I bit the bullet - installed 3M Crystalline 70

[tirwin]

A long, long time ago in a Porsche A/C thread (hopefully) far, far away some of us discussed window tint as a way to help reduce the amount of heat soak the A/C has to overcome.

In the past I was never a fan of window tint because a) I don't usually like super dark tint, 2) I have seen a lot of crappy tint jobs that look like chit and III) Georgia has strict laws regarding tint and it seems like it is sometimes used as a convenient excuse to pull someone over.

Then I stumbled upon a product from 3M called Crystalline. The difference between Crystalline and other products is that it has superior IR heat reflection without being super dark.

I did a little research and it turns out there is a well-respected 3M installer just a couple of miles from my house (The Tint Guy - Woodstock, GA). I went by and talked to them and was shown a demo they have in their showroom. They had an array of heat lamps set up behind various different product samples. I have to say, the Crystalline demo was pretty impressive. You couldn't really feel any heat at all. I talked to one of the installers and came away with a good impression so I decided to give it a try.

I just got the car home. Here's what I had done. I had the doors, rear quarter windows and rear glass done with Crystalline 70. Total cost out the door was $425.60.

I opted to hold off on having the front windshield done. I wanted to see whether there was any distortion with the film on the other glass first and how good of a job they did.

Here is what the car looks like:



I think you would have to look really close to notice that there is tint. Here is a close up pic.



Overall, I'm pretty impressed. It's not too dark -- you can't really even tell the glass is tinted. Plus 3M provides a lifetime warranty against peeling, bubbling, fading, etc. If I have any problems I can take the car to any authorized 3M installer in the country and they will fix it.

Spring is just starting here so I'll let you know more thoughts when summer rolls around, but my first reaction is it's a pretty good product.

Hope this helps!

-Tim

[myslateblue911]

Originally Posted by tirwin

A long, long time ago in a Porsche A/C thread (hopefully) far, far away some of us discussed window tint as a way to help reduce the amount of heat soak the A/C has to overcome.

In the past I was never a fan of window tint because a) I don't usually like super dark tint, 2) I have seen a lot of crappy tint jobs that look like chit and III) Georgia has strict laws regarding tint and it seems like it is sometimes used as a convenient excuse to pull someone over.

Then I stumbled upon a product from 3M called Crystalline. The difference between Crystalline and other products is that it has superior IR heat reflection without being super dark.

I did a little research and it turns out there is a well-respected 3M installer just a couple of miles from my house (The Tint Guy - Woodstock, GA). I went by and talked to them and was shown a demo they have in their showroom. They had an array of heat lamps set up behind various different product samples. I have to say, the Crystalline demo was pretty impressive. You couldn't really feel any heat at all. I talked to one of the installers and came away with a good impression so I decided to give it a try.

I just got the car home. Here's what I had done. I had the doors, rear quarter windows and rear glass done with Crystalline 70. Total cost out the door was $425.60.

I opted to hold off on having the front windshield done. I wanted to see whether there was any distortion with the film on the other glass first and how good of a job they did.

Here is what the car looks like:



I think you would have to look really close to notice that there is tint. Here is a close up pic.



Overall, I'm pretty impressed. It's not too dark -- you can't really even tell the glass is tinted. Plus 3M provides a lifetime warranty against peeling, bubbling, fading, etc. If I have any problems I can take the car to any authorized 3M installer in the country and they will fix it.

Spring is just starting here so I'll let you know more thoughts when summer rolls around, but my first reaction is it's a pretty good product.

Hope this helps!

-Tim

Very cool. I am just north of you a few hours. It gets pretty toasty here in the summer. Please update this post in July and let us know how effective it is. I suspect it will do more to cool the cab down than the stock A/C system

[myslateblue911]

A bit off topic of your post, but I really like your wheels. Are they stock or replica fuchs? What are the sizes, finish, etc... Thanks

[Jonny H]

Very subtle, I have read good things about it. Nice looking car too!

[tirwin]

Originally Posted by myslateblue911

A bit off topic of your post, but I really like your wheels. Are they stock or replica fuchs? What are the sizes, finish, etc... Thanks

Thanks! They are Linea Corse Fuchs repros in RSR finish that I bought from Pelican. The wheels are 17x7.5 front and 17x9 rear with 225/45-17 front and 255/40-17 rear. I kept the original 16x6/7s. I decided to retire the originals for safe keeping.

I do have an upgraded Griffith's A/C system but an all black car still gets hot as Hades sitting in the full sun. Plus I think there is some added UV protection benefit to protecting the interior.

[Cook&Dunning]

3M product looks great. Car looks great

[Duc Hunter]

I have all my cars done here in Fl with that stuff. Windshields to. In a 911, next to the rear window, the windshield takes in the more heat. And as a driver or passenger, you feel most of the heat from the windshield more too, as its on your body. I did mine like yours, but I think I put their 90 (it was their lightest Crystaline) in the windshields. One of my cars has had it in 10 years, no issues.

[livetopedal]

Damn sexy 911 Tim!
It gets hot enough in SE Pa that I'll be interested to hear your summer update.
7.5s in front? Did you need to roll the fenders? Looks like you are at stock height in front.

[Canada Kev]

Some people complain that paying that much for window tint you can't even see is stupid, but these high end ceramic films really do block a lot of thermal energy.

I have the Llumar Air 80 on my 911 and the difference is quite noticeable. With the stuff on, my car doesn't start to get overly warm until after lunch time on a hot sunny day. I'm sure the Llumar compares closely with the 3m product. The specs are very similar.

3M Crystalline 70
68% Visible Light Transmitted
50% Total Solar Energy Rejected
59% On Angle†
97% Infrared Rejected††
38% Solar Heat Reduction
9% Visible Light Reflection Int.
9% Visible Light Reflection Ext.
99.9% UV Rejected
23% Glare Reduction

LLumar AB80
Visible Light Transmittance: 78%
Total Solar Energy Rejected: 43%
Visible Light Reflected: 9%
Ultraviolet Rejected: 99.9 %
Infrared Transmission (1600 Nanometers): <11%
Infrared Transmission (1090 Nanometers): <17%


However, before using it on your windshield, I'd take the time to view through the glass in all conditions (sun, cloud, night, rain, whatever...) and wearing all the different eyeglasses you own. OK, sunglasses at night probably not, but any combination you could forsee yourself doing. The reason I suggest this is that in my situation, when wearing almost all of my polarized sunglasses (two different pair of Oakleys and my Serengeti's do this, but my cheaper "beater" glasses don't seem to) I can see some faint "ghosting" or colour shifts looking out the tinted glass. It doesn't block vision or anything, but it can be lightly distracting. On the rear and side windows, it's a non-issue, but on a windshield, I don't think I would be comfortable at all driving like that.

[tirwin]

Originally Posted by Jonny H

Very subtle, I have read good things about it. Nice looking car too!

Thanks, Jonny. This might be a nice complement to the A/C system you're developing. I haven't been able to keep up as much recently with your progress but keep up the good work!

[tirwin]

Originally Posted by Duc Hunter

I have all my cars done here in Fl with that stuff. Windshields to. In a 911, next to the rear window, the windshield takes in the more heat. And as a driver or passenger, you feel most of the heat from the windshield more too, as its on your body. I did mine like yours, but I think I put their 90 (it was their lightest Crystaline) in the windshields. One of my cars has had it in 10 years, no issues.

Good point on the 90 and glad to hear you've had it that long.

I am thinking I might put this on the E350 too.

[tirwin]

Originally Posted by livetopedal

Damn sexy 911 Tim!
It gets hot enough in SE Pa that I'll be interested to hear your summer update.
7.5s in front? Did you need to roll the fenders? Looks like you are at stock height in front.

I haven't remeasured the ride height recently but I should be lower than stock. Before I had the 17s I had 16x6 up front and 16x7 on the rear with 21mm spacers. The car was lowered when I redid the suspension. I had the spindles raised and I used the ER tie rod ends with the adjustable bump steer. I planned out the spindle height thinking that I would go to 17s one day. When I got it all back together and the alignment done I did have to roll the front fenders. The only thing was I was having some scraping on the nerf bars when I'd hit a dip. When I changed to the 17s last year I also turned the front adjusters one full turn to raise the front a hair. After that no issues.

[tirwin]

Originally Posted by Canada Kev

Some people complain that paying that much for window tint you can't even see is stupid, but these high end ceramic films really do block a lot of thermal energy.

I have the Llumar Air 80 on my 911 and the difference is quite noticeable. With the stuff on, my car doesn't start to get overly warm until after lunch time on a hot sunny day. I'm sure the Llumar compares closely with the 3m product. The specs are very similar.

3M Crystalline 70
68% Visible Light Transmitted
50% Total Solar Energy Rejected
59% On Angle†
97% Infrared Rejected††
38% Solar Heat Reduction
9% Visible Light Reflection Int.
9% Visible Light Reflection Ext.
99.9% UV Rejected
23% Glare Reduction

LLumar AB80
Visible Light Transmittance: 78%
Total Solar Energy Rejected: 43%
Visible Light Reflected: 9%
Ultraviolet Rejected: 99.9 %
Infrared Transmission (1600 Nanometers): <11%
Infrared Transmission (1090 Nanometers): <17%


However, before using it on your windshield, I'd take the time to view through the glass in all conditions (sun, cloud, night, rain, whatever...) and wearing all the different eyeglasses you own. OK, sunglasses at night probably not, but any combination you could forsee yourself doing. The reason I suggest this is that in my situation, when wearing almost all of my polarized sunglasses (two different pair of Oakleys and my Serengeti's do this, but my cheaper "beater" glasses don't seem to) I can see some faint "ghosting" or colour shifts looking out the tinted glass. It doesn't block vision or anything, but it can be lightly distracting. On the rear and side windows, it's a non-issue, but on a windshield, I don't think I would be comfortable at all driving like that.

Excellent suggestion, Kevin! I have a pair of prescription sunglasses with polarized lenses. I was wearing them today. Before the tint I would notice a grid patten in the door glass. I don't think it was any worse with the tint. But your point is well made. I will pay attention before pulling the trigger on the front windshield.

[Jonny042]

Subscribed for the summer report! Thanks for sharing.

[RSBob]

What a gorgeous ride. The stance, the add-ons, and the very understated stripe is so tastefully done. You should be very proud.

And thanks for posting about the film. Will be interesting to hear your review after it gets hot. My AC delete car might benefit.

[ben parrish]

I recently looked at the Crystalline for my wife's car and had the same demo with the heat light...pretty impressive. I have always had tint on my cars for the heat reduction and have always use 3M....the tint on my 911 is 20 years old and still looks fantastic with no fading, bubbling or other issues......other than the scratches my wife put into it with her rings but she has scratched EVERY car she has ever driven in the same arc pattern

[Canada Kev]

It makes a really big difference in actual use in the car, as well.

One particularly telling situation for me was on a sultry summer evening driving with the window open and the sun on my left side. The cooking sensation on my neck and face was particularly strong. I rolled up the driver window and opened the passenger for some air circulation.

It almost felt like I had turned on some AC. The driver window being up significantly reduced the heat transfer to my face. I still got all the light but no heat. It was F'ing awesome, especially with the non-existent air conditioning I have.

[RSBob]

Looked at 3M installers here, and $835 out the door. Significant diff but far cheaper than AC

[tirwin]

Originally Posted by RSBob

What a gorgeous ride. The stance, the add-ons, and the very understated stripe is so tastefully done. You should be very proud.

And thanks for posting about the film. Will be interesting to hear your review after it gets hot. My AC delete car might benefit.

Thanks! It has been a whole lot of fun working on the car. I have learned a lot from the Pelican braintrust.

[tdw28210]

Originally Posted by RSBob

Looked at 3M installers here, and $835 out the door. Significant diff but far cheaper than AC

Everyone is Microsoft millionaire up there, right?