Ceramic tint the windshield?

[Mr. Robot]

Thank you, this is all extremely helpful

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[SACDFJC]

My experience is a bit of an edge case, but wanted to share. I had custom lens replacement (CLR) a number of year ago which probably contributes to the issues I experienced. I tinted all the windows in the R1T with 3m Crystalline. I found that using polarized sunglasses created a distracting rainbow effect. Without sunglasses the rainbow effect went away, but I had a difficult time seeing through the tint. It was as if there was not enough light in the cabin and I really struggled to see. Nighttime driving was really tough.

Fast forward a year and I traded the R1T for an R1S. I tinted all the windows except for the windshield. It was like night and day difference w/o the tint. I could drive with both sunglasses and w/o and see perfect. I'm assuming the tint effected the refraction of the light as it passed through the tint and that combined with the CLR made it difficult to see. The rainbow effect is a known side-effect of tinting your windshield.

On the positive side, tinting the windows made a huge difference in cabin comfort. Even on the R1S w/o the windshield there was a very noticeable difference.

 

[DevSecOps]

Since you're in California you can't legally put any tint above factory on the front sides or windshield. That being said, many of us do...

One of my best fiends is a CHP officer and while it's not the stance of the department or other officers he's said that as long as he can see in the side window he's not going to stop someone for excessive tint. As for the windshield he said, it's a no go. If there's any tint, you're getting pulled over - at least by him (I think this applies in most states based on YT videos I've seen where people routinely get pulled over for tint on windshields i.e. Fridays with Frank).

Therefore, I put a 50% on the front sides and nothing on the windshield. I never do the windshield for a couple reasons. First, I use a radar detector and have toll passes. You either need to have a cutout for the VHB tape or risk destroying the film if you have to remove them. Second, I tend to always crack my windshields and I don't need to keep paying for film on top of new windshields. Third, any tint greater than 70% will likely get you a ticket on the windshield in California. Fourth, all ceramic and carbon tints will have some degree of low angle haze, which drives me absolutely nuts. Lastly, if you're not going to put ceramic on the pano then what good does it do to ceramic the windshield?

As for tint brands - I originally put 55% Xpel on the sides and I had it removed. I had the Prime XR Plus Ceramic and I got a lot of low angle haze on them. I also didn't like how Xpel tint has a black/black base. It doesn't match well with the factory rear windows which are more of a black/brown base. I had them remove it and replace it with 50% Llumar Formula One and it's a perfect match for the back windows with less (but not perfect) low angle haze.

 

[bakk0020]

I‘m in the desert also and researching tint shops for my R1S. I came across Cool Solutions in Palm Desert. It’s the only one in the area that I could find that carries Llumar. Still poking around at options.

I’m interested in Stratos because it comes in 70% for the windshield. I’ll possibly do the roof with 70%, as well. I bought a sun shield that works OK so far, but I’m not sure how well it’ll work in the heat of summer.

Considering 35% on driver/passenger windows. Not sure if I’ll do the rest yet.

What shop or shops have you been in touch with? Looking for recommendations.

Beautiful truck BTW. Congrats.

 

[nellbarr]

I am thinking about adding ceramic coating/tinting to my R1S windows to cut down on UV and heat. I live in the desert of Southern California. The company I have contacted encouraged me to do the windshield as well, but I’m hesitant to do that. Anyone have any experience with any of this?

I’m in South Florida and it’s the first thing I did- glass roof, clear UV on thecwindshield and front side widows tinted. Would do it again as it has cut down heat greatly.

 

[bakk0020]

P.S. on my previous car (BMW iX, don’t get me started), I got my ceramic tint done at Palm Springs Auto Glass 'N' Tint in Cathedral City. Great experience! And the results were amazing.

Reason I’m shopping around:

They only carry Avery-Dennison which maxes out at 50%. I went with 50% on the windshield and 15% on driver/passenger windows. The results were AMAZING and I could barely feel the summer sun. BUT I had trouble seeing at night, especially in areas without streetlights.

My fault for going too dark, but not many manufacturers offer tint levels higher than 50%. At least based on my research so far.

 

[Riviot]

Windshield is totally worth it, but here's the rub: as soon as you do it, you'll get a chip or crack and need to replace the windshield.

Even in the PNW, it was nice, especially on summer road trips. I've been thinking of getting it redone, but I know I'll have to replace the glass soon after.

 

[mrmagoo]

I am thinking about adding ceramic coating/tinting to my R1S windows to cut down on UV and heat. I live in the desert of Southern California. The company I have contacted encouraged me to do the windshield as well, but I’m hesitant to do that. Anyone have any experience with any of this?

Used XPEL 70 in SW Florida, makes a Hugh difference on those long road trips, just make sure you use something like Sticker Shield when attaching anything to the film...

 

[Mr. Robot]

Since you're in California you can't legally put any tint above factory on the front sides or windshield. That being said, many of us do...

One of my best fiends is a CHP officer and while it's not the stance of the department or other officers he's said that as long as he can see in the side window he's not going to stop someone for excessive tint. As for the windshield he said, it's a no go. If there's any tint, you're getting pulled over - at least by him (I think this applies in most states based on YT videos I've seen where people routinely get pulled over for tint on windshields i.e. Fridays with Frank).

Therefore, I put a 50% on the front sides and nothing on the windshield. I never do the windshield for a couple reasons. First, I use a radar detector and have toll passes. You either need to have a cutout for the VHB tape or risk destroying the film if you have to remove them. Second, I tend to always crack my windshields and I don't need to keep paying for film on top of new windshields. Third, any tint greater than 70% will likely get you a ticket on the windshield in California. Fourth, all ceramic and carbon tints will have some degree of low angle haze, which drives me absolutely nuts. Lastly, if you're not going to put ceramic on the pano then what good does it do to ceramic the windshield?

As for tint brands - I originally put 55% Xpel on the sides and I had it removed. I had the Prime XR Plus Ceramic and I got a lot of low angle haze on them. I also didn't like how Xpel tint has a black/black base. It doesn't match well with the factory rear windows which are more of a black/brown base. I had them remove it and replace it with 50% Llumar Formula One and it's a perfect match for the back windows with less (but not perfect) low angle haze.

I think I am going to do everything expect the windshield and I am not going any darker than factory on the tints. I just want the add'l UVA and heat reduction. This is very helpful! Thanks

 

[Mr. Robot]

I‘m in the desert also and researching tint shops for my R1S. I came across Cool Solutions in Palm Desert. It’s the only one in the area that I could find that carries Llumar. Still poking around at options.

I’m interested in Stratos because it comes in 70% for the windshield. I’ll possibly do the roof with 70%, as well. I bought a sun shield that works OK so far, but I’m not sure how well it’ll work in the heat of summer.

Considering 35% on driver/passenger windows. Not sure if I’ll do the rest yet.

What shop or shops have you been in touch with? Looking for recommendations.

Beautiful truck BTW. Congrats.

Using Mastershield in Palm Desert. They did the protective coating on my hood, mirrors and front fenders. It's the same company that does the Rivians at the factory.

 

[bakk0020]

Using Mastershield in Palm Desert. They did the protective coating on my hood, mirrors and front fenders. It's the same company that does the Rivians at the factory.

Using Mastershield in Palm Desert. They did the protective coating on my hood, mirrors and front fenders. It's the same company that does the Rivians at the factory.

Thank you.

 

[Twitter Fingers]

The roof is 5% tinted from the factory with ceramic tint. No need to do the roof.

50% on the windshield is a no brainer to me.

 

[Rividiculous]

Don’t the tints reduce visibility at dusk? I’ve been wondering about it because I’ve noticed tinted front windows and even windshields seem to have multiplied like crazy in recent years. At the same time, fatalities have increased dramatically at dusk. (Correlation but not necessarily causation.)

I have tinted back windows and they do seem to limit visibility at dusk and at night but I’ve not driven or even ridden in a car with tinted front windows or windshield.

Isn’t visibility an issue?

 

[EileenB]

You may want to check with the laws in your state regarding tint on windshields. In some states it is illegal no matter the percentage. (Even if you can’t see it easily the officer can use a gauge to see if you have it if they want to be picky about such things.) Also make sure you are going to a reputable shop that is good and knows what they are doing as they do use water/liquid when applying the film to the inside of windshield and I have heard of cases where the water got down behind the dash and damaged their electronics/monitor.

 

[mkg3]

In CA, if recall correctly, one can tint the top 4" of the windshield. Nothing below that. I'm surprised that there is no windshield top "RIVIAN" branded tint kit already (think of race cars with windshields and the top of the glass).

I used to tine all the windows on every vehicle I've owned but the last three, I have not. Simply because all the modern auto glass is UV A/B filtered and I prefer the optical quality of the glass without anything to degraded, albeit small amount.

Also, I have noticed, as @DevSecOps stated, with polarized sunglasses, most tints have an adverse affect on the vision in some way.

I keep hoping that NHTSA legalize transition windshield so that it can change the light filtration based on the ambient condition. I realize the issue with going though tunnels or dark spots in the daylight. The transition cannot respond fast enough but I believe if the glass shading is light enough, it should be fine. After all, many people drive with transition lens glasses and deal with this just fine.

Someone earlier post mentioned that it improved clarity with film - not possible physically. Just as the best filter in the world cannot improve the lens sharpness or clarity on a camera lens. At best, its a near original clarity optically.

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