P.W.M.B

i have a red sedan..and i did 5% all around..looks amazing expecially if you black out the tail lights to..check out my gagrage for pics.

MACS

iTrader: (3)

I can see just fine. I drive home from work around 8-9pm and it's down an unlighted road for about 10-12 miles.

Hapa DC5

iTrader: (1)

this.

/thread.

Chekov

We’ve had numerous threads on tinting windows, as it’s been argued many times. But IMO there’s a recurring theme where, frankly, two big lies regarding illegal tints are repeatedly told:

1. I can see just fine at night.
2. I only got the tints to keep the car cooler in summer.

The first is not true of course, and the second, albeit true, is rarely the reason for getting illegal tinted windows. Rather, both are subterfuge for the real reasons, i.e., the belief that the car looks better with tints and the owner does not want anyone looking in, with the owner willing to compromise safety to achieve these risky and superficial goals.

MACS

iTrader: (3)

So you're telling me how well I can see out my own windows? Gotcha.

Chekov

No, I’m telling you that you cannot defy both the laws of physics and biology. Tinting obviously lets less light pass through the glass to our eyes. Less light means decreased acuity in the human eye. This decreased acuity can be a problem while driving at night. It’s as simple as that.

Morrissey

I recently had mine done with 50% on a white car. Looks fantastic. I'm 36. If I was 21, I may have gone a bit darker. In the past 5 years I've always had 43% solar gard on my cars. But the G had a bit more factory tint than most cars.

With 50% I couldn't be happier right now. I wanted some protection from the heat (having been so used to having tinted windows), I wanted to improve the appearance of the car (I think I accomplished that), yet I wanted to be safe. It's definitely harder to drive when it's < 35%. Anything <20% is insane.

bitNine

lol, I love the idea of someone telling me how well I can see at night because of tint. While your logic is reasonable, there's a bit of failure in it. One of the greatest things about tint while driving at night, is that it lets less light in. This allows your eyes to open up for more light, allowing you to see the road better. Not having tint, ant driving with cars in your mirror, causes your eyes to let less light in, and not allow you to see the road ahead of you as well. So, no matter what YOU think, and what you say I see, I see better at night with tint because my eyes allow more light in.

I was just trying to explain this to my girlfriend over the last couple months. We drive to the mountains very early in the morning, on a regular basis. With all the traffic, and tremendous amounts of snow, it makes it difficult to see in front of you with all the light shining in your eyes from 3 mirrors through clear windows. She was constantly making me drive when it was dark, complaining she was having a hard time seeing the road. Now that she has her windows tinted, she doesn't have that issue anymore. She raves about it so much, that I can't shut her up about it.

I can see just fine at night with 20% tint, and always have been able to.

Chekov

Please understand that my logic is shared by nearly every state in the union where tint laws do not allow 20% on any front window, so you would have to convince a much larger group of people than me. I’m sure these laws were written after consultations with various ophthalmologists, professional safety engineers and certified statisticians.

For you see, your logic and rationalization still defies the laws of physics. The human eye already opens up to allow as much light in as needed to the extent it can. The pupil opens and closes as necessary. Tinting does no more than reduce the amount of light coming in and actually works against what the eye is trying to do.

While learning to fly for the Navy many years ago we were taught some tricks that may be helpful to you and your girlfriend. Although not always helpful in driving, one was to wait a bit until your night vision is fully set. The other was to look slightly off center at objects and they may appear brighter (this is because the retina, consisting of rods in the center are not as light sensitive as the cones in the peripheral). You can Google a more detailed explanation.

At any rate, you may think you can see fine at night with 20% but the reality is you do not. IMO it is not safe. Try taking an eye test while wearing sunglasses. I would bet you can see more of the small print with them off.

Ibanez540r

iTrader: (1)

CHEKOV and BUTNINE -

I think you guys are discussing different aspects. BUTNINE - is saying that with the sides and rear tinted it helps him see out the FRONT better, due to reduced glare from mirrors and others things not in his direct view. Probably true. CHEKOV - I believe is expressing the fact that they are unsafe due to the limited visibility through those windows when turning, pedestrians, animal crossings, etc when needed to view through the 20% windows. Also true as my Accord Coupe has around 27% and I can't see S*** when trying to back out my driveway in the side mirrors.

Now kiss and make up.

MACS

iTrader: (3)

Chekov, I see you live in the socialist republic of kookifornia, as well. I doubt they did ANY studies before passing a law which further restricts our freedoms.

Can't have your front windows tinted because the po-po can't see in... but the majority of cars on the road have the front windows tinted. In fact, I'd be willing to wager a tidy sum that if you went to a local police station and looked in the employee parking lot... almost all of the front windows will be tinted.

Chekov

Well, if you discount that most all vehicles have OEM 70% anyway, I would take that bet. I don’t believe a majority of cars on the road have front tinted windows. But if they did, I have no problem with that unless they’re illegal, of course.

And I’m not about to wander through a local police station lot looking for officers’ personal cars lest I end up trying to explain to a cop what the hell I’m doing there.