Window Tinting On The Ram

[djevox]

How close can you get the strip on the windshield to the rearview mirror area without interfering with the light/rain sensors?

That’s not an issue, because you would tint around it.

 

[Kenny4]

How close can you get the strip on the windshield to the rearview mirror area without interfering with the light/rain sensors?

That's a good question---Also with the strip or full windshield tint, do they have to remove the rear view mirror?

 

[Mountain Whiskey]

I did a 35% ceramic. It has a high UV block rating. Ask your local shops about that. If you have pre-cancer melanomas I would be more concerned with UV than darkness. They don't run congruent.

 

[cevans6318]

screw what the law is. I have multiple vehicles and all have 5% suntek tint all around (except the windshield). Couldn't be happier. Just a bi*ch at night to see out the sides

 

[Runagun]

If you have a sunroof. I'd recommend also doing the sunroof @ 5 percent. You'd never have to close the screen again. I think I did 35 front 50 rear. And 20 windshield. All ceramic. Makes a huge difference.

 

[BNeal]

I tinted every window in my truck, including sun roof and windshield using ceramic. Huge difference! One thing to keep in mind, is, even though the rear windows are tinted from the factory, they provide no heat deflection - they are simply colored glass.

 

[Shots]

I seem to get an awful lot of direct sun through my drivers side window. I have some pre-cancer stuff on my arms from construction work through the years. Am thinking of doing one of the higher level UV blocking tints. Would like some feedback, ( pros/cons ) from those of you who have done this. .....

Most people who get tint are doing it for the same two reasons. They like the way it looks and/or they want the privacy. UV protection is a bonus. If that weren't the case, people would be applying legal tint.
That said, if you're solely concerned with UV protection for your arms you can get 70 - 80 % tint that blocks 99% of the UV light. → LINK HERE
To give you an idea of how "dark" that is, most factory windows already have 70% tint, which looks basically clear. Your windows will have a small label etched onto it. You'll notice on the bottom of my Jeep's label it lists 70% transparency. I haven't looked to see what the Ram say, but this is common.

I was running with 5% tint at that time. It was already installed on the (used) vehicle when I bought it. ..... I didn't even like it that dark.

You can't really get noticeably darker than 5% without it being opaque. What do you consider "dark" if you didn't think it was that dark?

I figure the only cops that will care about illegal tint are the Idaho State Bulls. If I get pulled over by one, I'll do my best to hide them. If he cites me, I'll pay the fine.

They'll do it here in Ohio too. I've gotten 2 tickets in my life. One was a parking ticket (meter expired) and one was for window tint. I had 35% and legal limit here in Ohio is 50%.

There's nothing worse than cops pulling people over for petty crap like that. I've been driving in CDA since I was 16 and I have probably been pulled over a dozen times or more and I've only been cited one time and that was by an Idaho State Bull.

Hopefully with all of the "defund the police" campaigns running rampant in this country, police departments decide to eliminate these type of patrols.

Not likely. If the police aren't going to enforce a law, why have the law to begin with? I'm not going down that political rabbit whole though.
But speaking of "petty" violations, that's how bigger offenses are found. I can assure you, if someone steals your truck, the most likely scenario for it being recovered is out of a "petty" violation. Most cops don't run every license plate they see, so unless they're looking for that specific stolen vehicle it's going to go unnoticed until they run the plate for some other reason.
This may be beyond some members age here, but Timothy McVeigh (Oklahoma City bomber) was caught as a result of a petty traffic stop. He killed 168 and injured hundreds more, and he was caught because his truck didn't have a visible plate on it. Very minor offense, and you catch a mass murderer. Just sayin.


Back to tint.
OP, as I mentioned most people get tint for looks and privacy, with a bonus of UV protection. I also want those things, but I want protection too. That same company that makes the tint I linked makes security film too. I have that on my truck. It cost a bit more, but it's nice knowing that people can't see into the truck real well, but even if they try to smash a window they're not going to have an easy go of it.

My tint is 40% front 5% rear. Those are tested values on the window so that includes the stock tint. IIRC the film was 50 and 20. I have nothing extra on the windshield.

 

[c3k]

I have all the glass tinted (including windshield) with ceramic. Outstanding. I'm in NC, and it made a huge difference with my black leather interior this summer. I would not hesitate to do it again. All glass ran $500.

 

[brian42]

That's a good question---Also with the strip or full windshield tint, do they have to remove the rear view mirror?

My installer didn't need to remove the mirror. I don't know if it's a judgement call on the installer's part or if that's standard practice.

In my youth I spent some time in Orlando and had 5% all around in my standard cab Toyota pickup and, while that was great during the Florida sun, it sucked in the dark. I would have to roll my window down to see the median when I was making a turn and that was back when I had 20/20 vision and my eyes were only 24 years old.

Privacy was not big on my list (with factory 20% on everything in the back of the cab that was enough privacy for me). My two biggest priorities were the sun beating on me (I drive north in the afternoon commuting home from work) and getting a ticket (I'm too old to roll the windows down every time I see law enforcement plus there's no way my wife is going to buy off on more tint when I knowingly installed "illegal" tint to start with ). Not to mention I drive 20K+ miles a year so wanted a comfortable cab overall especially since my A/C is not the greatest to boot.

I only wanted to do this once so was leaning ceramic but ended up going with 3M Crystalline tint instead (don't be mislead, no matter what the shop tells you Crystalline is not ceramic). The specs are comparable to ceramic - some are a little better or worse depending on what you are looking for but everything is very close. What tipped me over the edge was the clarity. Everything I'd read talks about how clear it is (no distortion). I know tint isn't going to look like a funhouse mirror but I hate any kind of distortion through my windows (I'm just a little OCD).

I ended up getting 3M Crystalline on all my windows:

Rear window - 70% (all 3 pieces as I have the slider)

Rear doors - 70%

Front doors - 50%

Windshield - 70%

I initially went 50% on the front doors so that my windshield didn't look tinted but I'm glad I did. From the inside it almost doesn't look tinted.

I know that's a "little" outside the CVC (California Vehicle Code) but with what everybody else is doing you have to take a good look to tell I'm outside "code".

Pros:
- H-U-G-E difference in cabin temp. Not only can my A/C keep up but I don't feel the sun beating down on me. I still feel some warmth but I don't feel like I'm cooking in the sunlight any more. Every time I drive my wife's truck I realize just how great my tint really is.

- Clarity. While I wanted ceramic I wanted clear vision all around. Regardless of how good that might have been with ceramic I went with the best chance for undistorted vision and I wasn't disappointed. I had to really inspect the back windows to make sure they put tint on them. I see why many put Crystalline on the windshield regardless of what they put on the windows.

Cons:
- Lighter wallet

- The headlights come on a tad earlier and turn off a smidge later in AUTO mode.

- Very small concern that Johnny Law might cite me.

I paid $1300 out the door (tint+labor+tax). While that is on the higher end, it was worth it to me. I did get everything tinted (windshield is a big price bump) from one of the best shops around (did an excellent job) and have a lifetime 3M warranty. If I have any issues I can take it to any authorized 3M installer to have it fixed as long as I own the truck.

Before and after:



Some installers won't do the windshield due to the warning about the electronics under the dash but mine had no problem taking my money and tinting the whole windshield:

 

[Idahoktm]

Most people who get tint are doing it for the same two reasons. They like the way it looks and/or they want the privacy. UV protection is a bonus. If that weren't the case, people would be applying legal tint.
That said, if you're solely concerned with UV protection for your arms you can get 70 - 80 % tint that blocks 99% of the UV light. → LINK HERE
To give you an idea of how "dark" that is, most factory windows already have 70% tint, which looks basically clear. Your windows will have a small label etched onto it. You'll notice on the bottom of my Jeep's label it lists 70% transparency. I haven't looked to see what the Ram say, but this is common.
View attachment 110888


You can't really get noticeably darker than 5% without it being opaque. What do you consider "dark" if you didn't think it was that dark?


They'll do it here in Ohio too. I've gotten 2 tickets in my life. One was a parking ticket (meter expired) and one was for window tint. I had 35% and legal limit here in Ohio is 50%.


Not likely. If the police aren't going to enforce a law, why have the law to begin with? I'm not going down that political rabbit whole though.
But speaking of "petty" violations, that's how bigger offenses are found. I can assure you, if someone steals your truck, the most likely scenario for it being recovered is out of a "petty" violation. Most cops don't run every license plate they see, so unless they're looking for that specific stolen vehicle it's going to go unnoticed until they run the plate for some other reason.
This may be beyond some members age here, but Timothy McVeigh (Oklahoma City bomber) was caught as a result of a petty traffic stop. He killed 168 and injured hundreds more, and he was caught because his truck didn't have a visible plate on it. Very minor offense, and you catch a mass murderer. Just sayin.


Back to tint.
OP, as I mentioned most people get tint for looks and privacy, with a bonus of UV protection. I also want those things, but I want protection too. That same company that makes the tint I linked makes security film too. I have that on my truck. It cost a bit more, but it's nice knowing that people can't see into the truck real well, but even if they try to smash a window they're not going to have an easy go of it.

My tint is 40% front 5% rear. Those are tested values on the window so that includes the stock tint. IIRC the film was 50 and 20. I have nothing extra on the windshield.
View attachment 110891

Re-read what Mikeru82 said. He said he didn't even like it that dark.

Concerning my post about cops not pulling people over for minor infractions. It's very likely because it's already happening.

Why Philadelphia has banned low-level traffic stops

City councilmember Isaiah Thomas, who spearheaded the new legislation, says the new rule was inspired in part by his own experiences with police as a Black man.

www.npr.org

 

[Shots]

Re-read what Mikeru82 said. He said he didn't even like it that dark.

Oh, that makes more sense. Sorry, hadn't had my coffee yet I guess.

 

[Shots]

Concerning my post about cops not pulling people over for minor infractions. It's very likely because it's already happening.

Why Philadelphia has banned low-level traffic stops

City councilmember Isaiah Thomas, who spearheaded the new legislation, says the new rule was inspired in part by his own experiences with police as a Black man.

www.npr.org

I heard that too and it's stupid (just my opinion). If something is illegal you can be stopped for it even if it's very minor and a pretext for something bigger (the United States Supreme Court has ruled on this). Quite simply, it's either illegal or not. If they don't want police stopping someone for driving 35 mph in a 25 zone, raise the speed limit to 35. Either 35 is dangerous or not. If the limit is 25 and you can be stopped.

They cite racism as the reason for this and say minority drivers are more likely to be stopped for a minor violation than white drivers. Well that's because there are less white people in Phili than other races so of course they're more likely to be stopped.
A study by the Philadelphia Research Initiative issued in 2011 (Reference link) showed 562,585 white people made up the population of 1,526,006. Keep in mind this is a 10 year old study, and at the time the white population was declining. If that trend continued they're likely less than 36.9% of the population that they were at the time. That makes me wonder if they constituted more than 37% of the traffic stops for minor offenses? If not, aren't they being racially targeted? After all the number of stops should closely resemble your population. Therefore, it's logical that minority drivers were more likely to be stopped, because minorities are the majority in the area.
You have 100 marbles 60 green and 40 red. You put 10 in a in a bag, 7 red marbles, 3 green. You are more likely to pull a red marble out of the bag because the population of that bag isn't the same as the total that you have. That doesn't make you racist against red or imply that you're targeting red. It's just a statistical probability.

 

[Shots]

So again, back to tint. @brian42, I haven't heard of this crystalline tint. So you're saying it's clearer? I've only ever noticed "distortion" when wearing polarized lenses, does this not happen with that?

 

[Idahoktm]

I heard that too and it's stupid (just my opinion). If something is illegal you can be stopped for it even if it's very minor and a pretext for something bigger (the United States Supreme Court has ruled on this). Quite simply, it's either illegal or not. If they don't want police stopping someone for driving 35 mph in a 25 zone, raise the speed limit to 35. Either 35 is dangerous or not. If the limit is 25 and you can be stopped.

They cite racism as the reason for this and say minority drivers are more likely to be stopped for a minor violation than white drivers. Well that's because there are less white people in Phili than other races so of course they're more likely to be stopped.
A study by the Philadelphia Research Initiative issued in 2011 (Reference link) showed 562,585 white people made up the population of 1,526,006. Keep in mind this is a 10 year old study, and at the time the white population was declining. If that trend continued they're likely less than 36.9% of the population that they were at the time. That makes me wonder if they constituted more than 37% of the traffic stops for minor offenses? If not, aren't they being racially targeted? After all the number of stops should closely resemble your population. Therefore, it's logical that minority drivers were more likely to be stopped, because minorities are the majority in the area.
You have 100 marbles 60 green and 40 red. You put 10 in a in a bag, 7 red marbles, 3 green. You are more likely to pull a red marble out of the bag because the population of that bag isn't the same as the total that you have. That doesn't make you racist against red or imply that you're targeting red. It's just a statistical probability.

It is stupid, but so are the rest of the woke reactions. It looks like this legislation will result in something positive for the rest of the population. (cops not pulling you over for a burned out taillight, not wearing your seat belt, etc).

 

[brian42]

So again, back to tint. @brian42, I haven't heard of this crystalline tint. So you're saying it's clearer? I've only ever noticed "distortion" when wearing polarized lenses, does this not happen with that?

It does not.

I get some of the “polar rainbow” on my 8.4” screen in the dash but nothing on the tint. Vision is crystal clear through all windows.

 

[Kenny4]

Has anyone had any experience with " Rayno Window Film ". The closest shop to me uses that product. They told me that their " S-9 " top level of ceramic has the same UV and heat blocking in all 5 shades, ( 5-70 ). Does that sound correct that the shade doesn't have anything to do with UV/heat.

 

[totalsource]

Hi, my tint guy won’t tint the sunroof, says it will shatter? Is there any truth to that?

 

[Ellisstrong]

Hi, my tint guy won’t tint the sunroof, says it will shatter? Is there any truth to that?

Plenty of people have theirs tinted with no issues including me but I only did 70% ceramic as I still want to get light through mine

 

[brenan00]

Xpel prime 70 front 35 fronts and 20 for the backs, no pano. In Hawai'i it really helps. Will it in Arizona? Moving in two years.

 

[Shots]

It does not.

I get some of the “polar rainbow” on my 8.4” screen in the dash but nothing on the tint. Vision is crystal clear through all windows.

Interesting. Polar rainbow is a better description than distortion, and more accurately describes how it looks through a polarized lens. It's not bad through my tint and kind of depends on where the sun is. I'd say radios and phones look far worse than the tint, but with the right angle I do get a little through the windows.
I guess if I ever decide to do the windshield, I'll use crystalline.

Has anyone had any experience with " Rayno Window Film ". The closest shop to me uses that product. They told me that their " S-9 " top level of ceramic has the same UV and heat blocking in all 5 shades, ( 5-70 ). Does that sound correct that the shade doesn't have anything to do with UV/heat.

Yes that is correct. The film I use has the same UV and heat protection regardless of VLT (Visible Light Transmission). With quality films you can get the same protection without obscuring vision if you want to.

Hi, my tint guy won’t tint the sunroof, says it will shatter? Is there any truth to that?

Yes there is some truth to this, but technically it can happen with any window. If heat isn't evenly dissipating through the glass it could build up on one side of the glass or the other (inside/outside). In some cases this differential is enough to fracture the glass.
Essentially what happens is one side get hot and it expands. The other side doesn't get quite as hot so it expands less. With one side expanding more than the other it creates an uneven force on the glass and it shatters. This isn't so much an issue of the film preventing expansion, because we're talking very minor movement, and the vinyl is more flexible than glass anyway. What tint contributes to this issue is that it reflects the heat back, and in some cases that causes the glass to heat unevenly. Think of it like sitting by the pool and the water reflects the sun at you. One arm in only sunlight gets tanned, while the arm in sunlight and reflection gets burnt.

So yes, this could happen. But as noted it can happen on any window. Here's a quick story.
There were some reservists at the base for drill one week. They all parked in the area we call the bullpen. About 3 days in one of the cars looked like it had been broken into because the rear window was shattered, and the majority of the glass was inside the car. Nothing was missing so we start thinking maybe it was vandalized. After checking video footage, nobody ever approached the car, and nothing was thrown into it. It was a sunny summer day and he did have tint.
Several other cars around his also had tint, and their windows didn't break so it's kind of a random thing.
I assume it depends on the angle at which the glass is being heated, the age of the glass, the type of film used and probably a million other little things. A perfect storm if you will. So yes, your sunroof could break, but I've tinted mine on multiple vehicles without issues.