This is a very good topic. I've always tinted my side windows 20% to match the rest. Haven't had any issues in years here in Michigan where it's illegal. But I hear I have two officers in my neck of the woods that hate tint.(fingers crossed) There is absolutely no good reason or excuse tint shouldn't be legal everywhere. I call BS on any safety concerns! Why do you see so much tint the farther south you go? Heck even the police cars are all blacked out in Florida. There are so many advantages having tint..not just looking cool.

 

I've done that as well, my experience is limited though ..... but the ones I did the tint was cut really accurately. 70% VLT is not gonna look dark enough on the roll, but when you put it on that glass ..... the light has to pass through both .... and I recall that as you go darker and darker the UV protection falls off really fast. Half as clear or twice as dark ..... however you say it ..... does NOT mean twice the UV protection.

But the Mercury is a job I paid a guy in Waynesboro to do because of the compound curves in that back glass. He actually did a really nice job too, and he used a good grade tint as it's held up well now 10 years old ..... but that car spends it's down time under a cover on a carport. Last year when I removed the front tint the windows did speed up.

Good Luck ..... 50% total VLT (glass & tint) is gonna look darker still on that white.

 

Thanks again!

On second thought I may do 70% front and either 50% or or 35% in the rear just to make it seem as my fronts aren't tinted, you know?

Now is the tough part, I've read it needs to be above about 50° for three days straight, during and after instal for the tint to adhere correctly. Not sure that's going to be possible this time of year.

Anyone added tint during the winter months? Or should I wait till spring?

 

I guess I can retract my statement, just got pulled over for my tint in PA.

 

Ouch. Reminds me of last summer. I had replied to a thread commenting about how great the ac worked in my truck. Next day it completely failed out of nowhere and left me with a $1500 bill.

Are you going to remove the tint, go lighter, or just hope you don't get pulled over again?

 

^ haven't decided. This is the only time I've been pulled over in many years. He also gave me a warning about my tires sticking out to far so I'd need flares. I'm debating just going back to stock and not worrying about it. Be a lot cheaper

 

Jinxed yourself huh?

I've done similar ..... jinxed myself somehow ....

Any "pen to paper" or just a verbal?

If it's good tint with a nice price ..... I'ld wait if there's any chance of freezing. You're in Vermont and it is almost December? I don't know if 40 degrees would hurt it, but until it's dried there's still moisture in there.

 

^ guess I did lol. It was pen to paper $128. Cop was not pretty determined to give me a ticket. Most people I've heard get a fix it ticket but I didn't get that option.

 

Last time I got a citation for tint (before the law got changed allowing tint on the front) the cop didn't say anything about a fix it ticket. Just pay up. Someone I talked to mentioned if you removed it and showed proof to the states attorney they would drop it. That had been like my 3rd time getting stopped so I decided to remove it. Just took before and after pics and they dropped the charges. Not sure if that would work in your state but worth a shot of you want to remove it.

Here before they changed the laws it really depended on what town you lived in. Some locals enforced it strictly and others you could have limo tint on. The state police seemed to enforce pretty strict anywhere. And boy, you didn't step foot in the city of Chicago or you got a $250 fine. City of Chicago was even letting the meter people write fines for tint on the front on parked cars. It was a mess, but a major revenue maker for the city.

 

Just the luck of the draw ..... could be any one of a hundred reasons he did so and likely nothing you had any control over. Just how the cookie snapped.

 

I have tried numerous brands of tints and find myself preferring 3M color stable series. I taught myself how to tint and have some invested time and tools into it. Usually tint one or two cars per year though. I had 20% on my truck at first ( all around ) and didn’t like that the fronts still looked light. Went to 15%, still not satisfied. Finally went with 5% on the fronts and it is still a bit lighter than the rears, it looks great in low light. Well aware of the laws but I never let that stop me from doing as I want to my vehicle. I have been pulled over twice for tint, once in my truck and once in my DD car, both were from the same rookie officer hired last year. Doing his job yes, understood. Paid my fines and moved on. Haven’t been bothered since. Never been bothered before even. I like my privacy but I tint primarily for the better looks of the vehicle.

I would suggest you 35% max, if you do it all around it won’t be that dark. Granted I have good night sight and I am used to dark tint. 50% for a dimmer look. Enough to look tinted but enough to not worry about. I can see right through 35% even in the shade.

Some of my truck’s tint photos. I did a little photo comparison project back when I was tinting it like crazy to find the perfect film ( 3M color stable ).

20% front tinted.


5% front tinted.


20%,


5%,


20,


5%,
[IMG]


5% sun visor strip 3.5” below AS1 line. I myself call this a safety enhancer. It has made my west directional driving with the evening sun beaming down on me much easier to see. Illegal or not, I have one on every vehicle in 5%.








And to top it off, a video in daylight, and dim daylight.

Since you live up around Binghamton, there is a shop up near Rochester called "The Tint Shop", they use 3M color stable series film. I have been very satisfied with them.

Wait until spring. The cold weather and tint never works out. At least for me. I actually refuse to do it in cold weather.

 

That post was insanely helpful! Thank you for that! I'll definitely wait till spring. Gonna try some pre cut ones from eBay. $23 for the whole truck. If it sucks, well, than it was a learning experience at least.

After looking at your pics, I think I want to go with 50% up front and 35% in the rear. I also never wanted the windshield strip until I saw yours, ha! Now I want one. Thanks again!

 

I've had some combination of 20, 15, 10, and 5 on my various trucks over the years and the 5 is my favorite. I have 5% all the way around on mine. The back glass is a bit dark at night when backing up but the camera more than makes up for it. This an old pic but it's the best side shot I have.

 

Sure thing. I wish I had more photos of say 35% and such, but I never would go that light on my own vehicles so I doubt i'll get any shots of that stuff. Cheap tint is just that, cheap. May be textured looking, may be cloudy, and might not adhere well. I'm sure its clear, you get what you pay for. Definitely worth buying to practice with however. If you wait until spring and are up in NY at the time perhaps I could tint it for you if you want.

The sunvisor is great. I definitely will always be putting one in every vehicle I own. I have one in my DD and my Trans Am. My Trans Am has a factory sprayed in glass visor though, so I did 20% over it to not completely black it out. If I do sunvisors on windshields like that I may stick with 20% for them. Does it's job excellent!

Random pic girlfriend took of me that actually shows the visor off nicely. You can see with the factory fade visor why you wouldn't want to put 5% on.

 

In Alaska it's no tint up front, and anything on the back. I did 35% front windows and 20% over factory tint on the rear ones. I've been pulled over twice with the fronts done and they didn't say anything, and it's dark enough from the outside.

The 20% over factory 30% on the rear is almost too dark, but you can't see inside unless you cup your hands to the glass. And I use my tow mirrors and camera to back up anyways.