How much tint on the windows is legal??

 

depending on where u live... the front windows r not suppose to be tinted at all...

 

NY, no tint on the driver and passenger window. All states have different laws, I live in NY and tinted them anyway. This is the price to pay to have your car look sharp. Tint makes the car. If I get a ticket, oh well.

 

Check your state's DMV site. They may have the numbers for you.

 

i used to have 5% tint on every window and along the top of the windshield in my old integra. looked so hot. unfortunately, my luck ran out and the cops got me. had to scrape it alllll off. took hours.
but maybe it was a good idea, since it was so incredibly dark at night, i had to actually lean forward when making a turn in order to see!!

 

MA is 35% on rear window and back seat/popouts, 40% on driver and passenger side. I just got 35% all around. As long as you stay close to the law and know someone who will pass your car on inspection, then you will be ok. If you live in a state that says no tint on driver and passenger side, it will be tougher.

 

is having a higher % darker or lower % darker?

 

Lower percentage is darker. I believe it has something to do with the light transmittance through the film, the lighter the film the more light goes through, likewise the darker, the less light gets through.

 

cant have tint in the front in cali... but in the back windows i believe it to be 5%

 

tint % refers to how much light can pass.

So 20% means 80% of the light is blocked, and 20% is allowed through.

generally speaking anything in the 15-20% is plenty dark, lower than that and you will have problems in dark areas - like backing up in a parking lot that has no lights, or making a turn when there are no street lights present.

 

Jason's right on the what the % means. i used manage a couple tinting shops and i know the legal limit in Texas 35% on the sides of the car and as dark as you want on the back of your vehicle. if the car is an "87 or older then you can go as dark as you want all the way around.

also there are 2 types of film(that i know of...been out of the business a few years now, but) metalized and non-metalized. metalized film has metal flake in it and helps block out more HEAT. non-metalized film will still block out heat just not nearly as much. both will look about the same in darkness but you should be able to tell that hte film is metalized doe to its metalic appearance.

i don't recommend anything below 20% on the back doe to the lack of visibility while backing up. My previous vehicle i had a layer of Limo tint(5%) and another layer of 35% on top of that. the type of film i used was a specialty metalized film and i had 15% on the front doors. you could barely see in my truck in the middle of the day. at night me and my ex were sitting in my truck at a park. cop drove up and walked around the vehicle and didn't realize anyone was in the vehicle till i rolled down the window. that was to dark in my opinion.

but check your state laws...anyplace you go you can usually get darker then the legal limit but it will cost you more and you will get no warranty or proof that it was tinted at that shop. or it will just be a side job after hours...

 

Just wondering, the radio antenna is intergrated into the rear glass correct? My brother-in-law had issues with his AM radio radio reception on his Audi A4 when he tinted the rear window (the A4 antenna is in the rear glass also). Has anyone experienced this with their 8. Even though I'm getting my XM installed soon, I listen to a local sports talk show on AM from time to time.

 

I have 30% tint, listen to am games all the time with no issues. I also have XM with the antenna in the back window with no issues.

 

Now that you mention it, my radio reception is not that great. My windows are tinted I believe 20 or 25% in the back.

 

the tint shouldn't effect your radio reception since the antenna is within the glass. So unless your tint is metalic and on the outside of your car, I don't see it hurting reception.

GPS signal is another matter since it's located inside the car between the two rear speakers.