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What's your tint?

Effopec

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We've got a possible move to the SoCal desert coming later this year. Still have the factory tint on everything in my Gen 1 R1T. Looking for recommendations on tint type/%, etc that people in hot areas have gotten on their roof, side windows, windshield, rear window, etc. Also not sure what is legal in CA. I could look it up, but what fun would that be.

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usulio

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Got Llumar Air 80 on all windows and windshield (not roof which is already highly tinted). Blocks UV and cuts a good amount of heat, almost invisible. Many opt for darker tints but nighttime visibility is a priority for me.
 

keylooper

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The darkness you go with is purely a preference, it doesn’t make a huge difference in heat reduction. The key for heat reduction is to get a ceramic tint. A clear ceramic will block more heat than a 5% non-ceramic. I’m in the southwest, summers with 115* is not uncommon.
I’m taking my R1S in for tint on Tuesday, 5% on all windows behind the driver and the roof, 15% on driver and passenger windows, 80% on the front windshield.
 

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I use 20% on all cars. It’s not legal, nobody cares. In CA you can’t tint the driver’s row at all, legally, but everyone does anyway.
 

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The darkness you go with is purely a preference, it doesn’t make a huge difference in heat reduction. The key for heat reduction is to get a ceramic tint. A clear ceramic will block more heat than a 5% non-ceramic. I’m in the southwest, summers with 115* is not uncommon.
I’m taking my R1S in for tint on Tuesday, 5% on all windows behind the driver and the roof, 15% on driver and passenger windows, 80% on the front windshield.
Infrared blocking window tint will keep heat from escaping the car as well as keeping it from entering. This is good in cool weather. There is more energy in the visible wavelengths of sunlight than the infrared wavelengths. Visible light wavelength in sunlight enter the car through the glass then heat into interior surfaces. The interior surfaces then radiate light in the infred. This heat is transfered to the air in the cab. Light absorbed by the tint heats the glass, then is radiated as infrared. The most effective solution is reflective tint, which is not legal in most places. The claims that infrared blocking tint will keep your car cooler are somewhat disingenuous.
The UV blocking properties of ceramic films however, do reduce deterioration of internal surface materials especially plastics. They will also keep Transitiions tm (photochromic,) lenses lenses in glasses from darkening in the car.
 

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I did Xpel ceramic 20% all the way around on my truck with 70 or 80% on the windshield. In Phoenix, it makes an enormous difference. Anytime I’m in a vehicle without ceramic tint, I can immediately feel the sun on my skin. As others have said, the shade of tint is really just preference. Darker doesn’t reject a significant amount more heat. In the single digits percentage wise.

Rivian R1T R1S What's your tint? IMG_1159
 

babock

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I was going to do my windshield in a blocking tint but after driving my sister's car at night, no way I would put ANYTHING on the windshield.

I am going to tint the drivers row the same as the back seat which is what I do on all my cars. Just haven't gotten around to it yet.

I have had a cop in CA pull me over for a traffic violation before and told me he wasn't going to write me up for my illegal window tint.
 
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UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan

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[CA] Law says you can’t tint windshield or front windows. Generally 70% is light enough to be visible very looked. Regardless of your choice on light transmission (%), ceramic films are what you want for heat (IR) rejection. UV is not cause of heat. Even untinted auto glass can block UV.

Additionally… Factory tint of rear windows are around 50% IIRC. Most tint shops have meters to measure. Such devices are also available on Amazon. And there are ceramic films made specifically for windshields that are barely tinted. The downside is they’re not perfectly optically neutral. Slight rippling is common.
 
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SwampNut

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I was going to do my windshield in a blocking tint but after deiving at night, no way I would put ANYTHING on the windshield.
A proper windshield film is invisible day or night. I’ve had it on two cars and will always have it on every car now.
 

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Laws says you can’t tint windshield or front windows. Generally 70% is light enough to be visible very looked. Regardless of your choice on light transmission (%), ceramic films are what you want for heat (IR) rejection. UV is not cause of heat. Even untinted auto glass can block UV.
Tint laws are per state. UT (where I’m located) allows up to 70% on front windshields. On my Raptor I had 40% and couldn’t tell from inside out but it was dark on the outside looking in. I did end up getting pulled over for the windshield tint, he told me to get it changed out to 70%. No ticket though.
 

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A proper windshield film is invisible day or night. I’ve had it on two cars and will always have it on every car now.
Same. I’ve had 4 vehicles with windshield tint. 70% is essentially invisible. The amount of heat it cuts down is incredible. I will never go without it again.
 

keylooper

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Same. I’ve had 4 vehicles with windshield tint. 70% is essentially invisible. The amount of heat it cuts down is incredible. I will never go without it again.
Agreed! With these vehicles, I feel the same about the roof, that glass is a must to get some ceramic on.
 

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Agreed! With these vehicles, I feel the same about the roof, that glass is a must to get some ceramic on.
The glass is already heavily tinted from the factory. The heat you feel from it is the temperature of the glass itself, bombarded by IR, absorbing that energy and transferring it to surroundings. To really lower its temperature you have to intercept IR before it reaches the glass. One available example is Twraps’ protection film that goes on the exterior of the roof. A ceramic tint on the interior side might impede energy from being transferred to cabin air, but not as effective as mitigating IR exposure on the exterior side.

In a car with conventional sunroof, if you open only the retractable shade and leave the glass roof closed, you’d feel the same heat radiating from it.

https://twraps.com/products/windshi...m-rock-chips-uv-ir-defense-for-rivian-r1s-r1t
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