear is one piece.

1. 3M Ceramic IR - $598 (handcut) 70/50
2. Suntek CIR - $399 (lasercut) 70/50
3. Solargard Vortex IR - $399 70/50
4. Llumar CTX - $580 70/50
5. Rayno S5 - $280 - but this is 50 all around
6. Rayno S9 -$480 - again, 50 all around
7. Rayno S5/Air70 - $389 Air70 rears, S5 50 front

Any thoughts on which would be good? I live in Daly City and car is garaged both at home and work so heat isn't usually a big issue but I do drive to Sacramento once a month. I'm more concerned on optics as I can't stand crap sunglasses. The S5 for $280 is a great price but I'm concerned about putting 50 in the back - does it darken appreciably compared to 70? All are reputable installers with solid reviews. Any thoughts and recommendations greatly appreciated!

 

[SilentWarp]

I have Solargard Vortex IR. I paid my guy $200 (lower price due to many references):

Windshield 70, fronts 15, rear and hatch 45. I plan to add 70 on roof for another $200, before summer.

 

[Suspendmix]

Just got another quote for 3M Ceramic IR for all 7 windows at $425 OTD, think I'll be going with that.

 

[atomic_snowman]

West Coast prices are nice. Best I can find for six windows is $800 for XR Plus.

 

[TheLex]

Cut through all the noise and look up the Total Solar Heat Rejection (TSER) for each film you're considering. Buy the film with the highest TSER with the most optical clarity. Typically 3M Crystalline and Spectra PhotoSync are such brands.

 

[Daniel L]

Asking for some tinting advice from the knowledgeable folks here for my Model Y in the San Francisco Bay Area. I've gotten a ton of quotes and trying to figure out which brand/company to go with. I'm nearing 50 so night vision is slowly starting to go. As it is, I think the rear window is already plenty dark and have a hard time seeing out of it though I can't be sure if its due to the dark privacy glass or cuz its the damn window is so freaking small. I'm thinking of doing 70% for the rears and 50% for the front (I have blue tint convex driver/passenger mirrors). So far here are the quotes Ive gotten for all windows except windshield and roof. Rear is one piece.

1. 3M Ceramic IR - $598 (handcut) 70/50
2. Suntek CIR - $399 (lasercut) 70/50
3. Solargard Vortex IR - $399 70/50
4. Llumar CTX - $580 70/50
5. Rayno S5 - $280 - but this is 50 all around
6. Rayno S9 -$480 - again, 50 all around
7. Rayno S5/Air70 - $389 Air70 rears, S5 50 front

Any thoughts on which would be good? I live in Daly City and car is garaged both at home and work so heat isn't usually a big issue but I do drive to Sacramento once a month. I'm more concerned on optics as I can't stand crap sunglasses. The S5 for $280 is a great price but I'm concerned about putting 50 in the back - does it darken appreciably compared to 70? All are reputable installers with solid reviews. Any thoughts and recommendations greatly appreciated!

Curious why you want to tint the car if you already have visibility problems and do not care about heat going in the car

I had 3M Ceramic IR 70 on the rear of the my previous Model Y - it didn't change visibility at all for me
I went with Spectra Photosync IRD 55 in the rear this time - it is slightly darker but visibility was already bad anyways, I don't think it has impacted anything. After tinting all the windows, I turned off mirror autodim and only turn it back on if I'm going for long (1+ hour drives) in the dark

My advice is to find the best installer possible.. I've had 3M crystalline put on the front windshield of 4 cars now and the installer makes a huge difference. The two 3M pro shops I went to left the windshield completely clear and pretty much indistinguishable from an untinted windshield. The two authorized but nonpro shops left some parts of the windshield hazy/distorted

 

[Suspendmix]

Curious why you want to tint the car if you already have visibility problems and do not care about heat going in the car

I had 3M Ceramic IR 70 on the rear of the my previous Model Y - it didn't change visibility at all for me
I went with Spectra Photosync IRD 55 in the rear this time - it is slightly darker but visibility was already bad anyways, I don't think it has impacted anything. After tinting all the windows, I turned off mirror autodim and only turn it back on if I'm going for long (1+ hour drives) in the dark

My advice is to find the best installer possible.. I've had 3M crystalline put on the front windshield of 4 cars now and the installer makes a huge difference. The two 3M pro shops I went to left the windshield completely clear and pretty much indistinguishable from an untinted windshield. The two authorized but nonpro shops left some parts of the windshield hazy/distorted

Very valid questions. Part of it is a bit of aesthetics and while I'm not too susceptible to heat on drives, my youngest in the back does complain about it so hopefully the heat rejection of the 3M CIR will help on the 90 minute drive to Sacramento. I was actually wondering what all the designations of the 3M installers meant - I've seen installers labeled as a pro shop dealer, premier and authorized dealer. The shop I made the appointment with is a pro shop dealer, which hopefully is a good installer. They seem to have pretty good reviews.

 

[Suspendmix]

Cut through all the noise and look up the Total Solar Heat Rejection (TSER) for each film you're considering. Buy the film with the highest TSER with the most optical clarity. Typically 3M Crystalline and Spectra PhotoSync are such brands.

yeah, i like the specs on the crystalline and photosync but prices for those run about 2.5-3x higher than the 3M CIR

 

[TheLex]

yeah, i like the specs on the crystalline and photosync but prices for those run about 2.5-3x higher than the 3M CIR

It's worth it. I have 3M crystalline in both my truck and my SUV. It gets up to 110° here in the summers and the film has a very notice effect on cutting down the heat.

 

[Daniel L]

Very valid questions. Part of it is a bit of aesthetics and while I'm not too susceptible to heat on drives, my youngest in the back does complain about it so hopefully the heat rejection of the 3M CIR will help on the 90 minute drive to Sacramento. I was actually wondering what all the designations of the 3M installers meant - I've seen installers labeled as a pro shop dealer, premier and authorized dealer. The shop I made the appointment with is a pro shop dealer, which hopefully is a good installer. They seem to have pretty good reviews.

I've had Crystalline 40 on past cars and Ceramic IR 25% on my previous model Y's front side windows - aesthetically the CIR looked better but it was a little bit too dark (completely subjective). Heat rejection was pretty equivocal. Wish I could comment on how well the CIR 70% worked on the rear but I never got to sit in the back of that car.

I almost skipped out on tinting the rear for my second model Y but the wife said she wants the most protection for our little one so that's how we ended up with Photosync on the rear. I was on the fence between 70 and 55 and ultimately ended up with 55.

 

[eeee-meeee]

I have Solargard Vortex IR. I paid my guy $200 (lower price due to many references):

Windshield 70, fronts 15, rear and hatch 45. I plan to add 70 on roof for another $200, before summer.

Hey in this picture do you have a reflective front windshield protector up? Or thats how the 70 tint looks?

 

[SilentWarp]

Hey in this picture do you have a reflective front windshield protector up? Or thats how the 70 tint looks?

There is a window shade that is silver, but you can still get an idea what 70% (30% light reduction) looks like. From the inside, it seems like you have no tinting.

 

[eeee-meeee]

I've had Crystalline 40 on past cars and Ceramic IR 25% on my previous model Y's front side windows - aesthetically the CIR looked better but it was a little bit too dark (completely subjective). Heat rejection was pretty equivocal. Wish I could comment on how well the CIR 70% worked on the rear but I never got to sit in the back of that car.

I almost skipped out on tinting the rear for my second model Y but the wife said she wants the most protection for our little one so that's how we ended up with Photosync on the rear. I was on the fence between 70 and 55 and ultimately ended up with 55.

so just cause it's darker -->55 does that mean more protection than the 70? Thought the numbers are just color and the rear two windows are at 25 for tint/light transmittance anyhow...? Think I'm confused about darker color = more protection, thought more protection came from the film composition like Crystalline vs Color stable, for example.

 

[SilentWarp]

so just cause it's darker -->55 does that mean more protection than the 70? Thought the numbers are just color and the rear two windows are at 25 for tint/light transmittance anyhow...? Think I'm confused about darker color = more protection, thought more protection came from the film composition like Crystalline vs Color stable, for example.

There are many types of radiation, including visible light, UV, IR, etc. Ceramic tint reduced all, while simple tinted film only stops visible light. The percentage is the remaining visible light that gets past the tint. So 55 has more visible light reduction that 70, but if the 70 is a ceramic, it may actually keep the car cooler than regular film 55 (though 55 has more privacy).

 

[Daniel L]

so just cause it's darker -->55 does that mean more protection than the 70? Thought the numbers are just color and the rear two windows are at 25 for tint/light transmittance anyhow...? Think I'm confused about darker color = more protection, thought more protection came from the film composition like Crystalline vs Color stable, for example.

Darker colors do offer more protection but film composition also matters so both answers are right

Crystalline TSER (Total solar energy rejected)

Photosync TSER

Keep in mind these are manufacturer provided numbers.

I had crystalline 90 on a windshield and 70 was much much better. Would never do 90 again.

I've yet to put photosync on my windshield since the windshield is being replaced this week but the photosync 30 on the side windows does feel slightly better than Crystalline 40 and Ceramic IR 25

 

[Antman4ever]

I just got tinted with xpel plus. 15 in front and 30 in back windows. In so cal. The xpel over the factory color for the back windows matches better than 3M.

 

[Freshness]

I just got tinted with xpel plus. 15 in front and 30 in back windows. In so cal. The xpel over the factory color for the back windows matches better than 3M.

Can you post some pics? Where did you have it done?

 

[Antman4ever]

Can you post some pics? Where did you have it done?

Got it done at Sunshield in Sherman Oaks.

 

[Freshness]

View attachment 789024
Got it done at Sunshield in Sherman Oaks.

Ahh yes Hamid. Love/Hate relationship with that guy. He’s tinted 10 of my cars so far.

He has the best prices but not the greatest quality of work. Yours looks great though.

Looking for other XPEL installers in the area.

 

[Antman4ever]

Ahh yes Hamid. Love/Hate relationship with that guy. He’s tinted 10 of my cars so far.

He has the best prices but not the greatest quality of work. Yours looks great though.

Looking for other XPEL installers in the area.

Yeah, I wanted to go to so cal tint in riverside, but it was too far.