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darkdan · 08-10-2010, 09:28 AM

My background - professional window tinter for 7 years. I own my own business.

Does tint reduce heat inside the car? Yes.

But there's more to tint than just black plastic.

There's traditional dyed film, which is just black plastic. There's also "deep dyed" or pigmented polyester films. These films are a step above dyed because of their durability, but they still have poor heat rejection typically. Here is MADICO Charcool 35% (total solar energy rejection 40%):

Next comes "high performance films" which is typically a dyed or pigmented film with aluminum sputtered or vapor deposited onto the film. This provides increased heat rejection through reflecting the heat. Of course the disadvantage can be reduced radio reception (if your antenna is embedded in the glass) and reduced reception of RF devices (GPS, keyless entry, tire pressure monitor systems, etc). Very high metal content gives that "chrome" look and gives even better heat rejection. Here's Global HP Fusion 50% (total solar energy rejection 43%):

The next revolution in tinting was ceramic films. Instead of a metal being deposited on the film they used a ceramic component. These are typically non-conductive and therefore do not interfere with RF signals. These films typically provide EXCELLENT heat rejection. Here's a 67 GTO with Geoshield 50% and 40% ceramic (total solar energy rejection 47% and 53%):

Finally there's a few newer films out there with different technologies. LLumar ATX (Axcess) and CTX come to mind. ATX used "cermet" which is a non-conductive metal wrapped in a ceramic. 3M Crystalline uses an infra-red absorbing dye in the scratch resistant coating to provide good heat rejection (with some obviously drawbacks).

So there's plenty of films out there with excellent heat rejection that aren't dark and don't have "disadvantages" of backing into stuff (hey, learn to drive).

Think about it, a ceramic 50% has a higher total solar energy rejection (47%) than a dyed limo tint (typically about 40% to 45%). So you don't need to go dark to get good heat rejection!!!

Now, having said all that. Will tint give you better MPG?

Most likely not. The only time it would really help is on the rare days that it will allow you to be comfortable enough to turn off the AC and keep the windows up. As we all know, if the AC is on (no matter what setting) it's still turning on that compressor. So it's really an all or nothing kind of thing.

But, tint will provide instant comfort (less of a hot feeling from the sun while driving), reduce fighting with the little lady over the AC controls (she's hot in the sun, you're not in the shade, tint helps balance that), and provide 99% UV rejection (less skin cancer risk).

08-10-2010, 09:28 AM	#19 (permalink)
darkdan Window Tinting Pimp Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Owatonna, MN Posts: 30 Thanks: 0 Thanked 8 Times in 2 Posts	My background - professional window tinter for 7 years. I own my own business. Does tint reduce heat inside the car? Yes. But there's more to tint than just black plastic. There's traditional dyed film, which is just black plastic. There's also "deep dyed" or pigmented polyester films. These films are a step above dyed because of their durability, but they still have poor heat rejection typically. Here is MADICO Charcool 35% (total solar energy rejection 40%): Next comes "high performance films" which is typically a dyed or pigmented film with aluminum sputtered or vapor deposited onto the film. This provides increased heat rejection through reflecting the heat. Of course the disadvantage can be reduced radio reception (if your antenna is embedded in the glass) and reduced reception of RF devices (GPS, keyless entry, tire pressure monitor systems, etc). Very high metal content gives that "chrome" look and gives even better heat rejection. Here's Global HP Fusion 50% (total solar energy rejection 43%): The next revolution in tinting was ceramic films. Instead of a metal being deposited on the film they used a ceramic component. These are typically non-conductive and therefore do not interfere with RF signals. These films typically provide EXCELLENT heat rejection. Here's a 67 GTO with Geoshield 50% and 40% ceramic (total solar energy rejection 47% and 53%): Finally there's a few newer films out there with different technologies. LLumar ATX (Axcess) and CTX come to mind. ATX used "cermet" which is a non-conductive metal wrapped in a ceramic. 3M Crystalline uses an infra-red absorbing dye in the scratch resistant coating to provide good heat rejection (with some obviously drawbacks). So there's plenty of films out there with excellent heat rejection that aren't dark and don't have "disadvantages" of backing into stuff (hey, learn to drive). Think about it, a ceramic 50% has a higher total solar energy rejection (47%) than a dyed limo tint (typically about 40% to 45%). So you don't need to go dark to get good heat rejection!!! Now, having said all that. Will tint give you better MPG? Most likely not. The only time it would really help is on the rare days that it will allow you to be comfortable enough to turn off the AC and keep the windows up. As we all know, if the AC is on (no matter what setting) it's still turning on that compressor. So it's really an all or nothing kind of thing. But, tint will provide instant comfort (less of a hot feeling from the sun while driving), reduce fighting with the little lady over the AC controls (she's hot in the sun, you're not in the shade, tint helps balance that), and provide 99% UV rejection (less skin cancer risk).