Mister 4x4
Active Member
I absolutely love the look of tinted windows on vehicles - the darker, the better... from the outside, that is. My first car ('82 Mustang) was tinted to 5% all the way around including the eyebrow, and even though I got used to it eventually, I hated backing that thing up at night. I kind of almost hit a runner at night because I didn't see him (Does a bump count? He kept going. But in all fairness, he was in the wrong because he had no reflective gear and kept running across the street despite no crosswalk... on an Air Force base at that. I guess we'll call it a draw since nobody got hurt - LOL!). Anything and everything with a light would reflect off the inside, which also hurts outward visibility at night, and takes some getting used to. Fortunately, there weren't nearly as many electronics in those older cars.
All of my cars have been tinted since the Mustang in the '80s, and never had issues with safety inspections - most have been 35% on side windows, which does the job during the day, and doesn't hamper outward vision at night. I've given up on eyebrows - seen too many of them installed 'crooked,' and they don't help any better than the factory fade tint, even though it stays when the factory fade goes away after awhile. I'm also pretty picky about it because after giving up more than half a paycheck (as an E-2 back in '88) for my Mustang's limo tint, I learned how to do it myself and have probably done more than 150 cars for friends along the way. There's no easy way to avoid the interior getting wet in places, which can be an issue with so many more electronics in cars these days.
I've never seen anyone stick with having their entire windshield done before, either. First of all, it's illegal on a Federal level, and as the active life of the tint starts having issues (most people forget not to use ammonia-based glass cleaners, which destroys the film), it loses adhesion, with veins and bubbles starting to form - there goes your forward visibility (which is kind of important).
My '21 came with factory 20% all-around, which I'm really liking so far. There's a little more reflectivity from the interior electronics at night, but it's not horrible.
Good luck to all, enjoy what you've got and are able to get away with as long as you're happy with it. I'm waiting for the day when 'transition lens' technology finally makes it to the automotive world, affordably, of course.
All of my cars have been tinted since the Mustang in the '80s, and never had issues with safety inspections - most have been 35% on side windows, which does the job during the day, and doesn't hamper outward vision at night. I've given up on eyebrows - seen too many of them installed 'crooked,' and they don't help any better than the factory fade tint, even though it stays when the factory fade goes away after awhile. I'm also pretty picky about it because after giving up more than half a paycheck (as an E-2 back in '88) for my Mustang's limo tint, I learned how to do it myself and have probably done more than 150 cars for friends along the way. There's no easy way to avoid the interior getting wet in places, which can be an issue with so many more electronics in cars these days.
I've never seen anyone stick with having their entire windshield done before, either. First of all, it's illegal on a Federal level, and as the active life of the tint starts having issues (most people forget not to use ammonia-based glass cleaners, which destroys the film), it loses adhesion, with veins and bubbles starting to form - there goes your forward visibility (which is kind of important).
My '21 came with factory 20% all-around, which I'm really liking so far. There's a little more reflectivity from the interior electronics at night, but it's not horrible.
Good luck to all, enjoy what you've got and are able to get away with as long as you're happy with it. I'm waiting for the day when 'transition lens' technology finally makes it to the automotive world, affordably, of course.
