the california state legal limit on tint is that 70% of the light must be able to come in thru the side windows...BUT its like nothing O_o if i get my windows tinted...i want it to be kinda dark...what should i do??? heres a pic of opaque levels/// http://www.drivenautoworks.com/image...ng%20Guide.JPG

Well, you can either live without tint, or bend the law. If you bend the law, expect to get nailed for it when you get pulled over for any minor infraction. That said it's 35% minimum in Kansas and I've been driving around for 3 years with 5%, and haven't heard a word about it. But then the day before moving from South Dakota I got a fix-it ticket for my tint that I never paid... Last I heard they issued a warrant.

oh sh!t..lol :P ur a wanted man...maybe ill do 50% or 35%???

Anything lighter then 20% isn't even worth doing.

They are VERY strict about tint here in NY too.

I personally was going to get 5% on the back and 20% on the sides. I knew I would get a ticket with it; which is why I haven't even bothered doing that mod yet.

well I'll just throw a few things out here

#1. if you tint your back window to 5% and your side windows to 65% (meaning the amount of light that gets let through) your side windows will look much darker than 65% just because of the lack of light inside of the car if you don't believe me someone with tinted windows take a picture of your car on a sunny day, then roll down the opposite window and take another picture, compare pictures and you'll see what I mean.

2. I live in the SW corner of MN right by SD and in my daily driver I have tinted windows which I know are illegal I have had this car for 5 years and only had 1 problem and that's when I was in minneapolis and I just played stupid saying I never had even heard of a tint law and he said they probably didn't bug me down there because I was so close to the SD border. That's why I'm so surprised about SD being so hard about it.

#3. I'm gonna give a little tip about how to stop cops harassing you. First off you need to make sure you are not breaking the law(especially drinking). Also this would probably work better in a smaller town (less cops). Basically whenever you get followed, pull over immediately and they will probably stop behind you. When they ask you why you stopped just say I figured you needed something so I was just seeing what it was you needed instead of you needing a reason to ask me I thought I would just pull over for you. They usually look like they've been caught red handed and the look and excuses are priceless. Anyway I did that twice and have not been followed since then, last time I did that was over 5 years ago and I also drive around with illegally tinted windows all the time. Give it a try if you guys are getting harassed, but remember to be polite and try to act like you are being helpful. Again this may not work as well in big cities as there are more cops and the talk may not spread so deep.

Good luck and tinted windows if done right are beautiful no matter what the car is. Also another thought if you get better quality tint it will look darker than it actually is as cheaper tint tends to look purple after a while and darker then they actually are.

I just did 35% on my side windows, it's actually darker than I thought it was gonna be.

i think ima go with 35% just need to get $200 now xD

has anybody here tinted their own windows with good results my brother can do it pretty good but he hates it and says he will never do it again

I did my own side windows, and t-tops. It's not too hard if you're patient and take your time, but you definitely will need a heat gun. I watched countless how-to videos before attempting it, they were really helpful. Search youtube for "how to tint", and you'll find a ton of them.

im definitely doing this. Cops think tinted windows mean one has something to hide. BTW anybody remember the Iroc Guy who said waxing ones car beats radar. i heard it today, pretty entertaining

old school radar -they use to put balls of aluminum foil in the hubcaps
hmm something shiny for dat new fandangled laser how bout a multi-faceted crystal dangling from yer front spoiler and put one on the rearview mirror
dont mind the rainbows

i did 2.5 tint on my c4 vette havent been harassed yet i have pulled up to many cops at street lights as well...

idk if theres atint law here in vegas

here in michigan, its a hit or miss, on my envoy i have limo or 5% all around, over stock tint.... been pulled over once sence i owned it new back in 2004, the iroc isnt tinted, but everytime i drive it, its nice out and the windows are down and t-tops are off.
anyway window tint will get you a ticket, for having it on the front two windows or the windshield. some cops care some dont.

Roll with it until you get popped for it. also anything lighter then 20% i wouldnt waste my money having it done.

I tinted my rear window as dark as I could, since at the time I wasn't to get the louvers I really wanted. I got a nice dark look on the side windows. Got pulled over at night once and the LAPD cop was pissed that he couldn't give me a fix it ticket as my car was within the law.

I have 18% tint on all my windows. I live in MA and i haven't had a problem yet, my brother did on his car but that was only when he went to get it inspected. It all depends on how dark you want it

Type of tint matters too. Just so you know. There are about 5 different types of tint.

OH law says

AS1- 70%
Front Roll Down Windows- 50%
Rear Roll Down Windows- 50%
Non Roll Down Windows- ANY
Rear Window- ANY

I'm doing 50% sides with 50% rear as well. Staying legal with just a bit darker windows, I don't want to build a rep (especially being in an area where if your tinted even the slightest you'll get suspicion). Also will be doing a solid strip over the AS1 line, still thinking about it though.

Mine are 5% (passing, 05% blocked) all around, with a large stripe across the front. I've had a warning ticket once when I was in a wreck once. Other than that, one cop who was lock-jocking my doors said it looked nice with the white/black contrast of the paint....
Still, some places you will get hammered. Just have to know what you can get by with in your area.
This is my rear window (don't try the link, it's an old site):

and side shot:

I got that back tinted for a bill, pretty good price, its 5%, and i guess the t-tops were stock tinted already, when i get the side down. it will look like my next car, j/k

Here in Texas, we can get a medical exemption from the window tint laws.

With the exemption, you are truly exempt. As in....The law no longer applies to you & you can do 5% on every window & get the eyebrow as low as you want. You could even get the entire windshield tinted, if you wanted to.

I did that years ago, with a 75% (i think it was) coat tint. It was some kind of sunlight blocker, more than an actual tint.

Yes.....I have exemption. I can even pass the exemption on to friends & family "because I ride in their car frequently".....Or as least we SAY I do.

that's pretty cool, I assume you have some kind of eye condition what is it if you don't mind me asking.

Also for the people that have done their own tint is there a better place online to buy tint. I have heard that the tint professionals use is thinner and stretches more to help with the curves of the window. Also it would be nice to get 1 solid piece for the rear window.

You know the clear lens over the colored portion of your eye, with the black iris in the center? They had to cut the lens out & sew a new one in. I was actually awake the entire time & watched them, as best as I could, while they cut & sewed. I was so doped on drugs for that, I was joking around & talking to him, the whole time!


I would suspect that other states have the exemption available too.

I have 35 on my Camaro and my Vette. Its dark if ya ask me... 5% is too much IMO.

just in case someones looking for a less gruesome way to get the exemption, most states will give it for skin conditions, even for something as minor as if if you are taking certain antibiotics (they can cause rashes with sun exposure)

im in ny and im going to try to get a exemption because i get cronic migranes(havent had one in years). but if i cant, im thinking 5% for rear and t-tops(legal). and sides 50%(not quite)70% is legal on sides but i dont think ill be bothered much. im often in very small towns

WOW sounds like you are damn lucky just to be able to see, I am glad everything turned out ok for you. Still I think a big price to pay to have tinted windows by the way would you like to ride in my car so I can get the exemption, just kidding. But just out of curiosity why did you need this surgery was something stuck in your eye, I guess the only person I ever heard of having an issue like this was Jim McMahon who as most people know had a fork stuck in his eye.

And to stealtht/a I realize this info wasn't just for me but I wasn't looking to get in on this exemption, I (luckily) would not qualify for this exemption and don't like to cheat the system if you know what I mean (karma or something like that).

But in all seriousness good luck to everyone with these exemptions whatever the reason, I hate to see anyone with health problems at all, especially a fellow 3rd genner.

Genetic disease, not any kind of accident. Also requires me to wear hard contacts (not soft lenses) to do the final reshaping & reshape the other eye lens that isn't bad enough to require surgery.

http://www.lensdesign.ca/kerataconus.htm

Had to do it twice though, after the first cornea transplant was rejected.

[and to stealtht/a I realize this info wasn't just for me but I wasn't looking to get in on this exemption, I (luckily) would not qualify for this exemption and don't like to cheat the system if you know what I mean (karma or something like that).

But in all seriousness good luck to everyone with these exemptions whatever the reason, I hate to see anyone with health problems at all, especially a fellow 3rd genner.[/quote]

not trying to cheat either, just thought a lot of people might not be aware how common the conditions are that would allow you to have extra tint.
i was actually considering limo tinting my truck side windows back when i lived in a sunny climate as i was getting a puffy rash on my arms from the sun and it meant i couldnt drive in short sleeves.
i have since also had a case of melanoma, so i have a feeling that if i wantesd to, i could easily get the exemption here in VT, but seems pointless on a car i drive w/ the tops off 99% of the time.

I'm doin 5% rear and 20% sides. I'm gettin precut tint off of eBay ONLY $27!! Then I have a mobile window tinting guy that said he'll do it for free so I'm getting all my windows proffesionaly tinted for 27 bucks as long as the tint is quality made then Im saving A Lot of money!

Dude, please get it fixed, i work at a jail and it is horrible to see ppl in jail for stupid tickets that they refused to pay. I know you moved but it could bite you in the butt one day. Just my $0.02.

just a thought. I put in a lockout switch for my windows,I rarely get pulled over but when I do I just roll down the windows and lock them out.I have never had a cop say anything about it though, as the reason for tint laws is because cops like to be able to see what you are doing in the car when they pull you over.with dark tint and the windows up, you could have a gun pointed at them and they wouldn't know it.so, lockout or not when you get pulled over roll down the windows.

Amen to that! I always roll the windows down even though I havnt had tint on my side windows, makes it easier if there are two cops. The easier u are on tem, the easier they'll be on u. One question I have since I'm puttin 5% on the rear is, should I turn on my interior lights when I get pulled over at night?do u think that would make them more comfortable?