Front Windshield: Which of the two is easier to see at night?

[DeathRow]

Platinum Dark Magic Neutral (This is in between the lightest and darkest Magic shade variant)

or

The lightest shade of Platinum or 3M's Black tint

[red_one]

higher VLT makes the glass clearer. good for night driving.

Platinum Dark Magic Neutral MNSR 20 = VLT 25%
Platinum Medium Magic Black MBSR 35 = VLT 33%
3M Black Chrome 35 "Magic" = VLT 36%
3M FXST 35 "Black" = VLT 33%

Platinum Tint Product Guide
Platinum Tint Philippines :: Products

3M Tint Performance Chart
http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/mediawe...nce%20Data.pdf

[DeathRow]

higher VLT makes the glass clearer. good for night driving.

Platinum Dark Magic Neutral MNSR 20 = VLT 25%
Platinum Medium Magic Black MBSR 35 = VLT 33%
3M Black Chrome 35 "Magic" = VLT 36%
3M FXST 35 "Black" = VLT 33%

Platinum Tint Product Guide
Platinum Tint Philippines :: Products

3M Tint Performance Chart
http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/mediawe...nce%20Data.pdf

Hi Red_One,

Thanks for that. What do you think would be the best choice film for the front windshield to achieve:
- Dark (Black) exterior look
- Best vision for driver
- No limit for price/brand

Thank you

[red_one]

you need to make a compromise..

- lower VLT makes the glass darker. good for privacy. (dark black exterior look)
- higher VLT makes the glass clearer. good for night driving. (best vision for driver)

the best compromise would be 30-40% VLT for the windshield.

actually abroad, 70% VLT ang required in UK and certain states in the US.

Window film - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



for brands, i can recommend V-Kool, Huper Optik, Solar Gard and 3M.

[Type 100]

What do you think would be the best choice film for the front windshield to achieve:
- Dark (Black) exterior look
- Best vision for driver
- No limit for price/brand

You can't have it all. A tinted black windshield at 10% VLT is worthless at night and downright illegal in some areas. You would be better served by driving with sunglasses in the day.

I have 3M Black Chrome BC35 all around, even on the windshield. It's very usable in all conditions, but it's nowhere near as black as you want.

[niky]

You don't want dark tints unless you plan on never, ever, ever driving at night in the rain.

Heck, medium dark is already difficult on provincial roads, dark tint on the front windshield and the front side windows makes driving on them a nightmare.

Personally, I keep my front clear or use the lightest platinum available. I drive a lot on the highway, and the SLEX is pitch black at night. Even with very light tint on the front and HIDs, it's sometimes hard to see anything at all when it starts raining.

[DeathRow]

I currently have 10% VLT tint covering the whole vehicle except for the front windshield which is bare.

I've gone 2 years with this setup but some conditions at night are proving an eye-sore with many oncoming drivers driving with unbearable lights, so was looking to tint the front a wee bit.

Some magic/mirror tints don't provide good glare coverage at night so I'll probably lean towards a light shade of black tint, not a totally dark black shade.

[niky]

In my experience, tint that's dark enough to remove glare from high brights is dark enough to obscure the road to the point where you will have difficulty seeing the road.

Up to you. If you drive along well-lit urban roads most of the time, no problem. If you're a regular highway user like me, it's an inconvenience most nights and downright frustrating on others.

[red_one]

sample VLT standards enforced abroad.. notice windshield + front side windows always use higher VLT tints..

[yapoy86]

that is why i hate those who go super dark tints-super bright HID combo... they endanger not only themselves but also the opposite traffic...

if you want that menyek tints to have "privacy" then i suggest you stay home...

meduim tints on the front and the sides then super dark on the rest..

[Starex_Gold]

sample VLT standards enforced abroad.. notice windshield + front side windows always use higher VLT tints..

Kaya rin ganyan para may privacy yun rear passengers. In US usually ganyan pag SUV. The rear glass is already colored.

Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk 2

[fleas2016]

What do you think would be the best choice film for the front windshield to achieve:
- Dark (Black) exterior look
- Best vision for driver
- No limit for price/brand

If heat rejection is also important, go for the more expensive tint brands with at least 30% VLT for your WS.

For comparison, I have Huper Optik Ceramic Series (CS) 30 on my WS. Helps with the heat, glare from incoming vehicles and visibility at night is relatively awesome. My windows are VKool OEM 05. Sobrang dilim. My rear glass is still sa stock 3M Black Chrome 35, relatively useless. I plan to change them all to HO din after maka-ipon, quite an investment pa (around 15K~ pa).

[DeathRow]

that is why i hate those who go super dark tints-super bright HID combo... they endanger not only themselves but also the opposite traffic...

if you want that menyek tints to have "privacy" then i suggest you stay home...

meduim tints on the front and the sides then super dark on the rest..

Yes it's these guys who make my driving more difficult at night and is now forcing me to spend money in order to provide a cure to my problem.

Thanks for the input guys.

[Type 100]

I currently have 10% VLT tint covering the whole vehicle except for the front windshield which is bare.

I've gone 2 years with this setup but some conditions at night are proving an eye-sore with many oncoming drivers driving with unbearable lights, so was looking to tint the front a wee bit.

Driving school lessons, day 2.
If you have oncoming high beam headlights, you turn your gaze towards the gutter, slightly to the lower right. Problem solved.

If you tint your windshield below 30% VLT to "cure" this problem, you should not be driving.

Driving realizations, a few years later.
Once you are close enough to see oncoming car headlights split from one light to two, you should dip your headlight beam to the low setting.

[DeathRow]

Like I already said, will go for the lightest black shade of tint for the front windshield, which is around 40% VLT if I remember reading correctly. At least the black shades have better glare reduction than the magic/chrome variants, say some consumers. Turning head to the gutter? Textbook teaching is different to reality especially with so many variables to take into account, having said that I've tried it before and it's fine for the first few punters but for the succeeding hundreds and thousands no thanks. Alternative sought.

[red_one]

^the opposite is true, Magic/Chrome tint provides better glare reduction because they have higher VLR (Visible Light Reflectance) properties.

Visible Light Reflectance (VLR)
The amount of visible light that is reflected by the glazing system, expressed as a percent. A higher VLR rating offers better glare control. Films with higher ratings tend to be more reflective and/or darker.

Example VLR ratings for 3M "Magic" and "Black" shades..

3M BC-35 -- Light Magic (13% VLR)
3M BC-20 -- Dark Magic (20% VLR)
3M BC-10 -- Super Dark Magic Neutral (22% VLR)

3M FX-35 -- Light Black (5% VLR)
3M FX-20 -- Medium Black (5% VLR)
3M FX-5 -- Super Black (5% VLR)

[DeathRow]

Went for medium magic platinum shade in the end.