I realize this is an extremely vague Autopian Asks, but if there’s anything I’ve learned during the process of tinting my 2021 BMW i3S Rex Giga World it’s that everyone has an opinion on tint. Do you like the way it looks? How much tint is too much tint? Is ceramic worth it? Do you stay within legal limits? Do you have trouble seeing at night? Is it going to gain you appreciable EV range? Anyway, let’s get into it.
I recently got my BMW i3S tinted, and if I’m honest, I didn’t want to, I sort of had to. The truth is that driving in LA with a car that has untinted windows is true misery, and I found myself regularly having to put my left hand up near my door glass to block the sun from burning my face. (It doesn’t help that the i3’s sun visor does not telescope!). Not only that, but I had to crank on the air conditioning when it really wasn’t even that hot outside, it was just the radiative heat transfer toasting me. The result was reduced range.
Of course, AC compressors don’t really use up that much range when compared to a heater, but between the efficiency drop and the comfort compromises, it was clear to me that tintlessness was jut not gonna work. That’s a shame, because I don’t like the way tint looks on a car.
Have a look at my BMW i3S before the tint, and you’ll see that glass was a prominent element of its design. Look at how that raer window is squeezed at the rear, but expands forward into a tall second-row window, which rises up to join the front glass. There’s just so much of it, and it is a clearly well thought-out element of the car’s design:
I think, especially on the models that have body-colored roof trim, the glass looks amazing:
But tinting glass essentially removes it in the eyes of the viewer. It’s no longer glass, visually speaking.
My car’s tint is fairly modest, but you can imagine how a darker-tinted car would look no different than if you’d replaced the glass with a piece of black-painted sheetmetal:
Glass is a beautiful thing, and to essentially hide it by tinting it, I think, is actually a step backwards in some cases. I think the best example of this is cars with tall greenhouses — boxy off-road vehicles in particular. I’ve written about this before:
One example I give in that article (aside from the Wrangler shown above) is the Jeep Grand Wagoneer. Look at how gorgeous it looks with its stock glass:
And look at how much of the magic has been lost by essentially turning the glass into black panels:
Anyway, this concept of “glass is beautiful” isn’t a new one in cars or in architecture, but there are practical concerns that sometimes dominate, like in my case.
I could have just slapped some ceramic on there and it likely would have still kept the heat off my face without much tint, but ceramic coating still doesn’t look the same as perfectly clear glass from the outside. What’s more, as someone who wears glasses and doesn’t plan on getting prescription sunglasses, this is a little less straining to my eyes, so I’m quite happy with my decision to go 20% in the rear and what might look like 50% up front but can’t be since it’s not legal. I reckon it protects my interior from sun-damage, as well.
Driving at night isn’t an issue with this modest tint level, I use the AC much less, I feel comfortable, and even though I love the look of glass, I think on the i3S with the black trim it looks OK. I prefer the clear, but it’s not a big deal.
Anyway, tint is a hugely contentious topic, I’ve found while reading up on which levels I should get for my car. So let me know your thoughts in the comments!
I want a dynamic electrochromic tint – one that can go from 0-100% sun blocking opaque with the turn of a dial (programmable down to the window), one that can automatically track the sun and block teh windows recieving the most light and are also polarized to block the most common types of glare.
The condition of the seats in my old WRX tells you all you need to know.
The black seats are purple and the seatbelts created a permanent shadow. No, this wasn’t here in AZ, but in Minnesota.
Get some prescription sunglasses off the internet. They will be at least half the cost of getting them from a brick and mortar store.
I can get a pair online for $100. That’s cheap enough to buy multiple pairs. You kind of need to see….Not to mention UV damages your eyes. You can’t put sunscreen on your eyes but you put it on your arms meanwhile your arms are much less useful when you’re blind…
Good, I’m a sucker for a bargain.
Warby Parker FTW
Or my fave Zenni’s. $32.00 for high quality photo chromatics.
Then you should also pick up a windshield sunblocker and cut it to fit. That will help keep the interior cooler when parked.
I have one! Custom-fit!
Well there ya go!
IDK if we’re allowed to post retailers here, but I usually got with Zenni.
I just did.
David, if you don’t want to spring for prescription sunglasses, at least get some clip-ons or set-overs or something. Otherwise, you may have to deal with cataracts much sooner than you thought you would.
Dark tint on entire windshields is a silly idea. For the rest, it depends.
From my own casual testing I’ve found clear polycarbonate plastic as is used in eyeglasses is very effective at blocking anything below 400nm. As someone who has worked with high powered lasers, including UV lasers for a decade this was kinda important to me. So far, 20 years later no cataracts and retina imaging has shown no problems.
I live in the Great Lakes. Tint comes in handy during winter months when the sun hugs the southern horizon, especially when you’re driving westerly and the sun is roasting the left side of your face, while the right side is frozen.
But in the summer, most of our misery comes from humidity, not sun load. Tint might help a little, but not much.
The thing about tint is, if it’s enough tint to do any good, then it’s too much tint for the po-po. And might be too much tint for night driving.
If your objection to window tint is as strong as you claim, I’m not sure why you’d take this stance. Prescription sunglasses are fantastic. And no, carrying a second set of glasses around isn’t a pain in the ass.
But what do I know, I’ve only worn them for the last 35 years, and I’ve yet to lose a pair.
Or get photochromatic lenses that go from light to dark as needed. I’ve done this for years.
I’ve tried them, but prefer dedicated sunglasses, especially in colder weather.
Mild tint for some privacy is OK. If it’s so dark that I can’t make eye contact with the driver, it’s too dark.
Ceramic tint is the way to go. Blocks the UV rays so the interior doesn’t get bleached and provides much of the same heat resistance without having the opacity and color requirements. There are clear (or nearly so) ceramic tints that work better than that 5% “limo” stuff.
I haven’t gotten around to having mine done yet (I live in the Midwest so it’s not as “bright” as southern and southwestern areas), but if/when I do I’d go with a ceramic tint that’s a “light smoke” color-matched to the black-ish B-pillar trim, probably around 30-35% or so.
I live in a desert state. You HAVE to have tint here or you are a moron.
My TJ came with some pretty serious tint applied to the door windows. I initially thought the reverse lights were broken until I rolled down the window and realized it was just the tint.
Also, get prescription sunglasses. They change the world. I have really shitty vision and really light blue eyes so they don’t do well in the sun at all.
Ok I’ll get prescription sunglasses.
Make sure they are polarized.
Whoa. Am I like your boss now? 🙂
I once bought a car with limo tint on the back windows, and it was terrible for the week or so that I had the tint. Couldn’t see anything other than headlights behind me at night. I took it off, and had a much better driving experience with the fish-bowl look.
As for ceramic, I think it’s the only tint that makes sense. It blocks heat and harmful wavelengths from the sun without compromising visibility. It’s a no-brainer, functionally speaking. I’d like to get a very light (like 90%) ceramic tint sometime for heat management, but I have no inclination towards any form of dark tint for style/privacy.
I understand why some people get privacy tint, especially in hatchbacks where the rear windows might give bystanders a good look into the trunk, but I’m quite against it on the front. It’s important to communicate with other drivers by eye contact and gestures when navigating traffic. The heaviest traffic happens around dawn and dusk, and it’s often impossible to see people in tinted cars under those lighting conditions.
Driving is a public, safety-critical activity, and safety trumps privacy in that scenario.
About the sunglasses, my wife wears prescription glasses that come with a magnetic tinted lens that snaps right onto them. Very practical and stylish, and she leaves the magnetic lens in the car.
What about “Transition”? My eyeglasses have that.
Me too, although the generic version. I love this and have done it for years.
I do tint, but not crazy dark. I hate limo tint no matter what window its on. I can’t see out it at night and nothing I drive has a back up camera (which I don’t consider a complete replacement for seeing out your back window anyway). I think my current DD is around 50% on the back and something lighter on the front sides.
However, headlights being so damn blindingly bright has been making me consider lightly tinting my side view mirrors…
I live in Florida and I hate window tint. I drive older cars, and I pull it out of every car I have ever bought.
I live in Texas and have to park outside. I am absolutely going to be getting the darkest tint that I legally can, always, and pretty much always the best option (LLumar FormulaOne Stratos on most recent car, FormulaOne Pinnacle on the one prior).
Have you tried ceramic tint?
Both FormulaOne Stratos and Pinnacle by LLumar are ceramic tints: https://llumar.com/na/en/automotive/window-tint/ceramic/
I’m in a northern state that says tint is legal on SUVs and crossovers, but not legal on cars??
In any case, I love tint, even on my 4-door illegal sedan. It just looks correct.
I will say though that people who go limo dark on front side windows are kinda silly.
Pay the extra and get ceramic tint film. Lets you use a much lighter tint and still get decent heat blocking.
On a related note: who misses the factory blue tint at the top of the windshield?
I am ok with it on the sides and back just not dark tint on the windshield and front doors. People are so bad at driving already, I want them to be able to see their surroundings at night.
Pro tint: If you live in a hot or sunny part of the nation, it makes a huge difference. Lower interior temperatures, less UV on interior pieces, protects the drivers skin, helps prevent prying eyes from seeing your stuff in the back at night, etc.
Living in the Southeast I’ve had ceramic tint on most of my recent vehicles and it’s just worth it.
Team tint, and in the south so echoing those comments below. I do like the look of it, but recognize the mismatch can look off. To me that’s more when it isn’t factory tint, with vans/SUVs/etc where it’s already baked in to the glass it seems less out of place but I recognize that could be like a confirmation bias since so many vehicles do come that way.
32% on the sides and back is the max allowed on cars in my state which feels right, anything more is too dark IMO. And for the SUVs/etc that level on the front seems to be a good transition between deep tint on the back and none on the windshield.
I haven’t ever had ceramic and likely going to spring for it when I do get tint done soon, especially with dark leather now. I was kind of glad it didn’t have tint already on it specifically so I could spring for a good tint. Many dealers throw tint on, which is fine for most if you’re going to get it done anyway, but the dealer applied tint on my last car started to warp some after 4-5 years so that was not so nice.
An absolute necessity in Atlanta when driving a rolling greenhouse like a Mazda 5.
Oh, did i mention the car was black with a black leather interior?
Yikes! Holy third-degree burns, Batman!
i had the windows tinted with the darkest tint legal in GA that blocked something like 95% of UV/IR light. Cost me $600, but made the car 20-25 degrees cooler after sitting in the unshaded parking lot at work and gave the 5’s weak-ass AC system a fighting chance.
Weak? You might have a problem with your A/C. I found my 5’s A/C adequate in up to 116F summer heat.
I’ve read of criticisms of Mazda A/C performance in at least the first two generations of 3. Dunno about the newer era of Mazdas.
Maybe high humidity is part of it?
Drivers and instructor here. Is extremely helpful to see the other driver’s face so you know where they’re looking. I’m against tint.
Plus, I want everyone to see me too. There’s no way I can hide my good looks from the world.
I hope the tint fad fades
In some places it’s a must, as David discovered. California, Texas, Florida are probably the best examples. It’s possible to take it too far, but going untinted just turns your car into a hothouse.
I like tint, and think all the time that I should get it done to my cars, but I’m also a cheap bastard so I can’t justify the expense. I still want it. Nothing crazy, I would do 55% or higher, but it would have to be ceramic for sure. I think it looks good, and has significant practical benefits, but again with the whole cheapness thing. Sidenote, I have also seen car wrecks where the tint film stopped the glass from shattering in on the occupants which is a big plus.
I bought my S13 from Florida. When I got it home I had to remove the tint. I went to pull off the very tall dark strip from the top of the windshield and it kept peeling at the bottom of the strip. The entire windshield was tinted, but the rest of the tint was so dark I hadn’t even noticed.
Well, first and foremost: Never, ever, EVER on an MGB GT.
Amen, brother.
I don’t like tint in general, but I can understand it is required in some sunnier parts of the nation.
I especially don’t like it because it converts an already huge sight obstruction in front of me to an absolutely solid wall of can’t see. At least with clear windows there is some visibility through other cars on the road.