Llumar Air 80 windshield tint

[Gasoline Fumes]

I'm not sure I'd want any tint film on my windshield. Adding 78% VLT tint on a windshield will result in blocking about 30-40% of light (depends on the % VLT of the bare glass). Great on hot days, but not great at night. I have 35% VLT film on all my side windows, but nothing on the windshield or back window.

Understanding Tint Percentages | Diversity Auto Films

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by Gasoline Fumes

I'm not sure I'd want any tint film on my windshield. Adding 78% VLT tint on a windshield will result in blocking about 30-40% of light (depends on the % VLT of the bare glass). Great on hot days, but not great at night. I have 35% VLT film on all my side windows, but nothing on the windshield or back window.

Understanding Tint Percentages | Diversity Auto Films

That's why these more advanced clear films on the Prius or from aftermarket companies like Llumar are so cool. They block more heat than most dark tints, block almost all UV/IR, and yet block less the 20-30% visible light. I think if it is standard equipment on a Prius we needn't worry might about safety.

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by Xist

... I am more interested in my phone not overheating when I have it set up for GPS on my dash, which is part of why I purchase white cases.

Yes! That matters. Solar heat did damage to a wifi hotspot I stupidly left on the dashboard driving around one day. And it reminds me of this question too...

Originally Posted by mpg_numbers_guy

What advantage would this several hundred dollar option have over a cheap $10-$15 tint application off of Amazon besides the certificate anyway?

I don't calculate all ecomodding benefits through the narrowest direct cost/benefit assessment. Some of my modding is to make the ecomods more acceptable over the long-term. I took out the AC to lose weight and a parasitic draw on the engine and it has had some benefits for FE. But I like mitigation strategies because keeping the car over the extreme longterm is the best financial strategy the car represents (cheaper insurance, no car loans, no value depreciation). My daughter balks at the heat in my car on some days. I'd like to reduce the frequency of those complaints a little this summer.

[samwichse]

What about 3M Crystalline? Is it legal? It seems better to me.

CR90 blocks 90% in the infrared, 99% in UV, but transmits 90% of visible light. That seems ideal for a windshield.

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by samwichse

What about 3M Crystalline? Is it legal? It seems better to me.

CR90 blocks 90% in the infrared, 99% in UV, but transmits 90% of visible light. That seems ideal for a windshield.

That's pretty cool. And I see a link to a quantity small enough for a single car. Still pricey, but at least one can actually purchase for a single application. The Llumar 80 stuff seems onky available in wholesale.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/3M-Crystall...-/182166011012

[Xist]

Group buy?

[hayden55]

Ihave crystalline 70 of my front windshield, and CR 40 on my front two windows and quarters. It is fantastic. I dont even feel the sun heat anymore. My tint blocks out 78-79% of the TSER coming through the windows (front windshield now meters at 55% and sides at 25% after factoring in the factory tint). I had a problem with the inside of my car feeling like a greenhouse on sunny 50F+ days and that has gone away. Granted its been cold lately, but it has worked.

Main benefit being direct sunlight onto my body is 100% eliminated. Now i can cruise around even up to 75-80F with my vent on with no AC and it feels similar to hanging out on a shady porch. Now I dont have the balls to try tinting my own windows with $100s of dollars of window tint, but yes you cannot buy most of these tints in the US because 3m forbids for US dealers to sell it to you (without it being installed by them). Only way you'll get most of them is by ordering from Australia or Europe and it ends up being very close to the same price. I think it should be worth it in the long run if I keep my car for as long as possible like I plan because it now has a lifetime tint warranty at any 3m dealer in the US and if my car clonks out I will take my windows with me.

Also for ppl afraid to try 70% on front window my local dealer quit carrying CR 90 because he has demo cars with cr70 on them for you to see and you cant tell the front window is tinted. It doesnt give off any weird colors. You honestly cant tell its tinted. At night I can still see just fine. It blocks out so much heat I dont need an annoying brow (tall person here). Cops dont know my front window is tinted etc...

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by Xist

Group buy?

Maybe. I think buying the Crystfalline 90 or 70 would make the most sense. I am in Cali and you are in AZ. We'd need some more partners and a strategy for distribution.

[westb87]

I have the Llumar Air 80 on my Civic with the CTX 15 on all other glass. People are shocked when they ride in the car and I tell them the windshield is "tinted". You can't tell to the naked eye unless you find an area that isn't tinted, such as around the dimpling at the very top edge near the mirror. It provides a light blue hue to the view, but again, you wouldn't know without a comparison. The difference in temperature is shocking and it will help to stop the interior from fading any further. I've had this treatment done on two other vehicles as well. My only regret was not doing it to them sooner; which is why I did it during my first week of ownership of this Civic. The cost is high though...my shop charges $190 for the windshield in Air 80. I don't care, it's worth it to me.

If you're looking for a real working example, I drove home in 75 degree weather yesterday here in Alabama with the windows up and just the fan running in the car...no AC. It was warm, but not unbearable.

[California98Civic]

Okay, so here is a weird and possibly unworkable twist on the thread idea: use window film designed for homes and office buildings. There are very cheap films with similar claims to heat and UV rejection that are also available in quantities small enough to be very cheap. For example: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P009N58/ref=psdc_517834_t1_B00Q781MOC