[oskicat]

So, gotta get a tint soon. I have silver HB. so simply based on appearance, would you go with a metallic tint (which is more reflective) or a ceramic tint (which is not reflective)? Here's an example of a guy who put huper optik ceramic on the rear and vkool(metallic) on the front. looks pretty good, although I'd probably do 50% on the rear windows.

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/382539/2

 

[Absinthe]

Ceramic...

 

[BMM3]

^^ceramic?^^

Might wanna check local laws. Mirrored/metallic tint here in TN is illegal.

 

[FatMorbo]

Other than reflectivitiy... what are the benefits of one over the other? Are either more prone to fading/purpling or cracking/bubbling? Is there any benefit to one over the other?

 

[oskicat]

Might wanna check local laws. Mirrored/metallic tint here in TN is illegal

did you look at the pictures?

if you didn't click on the link, here is a picture of the guy's tint, which is vkool 70% up front and huper optik ceramic 35% in the rear windows.

I'm not talking about the reflective limo mirror tint that looks like a one way mirror. The metallic based tints just happen to be slightly more reflective looking under certain conditions. Huper Optik has a line of metallic tint called SECH (50%). So i was thinking 70% vkool and then 50% sech(rear), for a very suble look.


Here's a picture of an RX-8 with vkool 70% in the front, Huper Optik Ceramic 40% in the rear, and Huper optik ceramic 30% in the rear windshield.

 

[BMM3]

Still don't understand "ceramic"? Is it a brand?

I should rephrase my first post to "reflective" tint is illegal in TN.

 

[oskicat]

Still don't understand "ceramic"? Is it a brand?

no. some tints, such as Huper Optick (their normal line of tint.. not the klasse series) are ceramic based.

Other tints, like Suntek OP, and Vkool are metallic based.

Most other tints are charcoal dyed.

Vkool and Huper are spectrally selective (blocking certain light waves out). From what i've read elsewhere, metallic vkool reflects the light while huper absorbs the light (which some people argue means a shorter lifespan for ceramic-based films).

 

[BMM3]

Ok, I got it. Either way, sounds like more money than I care to spend.

 

[SBTanMan]

My local, experienced tinting shop quoted me 500 dollars for the whole car in Huper Optik. So, that being said, I'm looking around. As much as I enjoy the look of Huper Optik, 500 dollars is a lot of money to spend, although getting a good tint done right could be worth the money.

 

[oskicat]

I'm not planning on spending more than $400. A guy I talked to said that vkool is definitely the most expensive, and the reason why they usually don't do a whole car in vkool is b/c it would cost $600+. I know people are spending $200 for the basic stuff, but I'd rather spend 2x that and actually get something that isn't just dark.

I figure it's like buying sunglasses. I have $300 sunglasses. They are polarized. Sure you could spend $100 on designer glasses that look just as good and are dark or even darker, but
1)how often do you buy sunglasses?
2)how important are your eyes to you?
3)when you use dark glasses that are not polarized, your eyes dialate more b/c it's dark, but since the glasses aren't actually filtering out many of the harmful rays, you end up letting more of those harmful rays in.

So i'd rather spend $400 for a tint that will make my car cooler even though it's not as dark, than $200 on a darker tint that basically only blocks out visible light.

 

[RaGe]

I got mine done with the metallic tint and I love it
I got the back 5 windows done in limo and the front 2 done with 60%
It cost me about 280 for the whole thing
Plus the tinting and the installation has a lifetime warrenty

 

[oskicat]

what brand tint did you get? photos?

 

[SBTanMan]

I'm having a tough choice between paying the big money for Huper Optik all over the car, or getting Formula One Ultimate and saving 300 dollars. The Huper is fantastic, and looks nice, but is it worth 300 dollars more? hmmmmmmmmm

 

[oskicat]

i say yes, especially if you have the car for a few years. the huper will actually reduce heat instead of just being dark.

... wait did you just say "save $300??" How much is the formula one all over? $100?

 

[SBTanMan]

200 dollars was the quote from a different local shop, assuming I remembered correctly (it was a few weeks ago). I'm seriously going to check my finances and see if they can go for the Huper. If nothing else, my car will be pretty unique around here (of course, I just saw another Mazda 3 in my town for the first time). And, I might just avoid a fix-it ticket that will suck if I just spent 500 on the tint job. Maybe I can talk the good local guy down to 450 or even 400. God willing.