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With the most recent heatwave, I've been wondering what kind of tint folks are using to minimize the cabin temperature. I know there are various materials that can help with this, but I've been out of touch for quite some time and would love to hear/see what people have done to make things "cooler".
Call Cactus Window Tinting (480) 248-8966, Scottsdale, AZ.. They have TONS of experience with high sun exposure, hi desert heat. They will tell you what to look for. Be sure to mention what kind of car your have. Some tints play hell with your electronics, radio, lane keeping, etc.
With the most recent heatwave, I've been wondering what kind of tint folks are using to minimize the cabin temperature. I know there are various materials that can help with this, but I've been out of touch for quite some time and would love to hear/see what people have done to make things "cooler".
Thanks and stay cool.
Ceramic tint. There's some more expensive tints that 3M makes called Crystalline (iirc), but you can only get that at their certified installers and it's pretty expensive. Anything below ceramic (carbon, etc) doesn't really provide any heat rejecting abilities
You want ceramic. See if you have a FlexFilms dealer in your area. I’ve got Flex NanoFlex on my cars and it blows away the 3m and Llumar equivalent as far as heat reduction.
2016 E350 4Matic wagon, 2019 Ford Expedition, 2019 Chevy Bolt EV
the black grill with the white surround is quite tasteful, I've not seen that on a facelift 'luxury' model before. we have nearly exactly the same white wagon, but ours is still completely stock.
I got my windows tinted two months ago. I went with a local installer for Suntek Full Ceramic CIR for $475 (Northern Virginia, US). This carries a lifetime warranty for the original purchaser.
I chose this brand because of the warranty and the claim that it won't mess with mobile phone signals.
I got the darkest allowed in my state. I'm happy with it!
As someone who spent years in the window tint world, I would advise going with a Spectrally Selective product, which houses several brands and types of tint. These films block both UV and IR, which will be the biggest spectrum of heat generators. 3M Crystaline was the first big player in this space, but several companies have a more affordable version out these days. One thing about Crystaline is that its more in the brown spectrum of colors, and they dont (or at least didnt used to) make a really dark version. I had my wagon tinted with DubIR in a 20% all the way around, including my sunroof and could not be happier. I would 10/10 spend the extra above a standard ceramic tint and go with something spectrally selective.
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Type of window Tint for this heatwave
