I am going to get my windows tinted this week and need some advice. My current thought is to match the tint on the front windows to the rear with ceramic tint, clear ceramic the rear passenger and clear ceramic the rear window. I am not certain about the moonroof. I never planned on opening the shade or the moonroof but have read mixed thoughts about tinting the moonroof glass since it could crack do to the added heat. If it were tinted and the sunlight was more bearable I would consider opening the shade, but in Colorado the sun is too intense for me to consider opening it. Thoughts?

 

Get everything tinted. I started with just the fronts and immediately went back and did the rears and the moonroof. All with 20% ceramic. Thank me later.

 

I did ceramic 80% vlt on the rear and back windows (would have used clear if the installer had it in stock) and 30% on the front driver and passenger windows. MS state law is maximum 28% on fronts.
To match the rears you need to use 20% I wanted keep mine legal!
Don't have a sunroof have no experience with that. However its a big piece of glass to leave untinted if you have everything else done!

 

I tinted the rears with 5% limo and the front side windows with 18%. Yes, darker than legal here in AZ, but necessary IMO to survive 115+ degree heat in the summer. If it were me, I would place some sort of tint on the moonroof glass, even if it's the clear stuff, to minimize heat transfer and allow you to enjoy your roof, you paid for it after all. The only question I have is, yes, the high altitude sun will make you burn faster outside, but the heat of summer in Colorado is nothing compared to Phoenix. You still find it too intense with the shade open? I lived in Monument, CO for six years and I drove around with an open moonroof all the time during summer days. 80 degrees is paradise compared to a Phoenix summer.

 

I lived in Vail for 17yrs. It’s not about the heat, it’s about UVs.

 

Tint everything. Don't forget the windshield.

 

I did the Llumar CTX 35% on the fronts and AIR 80% on the rears. I wanted a bit darker but still a lot of light transmission, and as close as possible on the front to rear tint, and this was perfect level to me. I did it in September, so I cannot really give a solid opinion the heat rejection, but the radiant heat from the sun definitely feels less on my left arm and face when driving, and the glare is reduced significantly. I considered doing 80% on the windshield and a brow at the top, but didn't think I would like the darker window at night, and still believe that was a good call. As you can see, that level of tint does not completely block the passengers from view, but I was not too concerned with that. This shot was taken in mid-September, at about 5:40 pm, lightly cloudy day, with the sun coming in from the rear.

 

I've been looking into tint myself recently.

To give my 2 cents on your dilemma:

Matching tint - even if you have an exact match with tint darkness all around, you will get more light coming through the windshield causing the front window to appear lighter anyway. So I am not personally going to worry about getting them to match, but my initial idea was to try to get them to match.

The moonroof - I would go ahead a get it tinted if I were you. I highly doubt any extra heat absorption will crack the glass... unless there is a flaw in the glass, then there might be potential. If you don't have glass coverage with your insurance, maybe add it to your policy for the first summer just incase. P.S. I lived in Az my whole life up until a few years ago and yes it gets super hot, but that has nothing to do with what your comfort level is.... so don't listen to the haters!

Also, not all ceramic tint is created equal. After researching for the past few months, I am going to go with "Xpel Prime XR Plus." If I didn't have plans to move back to Arizona, then I'd go with "Xpel Prime XR." I'm sure you'll do your research, but just incase you haven't heard of "Xpel" you might look into that as an option too.

You might find this video interesting... its boring, but informative:

 

#1 advice is to get Ceramic Tint, I got the XPEL PRIME XR as mentioned above.

On my 2017 Truck I only matched the front two windows the shop did 35%. Like others have said it leaves you wanting more. But that truck was a supercab and not long term

On my 2020 Truck I went with 15% ceramic on the whole truck. It makes the rear about 5% and I like the look of the front two windows are noticeably lighter than the back two.
You will want to get tint over the rear factory glass for the ceramic heat rejection and UV protection.

The front windshield is large and lets lots of light in, I did not get the sun brow as some have and my state doesn't allow the front windshield to be tinted.

 

I did 3M Crystalline, which is some of the best stuff out there. CR40 on the sides (I wish I would've gone a little darker on the fronts, honestly) and CR70 on the windshield. I have a topper on the truck that has no windows, so the back glass is mid-grade 5% tint just to make the interior look nicer - I rarely get any sun through it.