mbsaeger

Wanted to share my freshly Tinted SQ5 - for reference the windows are 20% and windshield is 40% - Interior is Magma Red (although you can't see that). Windshield is the perfect tint - no issues seeing at night, but keeps the heat out in the day

cakasky

VERY NICE!

AndroidRobot

Where can you legally tint a windshield more than 80% (basically clear)? My SQ5 has 33% on the front two (legal limit) and 5% everywhere else.

mbsaeger

Unsure about the legality around it (I'm in PA), but I've always had my front windows tinted at or around 20% on all of my vehicles and have never ran into any issues (legally). On my previous vehicle I had the windshield tinted as well at the same level for about two years without issue - the heat rejection from the tint is the primary reason I did this, can not imagine driving without it.

AndroidRobot

I lived in PA for years. Their law is very subjective and dumb. It stayed the following:

therefore no tint is allowed on the windshield unless it's clear or on the top strip only. It used to say as long as you can be seen from EITHER the passenger/driver window OR the windhsield. So I would tread carefully around staties.

Humble Bear

Nice rims

AndroidRobot

Those are the stock SQ5 20" rims.

synergize

The SQ5 in white does look awesome and the tint is perfect!

markcincinnati

Who told you that tinting -- such as you describe -- has anything to do with heat? It is accurate that tinting, to a point, does reduce the impact of LIGHT (not heat). Tinting as you have it, based only on what you have told us, has nothing to do with heat rejection. We tinted our SQ5 @80% (virtually no light reduction) -- yet we gained a very high HEAT reduction number (because of the film used).

Up to 95% heat reduction is possible even at 80% tint (meaning that the light blockage is only 20%.)

In Ohio, 50% is the maximum legal tint allowed. I took the risk of going to 40% (60% sun blockage) and find it provides a fine after dark rendition of the surroundings. I toyed with 30% and have come to the conclusion that such DEEP tinting -- while looking cool -- provides no heat benefit. 20% tinting, too, looks cool, but at that point, with 80% blockage of the LIGHTS from other vehicles, it seemed unnecessarily dangerous.

It is true that Ohio's tinting maximums do seem excessive. However, most folks do NO tinting (80%) of the windshield and no more than 30% for the remainder of the car. Ohio seems overly strict, I will agree, but -- as a practical matter -- tinting more than 30% (IF DONE FOR HEAT REDUCTION) makes no sense. 40% seems to me to be a great balance considering that 60% still makes it through. It's like driving with sunglasses on -- only the car is wearing the sunglasses.

Again, before I get too deep into the negatives of excessive tinting, darker tint has virtually nothing to do with heat blockage, if that is the goal.

If someone told you that "dark tint" will be automatically accompanied by heat reduction, well, they out and out misrepresented the facts.

It would be better to spend the tinting allowance on an on-beach "tent" or getting to a shallow diving depth, instead.

AndroidRobot

Ceramic tint does help with heat. I live in Texas so I can assure you it works. Who's to say he didn't use some sort of ceramic? I have 5% on the back half of my car and 33% (really 35%) on the front two windows. Depending on the brand darker ceramic tints do help provide more solar rejection even a few % makes a world of difference. I could've done my whole car in 80% and been happy, but I prefer the privacy of darker ceramic tints. Every car I've owned has used 5% on the back and the legal limit up front. While I can't speak for the OP, I would like to assume he knows the difference between dyed films and cermaic or heat rejecting films.