Window Tinting % Level Preferences

[connoisseurr]

What is the recommendation for the front windshield if you want to avoid any chance of haze? Also, I was told there is some distortion if you tint the front windshield and use polarized sunglasses -is there any way to avoid this as well? Thanks

High-performance ceramics like Llumar IRX, F1 Pinnacle and even 3M Ceramic IR work great for windshields. You can get a near clear installation with all these films. Distortion comes from an installer's lack of skill - either too much heat or debris under the film. Also consider a double layer ceramic film like F1 Stratos or Llumar NXT for windshields only. These films can produce a slight haze effect during sunny conditions, but I’ve only experienced it on the door window glass.

My R1T has Pinnacle 50 on the windshield, Pinnacle 25 on the front doors, and AIR 80 on the rear glass. The performance is great, and much better than my Model Y performance, which had 3M Ceramic IR (50 Windshield, 25 front doors, 70 all rear glass), until I swapped the windshield for 3M Crystalline 50. Crystalline does a much better job with regards to heat rejection. The only downside is the color Crystalline produces is dissatisfactory to me (usually makes auto glass brown or green in the lighter film shades).

EDIT: I was dissatisfied with the 3M product overall and changed my MYP to F1 Stratos on the windshield, F1 Pinnacle for the front two doors, and Llumar AIR 80 for all rear glass. The performance, visibility and color are far superior to 3M products.

Nonetheless, F1 Stratos is probably the highest performing choice, right behind Spectra Photosync, for a windshield, with regards to clarity and heat rejection. It does come with a slightly higher price tag, when compared to other Llumar and 3M films.

Regarding the comments about polarized sunglasses... I've had dozens of people on Reddit ask me for pictures as to what it looks like. It's simply not that easy... Everyone will have a different experience with polarized sunglasses. Many factors at play will produce a unique result to all passengers:

• Film manufacturer and specific film run (minimal tolerance differences)
• Polarized lens manufacturer and specific manufacturer run (again, tolerances; plus curvature and color of lenses)
• Height of driver's view on the windshield (angle of attack on the tinted windshield)
• Time of day & level of sunlight impacting the windshield

Short answer is, it varies. I've never had a situation where I couldn't use polarized sunglasses or window film due to a visibility or clarity issue. All you will get is a minor color distortion and even rainbow effects.

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[R2D2]

Here’s a Reddit thread I started for a Model Y group. Give it a read - it has a ton of great info. The thread has a photo gallery, which includes some photos of my Rivian.

https://www.reddit.com/r/TeslaModelY/comments/11qgyvh/all_things_window_tint/

I highly recommend FormulaOne Pinnacle 25 for the front two doors, and Llumar AIR 80 for all rear glass. This gives you a 1-2% difference between front and rear. You can substitute Pinnacle 25 for Llumar IRX 25. FormulaOne is a product line under Llumar, and Pinnacle and IRX are nearly identical film formulas (if not exact same)

I also opted for Pinnacle 50 on the windshield. With Ocean Coast interior, the cabin doesn’t look too dark at all.

Based on your recommendations I opted for Llumar air 80 for the windshield back windows and rear windows, nobody in AZ has Air 90 and Llumar IRX 50 for the front windows and I couldn’t be happier it makes a huge difference in cabin temperature.

 

[Mark_AZR1T]

(repeat on polarized, but I'd like some solid feedback)

This thread is very helpful, thank you. I've not tinted my windshield on the R1T, but probably will on the R1S next month (wifes car and she doesn't wear polarized sunglasses). For me, I wear polarized sunglasses (Maui Jims) anytime there is sunlight out and I cannot tolerate any banding at all from tint and have yet to sit in any vehicle where I cannot see any banding (refractive shifting) without it being a significant bother to me.

Does anyone wear polarized sunglasses often and have ZERO banding when looking throught a tinted windshield? I'm in the desert, so it would be great to find a film for the windshield that doesn't have any of the banding. Don't care if it is tinted per se', just a solid IR reduction for the AZ sunlight.

 

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

I haven't tinted a car window since my beaters from the 1970's. Rivian stock tint is fine (plus my state has very restrictive tint laws). I assume if I lived somewhere sunnier (or parked in the sun more often) I'd be looking at upgrade options, sunshades, etc.

 

[connoisseurr]

(repeat on polarized, but I'd like some solid feedback)

This thread is very helpful, thank you. I've not tinted my windshield on the R1T, but probably will on the R1S next month (wifes car and she doesn't wear polarized sunglasses). For me, I wear polarized sunglasses (Maui Jims) anytime there is sunlight out and I cannot tolerate any banding at all from tint and have yet to sit in any vehicle where I cannot see any banding (refractive shifting) without it being a significant bother to me.

Does anyone wear polarized sunglasses often and have ZERO banding when looking throught a tinted windshield? I'm in the desert, so it would be great to find a film for the windshield that doesn't have any of the banding. Don't care if it is tinted per se', just a solid IR reduction for the AZ sunlight.

The only way you can accept a comment from someone who experiences ZERO color distortions (rainbow effect), must have identical tint, identical polarized sunglasses, and must be the same viewing height and angle from the windshield.

We have a MYP with Crystalline 50, and R1T with Pinnacle 50 on windshields. Spouse and I have sunglasses with ZEISS polarized lenses, and experience minimal to no color distortions on our windshields, most of the time. I experience none on the Pinnacle 50 windshield, but get some color distortion on the Crystalline 50 during partly sunny days, when the sun is high center, with my ZEISS pioneer (green/gray) lenses. I get no distortion with my ZEISS brown lenses.

Spouse gets near zero distortion on the Pinnacle 50 with her ZEISS grey lenses. None in the Crystalline 50. Totally different experiences.

My recommendation would be to find a few tint shops that sell reputable films, and ask if there are any employee or customer vehicles with windshield tint you can examine with your polarized sunglasses. While results can differ between another vehicle’s application and either of your R1S, you’ll get a general idea as to what you may experience.

 

[rivian_dad]

Here’s a Reddit thread I started for a Model Y group. Give it a read - it has a ton of great info. The thread has a photo gallery, which includes some photos of my Rivian.

https://www.reddit.com/r/TeslaModelY/comments/11qgyvh/all_things_window_tint/

I highly recommend FormulaOne Pinnacle 25 for the front two doors, and Llumar AIR 80 for all rear glass. This gives you a 1-2% difference between front and rear. You can substitute Pinnacle 25 for Llumar IRX 25. FormulaOne is a product line under Llumar, and Pinnacle and IRX are nearly identical film formulas (if not exact same)

I also opted for Pinnacle 50 on the windshield. With Ocean Coast interior, the cabin doesn’t look too dark at all.

Just wanted to say thanks for sharing this info. I just got IRX25 on fronts and air80 on rest including the windshield and sunroof. Very happy with how it turned out. I paid $850 for all windows including windshield and another $350 for sunroof in Chicago suburbs.
I also had them delete the chrome strip along the top and think it makes a big difference.

 

[jayazusa]

(repeat on polarized, but I'd like some solid feedback)

This thread is very helpful, thank you. I've not tinted my windshield on the R1T, but probably will on the R1S next month (wifes car and she doesn't wear polarized sunglasses). For me, I wear polarized sunglasses (Maui Jims) anytime there is sunlight out and I cannot tolerate any banding at all from tint and have yet to sit in any vehicle where I cannot see any banding (refractive shifting) without it being a significant bother to me.

Does anyone wear polarized sunglasses often and have ZERO banding when looking throught a tinted windshield? I'm in the desert, so it would be great to find a film for the windshield that doesn't have any of the banding. Don't care if it is tinted per se', just a solid IR reduction for the AZ sunlight.

I wear Maui Jim and Oakley Polarized Sunglasses and have two vehicles with tinted windshields and have no issues at all in either. I used the 3M Crystalline Window Film both are 50%, last years Tesla windshield was 70% and no issues with that either.

 

[connoisseurr]

Just wanted to say thanks for sharing this info. I just got IRX25 on fronts and air80 on rest including the windshield and sunroof. Very happy with how it turned out. I paid $850 for all windows including windshield and another $350 for sunroof in Chicago suburbs.
I also had them delete the chrome strip along the top and think it makes a big difference.

Awesome! Looks great.

IRX and Pinnacle are still outperforming many of the other brands I’ve used and tested. I have 3M Ceramic IR and Crystalline another shot on our Model Y this summer, but I will be removing and replacing with Llumar products.

 

[SwaziCAR]

If you want a quick deep-dive on window film, here's a Reddit article I dropped on the r/TeslaModelY subreddit, because every day, there's roughly 2-3 posts for window tint questions.

Thanks for this link--it's very helpful.

Question: Your article suggests getting all windows and windshield tinted in order to justify the added cost of ceramic film if the primary goal is heat rejection. In Oregon, as I understand it, only the top six inches of the windshield can be tinted. In that situation, what do you recommend? Cover what you can? Don't bother? Go with something cheaper?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

 

[citizen]

Thanks for this link--it's very helpful.

Question: Your article suggests getting all windows and windshield tinted in order to justify the added cost of ceramic film if the primary goal is heat rejection. In Oregon, as I understand it, only the top six inches of the windshield can be tinted. In that situation, what do you recommend? Cover what you can? Don't bother? Go with something cheaper?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

If you go with Air80 or any light enough tint, it won't matter. Cops won't be able to tell. You aren't trying to tint your front for privacy, you are trying to tint for heat rejection. I went with 3M CIR 70 for the windshield. It's practically clear.

 

[SwaziCAR]

If you go with Air80 or any light enough tint, it won't matter. Cops won't be able to tell. You aren't trying to tint your front for privacy, you are trying to tint for heat rejection. I went with 3M CIR 70 for the windshield. It's practically clear.

In case this is helpful for other Oregonians: Even "clear" film like Air 80 on the full windshield generally is illegal in Oregon and (I'll use the word) reputable tint shops won't install it without a doctor's note.

 

[irvineboy]

I did the exact same tint percentages on the same exact windows with STEK NEX Series.

Thanks for pointing that out with the rears. I keep saying the rears are privacy glass and not tinted (although it's commonly referred to as "factory tint"). In other words, they are dark and provide some privacy, but I don't think there is a film one can peel back and reveal clear glass. I imagine there is a dye or something inside the glass that darkens it. I also imagine there is some heat rejection, but nowhere near the amount one would get with tint.

So if looks are the main concern and not heat rejection, one can skip tinting the rears and save even more money by skipping ceramic films. But if heat rejection is a concern, I think the benefit would be very limited from tinting the front windows only, but not the rears. I also think 70% on the windshield, which is pretty clear, can make a lot of difference in terms of heat rejection.

Discuss with your local installer of course to figure out what's best for your situation and preferences.

EDIT - adding a pic below of my truck for reference. 70% rears over the privacy glass and 35% front (33% is the legal limit in Arizona). The rears are still a bit darker.

Thank you for the pictures. I am trying to match the rears with the front. On the rear windows and the front windshield, I am debating between 3m Crystalline 70 or 60. I have never seen pictures of 60 before so if anyone has them, please let me know how they look. I don’t know if 70 makes the rear windows slightly darker or if they just are clear. If you did 35 in the front with 70 in the rear, and they don’t match the rear, that means I probably need a 15-20 in the front to match the rear windows?

 

[Twitter Fingers]

IRX 50% rear & windshield
IRX 15% fronts

 

[kizamybute']

Old thread I know. First time seeing it. Figured I'd share my opinion.

I'm one that wants to be able to see out. Used to like dark tint, but realized that at night, even with backup lights it was impossible to see out the rear with anything over 35%.

Tinted driver and front passenger door windows are illegal in most states, but most still do it. I limit those to 35% to not be to obvious, but also for the same reason, want to be able to see out of them.

So, for me personally, for the past 15+ years, go with 35% on the front driver and passenger door and the rear window then go with 20% on the rear doors. From the outside, the darker rear windows helps make the front and rear windows appear darker and reasonably consistent with each other for a uniform look. At the same time, I can still see out of my windows at night.

Been 25+ years since I've gone with 5% limo tint on any car. Did it as a kid as that was the cool thing to do, but made it impossible to see anything.

 

[irvineboy]

Rears measure around 21-22%. I matched my front windows to the rear with SunTek CIR ceramic (22%) and did the windshield in the same film but 60%

If I put Crystalline 70% on the rear, will it still measure 20% or will it be slightly darker?

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