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Factory (front) Tint Percentage?

marc_w

Full Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2002
Messages
1,112
Location
Douglas, MA
Does anyone happen to know the percentage tint the factory glass in the front doors are?

Reason I'm asking:

I understand the factory glass up front IS tinted, and obviously allows a very high amount of light to pass. ?Like 75-95% or so. ?It's still tinted enough to be rated.

Massachusetts has laws stating tint on the drivers and passengers doors must not exceed (block... or "be under") a 35% rating.

I'm looking at the pre-cut tint on Ebay... which can be had at 35%.

When I go for my yearly inspection sticker - they'll check aftermarket tint like this with some sort of a special device that detects the amount of light that will pass through the tint. ?

35% aftermarket tint on top of ~85% factory tinted glass will probably not be legal. ? :cautious:

Just trying to work this out before hand!

Thanks.
-marc

 
And while we are discussing tint, what is the factory rear door and back window %'s?

there is some for sale in a parts thread.

and here is a link that tells you state laws:

http://www.gr8tint.com/laws4.html

mine looks close to 35%, but, interestingly I have seen states at 27% for the rear doors.
 
I just got my front windows tinted to match the backs and for the life of me I can not remember what percentage I got. Look at my webpage to see the pics. I was told by the guy who did my windows that you will never match the fronts with the backs. He said the fronts will always be lighter because of its vicinity to the windsheild. THat area is a great source of light. The rear and midgate windows are not tinted instead they are actually stained that color. That fact makes it very difficult to have the fronts ever match the backs because the fronts have a slight tint to them also.

You can go crazy trying to match the two up. It will never happen. I think I got really close. I am satisfied with how mine look. When you go to get them tinted most Tinting guys will know the best tint to use based upon your needs. To get the fronts done it cost me $68.
 
Here in WV the state law is also 35%. I had mine done and there is a small sticker on it that says WV 35% so my guess is that it doesn't matter what the factory tint is as long as you just get the 35% installed. You may want to check with one of your inspection stations to be sure. They may use a light meter to determine the tint but I don't think it would be much lower than 35% anyway.
 
Most tinting companies will use a 20% tint on the front windows in order to to get the closest match to the factory rear window darkness. You will have to realize though that most companies will leave the liability on you if you opt to go with dark tint. I do tinting as a side-business(13 years) so feel free to ask any questions regarding this subject.
 
i went with 20% and it looks nice i do need to go back by and get the passenger side redone...it has too many air bubbles in it...the driver's side has one but it's really small so i'm not too worried about it...and in my state my tint is 7% more than legal but i think it's close enough since 5 over the speed limit is accepted so should 7% over tint
 
Factory fronts should be about 80% Transmission / 20% Filtered...

Rears are about 25 Transmission /75 Filtered

Rear 2002 glass is 20 Trans / 80 Filt.

11H
 
That's what I thought... around 80%. ? Thanks!

Now to figure out how to keep myself legal... ?:rolleyes: (gotta brush up on my math)

 
I got my fronts done from the dealer, and they match to the point you cant notice... Maybe not perfect, but you couldnt tell... :cautious:
 
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