Got pulled over for my tint
35% is NOT legal.
If a cop pulls you over and you are letting anything less than 70% of light to pass through the window, it's illegal period.... The problem is, most shops in NYC do not have 'legal' tint since the shades come in pretty much either the 35%, 50%, and limo. If you go to a shop and ask for legal tint they will give you 35% because that's likely as light as they have. NYC is one of the states where the manufacturers of tint film do NOT have to certify that it is legal. So where 35% used to be legal, the manufacturers can still ship the same 35% film to tint shop saying it's legal and unless the shop is guaranteeing you against tickets (none really do that anymore), it's driver risk.
Like ebruce said before, with the factory tint on the glass, you're almost always going to be over the 'limit' so it's best to get a 'tint removed' receipt that's not dated whenever you get your tint done. If you get a ticket, plead not guilty, date the receipt up to a week after you get the ticket and take it to the judge. My shop installed mine with a lifetime guarantee so they are just as happy to write me a new 'receipt' versus removing and installing another shade of film.
If a cop pulls you over and you are letting anything less than 70% of light to pass through the window, it's illegal period.... The problem is, most shops in NYC do not have 'legal' tint since the shades come in pretty much either the 35%, 50%, and limo. If you go to a shop and ask for legal tint they will give you 35% because that's likely as light as they have. NYC is one of the states where the manufacturers of tint film do NOT have to certify that it is legal. So where 35% used to be legal, the manufacturers can still ship the same 35% film to tint shop saying it's legal and unless the shop is guaranteeing you against tickets (none really do that anymore), it's driver risk.
Like ebruce said before, with the factory tint on the glass, you're almost always going to be over the 'limit' so it's best to get a 'tint removed' receipt that's not dated whenever you get your tint done. If you get a ticket, plead not guilty, date the receipt up to a week after you get the ticket and take it to the judge. My shop installed mine with a lifetime guarantee so they are just as happy to write me a new 'receipt' versus removing and installing another shade of film.
Hmmmm, lets see:
So lets do a little early morning math
100% light in is tint free
100 - 30% = 70% light in
100 - 35% = 65% light in
Unless math has changed since I went to to school 35% is illegal in NYC.... LMAO, I feel like one of afterschool specials "schoolhouse rock"
Section 375 (12-a) of the NYS Vehicle and Traffic Law does not allow a windshield or front side windows that are dark. The windshield and front side windows cannot block more than 30% of the light. Seventy percent or more of the light from the outside must pass through the window. This law also applies to the rear window unless the vehicle has outside rear-view mirrors on both sides. The mirrors must give the driver a full and clear view behind the vehicle.
If the vehicle is classified as a station wagon, sedan, hardtop, coupe, hatchback or convertible, the rear side windows must also allow at least seventy percent of light from the outside to pass through the window.
It is illegal to sell, offer for sale, or install glass that does not comply with this law. It is illegal to operate a vehicle with glass that does not comply with this law.
If a medical condition requires a person to have tinted vehicle windows, they can request an exemption from the law. Request form MV-80W from a DMV Office or Call Center.
The text of this law is attached below under "File Attachments".
http://nysdmv.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/n...512823&p_olh=0
If the vehicle is classified as a station wagon, sedan, hardtop, coupe, hatchback or convertible, the rear side windows must also allow at least seventy percent of light from the outside to pass through the window.
It is illegal to sell, offer for sale, or install glass that does not comply with this law. It is illegal to operate a vehicle with glass that does not comply with this law.
If a medical condition requires a person to have tinted vehicle windows, they can request an exemption from the law. Request form MV-80W from a DMV Office or Call Center.
The text of this law is attached below under "File Attachments".
http://nysdmv.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/n...512823&p_olh=0
100% light in is tint free
100 - 30% = 70% light in
100 - 35% = 65% light in
Unless math has changed since I went to to school 35% is illegal in NYC.... LMAO, I feel like one of afterschool specials "schoolhouse rock"
in NY tint is sold mainly in these percentages.. i dont know about elsewhere but this is what the company SUNGUARD (one of the best) offers:
70% is LIGHT (the higher the number the lighter the tint) this is also the only tint technically "legal" in NY... 70% tint is basically barely visible on a window. completely see through. in my opinion if youre going to tint your car at all dont even bother wasting money on this...
35% visibly darker than most stock windows but you can still see right through it
20% what i have on my GS, darker still, but you can still see in the car on sunny days when the suns blazing through the front windshield
5% also called "limo" this is usually the darkest available, basically 5% light pass-through for that blacked out look....
there is also "mirror" tint but if you put that on your car, regardless of the grade or reflective % of the mirror in this tint, you WILL get pulled over, cops HATE mirror tint.. it just sticks out like a sore thumb, it also looks like **** anyway,
heres the thing...as far as tint in ny goes..any tint that is going to make a difference in the shade of the windows and actually make you feel like you have any on them is NOT going to be legal.. so the rule of thumb for tint shops normally is to tell you this, and basically to just get whatever percentage you want that looks best on your ride.. if you get pulled over for tint because its too dark and it DOES get metered, the fine isnt going to go UP or down based on how much darker then legal you have... so who cares, you like the look of 20%? get 20% you like 30% get 30%.... if you get pulled over pay the fine, leave the tint on the windows and move on.. most of the time these days cops usually have more to worry about then yanking cars JUST because of tint... dont drive like an ******* and you wont get looked at as much and you should be fine... also if youre real worried during the day driving around getting noticed by cops, pull your sunroof shade open if you want to leave your windows up, it will lighten up the interior and make the tint seem not so extreme to that cop thats sitting at the coffee shop on the side of the road waiting to snag you for something to meet his monthly quota.
70% is LIGHT (the higher the number the lighter the tint) this is also the only tint technically "legal" in NY... 70% tint is basically barely visible on a window. completely see through. in my opinion if youre going to tint your car at all dont even bother wasting money on this...
35% visibly darker than most stock windows but you can still see right through it
20% what i have on my GS, darker still, but you can still see in the car on sunny days when the suns blazing through the front windshield
5% also called "limo" this is usually the darkest available, basically 5% light pass-through for that blacked out look....
there is also "mirror" tint but if you put that on your car, regardless of the grade or reflective % of the mirror in this tint, you WILL get pulled over, cops HATE mirror tint.. it just sticks out like a sore thumb, it also looks like **** anyway,
heres the thing...as far as tint in ny goes..any tint that is going to make a difference in the shade of the windows and actually make you feel like you have any on them is NOT going to be legal.. so the rule of thumb for tint shops normally is to tell you this, and basically to just get whatever percentage you want that looks best on your ride.. if you get pulled over for tint because its too dark and it DOES get metered, the fine isnt going to go UP or down based on how much darker then legal you have... so who cares, you like the look of 20%? get 20% you like 30% get 30%.... if you get pulled over pay the fine, leave the tint on the windows and move on.. most of the time these days cops usually have more to worry about then yanking cars JUST because of tint... dont drive like an ******* and you wont get looked at as much and you should be fine... also if youre real worried during the day driving around getting noticed by cops, pull your sunroof shade open if you want to leave your windows up, it will lighten up the interior and make the tint seem not so extreme to that cop thats sitting at the coffee shop on the side of the road waiting to snag you for something to meet his monthly quota.
Just for those that don't know too much about tints, they come in different shades within the percentages. For example you can get grey, black, brown, etc. Black may appear darker than the grey, and so forth. For the record, I never recieved a ticket for my 35% tintfilm. Key words are tint film
Hmmmm, lets see:
So lets do a little early morning math
100% light in is tint free
100 - 30% = 70% light in
100 - 35% = 65% light in
Unless math has changed since I went to to school 35% is illegal in NYC.... LMAO, I feel like one of afterschool specials "schoolhouse rock"
So lets do a little early morning math
100% light in is tint free
100 - 30% = 70% light in
100 - 35% = 65% light in
Unless math has changed since I went to to school 35% is illegal in NYC.... LMAO, I feel like one of afterschool specials "schoolhouse rock"
yeah well like i said, 30s not legal, neither is 35%... its not measured like that, its measured by the higher numbers being the lightest, not 100-30 anything, etc. etc. etc. 70 allows approx 70% light to pass through, so on and so forth. when you put 35% on a car its going to get metered at somewhere between 25-35% light pass through.. its not going to read 70%+/- anything....just trying to clear up the confusion for people in NY that are considering tint.
Pole Position
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 269
Likes: 1
From: LA
why not just go to your eye doctor and tell them that you have problems with sun glare when you're driving. go to the dmv and get the form and get the eye doctor to fill it out. Then tint all you want.
The cop let me off with a warning though, but i'm thinking about getting the tint taken out. When he measured it the front window was 16.xx percent and the rear was a little darker than that.
He told me that a legal tint is 70% in NYC, which i find it hard to believe that i'm that much off it. Is this really the legal limit for NYC and what's a good percentage to tint hte windows so that they still look a little dark but legal?
He told me that a legal tint is 70% in NYC, which i find it hard to believe that i'm that much off it. Is this really the legal limit for NYC and what's a good percentage to tint hte windows so that they still look a little dark but legal?
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 860
Likes: 0
From: California
looks like all of you guys are from the east... but maybe someone knows what is up with
CA 70% ANY% ANY% 4" NET
Ive done research in the past and for the longest time the law was we couldn't have any kind of tint in the front drivers and passenger windows... but then ive also seen the 70% for the front... i was pulled over for tint a few weeks ago and the cop said in CA no tint is allowed on the front passenger and drivers side windows
CA 70% ANY% ANY% 4" NET
Ive done research in the past and for the longest time the law was we couldn't have any kind of tint in the front drivers and passenger windows... but then ive also seen the 70% for the front... i was pulled over for tint a few weeks ago and the cop said in CA no tint is allowed on the front passenger and drivers side windows
got pulled over twice for tint. Both times I got metered and the meter said 7% from one time and 12% the other time. The 12% was cause i was on a lighted location. Anyways I bought my car like that so i gotta get that exempt form filled out.
Driver
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 106
Likes: 0
From: ND
looks like all of you guys are from the east... but maybe someone knows what is up with
CA 70% ANY% ANY% 4" NET
Ive done research in the past and for the longest time the law was we couldn't have any kind of tint in the front drivers and passenger windows... but then ive also seen the 70% for the front... i was pulled over for tint a few weeks ago and the cop said in CA no tint is allowed on the front passenger and drivers side windows
CA 70% ANY% ANY% 4" NET
Ive done research in the past and for the longest time the law was we couldn't have any kind of tint in the front drivers and passenger windows... but then ive also seen the 70% for the front... i was pulled over for tint a few weeks ago and the cop said in CA no tint is allowed on the front passenger and drivers side windows