honestly i have all my windows tinted too, i use to have alot of problems with tint with my yellow integra...an suv or truck dont really catch a police eye...my little yellow rice rocket that is lower to the ground was something a cop would like to pull over...
here is a pic of it

 

I think 88% transmittal = 88% tint.

(which is the automotive equivalent of putting a sheet of blue Glad Wrap over your windows...)

My understanding of the tint % was that it defined the amount of ambient light allowed through the film. Of course that # may not correlate very well to actual real world performance..

My tint is the darkest I could find, and at 5% I thought that it meant that 5% of outside light came through into the cabin.

In some states, I have heard of the instant peel if you are "caught" with tint. In other states, I've heard that the officer needs to verify the % of your tint, either with a sample card or some kind of photo-voltaic device.

the sample card is basically a credit card piece of plastic that has a gradient printed on it. they hold it behind your tint, and depending on how much of the printed material on the card they can see, the officer makes a judgement call on whether your tint is illegal or not.

All in all, it's not considered breaking the law...until you get caught.

 

That was my thought. How on earth do you prove what % of tint??

 

Wouldn't it be light transmittance of 88% = 12% tint?

I'd agree to the Saran Wrap comparison all the same. I called one shop in the Bay Area and wa quoted around $70 or so for the two fronts, and called another shop who totally advised against it. The 2nd shop told me that they could only put on the really light stuff.

 

No, the % of the tint is supposedly the ammount of light it lets through. I have 5% all the way around and the larger number tints (35% and 50%) were much lighter than the 5%. I think if you just drive like an old fart they will leave you alone....lol (Dont be like a Sarasota old fart however, as they drive 35 UNDER the limit in a 55 zone, in the fast lane with their right hand turn signal on the whole damn time....grrrrr)

 

Well, a few years back my tint guy associated the darker stuff with the higher number. He would say 80% instead of 20%. Today he say's 20% like everyone else now.

20% means, the tint only lets in 20% of the light.

If you call it 80%, that means it keeps 80% of the light out.

As I said, TODAY everyone uses the lower number method for how dark it is.

 

Yeah, its all in how its phrased. I was referring mainly to Steve's post. If the CA spec is for 88% transmittance, then 88% of the light is getting through, and 12% is blocked.

Jason, is that your house in your pic? Looks real nice from what you can see there. The 4Runner's not too shabby either!

 

Oh yeah, stupid math..

 

Thanks. Yes, that's the family household.

Do you have a B I G G E R picture of your avatar? That looks like an awesome view!

 

But I always thought you couldn't have any tint on the front windows in CA. In fact, years ago my parents got pulled over for having tint on their front windows on their trooper. I was just wondering if the laws have changed since then, or the cops don't actually know the law.

 

That's why you go with 50%. You can't have tint here on the fronts in PA either. When you go with 50%, especially on a suv, you really don't have to worry about getting in any trouble.

 

Here ya go Jason, these were taken in Tahoe last year, before most of the snow started coming.





What part of PA are you from? I'm from northeast PA (Dallas) originially.