To tint or not to tint... that is the question.

[tirwin]

No tint is my vote. Fishbowl ftw!

That's the thing... Crystalline has almost no tint. There is some of course but from what I've read it is as close to clear as you can get.

[tirwin]

Quote de bhmkv

No tint is my vote. Fishbowl ftw!

ftw = for the win? Not fully my take.



On my 81 Targa with all the matt black trim, as like tirwin's coupe (an 83), the darker windows favorable set off the contrast nicely. Earlier 911's with brushed aluminum/SS trim not so much.



I had tint put in my Targa in 2006. FWIW, in the old days they had to cut the Targa tint into several strips per Bruce Anderson's book. In 06, the shop did it in one piece. Mind you, the firsts shop screwed the Targa window install up with 3M tint and said they could not do it. Took it (all my removed windows) to another shop and they had no problem. It was not 3M, unfortunately, I can't remember the name. I asked for the darkest tint that is legal.



Anyhoo.......eight years later, no purple, no bubbles.



I would really like to see tirwins windows removed for tint installation. But I don't know if $600 would cover this. Doubt it.



However, I am old-school and not up to date. There could be processes that are seamless without removing anything.

Bob, $600 would probably cover the back window. And I wouldn't trust them to it. That rear window is a royal pain in the too-kus.

I would feel better if someone had done a few of these. I called one place that was 3 miles from my house. Figure I'll ride up there one day and get a feel for the place and look at samples. Naturally I would drive further to find the right installer.

[tirwin]

Tint the windshield....NEVER! Is that even legal?



Both my 78 Targa and 88 Carrera were done years ago, 70% light transmissivity, did it to help the A/C.



Windshield tint....ONLY with 55W HIDs to make for the loss of night time forward vision.

I would only consider it if it was really clear and does not create optical distortion. Another reason to see it in person but why are the side and rear windows any different?

According to the reviews on 3M's website, people do get the front windshield done, so I asked the guy I called and he said it was pretty common for Crystalline installs but not other products that darken the color of the windshield. I did not ask about legality.

[hbueno]

Originally Posted by Canada Kev

UV blocking won't do squat to reduce heat - that's from the Infrared end of the spectrum.

That being said, I have all windows except my windshield done. I used a ceramic based film from Llumar. It's almost clear and is said to reduce thermal transfer by almost 50 percent. I can't vouch for that number, but it DOES reduce the level of heat in the car.

The manufacturer also has 'tinted' film that ranges from light grey to blackout with I creasingly higher levels of heat protection.

As for your question about peeling and discoloured film, I suspect it's probably from a cheaper product or poor installation:

Actually, UV is exactly what you want to block. The greenhouse effect is due to the interior absorbing short wave UV radiation which passes through regular glass easily and then reradiates out as infrared which does not pass through the glass as easily. If you can find a "clear" tint that blocks 100% UV, you'll go a long way in keeping interior temperatures down.

Hguo

[jeffs9146]

I did my 67 911 back in the early 90's but only in the back! I lived in Fresno and it was smoking hot all the time! In California they didn't allow it on the front windows, I don't know if that has changed! I also did it when the windows were out when painting the car so I did the bake on tint!
I loved it!

[Algernon]

OK, i just checked my ceramic 3M's tint. Cost me $270, lifetime warrantee, rear window cut perfectly, without removing glass. All glass except windscreen. Took about an hour. Hardly noticeable from inside, some reflection from outside, but no real darkening.



I'm not 100% sure of the numbers for this product, but I could not be happier.
Looks damn good and keeps the heat down very well!!

[tirwin]

Algernon,

That looks great! Thanks for posting.

I'll keep doing some research and let everyone know what I find.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by bhmkv

I'm just not a fan of tinted windows. Just my opinion.

Not one smidgeon of an issue.

This is a forum and anything subjective is wide open to personal taste.

Dialing in a warm up regulator, not so much wiggle room.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by tirwin

Algernon,

That looks great! Thanks for posting.

I'll keep doing some research and let everyone know what I find.

Go just a bit darker.

As my friend, the pontificating AC windbag says, with all the love I can muster, don't even touch the windshield. He is as right as rain.

[Hnichols]

Tirwin: At the end of the day, your dilemma will be decided by the question of whether window removal is necessary. Whatever misgivings you have about tinting will be magnified a hundredfold when you factor that in.

Of course, you've done it before, so it maybe the prospect of removing the windows is not that daunting to you!

[tirwin]

If the glass has to come out again to do it right, I'm not doing it. It's that simple.

[L8Brakr]

I'm a vote for window tint. Had my 911 (coupe) done years ago when I lived in Pompano Beach. FL. Car would have been almost undriveable six months of the year without it. It is important to go with a quality ceramic film and a skilled installer.

tirwin- Check out "GlassTiger" in Lilburn. I had them tint my M5 shortly after purchase three years ago. 35% ceramic (Ga limit is 32%). Very impressed with the job they did. Still looks like it was just installed. The four door windows, rear glass, and 5-inch windshield strip came in at $365.00 if I remember correctly.

I talked to a number of shops, did the on-line review search, and completely recommend them. It was worth the drive from Milton for me to get it done right. Made an appointment, and they had me in and out in a couple of hours.

[Canada Kev]

I didn't want the look of tinted windows, but liked the idea of a cooler interior with my less than good AC.

This is with all windows tinted with Llumar Air Blu 80. It's a ceramic tint with something like (going from memory) 78% light transmisability, 48 - 50 % thermal energy blocking and 99 % UV blocking. If you didn't know it was tinted, you'd never know, it's that clear. It has a very slight blue colour that is noticeable if you if you put a piece on some white paper, so not that much at all. The installers did the installation in about two hours without removing any glass. That was four years ago and still looks as good as it did then.

I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It really does work to help with heat. If you leave the car sit outside all day in the sun, all bets are off.

[Canada Kev]

An interesting (layman scientific) article about solar energy and window tinting in cars.

Science of window films (tints): What methods can we use to cool our car cabins? - Christopher Teh Boon Sung

[clutch-monkey]

Originally Posted by shipfaced

What does the installer say about whether the rear glass has to be removed or not to make it look right? I checked into it a few years ago for my SC and they wanted to remove the glass, said it would not have a good, clean edge around perimeter otherwise.

Originally Posted by tirwin

If the glass has to come out again to do it right, I'm not doing it. It's that simple.

i asked my guy if he wanted the glass out and he adamantly refused - said it was actually worse especially when it comes to particles getting stuck on it during application.
did my car for $200, glass in the car. no issues. a very light blue tint like previously posted would look tops.

[sc_rufctr]

Tint draws "crabs" from the constabulary. Which is a shame considering how well it works.

That attention has always put me off.

[tirwin]

Originally Posted by Bob Kontak

Go just a bit darker.

As my friend, the pontificating AC windbag says, with all the love I can muster, don't even touch the windshield. He is as right as rain.

Bob,

I'm just doing homework. No decisions have been made on anything yet.

I found this video on the 3M Crystalline being applied to a windshield.



Why do you both say don't put it on the windshield? I'm just curious what your reasoning is. If by TINT we're talking about changing the color of the glass (darkening like sunglasses), then I would agree with you.

BUT, if a product exists (and I'm not sold on this stuff -- only going by manufacturers claims at this point) that doesn't not perceptibly change the color of the glass OR cause optical distortion, but blocks the heat, then I'm open to the idea.

My thinking is that a reason to do this is to protect the interior. Ok, so if the car is going to be sitting in a parking lot for a long time on a sunny day, then one of those solar shade things will do the trick. But driving for the same amount of time is no different than sitting in a parking lot.

[tirwin]

Here's an interesting article where a guy went to the trouble of actually testing it.

Testing 3M Crystalline Window Tint for our RV

[wwest]

Originally Posted by tirwin

Here's an interesting article where a guy went to the trouble of actually testing it.

Testing 3M Crystalline Window Tint for our RV

Okay, I'm sold.. didn't know you could do this without tint.

The question is...have the windshield done here or in Olive Branch MS once the '88 gets there?

[tirwin]

Originally Posted by wwest

Okay, I'm sold.. didn't know you could do this without tint.

The question is...have the windshield done here or in Olive Branch MS once the '88 gets there?

I can't believe I sold you on anything!

The 3M product has a lifetime warranty but it must be installed by an authorized 3M dealer. There is a dealer locator on the 3M website that I linked to previously. You can also cross-reference their reviews on Google, Yelp and Kudzu.

Edit: To summarize the claimed benefits of this product, you can apply it to ALL windows. Since most "tints" can only be applied to side and rear windows, you are leaving the windshield as an open hole to allow heat from sunlight into the car. Sort of like only insulating 3 of 4 walls of your house. It contains no metallic substances which could create additional path loss/dispersion in cell phone RF transmission. And if you don't like the idea of darkening the windows, then this is an option.