rocket

iTrader: (1)

I'm getting my 2 front windows tinted soon and have a choice between 20% or 35%. I've read all the other tint threads but there not much help.

For those of you that have had just the 2 front windows tinted, what percent did you get and/or what do you recommend? pics?

seanz0rz

i voted for the 35. i believe thats whats on the front of mine, quite frankly, any darker and its sooo hard to see out at night, especially when you have to use your mirrors. almost have to roll down the windows to see...

thats my opinion. i wouldnt go any darker than that...

ebelen1

The right answer is you need something in between for a perfect match. Having said this, I went w/ 35 b/c I'd rather have darker in the rear than the front. The 20 will be a shade darker than factory.

UNR.Grad

I put 30% on and it matched well. No complaints, except for night driving visibility...

jwbehm

I will probably go with 30% to match. Any idea how much it would cost to just do the front two?

kennyracer77

any darker than 30 is real hard to see at night especially when its stormy. I went 13% on the sides and 6 all around and its cool as hell when its sunny Its real private..but sometimes I have to rollem down before I back out o places

kmcc78240

I have 5% in the back and 20% on the front. I have to roll down the back window when backing up at night and the front windows as well. Can't tell in this pic but there is a difference when not under a glare. Off course you are in CO so the heat won't be as bad as here. 35% should be good

Rock Slide

iTrader: (1)

I've had both on the front 2 and I strongly recommend 35% instead of 20%.

I once had a 4Runner w/ 20% on the front 2 windows and 20% over the remaining factory windows including the back glass. It was great during the day, but it terrible at night. Especially on a very poorly lit road...I could barely see out the windows.

35% is much lighter than 20%, but you still have good visibility at night. Plus 35% has a much more factory look than does 20% IMO.

I know you're only wanting the front two widows tinted, but to give you an idea, here are some pics of my 4Runner.

My 4Runner has 20% over the factory privacy glass from the driver/passenger seats back and the rear hatch window. I've got the driver and passenger windows tinted to 35% and the entire front windshield is tinted to 35%. The entire front windshield is illegal to tint, but I've tinted it for years w/o receiving the first warning from the police. Plus visability is still very good. Most people that ride w/ me don't even know the front windshield is tinted due to the fact the driver/passenger windows are the same 35% tint.

Anyway here are some pics. Just remember, your view will be distorted on how dark the driver/passenger windows are b/c my front windshield it tinted too:


BEFORE:









AFTER:




















Ultimately it comes down to your personal preference, but thought I'd throw in my .02.

Tacoclimber

Hey Erik, I'm guessing that we're talking about the 96? I'm not positive, but I think the rear windows are "privacy glass" which is darker, but to my knowledge (coming from a close friend who does tint professionally), has little to no UV reducing qualities. Which basically means it's darker, but won't block the UV. When I got my truck done, I had him do the whole thing. It's hard to gauge the difference in the back seat between just privacy glass and privacy glass with tint on it because I also have the front windows tinted now too, and that will cut down on a lot of heat in it's own right, but there is a HUGE difference now. (And I should know. I live about 35 feet from the gates of hades itself. It really is THAT hot). Anyway, something to think about. Now that I have written all that, it occured to me that you may have actual tint on your back windows, in which case, please excuse me and I will go get some more coffee...

Edit: :pat: I forgot to put in what I went with: 30% I would recommend either 25% or 30%

catusphile

I had 20% installed on the front 2 windows of my '99. I feel that the tint shade matches almost perfectly (22% would be perfect, but hard to find). The biggest issue (to me) is most film tint has a green/blue hue to it, while the factory tint has a brown hue. I vote for the 20%, but I dont mind having to roll down my windows at night to back up...

Like Rock Slide, I also tinted my windshield, but only to 50%. Best investment I've made so far - sunglasses are almost never needed! I would go with 35% if I had to do it over again (for the windshield).

89red4x4yota

i have an 89 pickup so there is no factory tint on it and i'm getting 5 % on the rear window and 20% on the two side windows. ill try and get somepics up when i get em done!

BAZ

I have 20% in the front and 5% in the rear. Sometimes I wish I would have just gone all out and done 5% all around bt visibility aqt night with 20% is bad on a lot of the side streets around here where there is no lighting. The difference between the front and the rear is hardly noticable from the outside of the truck but then again, I have a dark painjob.

Crux

I have 20% on both my 4Runners. Seems to match best. 35% is too light.

seanz0rz

ok so, guess what happened to me just a few mins ago...

i got pulled over for my front windows being "too dark"

now they are tinted somewhere between clear and factory privacy glass on the rear.

so i got pulled over for that, nothing else. they just wanted to see if i was drunk, or doing anything else illegal.

just a warning i guess. just really pissed me off that i got pulled over for that, while there were several cars in the parking lot i pulled into with tinted windows. they are everywhere, and i see rice rockets with em all the time, but whatever.

fireteacher

hope the 50/50 poll helps you out!!

RunnerUp

haha... if you need extreme visibility, go with the 35%. like the others said, i would rather have my back darker than my front (and that is how i have it on my truck now)

i currently have 5% around everything, including on top of the factory privacy glass and 30% down the windshield. its hot in florida, and this way i can pick my nose without other people knowing it

i dont have any issues with seeing out at night, unless its really stormy. in florida im pretty sure tint violations is a secondary offense (meaning they pull you over for speeding and want to ticket you for tint they can) so i dont really worry about it. just put a snorkel on the side of your truck and that will distract the cops from looking at your tint!

here is what it looks like, i dont have a glare strip so it doesnt even look tinted inside

Firefightertaco

35% is not worth it IMO. hardly any thing at all i had 5 on my tacoma but that was to much so i went to 18 and its not to bad at night may have to roll down the window in a dark place.

rockota

20% installed all around, including over the factory tint.

bob200587

I have 35 on my front's and vent's, and 20 on the sliding and back windows. The other ones on the top have that bumpy lookin tint thing that you can't tint over or remove....Regardless, 35 is not dark enough to be private during the day, it helps a good bit at night, but you can see through it easily even at night if you look close without a light.

I said 20, but if privacy isn't prime concern, I would go 35

rocket

iTrader: (1)

Everyone that voted 35% is smart.

I DO NOT recommend 20% unless you tint the rear windows darker.

I got hooked-up with a guy that has been tinting for 19 years. I got my front 2 windows tinted the same day i posted this thread and i thank you all for your responses. They helped.

The guy uses SunTek which came with a lifetime warranty and is considered one of the best tint manufacturers.

When i first met him, right away he said 20% would be a shade too dark...said the factory tint was bewteen 23-25% and is hard to match.. Those were my exact thoughts after reading what some you guys said.

To make it match perfectly would have required 25-30% but that wasn't an option with SunTech.

my short review....
As it turned out, i'm very happy with the 35% i got and IMO it comes very close to matching the rear factory tint. Theres definitely a noticable difference in looks.
It's nice that I can still see at night without straining my eyes. Theres a perfect balance between being too dark and too light.
It also provides much better privacy and all the sun/light/glare that i had before is way less. I have no complaints with my desicion.


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I actually got 20% (all around) from the same dude on my little Acura today. It's what i expected but i wouldn't have wanted it on the front doors of my 4runner. If you care more about looks, then yeah, maybe 20% would be ok but if you wheel or care about having clear vision at night then 20% IMO is tad too dark....for both vision and looks.

Also unrelated, from what i've read and been told, 3M tint sucks...avoid it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------

3rd gen 4runners and Tacomas.... 35% is WAY better then 0%~ and it's looks fantastic! If thats your option, do it.