Hey everyone,

I know I'm going to tint my G, but I'm battling myself over how dark I want to go and figured I would get advice from the experts first. I live in VA and here the tint law is 50% on the driver/passenger windows and 35% on all other windows minus the windshield. 50% seems really light, I'm wondering if I could get away with 40% or 35% all the way around without being harassed.

I also spend a lot of time in the NYC/Long Island area. The tint law in NY is ridiculous (70% on driver/passenger windows?!) and I see cars almost blacked out there all the time not to mention I have VA plates so I almost feel like I should disregard their tint laws anyway.

What has your experience been with your tint? Police (especially in VA and NY)? Any brands you recommend, or anything I should make sure the guy putting it on should do in particular?

Thanks for all your help!
Ben

 

25%! it isnt that dark... what color is your interior??

 

ah sorry...black paint, black interior. i don't think i'd do 25%, that'd stick out like a sore thumb on my side windows if i'm only supposed to have 50%. my idea is that 35-40% might be close enough to 50% not to draw immediate police attention

 

I have 20% all the way around in CA and I never get hasseled

 

from what i hear the west coast is a lot more lax about this kinda thing. could be wrong though.

i got pulled over once for tint and had to take it off...of a 96 cavalier back in 2005 when i was 17 years old. when i bought the car the tint was on it so i don't know for sure how dark it was but if i had to guess id say maybe 25%. a 96 cavalier isn't quite a sports car, so i'd imagine my G would draw even more attention, hence me worrying about it a little more this time around.

 

I'm from cali and I believe were suppose to have more than 70% light in for the front. I currently have 20% tint all around with black interior and never been harassed/pulled before. I have 3M tint, and its been 3 years now and I haven't had any peeling, fading or bubbling issues yet. I say either 3M or ceramic formulaone is usually the right way to go.

 

35% here. If you're worried about it, I wouldn't get anything darker. The closest car is mine. Furthest car just has tint on the back windows.

 

i've got 35% on mine and it looks sharp and very classy, not to dark and no to light...

 

i really like the look that 35% gives, i just don't want any police attention from it. it leaves me wondering what 40% would look like too..

 

I rarely get busted at all


20% sides, 35% windshield

 

Here we go again. It’s the same old theme I’ve read on this forum a hundred times before. It brazenly says, “I’ve never been pulled over yet for my illegal tints.” As if it is all that matters. What nonsense. It doesn’t guarantee you will never be pulled over, nor does it address the possibility that you will kill yourself some night because you couldn’t see an oncoming vision problem. Furthermore, there’s enough posts around here on those who have been caught to suggest illegal tints are just not worth it.

Take the long range view. Putting aside how “cool” you think your car looks with illegal tints, stick to what your state law directs, and you will enjoy driving your G all the more without having to look over your shoulder all the time, and without risking your life, those of your passengers or some innocent child you may kill some dark night who was trying to cross the street on his or her way home.

 

I'm in MD, I went with legal ... push come to shove, our cars are begging to get pulled over. IMHO .... it's not worth it and hurts even worse if you have to pull $300-400 worth of tint off. I have Blue Slate with a black interior and while it's not blacked out it deffinately looks tinted and darker.

I echo what Chekov says.

 

difference between 35% and 40% isn't going to be much. My advice would be go with whatever you feel comfortable with. If 35% is something you see as fit, go with that. If youre still worried, maybe 40% will be less of a stress in your mind. The worst thing is feeling like cops are trying to catch you. You lose the fun of driving the car and are more worried about keeping your windows rolled down or just in general worried that youre going to get pulled over. I know I wouldnt like driving with that kind of stress constantly in my mind. I personally have 35% on my front windows and 5% on the quarter panel windows and the rear window. The difference between the 5% and 35% is too much for me and after a few months of driving around, 35% doesnt even seem like tint is there when under certain angles of sunlight. Im going soon to replace the 35% with 20% and I think ill be happier.

The point im trying to get to is... get something youre comfortable with. the lighter you go, the chances of you getting pulled over are less and less. who knows, even if you do get your state's legal allowed %, a cop might still pull you over suspecting you have darker tints. It's all a gamble when it comes to tinting. Be safe, as tinting does also hurt visibility.

 

You have a dark interior, so your tint will look darker than the same % tint with a light interior.

I would check the tint laws for NY and VA. It varies by state. As far as I know, only the tint law of your home state applies to you. If out of state, that state's tint law does not apply to you; however, you can still be pulled over and ticketed for it.

Yes that would be a legal stop. And then you can be held responsible for anything the cop finds as a result (empty beer cans, dead hookers, etc.). I'm not a cop or a lawyer. I've just been in this situation many times so I am familiar (with illegal tint out of state, not dead hookers).

If the tint is your only problem, I imagine most cops not going to cite you for an out-of-state, non-moving traffic violation. But if they did, you would then have to prove that the tint on your VA car is legal in VA (even though you were stopped in NY).

 

I live in Queens, and I just recently for pulled over and slapped with a summons for 35% tints. Could've been the fact that I didn't have a front plate and that made my car a target. Anyways, I still say 35% is good. I'm going to get the hideaway front plate and I doubt they'll hassle me again.