mbsigman

Hi all.

Had my airport car's windows tinted today. They used a ceramic film, and I don't like very dark tint so the tinting film used was pretty, well, light.

They asked if I wanted the windshield tinted. Didn't want to spend the money today, but I was curious about having this done on my Vette.

07 3LT with a 2011 4LT dash with HUD installed. Has anyone used a light ceramic tint on your windshield? Like/dislike? Any visual distortions, gps or other electronic issues? Can you see the HUD on the windshield with the tint in place?

How do you apply recurrent windshield decals (in Texas, this means inspection and registration)? When scraping off the old decals, wouldn't this remove the tint as well? Or do you have a separate untinted "box" on the lower left corner of your windshield for the decals?

Thanks

Mike

wayback

Tinted windshields are illegal in Tx. Don't do it.

psp6158

Your windshield is tinted 70% from the factory,tinting a windshield is dangerous and like the gentleman above said its illegal...

bucwheat

It's illegal most everywhere.

M Kurz

You can get an "eyebrow" tint on your windshield, but do not go below the small horizontal line on the left top of the glass. In my state, Delaware, the inspector will turn a small flashlight on the VIN to check it then immediately look at the tint on the top to insure it's above the line.
If the tint is below the line you have two choices,1.- rip or cut it off right there or 2.- fail the inspection to come back at a later time. If you choose the latter, I can guarantee you will not get a 1/2 mile before you will be pulled over and fined. The revenue enhancement personnel are all working together and this is easy money.

Don-Vette

Safety First! ! I would never tint the windshield, it's hard enough to look for all the idiots on the road.

23/C8Z

sun glasses lol

GM TECH

Yes

Like

None

No HUD in my 1LT GS. Can't say.

My installer left a rectangle open where the state safety inspection sticker is applied. My tint is a ceramic film specifically designed for windshields and is designed to reduce UV damage and help keep the interior cooler. This is legal film in most states since it does not hamper visibility.

Cheers - Major Boyd

mbsigman

Thanks everyone.

Mike

j_digi454

I just had it installed on my wife's car as it is outdoors a lot. It was designed for windshields and is 80% light transmittance and does limit UV 99.5% which protects the interior. It is legal here in NC for windshields, anything 70% light transmittance and above is legal. It is light enough that you don't even realize it's been installed.

I was told the it is not recommended with heads-up display vehicles.

Tbong

I have always used the dark Vinyl tint for the front upper edge. Used Dawn and water to put it on. from the outside it looks like regular dark tint. From the inside its like looking through orange peel. But I only wanted it a few inches below the " legal line" on the windshield.

I could always peel it off if stopped but SC does not seem to care much about Window tint. I run 22% all around three. and about 5" of the very dark vinyl on the upper edge of the shield

bumpin96monte

I've done this on two of my cars- on my Grand Prix and my Corvette. Very happy with both.

With the Grand Prix, I went with normal tint film somewhere in the 50% range (and 5% on all the other windows). Seemed like a good compromise since it really doesn't even look tinted when you're looking from the inside out.

On the Vette, I ended up going with 3M's ceramic film for the windshield (and regular tint on the rest of the car). I don't remember the tint % on the windshield, but it was very light (I thought somewhere in the 70-80% range). Heat rejection numbers from the manufacturer were similar to 5% normal tint. I have to say, I was certainly impressed. It did a far better job of keeping the interior cool than the 50% on my Grand Prix. HUD looked just fine IMO.

Downside is on my normal commute there are a higher than usual amount of rocks/gravel on the highway due to some local industries and their truck routes. So after 6 months, I cracked the windshield on the Vette. Insurance covered the replacement for free no problem, but wouldn't cover the tint because it was an aftermarket add-on. Because the windshield tint cost nearly what the other 3 windows cost put together, I opted to go for one of those nice fitting sunvisors with the Corvette logo instead of paying for tint + extra insurance.


I do find it somewhat amusing that some people are so concerned with the legality of it especially seeing some of the other mod threads on these forums (long tube headers with no cats, tail light blackouts, running non-street legal tires on the street, etc etc). Even just talking window tint alone, I bet there are numerous members on here that exceed their state's legal limit on the side windows...

4SUMERZ

but so true

mbsigman

I found the following information on the Texas DPS website, quoting the Texas Administrative Code, Title 37, Part 1, Rule 21.3:

Sunscreening devices can be applied to the windshield if all of the conditions below are met.

Sunscreening devices must be applied above the AS-1 line. If there is no AS-1 line, sunscreening devices must end five inches below the top of the windshield.
Sunscreening devices may not be red, amber, or blue in color.
Sunscreening devices, when measured in combination with the original glass, must have a light transmittance value of 25% or more.
Sunscreening devices, when measured in combination with the original glass, must have a luminous reflectance value of 25% or less.

A clear (un-tinted) UV film is allowed anywhere on the front windshield without a medical exemption being required.

unixcorn

I am on the fence about windshield tinting. What would keep me from doing it in my C6 is replacement interval. I have had three C6's and have had to put windshields in two of them because of thrown rocks and breakage. I just can't see spending the money on tinting knowing that another windshield is in the near future.

j_digi454

This is exactly the tint installed on the windshield of my wife's car that I mentioned above.