tint the front windshield or no?
12-28-07, 04:49 PM
#16
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Hello ssmoked, I've always had all my cars tinted and have experimented a lot with different shades/brands of tint. What I found out after my experiments was that the better UV protection and/or the darker they are, the better it will be to keep your car's interior looking pristine. Also, they provide other benefits such as increased privacy, reduce eye "tiredness" or whatever the term is 
, reduce glare, make the car's AC work better, improve the vehicle's appearance and even allows you to see the road better when it's raining heavily. Brands have a lot to do as well, whatever you do, install a good brand of tint because otherwise, they will not perform as intended and you will regret it later.
Anyway, to answer your question, I would recommend that you either tint the full windshield or not tint it at all. With the strip, you won't get much out of it (most times it doesn't even block a whole lot) except throwing $$$$ down the drain. The way I tint my cars now is 5% all around except the front windshield which I tint 30%. You won't notice the difference in the tints from the outside much, because the other tints are dark and give the impression that the front is darker, but it is the darkest I would go in the front windshield. I had 20% front windshield in my Corolla and was driving down a very dark road and almost crashed into another car that had no taillights. From then on, I experimented with lighter shades and 30% is just perfect, not too light nor too dark, and it works good even in dark roads. I tinted my IS just like I said before and I used 3M ColorStable tint
Here's a pic so you can see how it looks...
, reduce glare, make the car's AC work better, improve the vehicle's appearance and even allows you to see the road better when it's raining heavily. Brands have a lot to do as well, whatever you do, install a good brand of tint because otherwise, they will not perform as intended and you will regret it later. Anyway, to answer your question, I would recommend that you either tint the full windshield or not tint it at all. With the strip, you won't get much out of it (most times it doesn't even block a whole lot) except throwing $$$$ down the drain. The way I tint my cars now is 5% all around except the front windshield which I tint 30%. You won't notice the difference in the tints from the outside much, because the other tints are dark and give the impression that the front is darker, but it is the darkest I would go in the front windshield. I had 20% front windshield in my Corolla and was driving down a very dark road and almost crashed into another car that had no taillights. From then on, I experimented with lighter shades and 30% is just perfect, not too light nor too dark, and it works good even in dark roads. I tinted my IS just like I said before and I used 3M ColorStable tint
Here's a pic so you can see how it looks...
12-28-07, 05:04 PM
#17
12-28-07, 05:11 PM
#18
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Its a big help since i park my car mostly outside and it helps keeps things cooler inside, also you wont have that burning sensation when the sun is in front of you.
I would take a picture of it, but then you wont be able to tell its there.
12-28-07, 05:33 PM
#19
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Hello ssmoked, I've always had all my cars tinted and have experimented a lot with different shades/brands of tint. What I found out after my experiments was that the better UV protection and/or the darker they are, the better it will be to keep your car's interior looking pristine. Also, they provide other benefits such as increased privacy, reduce eye "tiredness" or whatever the term is , reduce glare, make the car's AC work better, improve the vehicle's appearance and even allows you to see the road better when it's raining heavily. Brands have a lot to do as well, whatever you do, install a good brand of tint because otherwise, they will not perform as intended and you will regret it later.
Anyway, to answer your question, I would recommend that you either tint the full windshield or not tint it at all. With the strip, you won't get much out of it (most times it doesn't even block a whole lot) except throwing $$$$ down the drain. The way I tint my cars now is 5% all around except the front windshield which I tint 30%. You won't notice the difference in the tints from the outside much, because the other tints are dark and give the impression that the front is darker, but it is the darkest I would go in the front windshield. I had 20% front windshield in my Corolla and was driving down a very dark road and almost crashed into another car that had no taillights. From then on, I experimented with lighter shades and 30% is just perfect, not too light nor too dark, and it works good even in dark roads. I tinted my IS just like I said before and I used 3M ColorStable tint Here's a pic so you can see how it looks...
, reduce glare, make the car's AC work better, improve the vehicle's appearance and even allows you to see the road better when it's raining heavily. Brands have a lot to do as well, whatever you do, install a good brand of tint because otherwise, they will not perform as intended and you will regret it later. Anyway, to answer your question, I would recommend that you either tint the full windshield or not tint it at all. With the strip, you won't get much out of it (most times it doesn't even block a whole lot) except throwing $$$$ down the drain. The way I tint my cars now is 5% all around except the front windshield which I tint 30%. You won't notice the difference in the tints from the outside much, because the other tints are dark and give the impression that the front is darker, but it is the darkest I would go in the front windshield. I had 20% front windshield in my Corolla and was driving down a very dark road and almost crashed into another car that had no taillights. From then on, I experimented with lighter shades and 30% is just perfect, not too light nor too dark, and it works good even in dark roads. I tinted my IS just like I said before and I used 3M ColorStable tint
Here's a pic so you can see how it looks...
12-28-07, 09:11 PM
#22
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Thread Starter
thanks for the replies/advice. When I say tint the front wind shield, I meant only that strip that goes along the top of the glass. I think that would help the sun's glare and actually promote safety. From my experience, when the sun shines straight in my eye, I put the visor down and it actually blocks part of the vision. with the tint and sunglasses, i wouldn't need to flip down the visor to increase my vision when the sun is hitting my eyes dead on. I think any % of tint will "blind" you at night. I had a 35% tint on my ES (sold), and at night all I can see is headlights and can't even distinguish the shapes of the cars behind me. So i think going 20% won't make that big of a difference.
What brand will you guys recommend other than m3 (just to keep the options open). I found a local place willing to do my 20% for 110. Do you think that will be good quality tint?
What brand will you guys recommend other than m3 (just to keep the options open). I found a local place willing to do my 20% for 110. Do you think that will be good quality tint?
Last edited by ssmoked; 12-28-07 at 09:19 PM.
12-28-07, 09:16 PM
#23
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So you finally got the car? Congrats! 
Hope to see some pics soon!
I don't have any pictures of my own tints, but this thread might give you some ideas:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...=official+tint
I have 35% all-around (except windshield) and it's not too dark and not too light either. It looks good, IMO. I would've tinted my windshield maybe to 50% but I didn't want to bother with the law later on.
Hope to see some pics soon!I don't have any pictures of my own tints, but this thread might give you some ideas:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...=official+tint
I have 35% all-around (except windshield) and it's not too dark and not too light either. It looks good, IMO. I would've tinted my windshield maybe to 50% but I didn't want to bother with the law later on.
12-29-07, 12:41 AM
#24
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I won't preach about the wisdom of tinting your windshield, but I will remind you that if you kill or injure someone at night because you couldn't see 5 feet in front of the car, don't count on your insurance paying the bill. At best, you might end up bankrupt, while at worst you could be bankrupt and serving a prison term.
Tinting your windshield is not a smart idea (guess why it's illegal in all states and many countries?) and if you're worried about UV damage, most windshields already have a UV protective coating or you can add one that doesn't affect light transmittance.
Tinting your windshield is not a smart idea (guess why it's illegal in all states and many countries?) and if you're worried about UV damage, most windshields already have a UV protective coating or you can add one that doesn't affect light transmittance.
12-29-07, 05:53 AM
#25
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I won't preach about the wisdom of tinting your windshield, but I will remind you that if you kill or injure someone at night because you couldn't see 5 feet in front of the car, don't count on your insurance paying the bill. At best, you might end up bankrupt, while at worst you could be bankrupt and serving a prison term.
Tinting your windshield is not a smart idea (guess why it's illegal in all states and many countries?) and if you're worried about UV damage, most windshields already have a UV protective coating or you can add one that doesn't affect light transmittance.
Tinting your windshield is not a smart idea (guess why it's illegal in all states and many countries?) and if you're worried about UV damage, most windshields already have a UV protective coating or you can add one that doesn't affect light transmittance.
