Window Tint PLEASE HELP!
 

:thumbup:Hello guys :)

I finally bought 2008 GS350 AWD last friday and I am so happy.

Living in Texas, window tint is good idea for the interior for the car and driver. However, I have no clue about how dark should I get?

My previous cars came with tint and this is going to be my first time tint and I would like to have some ideas before I go to tint shop.

Would you please share any thoughts and experience about window tint?

(How dark the film(type), safe for driving, looking good)

Thank you,

:thumbup:

Well, you can always ask the tint shop and they should have some great insight about it. And you gotta think like this, are your eyes good or bad? If you got bad eyes, stay away from limo tints which are like 5%. The lower the %, the darker it be.

I think you'd like 35% all around. I had 20% in the front before and night time driving was a little more difficult than I'd like. 35% is perfect balance for looks and safety imho! :thumbup:

I have 35% all around and I think it looks good and there is no difference in visibility. It may look a bit darker since I have a black car with a black interior.

35% is the generally accepted limit for darkness here. There is no law stating how dark tint can be, only that view of the driver must not be obstructed from the outside. As long as the police can see you somewhat clearly they leave you alone, it seems.

I'll let you in on this amazing and very awesome secret... It's called Google. :D

Search for "Tint Law".

I would go with the maximum allowed in your state; see TX law below. Anything higher and you're just giving cops an easy excuse to give you a ticket. I would also recommend going with a ceramic based, non-reflective coating for maximum durability and to avoid interference with electronics. Go to the best installer you can find and get the best product you can afford. This is one thing you should definitely not scrimp on ... you'll be looking at it and through it whenever you're in your car.

Texas Window Tint Law

Texas Tint Law Enacted: 2003
HOW DARK CAN WINDOW TINT BE IN TEXAS?

Darkness of tint is measured by Visible Light Transmission percentage (VLT%). In Texas, this percentage refers to percentage of visible light allowed in through the combination of film and the window.

Windshield Non-reflective tint is allowed along the top of the windshield above the manufacturer's AS-1 line.
Front Side Windows Must allow more than 25% of light in.
Back Side Windows Must allow more than 25% of light in.
Rear Window Any darkness can be used.

HOW REFLECTIVE CAN THE TINT BE IN TEXAS?

Similar to sunglass lenses, some tinting film contain metallic elements that help in reflecting incoming light and reducing the glare and heat generated by visible light.

Front Side Windows Must not be more than 25% reflective.
Back Side Windows Must not be more than 25% reflective.

OTHER TEXAS RULES AND REGULATIONS

Restricted Colors The tint color(s) of RED BLUE AMBER are not legal by state law.
Side Mirrors Dual side mirrors are required if back window is tinted.
Certificate Requirements Manufacturers of film need to certify the film they sell in the state. Ask your dealer if they are using ceritified film.
Sticker Requirements The sticker to identify legal tinting is required between the film & glass on the driver’s side window.
Medical Exemption State allows medical exemptions for special tint. For more details about the specific terms of the exemption, consult your state law.

Here is a one of a number of web sites with information about the tint limits in Texas: http://www.tintlaws.com/laws/TX/
My understanding is that the law was revised in 2009.

I've had 35% Llumar tint installed on our cars since we first started having windows tinted about 10 years ago but I would like a little darker if Kansas allowed it - particularly on the rear side windows. The 25% maximum allowed in Texas sounds perfect to me.

I didn't have the rear window tinted on a Lexus LS I used to own that had a retractable rear window shade and will do that again on the next car I buy that has one. Rear window tint seems to adversely affect the auto dimming feature of the mirrors and I don't care for the minor glare of the tint on the defroster lines at night when a car is behind me.

An "eyebrow" on the front windshield makes driving more comfortable. Mine is 20% and is above the AS-1 line at the center of the windshield and is a little below the AS-1 line and the windshield edges. The lower edge of the eyebrow looks curved when viewed from the front - an optical illusion - but is perfectly straight when viewed from the side.

i have 5% and i love it :D

^ I had 30% and love it too... until the stupid cop ran after me just to give me a "fix it" ticket.

This forum would be obsolete if everyone thought this way. It's forums like these and answers from us that make up google search results!

Have some courtesy and be positive. The OP wants "our" opinions, don't undermine his intelligence by throwing comments like that! It's disrespectful honestly.

AGREED! Well said sir!

Regarding tints... I would definitely recommend ceramic tints for blocking more of the Texas heat. I have Llumar 40% Ceramics all around but I live in Chicago (35% +/- 5% is the legal limit and it is not as hot here).

Another thing is if you are concerned about staying within the legal limit, there is a small existing tint in our windows from the factory. somewhere around 7%. So... In IL, for example, the law says I can have 35% tints all around with a 5% buffer area. The problem is when I tested my car with the 35% tints, it read 28% where 30% was the legal limit (including the 5% buffer). So I decided on 40% tints those read 33% when installed. I have 35% Llumar ceramic tints on my Audi S5 and I got a $250 ticket while parked at Midway Airport.

So if you want to stay within the legal limit, I would recommend 30% tints for you. That is if Texas has the same 5% forgiveness that IL does.

you got a ticket while your car was parked? wow, I would have fought that one.

I did, and I won, but NOT because it was parked. My car was parked on City of Chicago property so that was fair. If it was parked on private property that would have been a different story. I just had my tint guy write a letter saying that the tints were 35% and within the legal limit (even though, as i said above, they were actually darker than the limit due to existing tinting from the factory).

I got the ticket overturned, but the process was a B&%$#!

50% huper optik ceramic tint is pretty classy