Was debating about tinting my side windows when i pull the door panels well installing my new audio system. Was wondering if its a good idea or not, basicaly doing it just for looks. Dont know allot about tinting as far as whats good to use, how dark etc. Also would i need to ting the rear window as it already has one of those vinyl graphic stickers accross it on the outside? Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

Tinting a window is a art in itself, when you got it done right, it looks good...at night , you can't see diddy-squat, people that walk in front of you on a crosswalk wearing dark clothes don't know that you can't see them...dark cars on a dim lit evening is very hard to make out the speed they are traveling toward you. Police love to see those dark tinted autos so they will have a reason to stop you and either test the tint or supect you're doing something naughty around the corner..(and we all know what that COULD be). In certain states, its totally a no no and you'll be ticketed for that reason.
On the flip side its a little cooler than the sun bearing down on you while you're in the full sun while driving, plus the plastic won't crack on your dash and your colors won't fade as much...and nobody can see inside very clearly with that nice stereo you got in the dash just waiting for someone to see it and want it.(What are alarms and locks for anyway if you don't set them and remove the keys from the ignition? duh!)
If you're wanting to know how to install tint, its very easy, just spray the outside of the window you want to tint, then cut to size..making sure the sticky side will be the reverse from the outside. Useing liquid dawn in a spray bottle, coat the window on the inside and on the sticky side of the tint and then apply it to your window being careful to squeege the air and soap bubbles from the tint going from the middle to the outside of the tint..be careful to have plently of spray on the outside of the tint while your squeeging...otherwise it will be scratched and tear if you do it too much in one spot. Oh, and another important thing to have is a sharp small pencil razor knife to adjust the size while you get it correctly right. Don't do it in the sun nor on a hot window, and alsways perfectly clean the window that you'll be tinting...dust an dirt has a funny way of making the tint have specks and air bubbles in it. Good luck.

 

im debating to go with 5% or 2.5 % for how dark it is, any suggestions on this?

 

5% or 2.5% is the darkest there is .. my suggestion is go with 25% you'll appreciate it

 

ah okay, i mean i wanted dark for looks honestly, thought the black would look nice against the red truck, but i do kinda wanna be able to see out to lol

 

yea with 5% or 2.5% during the day you'll be able to see outta them not to bad i guess.. but if i was u .. go 2.5% on the back window if its a slider if not.. .go 25%... and i would go 25% on the regular windows.. cuz at night they look straight black but you can still see outta them

 

okay sounds good, last thing though, is there any reason to do the back window when it has one of those glass scape rear window graphics on it. you can see out the back window but you already can not see in

 

The old Saab I just sold had 50% tint on the side and rear windows. Looking at the car you could tell it had tinted windows, but you could still make out the faces of people inside. Even the 50% tint made looking out at night more difficult, but not impossible.

I've been in cars with tint that let only 5% of the light through, and was just too dark. Years ago when I lived in California, one of my coworkers moved from Florida where folks could tint even the windshield, and his was tinted too. The second day he was in California he got a ticket, and every single day he got pulled over and had so show that ticket. He got sick of it and had it stripped off after a week. He got some progressive tint put on that started clear near the mirrors and gradually darkened as it went back to the B-pillar, then was pretty dark on the rear windows. I haven't seen that stuff anywhere but California. It was pretty cool.

Scott

 

ah well ive rethought going that dark after actualy seeing it in the store, so i decided to go with the 20 %

 

i'm thinking of tinting my truck after i am done painting it(primer now wooo) i am painting it a really shiney red, and want to go really dark on the side windows, as i never drive with them up unless it is really raining hard. the back a couple shades lighter for hooking up to the gooseneck, and the windshield just tinted a hair.

i always thought tint went on the inside............????am i wrong?

 

The Tint does go on the inside..but you have to MEASURE the window from the outside to get the correct measurements for the inside with the sticky part to the glass. Otherwise your Tinting will be too small for the window.

 

When you install tint on side windows is it better to remove the glass and put the tint all the way to the edge of the window? Or does that have a chance to mess up the tint because it would slide through the gasket. Im debating going all the way to the edge because i will have the glass out when i do the audio system.

 

You should leave a small area near the top so the the felt will not interfere with the tint. Be aware also the if you lock yourself out, and sometimes a lockout tool will have to enter below the glass on the inside that the tool may scratch the tint. Depending on how tight the window is against the lower felt track....

 

ah good point. Also just hearing some tints can interfere with satelite radio?

 

I don't know why it would. My satellite radio antenna is on the outside of the truck so it is a non-issue. Yes, I have tinted windows also. Maybe if your satellite antenna was on the inside but I still don't know why a little tint would interfere more than all that metal around the truck.

PS - I love my tint and don't appreciate it until the sun is at my side and I crack the window and almost get blinded by the much brighter light coming in. I have the fade tint that is mirrored on the top and then fades to "normal" blackish tint as it goes downward. As others have mentioned, laws change by state and I am worried that my legal tint here in California may not be legal when I retire and move to Missouri. I may just sell the truck and get a newer deisel before then though. I was just reading another thread on truck values and there is no way I would part with my truck for Blue Book value after rebuilding it to be better than new. Heck I would park it and give it to my kids before selling it that cheap. -gggg-

Good Luck,

Lee