Heat reduction ratings on 35% Tints. What's yours?

[Ralfi]

Hey there.

I'm planning on calling tint-a-car tomorrow, so as to compare their heat reduction ratings (on their "Midnight Express" & "Unbreakable" tints) to those of the VW dealer tints, which they tried to sell me today, but for $495 standard & $695 deluxe, I think i'll give it a miss....most likely.

VW claim their $695 tint has a ~80% heat rating, so i'm hoping to compare this to other companies' tints, to see how the price/quality ranks up.

Does anyone know the heat rating on their 35% tint?

Thanks.

[PeterHBne]

Dunno. But if you pay more than a couple of hundred for tinting you've been ripped.

[leasaunce]

i got mine free including the car. aint paying $800 for a window tinting!

[Bubu]

Heat reduction rating!

I never knew there was such a thing for determining what type of tint you get. I know about VLT (Visible Light Transmittance) rating but never heard of heat reduction rating.

I ended up getting 20% on mine and it cost $280. I happy with the end result.

Isn't there another thread comparing price and quality of tints?

[Ralfi]

Heat reduction rating!

I never knew there was such a thing for determining what type of tint you get. I know about VLT (Visible Light Transmittance) rating but never heard of heat reduction rating.

I ended up getting 20% on mine and it cost $280. I happy with the end result.

Isn't there another thread comparing price and quality of tints?

Hmm maybe i've been fooled into thinking that the differentiating factor when it comes to equal VLT tints is the heat they're able reflect.

As i'll be getting a Polo in black magic, I was hoping to keep it as cool as possible, hence my wondering.

I've read through the archived threads about tints, but there wasn't much discussion about heat reflecting comparisons, although some expressed their cars were still pretty warm with a tint....

[mikepologti]

yeah got mine thrown in for free too. id imagine vw picked some cheapo local mob to do it but it doesnt seem to be bubbling.i think it does make a noticable differance when cooling the interior of your car, exspecially if its been sitting in the sun all day.

[DeanB]

Where are you located ?

I got mine done by Rob at Hunters Hill Window Tint only cost $220 and it's a top job. I put on the 22% tint, but he's got a heap of different levels and types. He's been recommended by a lot of the Sydney guys and does quality work ... though if you aren't in Sydney it isn't going to help you.

[Ralfi]

I'm in Melbourne.

I've arranged to go past Tint-a-car in North Melbourne after I pick up my brand new GTI this Friday. They've got a $100-off deal on their Midnight Express tint ($295), so looks the goods.


Big day Friday!

[Chuck]

if your concerned about going for maximum heat reduction go for a metalic infused tint instead of the dyed tint...more expensive, harder to fit but better in heat reduction

and tint the windshield, illegal i know but its like leaving the front door open with the air con running - nothing to darken it massively (and get caught) just to help keeping the heat out...something better than nothing

*pls note above post does contain some stupid ideas that were conveyed to me by one of Perths most reputable car tinters - personally i thought he was a knob as he caused issues with my new Polo after not being able to fit metalic tint - i ended up with dyed tint and some warrenty claims that i slipped past the keeper*

[Y2008]

the only problem with metalic tint is it affect the reception of gps and phones. And about the windscreen tint, i think you are much better off getting a reflective screen and keeping it under the seat and just put it up if you park in the sun. In the year ive had the car I haven't seen heat as an issue at any given point, Even on some of the scorching days we've had this year.

The car heats up in a similar manner to a green house. The uv rays go through the glass and heat up the air in the car and if the air has no where to go it will just keep getting hotter and hotter. So the main thing to look for is how much UV the tint blocks and that should tell you how much heat it stops. There is also heat transfer from the body itself but that is neglegable compared to UV caused heat and cant be prevented anyway. Also leaving the windows a crack open would help the hot air escape and makes a huge difference. Even the tiniest bit allows the expanding hot air to escape.

[Coaster]

When talking glass, there are 2 main properties. SOLAR HEAT GAIN and CONDUCTANCE.

SOLAR HEAT GAIN (SHG), whereby direct sunlight energy enters the vehicle and is converted to heat energy. There is a co-efficient (SHGC) that is expressed as a number between 0 and 1 to rate glass and films.

There is also CONDUCTANCE; the rate of non-solar heat transfer across the glass. You can think of it like osmosis, where the temperature on either side of the glass tries to even themselves out. The more the glass can resist this transfer the better. It is known as the U-Value and ranges from 2.0 to 10.0.

Now in terms of what that means to window tinting, it is the SHG that they are commonly referring to. It is generally very difficult and expensive to reduce conductance, most tints/films don't do much to reduce conductance.

Ask for the SHGC and U-Values for each of the tints/films to make an assessment between the makes/types of tint. Since the U-Value is very hard to reduce, I would look mainly at the SHGC and the UVA/UVB reduction.

[Ralfi]

Well, I need to find a balance or glare/heat reduction, while still allowing some light in - & i'm weary of making things too dark (whilst being fine for day time driving) but not being able to see things properly at night.

I won't have a sunroof, so i'm counting on the front windscreen to let natural light in, & even though it'll also let the heat in, i'll counter that with my killer airflow techniques & the tint on the sides/rear.

edit...
Thanks, Coaster. So the lower the SHGC the better correct? I wonder if the SHGC value would be stated anywhere on the receipt of people who have had tints done? Can anyone verify this?

[Coaster]

That's correct, the lower the better.
As far as I know, the value is linear.