Well, the time we used to waste at petrol stations has to be used in some positive way to keep us from getting bored!
Last edited:
-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Window Tinting: 35% or 20% on rear side windows?
- Thread starter Anubis
- Start date
Well, the time we used to waste at petrol stations has to be used in some positive way to keep us from getting bored!
I'm getting the Rayno Phantom S9 for maximum heat rejection - I reckon the A/C in these cars really struggles in the QLD summer and anything I can do to reduce its power usage is money well spent. It's 40+ outside today and I've got the A/C temp set at 19° which makes it vaguely comfortable inside.
I have those sunshades fitted already. They're fantastic and REALLY reduce the heat coming from over your head. Before I fitted them my head actually felt pretty hot. In the winter they'll be easy to fold up and keep in the froot as well.
I don't like the fancy A/C control of Model 3. Most other cars have 2 individual outlets for each of the front occupants so I can have one pointing towards to roof to reduce the heat and one towards me, but I can't do that in a model 3. I can cool my head or my body, but not both at the same time.
I've split what comes out of the dash so it goes upwards and it copes fine when you turn up the fan on manual, it's just that wherever they've put the inside temperature sensor, it must be too close to the vents as it reckons it's cold enough and turns down the fan when on auto.
Thanks for the info all. A couple of other questions if I may...
Have people had their M3 out in the full sun on a hot day? How was the top glass at blocking heat? I've read that the top glass is supposed to block most UV but what about IR? Which contributes most to heat?
I've also seen a couple of posts elsewhere suggesting that tinting the top glass might make it more likely to break from increased tension after the tint dries. Seems silly to me but I have no expertise in this so...
Appreciate any experience/wisdom you can throw my way.
Have people had their M3 out in the full sun on a hot day? How was the top glass at blocking heat? I've read that the top glass is supposed to block most UV but what about IR? Which contributes most to heat?
I've also seen a couple of posts elsewhere suggesting that tinting the top glass might make it more likely to break from increased tension after the tint dries. Seems silly to me but I have no expertise in this so...
Appreciate any experience/wisdom you can throw my way.
The sunroof glass is freaking hot. I fitted Ali Express sunshades and the car is a lot cooler now with noticeably far less apparent heat above your head.
You need to block IR to stop heat. UV burns you at any temperature (anyone who skis can attest to that!).
I've got a set of shades here and waiting. Mesh shades with a second set of reflective shades that can be added as well.
But putting reflective shades in kind of defeats the purpose of having glass, so if a good IR blocking tint on the roof will do the job, it might be worth looking at.
Hi, as a disclaimer I will point out that I am not an EM Spectrum Engineer (Electronic Engineer - yes), Window Tinter or someone that has their Model 3 out in the QLD sun during mid-day.
Window tinting is a darker science than you would think (bad pun totally intended).
Let's start with just a part of the EM spectrum and narrow it down to 3 man made labels - IR, VR and UV. (UV can also be divided into UVA and UVB)
IR- You can't see this but you feel it as heat. Turn on your stove top and hold your hand above the element. You will feel heat before it starts to glow (red) and move into the early visual light range.
VR- Visual Range. No explanation needed. You can see this. A higher frequency/power than infrared
UVA & UVB - Higher frequency again. More Violet than Violet - you can't see it and it causes sunburn, et.al.
Ok, basic EM physics lesson over.
Let's move to how objects react to this.
They have basically 3 choices (yes, I am anthropomorphizing them).
1) Let it pass
2) Absorb it
3) Reflect it
I'll deal with each EM range totally out of order as it suits the Window Tinting topic.
UV- Basically, glass is opaque to (absorbs) UVB and does a fair job of also absorbing UVA. Note the word absorb - this is important later.
VR - glass is excellent at passing this as that is exactly what it has been designed over many centuries to do.
IR - Glass is pretty good at passing this too.
So, the only things we need to worry about here are getting a good film on the glass which will help it not pass (ABSORB) the nasty UVA and IR into the cabin as we don't need them to see and they are only going to cause us to sweat and get a melanoma?
If you answered yes to that question above then check the IR and UV rejection rates on the film you are looking to use. Chances are that if they have them you are going to be looking at over 97% for both. ..If they don't... well there is probably a reason why they don't quote them.
I'll finish off here as I don't want it to become a diatribe yet on what happens to the radiation when absorbed (reflected is better but illegal on cars) and how VR devolves into IR in your cabin.
Sorry that you had to suffer a Physics lecture
TL: DR - Tinting looks cool
Last edited:
Sorry, I failed to address this point, I would find it extremely unlikely that a tint would cause glass to break through tension. Glass is really hard and incredibly strong in shear stress.
What glass does not cope well with is thermal stress and/or previous micro fractures. If a tint was absorbing all of the sun's radiation then it will show up in the glass as heat. If it then had one score on it and the temperature was reduced around the score line (nothing more than a drop of water will do it) then the entire panel may shatter. I think this may be their concern as a extra tint will thermally load the roof beyond manufacturer specs.
Also - Glass appears to not cope well when the designer of the car hurls a 1 pound metal ball into it.
Thanks for both posts. Interesting comment about absorbing Vs reflecting. My rudimentary physics tells me that darker things are darker because they absorb a wider spectrum and greater amount of VR. I imagine that this is absorbed and then converted to heat. (the energy has to go somewhere and Elon doesn't give us a light energy box to put it in.) The heat would then be radiated out both sides of the glass? (Feel like I'm losing my way a bit, here) So some would make it into the car and some radiated back out. (And probably a bit of the light is going to be directly reflected away, but not all of it.)
Edit... TL : DR Dark stuff make box not so hot - Science/magic is great.
Tinting was done yesterday.
I went with 3M Colour Stable product with 35% on front and 20% on the rear windows.
Very happy with process and results.
The 15% extra darkness on the rear windows is not obvious at all and looks natural.
It's been a very mad couple of days, and I'm driving from Sydney to Melbourne tomorrow, so I'll post some shots at some point over the next week.
Bonus comment from installer... My Model 3 has the best paint work and panel alignment they have seen on the Model 3's they have handled over the last 3 months. I'm very happy!!!
$550. Would have been $650 with the rear glass done too.
The Rayno S9 is the top of the range stuff, they had other tints that would have only been around $300 IIRC.
I have Ali Express sun shades fitted already which do a great job of heat rejection. I wanted to see how I get on with just the sides for a while.
I got the rear done (at Solarstyle too, 35% S9), and have the roof shades too, but haven't felt the need to install yet after putting the tinting in. Though I'll try it later this week and see what the combo is like - I'm hoping we can spend the winter without the shades, I feel even the cut-down half rear shades (I got both) impede vision a bit.Awesome thanks
Here’s mine. 20% rear, 35% front. Ceramic tint
Similar threads
