Window Tints (?)

[hollis]

I put 55% in the front + 73% factory tint = exactly 35% (verified by tinter tester)
tints in NH/MA are illegal for fronts, but its just a hair darker then stock. Asked some cops about it, they didnt care as look as they can see your shadow inside.
had mine for 6+ months, never pulled over

 

[Gio26NJ]

35% in the front does not look bad at all, looks very very good actually. Better than having no tints

 

[CX-SV]

iphone pic of CX-5 GT w/35% 3M CS tint on 2 front windows

 

[MazdaDriverNJ]

View attachment 198770
iphone pic of CX-5 GT w/35% 3M CS tint on 2 front windows

Looks cool!!

 

[MazdaDriverNJ]

35% in the front does not look bad at all, looks very very good actually. Better than having no tints

I realize now that 35% is not totally dark - as someone mentioned as long as they can see your "shadow"
A friend of mine who got the ticket for tints had really black front windows, you could not see a thing. I'm sure cops didn't like that.

 

[BranCKY3]

Agreed, that's why I do my sport sedans all in a single % tint level.

But with SUV's (and trying to stay somewhat legal), a bit of tint on the front sides still looks far better than stock, less contrast from front at 35% to back (factory about 20%) . And with SUV's whatever aftermarket tint used will never perfectly match the OEM/factory tint impregnated in the rear glass*.

*Note: Comment applies to higher-end models of SUVs with dark tinted/"privacy" rear glass as standard equipment.

Lucky for me my Sport model is not factory tinted

 

[CX-SV]

Lucky for me my Sport model is not factory tinted

Yes, you can get the perfect match front to back, cool. No more fish bowl look.

 

[Tyler_]

View attachment 198770

iphone pic of CX-5 GT w/35% 3M CS tint on 2 front windows

Great looking rig! I love clean white CX-5's!

 

[Gio26NJ]

I realize now that 35% is not totally dark - as someone mentioned as long as they can see your "shadow"
A friend of mine who got the ticket for tints had really black front windows, you could not see a thing. I'm sure cops didn't like that.

I will take a picture this Saturday and post it (by the time I get home from work it is always dark out ), the 35% tints are definitely not too dark like the back windows but still look great

 

[CX-SV]

Great looking rig! I love clean white CX-5's!

Thanks Tyler for reminding me to wash it soon.

 

[Buger]

The only films I would really consider are:
Ultra Performance - ceramic
HP Quantum - metallic hp film
HP Supreme - semi-metallic hp film
Supreme - high performance film
HP Charcoal - metallic charcoal film
NR Charcoal - your basic charcoal film

There are some other "ultra performance" options besides ceramic today. In the northern (US) climates the ultra high performance films aren't really worth it but in southern (US) climates like Georgia or Texas getting a film which rejects as much heat as possible can be very important in the hot summers.

Some ceramic options like Llumar reject about 50% of solar energy in their CTX-30 film (borderline legal?). Madico Wincos is a non-ceramic film which is sometimes sold as "ceramic" and claims to reject about 53% of solar energy in their Wincos-30 film (borderline legal?) but has a slightly bluish tint. 3M Crystalline is considered by some to be the top of the line choice for heat rejection and claims to reject about 60% of solar energy in their Crystalline-40 film.

The metallic films offer decent heat rejection but can interfere with some signal reception.

 

[CASCADIA CX-5]

Got my front 2 windows done with 20% Johnson Renegade film( http://www.johnsonwindowfilms.com/RN.php ). I chose this film myself after looking at several other brands to see what would best match the factory rear tint on my Touring model.

I am very happy with the results and have received lots of compliments. I have also been contemplating a tint strip across the top of the windshield. Anyone have one done on their CX-5 so I can see some pics?

Before tint:

After:

 

[Gio26NJ]

Good choice, I got Johnson films on mine as well but 35%. Damn I never did post the pics I promised. Will try and do it tonight if I remember.

Edit here are the pics of my 35% fronts with Johnson Films (not sure what grade but something premium)

 

[CASCADIA CX-5]

Yeah, I am very happy with the Johnson Renegade film... and that is saying a lot coming from me because I am a total perfectionist.

I had the installer tack on a piece of the Renegade film to the front window next to some comparable tints from 3M, Madico, Suntek, and even Huper Optik (spendy). Most of them looked pretty good from the outside looking in compared to the factory tinted back windows, however inside looking out was a whole other story. There were really only two that I considered a close match to the factory rears and those were the Johnson Renegade 20% and the Suntek Carbon 18%. I was hesitant to go darker than 20% (even slightly) so I went with the Johnson Renegade. Looking back, I think the Suntek 18% would have been fine also.

 

[CX-SV]

The Johnson 20% looks good, very nice match.

I don't know the tint laws in WA. Do you have hassles with the cops in WA?


(In CA the cops will give fixit tickets for 20% on fronts. Technically 35% on fronts isn't legal in CA, but I've run front 35% for 15+ years, no tickets.)

 

[CASCADIA CX-5]

Washington state law says 24% light transmission on the front 2 windows of an SUV and as dark as you want on the back.
Even with 35% tint, the actual light transmission would probably be in the mid 20% range because even the clear factory glass blocks some light.
So with 20% tints, you are probably really at around 15-18% light transmission (which is the darkest I would ever go on front windows.. even if darker was legal).
Anything darker than that and it becomes hard to see out the sides at night (especially with rain drops all over your windows).

I've never been hassled or heard of anyone else being hassled in WA for window tints. I don't think it is something they really care about or enforce. Any/all tint shops
here are happy to tint your windows as dark as you would like them.

 

[CX-SV]

^ Sounds like WA has more detailed laws on tint than CA. But as you pointed out, enforcement (or actual lax enforcement of) is really what matters. Front window glass does have some light tint already from the factory, so adding tint is cummulative.

Around here tint shops will also do whatever customer requests but they will warn customers, when going with darker tints on front side windows. So far I've never been hassled by CA cops, but I have a cop in family that will sign off my fix-it ticket if it ever happens.

 

[thatguy2013]

Just had mine using llumar ctx ceramic. Went with 50% up front and rear 15%. Pretty sure it had be done by hand as there system isn't updated with our cx-5's. Either way go with ceramic, well worth it!

llumar is the way to go. Had mine done 35front/15 rear and it looks great. Plus its a lifetime warranty.

 

[kelvincheu]

35% (3M Color Stable) at front windows for my 2014 Touring. $90.

 

[mudgts]

Llumar CTX is a good tint, as is the forumla 1. But I think that 3M makes the best tint. They have a crystallilne product which is quite good at keeping the UV rays out, even at low tint levels. i.e. a 50% tint can keep out as much UV as a reg. 5% tint.

What drives me nuts is when people get their cars tinted at the dealerships. Dealerships base their decisions on costs and usually choose the cheapest tinter who is reliable. That means crappy no-name tint that has little UV protection and high adhesion failure. Get your vehicle tinted at a pro-shop. spend the extra $50-$100 and get it done right. Especially if you plan on keeping the car a few years.

Also, I do prefer computer-cut tints as they don't require cutting on the glass. When people cut on the vehicle, they may cut the rubber liners which would effect the seal and wind noise. Film Vinyl Design and TintTek are the most common names in software for tint cutting.

While you are getting that done, you should look into the invisible bra on the vehicle. 3M offers a paint protection film and it's usually about $300 to install. It's a clear urethane that protects the front part of the hood and fenders from stone chips. You can install it yourself by ordering from Chipguard Inc. or ask your tinter to see what they use. Don't use Durashield or Ventureshield. It's too thin and offers barely any protection. Go for the 3M Scotchgard line.

and in case you're wondering.. I do tint cars for a living