BaronVonBigmeat

I just got the Huper Optik at Executive Automotive here in Houston for $499, which includes the 1-piece rear window piece. It took them barely over an hour. I will report back on the heat reduction capabilities, if it ever quits raining here.

Has anyone else had their windshield lightly tinted? I mean is this something you can generally get away with? Also, I asked them if they tint the sunroof, the guy basically said "no, because you don't want to tint a piece of horizontal glass, it absorbs too much heat, there's a chance it could break, blah blah." Has anyone heard that before? I haven't, and it didn't make sense to me. Then again, this is the first car I've actually bothered to have tinted.

kwolfman

I had my sun roof tinted with HO 50. The guy who installed it never mentioned any weird problem with tinting horizontal windows. The HO Ceramic tint does make the windows warm because it is reflecting so much IR (heat), but the sunroof doesn't feel any hotter than say the back window.

As for the front windshield, most states don't let you tint that at all, except for maybe the top 4 or 5 inches.

Boozehound

Had mine tinted all the way around yesterday with HO 30. One thing I've noticed - it does seem to inhibit nav reception to some degree. The signal's there, but it's now intermittent and not nearly as strong as it was. The tint looks good (one piece rear window), but I'm hoping the nav issues are just a function of it not being dry yet (crosses fingers).

kwolfman

My portable nav unit works just fine with the HO Ceramic tint. I also use an iPod with an iTrip FM transmitter to connect it to the 8's sound system. The transmitter sends it's signal through the HO tint to the antenna mounted in the rear window. I noticed no degredation of reception after having the tint installed. By the way, the iPod/iTrip combo works very well. I put the iPod in one of the cup holders in the console. Just don't close the console cover, it gets too hot in there and the iPod starts going crazy.

PUR NRG

Go back and read my first post in this thread. You can also try doing a search for other mentions of v-kool.
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SILVER SURFER VAPORIZER REVIEW

DJ Freon

I did try. And I did read your first post. It was the best comparison I've ever read. But I was looking for more, honestly. My friend owns a tint shop, and he's told me things too. I found huper optiks website, but can't fnid a website for v-kool. I was looking for some more technical nifo. I've talked to the huper optik company, and to the local rep. I've also talked to the v-kool local rep. They both pitch their product, but I wanted to do my own research, and see what opther people have to say. I do appreciate your candor, but I consider myself pretty computer savvy, and I have found it hard to find any responses that speak technically. I'm a technical guy, so I'd like to find something that will quell my quest for knowledge. I've searched on many boards, and many search engines. It's hard to find info like the heat index of the tint, actual reflectivity, IR blockage, etc. I was hoping someone that has read this knows where I can find that info.

PUR NRG

Google turns up www.v-kool.com as the second hit when searching on "v-kool".

Sorry but what I mentioned in that post is all I know when comparing the two tints. You can try reading the forum at www.tintdude.com to see if they have more technical info.
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VOLCANO VAPORIZER

DJ Freon

Yeah, tintdude.com is where I did the most searching. I came up with very little there, but thanks anyways.

I really was sure I tried that website the other day and it went to a dead link. Either I'm a moron, or their website was down. Either way, I thank you. I'll be able to do at least a little more research now.

DJ Freon

I'm sure you know... but I wanted to let you know that you did help me on this one. You're right as far as I can tell. From the two websites you can see that they list the 40% visible light transmission models with very different infra-red rejection and shading coefficients. The v-kool was listed at 98.3% and 0.42, whereas the HO was listed at 80% and 0.53 respectively. I'm thinking about getting a K40 radar detector, so the metal content of the VK doesn't bother me. So again, thank you. I'm going with the V-Kool all the way around.

PUR NRG

Here's another bit of advice: don't get the K40. I have it installed on my BMW and it sucks. The stealth aspect is nice but it gives way too many false alarms. I end up ignoring it and "missing" true positives as well. The Valentine 1 is really the best way to go.
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Vaporite Review

DJ Freon

I actually have been selling K40 for a while now. Honestly, I like it. I know it's a dumb way to buy things, but I do like it. I have been paying very close attention to the updates they have been doing to the product (specifically on the laser diffuser), and I think they are at a good point. I have multiple customers that have them in many cars (including a 1000+ hp porsche, and a Lambo Diablo VT). All of them that have received the product within the last few months has been happy. They figured out that HID's were falsing the laser diffuser, and they have been tweaking the radar circuit to make it false less also. So as much as I may or may not agree with you that the Valentine 1 is better or worse, I get the K40 at cost, and I have a cool install in mind. Thank you though.

ALMOST8IT

Anyone have V-Kool and the Nav system? In other words, does the V-Kool tint have any negative effect on the Nav system?

Boozehound

Try www.tintdude.com and sniff around there on the forums to see what you can see. There's so much conflicting data on what does or does not interfere, it's almost impossible to believe (re: my experience with HO). Basically, it's a crapshoot - have a shop cut a piece and throw it on your package tray and see what happens...

80CuIn

Trying to make contact with a installer/dealer in my area again. This time I called Huper Corp. They directed me to a regoinal distributor in for the northeast. The distributor is located in Jersey. I called and left a message for a return call. I'll fill you in with any results.
As I mentioned in my pervious posts, the local dealer near (relative) to me would not install HO Ceramic on the back window of the 8 because of the curvature (sp?). Although I appreciate his honesty and concerns, there are theres on this forum who have had it installed with no problems. I am still interested in their product and am willing to research further.
Polak, I'll ask about GB when I get to that point and let you know.

Al