Does Ceramic Window Tint really Work?

[psdtime]

Loving the window tint. Had my wife's Yukon done too (all widows). Possibly my favorite mod! Well, second favorite, 8112s is first, but it's a close second Makes a huge difference!

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[GL4DY5]

Yes the lightest ceramic tints available still have “total” UV rejection and improved total energy rejection over an un-tinted windshield. As others have said here the difference is noticeable.
Straight off the 3M website.

*Edited for autocorrect typos

 

[Ft. Worth Rob]

I'm strongly thinking about installing CLEAR CERAMIC TINT (%70 or higher) .....

- But I don't know if its all hype? does it actually work? do you actually feel cooler in the car by 10 or 20 degrees? thoughts?

I live in DFW and find it makes a huge difference in comfort and have Xpel XR Plus in all my vehicles. The cap and windshield got 70 and my front doors got 35 to match up to the cap. I would stick with a high quality ceramic.

 

[Bronc6g22]

Added ceramic to all windows, 18% in front and 50% on rears.

 

[23OBX2.7]

55% Kavaca Ceramic on fronts is amazong with zero haze at any angle and barely detectible from exterior. I did 85% on Mustang and it was also great.

Very few ceramics have zero haze.

 

[Doc TOC]

Not sure any one really answered the issue you were trying to solve.
I am paraphrasing what I think @buzpro wants to know.
If ceramic tint contributes to lowering the interior heat factor on a Bronco, what is my visible light transmission (VLT) reduction, because I have bad night vision.

The stock Bronco front driver/passenger windows have a standard 72% VLT rating from the gray tint manufactured into the glass. Adding a "Clear" ceramic tint (spec is fairly consistent across brands), that would provide an approximate 90% VLT layer. That changes the net VLT to 65%, about a 7% additional reduction in the amount of light coming through.

You will have to decide if that is acceptable. I would ask a tint shop for a scrap sheet to tape on your passenger window and test it out at night.

Near-infared (NIR) wave length in the sunlight is the culprit that heats up the car's interior. The mid to far infrared bands do not make it through the glass. (Wait for it..)
The NIR is absorbed by the interior materials and re-radiated into the cabin as mid-infrared wavelengths. That stays inside the car to help make it toasty because it does not pass back out through the glass.

The ceramic particles in the tint are very good at deflecting NIR light, helping keep the vehicle cool. They are also good at letting visible light (shorter wave lengths) to pass through.
So the windshield, the largest square footage, benefits the interior the most, followed by the front side windows (lower tint), rear window (larger area) and side rear windows.
Metallic or dye tint films filter significantly less NIR, but dramatically more visible light.
Bottom line, you will feel less heat on your arm with ceramic window tint.

BUT, your roof and body panels are a x5 square footage compared to the glass. Those contribute more to heat transfer and retention than the glass.

AND, the biggest influence on heat retention is the ambient exterior temperature. If it's cold out, you turn on the heater. If it's hot out, you turn on the AC. The outside temperature determines how much heat can be exchanged between the interior and the exterior more than anything else.

I would not buy the tint if you think it's going to drop the interior 10-20 degrees. Maybe when your arm is a 1/2 inch from it. But it won't drop the interior 10-20 degrees I have it on my Bronco in CA. Almost as hot as AZ. That is fantasy marketing misuse of the data. And your common sense is rightly telling you what you suspected in your starting post.

 

[psdtime]

Not sure any one really answered the issue you were trying to solve.
I am paraphrasing what I think @buzpro wants to know.
If ceramic tint contributes to lowering the interior heat factor on a Bronco, what is my visible light transmission (VLT) reduction, because I have bad night vision.

The stock Bronco front driver/passenger windows have a standard 72% VLT rating from the gray tint manufactured into the glass. Adding a "Clear" ceramic tint (spec is fairly consistent across brands), that would provide an approximate 90% VLT layer. That changes the net VLT to 65%, about a 7% additional reduction in the amount of light coming through.

You will have to decide if that is acceptable. I would ask a tint shop for a scrap sheet to tape on your passenger window and test it out at night.

Near-infared (NIR) wave length in the sunlight is the culprit that heats up the car's interior. The mid to far infrared bands do not make it through the glass. (Wait for it..)
The NIR is absorbed by the interior materials and re-radiated into the cabin as mid-infrared wavelengths. That stays inside the car to help make it toasty because it does not pass back out through the glass.

The ceramic particles in the tint are very good at deflecting NIR light, helping keep the vehicle cool. They are also good at letting visible light (shorter wave lengths) to pass through.
So the windshield, the largest square footage, benefits the interior the most, followed by the front side windows (lower tint), rear window (larger area) and side rear windows.
Metallic or dye tint films filter significantly less NIR, but dramatically more visible light.
Bottom line, you will feel less heat on your arm with ceramic window tint.

BUT, your roof and body panels are a x5 square footage compared to the glass. Those contribute more to heat transfer and retention than the glass.

AND, the biggest influence on heat retention is the ambient exterior temperature. If it's cold out, you turn on the heater. If it's hot out, you turn on the AC. The outside temperature determines how much heat can be exchanged between the interior and the exterior more than anything else.

I would not buy the tint if you think it's going to drop the interior 10-20 degrees. Maybe when your arm is a 1/2 inch from it. But it won't drop the interior 10-20 degrees I have it on my Bronco in CA. Almost as hot as AZ. That is fantasy marketing misuse of the data. And your common sense is rightly telling you what you suspected in your starting post.

I think I agree with most of this. When your car is baking in the sun, it is going to get hot, the glass isn't the only culprit, but I do feel that it's the type of rays that are being blocked that makes the difference at protecting your interior materials and belongings. Your left arm doesn't get cooked as your driving down the highway. It also feels that the A/C has to work less hard to keep the car cool. Another thing that I have noticed is that the windshield tint seems to reduce glare from oncoming vehicles at night. I've only driven at night a few times since they have been tinted, but it seems better in those limited experiences. I know there is a concern by a few people about the reduction of visible light at night and poor night vision, but I think this might be better for those people since I think a lot of people's night vision issue has to do with the eyes being able to refocus rapidly after experiencing light from sources other than their headlights. I do not think that placing a small piece of tint on the windshield would give a fair comparison, since I presume it will seem darker, thus making those with vision concerns to quickly reject the windshield tint option. The better test would be to get behind the wheel or in the passenger seat of a tinted vehicle at night and compare it to what you have now. Later in the year, when the days aren't so long, that might be an easier option or tell the tint shop person your concerns and see if they could accommodate a ride at night or something like that.

 

[userdude]

I would not buy the tint if you think it's going to drop the interior 10-20 degrees. Maybe when your arm is a 1/2 inch from it. But it won't drop the interior 10-20 degrees I have it on my Bronco in CA. Almost as hot as AZ. That is fantasy marketing misuse of the data. And your common sense is rightly telling you what you suspected in your starting post.

I've felt like this was probably the case since I heard about it over the last few years. It just seems suspicious, especially living in Texas, where interior temps can get in the 130-150's on really hot days. But my brother and stepbrother (the latter installs this stuff) swear up and down it's like air conditioning on low to have it. But I think it's more likely how hot it feels through the glass. I've found the best thing is keeping it in the garage.

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