Window Tint Question/NEED ADVICE!
#21
Texas Aggie
I'd still go with the 25% and absolutely not add 18% on top of the existing factory. That'll be way too dark back there, and will indeed make the whole truck seem darker.
#22
Why don't you just put the same aftermarket tint on the front and rear windows. That way the front will be slightly lighter than the back.
I've got 40% on all my windows. The rears were factory tinted but I can still see out.
I've got 40% on all my windows. The rears were factory tinted but I can still see out.
#23
Edit: Shame on me for misreading but I'm going to leave my last post so others may benefit from it in the future. So I guess to answer your question OP, SunTek's 25% would be a better fit for you. It will look a tiny bit lighter than what you have in back.
Here is a pic of my truck with SunTek 18% Attachment 313298
Here is a pic of my truck with SunTek 18% Attachment 313298
#24
So now, with me deciding on 25% for the front, what to do for the backs???? If I just leave the backs as factory, the 25% might be too close to a match, which I don't want. With you guys saying 18 over the factory rear would be too dark (and I agree), what would be the ideal percent to tint over the stock rears to make it just a tad, but noticeably darker, than the 25 fronts?
25% again just like the fronts??
Thanks to everyone! I'm getting a lot of good tips!
#25
No, the opposite. 25% means that 25% of light gets in and the rest doesn't.
If you stack 25% on your 35% it will be very, very dark. I did this for my back windows on a previous vehicle and it was about as dark, if not darker then 5% (aka limo tint).
I know dark tint looks great but you have to decide if you can take the night driving. I often found myself rolling my windows down with 5 so I went with 25 and it was still the same thing. IMO 35% is perfect, it keeps the glare off of you along with a lot of the heat but you can still see out of it. It still looks great from the outside as well.
As far as your factory windows, they are stained and not tinted. They do not deflect UV rays and it cannot be removed. A sheet of 25% over them will make them very, very dark. I would do it for the side windows in the back but I would go with something lighter over the back window so backing up at night isn't so much of a pain. 50% stacked on 25% always looked around the same as 5 to me but I have no idea what number would show on a tint meter.
I had 5% on my truck and I have 35% on my car. 35% is great. I tinted my windows with 3m 6 years ago on an old car and the new owner said it still has had no problems. If it's done professionally at a shop it has lifetime warranty. I have tried suntek on my last couple of vehicles and it seems to be the same quality as the 3m, maybe better. Maybe I've just gotten better at tinting but I find it very easy to work with.
If you stack 25% on your 35% it will be very, very dark. I did this for my back windows on a previous vehicle and it was about as dark, if not darker then 5% (aka limo tint).
I know dark tint looks great but you have to decide if you can take the night driving. I often found myself rolling my windows down with 5 so I went with 25 and it was still the same thing. IMO 35% is perfect, it keeps the glare off of you along with a lot of the heat but you can still see out of it. It still looks great from the outside as well.
As far as your factory windows, they are stained and not tinted. They do not deflect UV rays and it cannot be removed. A sheet of 25% over them will make them very, very dark. I would do it for the side windows in the back but I would go with something lighter over the back window so backing up at night isn't so much of a pain. 50% stacked on 25% always looked around the same as 5 to me but I have no idea what number would show on a tint meter.
I had 5% on my truck and I have 35% on my car. 35% is great. I tinted my windows with 3m 6 years ago on an old car and the new owner said it still has had no problems. If it's done professionally at a shop it has lifetime warranty. I have tried suntek on my last couple of vehicles and it seems to be the same quality as the 3m, maybe better. Maybe I've just gotten better at tinting but I find it very easy to work with.
Also, is it better for my guy to "remove" the 35 on the front, or tint "over" it? I read a lot of posts about layering, so I'm wondering, for the fronts, if it's better than removing the film and doing it again...?
#26
Here is an older picture of my truck. It has 40% 3M Crystalline tint on all the windows. (In this country 40% means it blocks 40% of the light as the 60% I was considering was MUCH darker).
All the rear windows have the factory tint and I can see through them both day and night. Im now wishing I had got the darker tint.
From the outside the rear window look really black and you can't see through. From the inside I would estimate that approx 50% of the light is blocked.
I wouldn't worry too much about putting tints over factory rear tinted windows.
All the rear windows have the factory tint and I can see through them both day and night. Im now wishing I had got the darker tint.
From the outside the rear window look really black and you can't see through. From the inside I would estimate that approx 50% of the light is blocked.
I wouldn't worry too much about putting tints over factory rear tinted windows.
#27
Hello and good morning Sportster07!
Thank you for the education. I do not know the law here in Missouri so I will check but I feel that if you state that 35% is about right then I will try it. On all four?
Thank you for the "crash course!"
Boonslick
Thank you for the education. I do not know the law here in Missouri so I will check but I feel that if you state that 35% is about right then I will try it. On all four?
Thank you for the "crash course!"
Boonslick
#28
Senior Member
Wow, lots of good opinions on here. This is exactly what I needed. Now, [MENTION=116787]Frank20[/MENTION], your FX4 looks awsome. When I look at your pic, I know for sure now I can't go that dark (18) in the front, as nice as it looks tho. So I guess we were both right in saying that 25% suntek carbon would be the way to go for the front. OK. As for your backs, is that 18% on top of the factory? If so, this is the EXACT set up my tinter has on his truck. When I saw it, it was way too dark for me... especially the back. One more question coming up on my next post, but gonna quote another reply...
#29
Senior Member
In short, it's not always about bad people with guns and drugs behind a dark window. I think the public's ability to have the freedom to make their windows dark should outweigh law enforcement's issues with the possibility of some nefarious activity behind dark windows that they can't see. Here in Iowa it's ridiculous - we have one of the strictest tint laws in the US; you know, Iowa, such a hotbed of illegal activity. Anyway, I think these tint laws are ridiculous.