VRZOOMZOOM

Just curious............because i'll be tinting the windows soon i seem to like the sunroof tint......I know its factory tinted, but does anyone know or want to guess if its a 35% or 50% tint?

Without the sunshade, it still looks dark enough that it's hard to peek through.
BTW, I've tried searching for a sunroof tint, no real results.

Also, this might sound dumb, but does anyone know if your tint gets darker on your windows over time? Because I had a friend who tinted their windows a few days ago, and now its been a week sincee their tint where all the tint residue has cleared, it looks a bit darker than when they first got their tint.

Thanks for any insight!!

Rems31

Tints only fade...they dont get darker.

NgoRX8

iTrader: (1)

the time of day really influences how dark the tint appears.

VRZOOMZOOM

ahhh...........word..........Thanks guys. Makes sense on the lighting.

mmats69

if you have any friends that are cops, get them to use their light meter to check it. Not really sure who else would have one right off hand.

Jethro Tull

iTrader: (6)

I have a nice digital light meter. I'll measure the amount of extinction tomorrow and post, if nobody else does it first.

VRZOOMZOOM

hmm.....interesting..........so i did 50% all around and its so subtle but provides enough shade that i dont have to put my visor on the driver window. Also had a cop check point today and i dont think they notice the tint.

Jethro Tull

iTrader: (6)

Straight reading in direct sunlight: 1163 x 50K lux = 5.8 million lux (approx.)
Reading through tinted sunroof: 212 x 50K lux = 1.0 million lux (approx.)

Transmission is thus about 17% @ 550nm, close to the part of the visible spectrum that the human eye is most sensitive to. Another way of expressing it is to say that 83% of the light is blocked, or 83% tint.

Pretty dark, I'd say!

Measurements taken on my 2007 RX-8, stock sunroof, close to 4:30PM MDT, clear blue sky, using a Velleman DVM1300 digital luxmeter.

One aspect I didn't examine was the possible polarization of the sunroof glass and any contributing effects, if any, to the readings. Another day.

Definition of the unit of measurment "lux": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lux

MazdaJeff

^^^ Cool thanks!

VRZOOMZOOM

Wow you rock dude!! haha..........Thats pretty awesome you did the measurements.....on a different note, i thought that the higher % of tint meant that the tint is lighter?? .........hmm but anyways i would of guessed that the sunroof tint was something closer to Minivan/SUV back windows tint ...seems like it might be even darker? But definitely thank you for going out of your way to measure the tint

Rems31

yea I think he has it the other way around...15% tint means 85% of the the light is being blocked.

Jethro Tull

iTrader: (6)

Thanks, I do admit that I'm not up on the industry nomenclature. The tint percentage could very well indicate the percentage being transmitted, not the percentage being blocked.

Just glad to help.

Rems31

But he got 50% all around so from his perspective, this wouldn't matter...

Jethro Tull

iTrader: (6)

Ah, to have youthful, perfect vision again...

I once had 50% tinting on the side and rear windows of my BN '77 Plymouth Arrow (a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...) and I thought it too dark for safe night driving even as a teenager. These days, using much older eyes, I'm sure it would be too dark for me. Side vision and the blind spots are tough enough as it is in the 8.

But, to each, his own.

VRZOOMZOOM

well i was just curious to know if anyone had an idea of the sunroof tint.....because orginally i was going to tint the back 3 windows with the shade similar to the sunroof, but then i was in another friend car that had 20% tint...hardly could see out the back at night or cloudy conditions without feeling that you were going to hit something. So i decided against it after i had been in it for a while.

But 50% isn't much tint at all. It the lightest you can get next to no tint at all. Although i think i could of gone 35% on the rear windows. but didn't want a weird contrasting look between the darker tint and the lighter tint.

But thanks for the help guys!! I have an idea now for future reference of what the sunroof tint might be.

Jethro Tull

iTrader: (6)

^^Post some photos with the tint, would be interesting to see what it looks like.

Rems31

I got 35% on mine. It's the legal limit here in Ontario but I find it's just right for me. You can see out of it at night but blocks out enough sun/heat during the hot days...

Jethro Tull

iTrader: (6)

Hot days in Ontario? That's what, a couple of weeks each July?

Dumi

Yup, lets say that you have 20% tint on your side windows. What that means is that only 20% of light is being let in.

VRZOOMZOOM

Here are some pics of the 50% Tint. Again it all depends on lighting but i think its pretty dark here..........Unless the sun directly hits it, then you notice its a light tint, otherwise under cloudy condition, it looks darker than it really is which i guess is a good thing. But its just shade for me and also if it wasn't for our silver accents on the center consoles, probably be a bit harder to see in.