I did a search and can't find any before / after / inside / outside photos of window tint..

I'm considering tinting my front 2 on my black tahoe to match the rears.. 30% is the max in PA, but I found 20% is what I will need to match the backs...

anyone with photos / pros / cons please post up and include costs!

thanks

 

I dont have any before/after pics to post but I have some pros and cons....

First off I have my front windows at 15% which is fairly dark and also illegal in Texas. I would like to go darker but it gets kind of hard to see at night in low light areas, so anything darker might be a wee bit dangerous. I would definitely tint your front windows it makes your truck look better (IMHO) especially since it black and its just nice to have some shade. 20% will be an all around good tint, it will provide you with some shade, security, and it will look good. My only Con about window tint is if 30% is the max that you are allowed to go in PA you might have some trouble come inspection time. I failed 6 or 7 times at different places until I found someone that "overlooked" my windown tint.

Cost....
I tinted the rear, front, and got an "eyebrow" installed out the door for $230

Also, just fyi....
I got the rear of my vehicle tinted to 5%. I couldnt be happier with it, no one can really see in, my vehicle is reflects alot more Texas heat, and it looks great.

 

well 20% is what i'm looking at, and 30% is legal, in PA inspection stations do not inspect for tint as of 1998. Highway officer's can pull you over and write you a ticket, but if they have a light meter, and find me at 20% there is nothing they can do... just waste my time... I think w/my black truck and now black tail lights it would look nice, but i want to see inside / outside photos of the windows... if anyone has them! thanks!

 

If 30 is legal and they find you at 20 why do you say there is nothing they can do - won't they write you a ticket for being darker than 30? Is it a "fix it" type ticket? I have 35 (FormulaOne Pinnacle ceramic) on a black Suburban - I think it's OK on looks - doesn't quite match rear but much better than no tint plus it rejects heat really well.

http://www.formulaone.com/

 

I think we have #s mixed up...

IN PA: windshield + Front sides on SUV: 70% of light must pass through. meaning 30% max tint.

20% tint = 80% of light goes THROUGH the tint....

so 20% is less tint than 30%...

if I am wrong let me know...

http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/pdotforms...ets/fs-sun.pdf

Right from the DMV web site

 

Don't think that's the way it works. Look at the FormulaOne website and you'll see that the lower numbers have the higher heat rejection and glare reduction. I think this is the way all tint is measured - 20 is darker than 30 or in the case of FormulaOne Pinnacle, 15 is darker than 35. In looking at the PA website and other websites, it looks like in window tint terms that "legal" in PA is 70 not 30.

 

More info:

Percentage Numbers represent amount of light transmission.
Example : 35% means 35% light transmission.
Also known as VLT or Visible Light Transmission. Film - Amount of light that is required to pass through window film.
Example : 35% Film means that the film must pass through at least 35% visible light.

 

ok, so then is matching my back tint going to be street legal in PA? I don't want 2 shades of black on the windows of my truck...

 

I guess it depends on how much risk you want to take. I'm sure lots of folks have tint %'s lower than legal requirements and never get caught. Actually the two different shades (front and back)is not as big a distraction as you might think...tint, even at the 35% level, looks better than no tint. I used to try and match with 20% on my Tahoe but left turns on dark nights were a problem for these old eyes...plus I always stood the risk of not passing annual inspection or getting a ticket. New laws in Texas are stricter and most window tinters won't do a % that's not legal since they are required now to put stickers on all tint jobs. Pinnacle 35 on the two front windows of my Suburban was $125 - lifetime warranty, etc. Good luck.

 

I don't have any pics handy, but NO tint is legal in Ca. on the fronts. So, with that in mind, my front 2 are only lightly tinted, the second row is factory tinted, and the back 3 are another shade darker, plus I had the sunroof done like the rears so I can keep the shade open more on really sunny days. It goes in steps from light to darkest and has gotten several compliments.