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Would somebody give me a basic FAQ about tinting?

what do 20% and 30% stand for?

what combinations of tint look best... etc...

 
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I guess I'll be the first. The percentage is what pecentage of light the film allows to pass through. 5% is darker than 90% I dont think people worry to much about what looks best because states usually have pretty strict laws. Most people (that I know) prefer smoke which is black....purple sucks and metallic in Atlanta is illegal I think. Get smoke and go as dark as So Cal allows and youll be happy

 
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Definitely go black, and make sure it's the same shade all the way around. I can't stand the way a black civic looks when it has 30% tinting on the back windows, compared to 50% or something on the front. My windows are tinted 35% all the way around (minus the front) and it looks way better than that two-toned do-it-yourself-bubbly ish that's common here in Winnipeg.

 
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20% and 30% are the grades that tinting come in and the lower the tinting the darker the color. I have the 20 grade and that is freaking dark. i mean standing outside i can barely see my steering wheel

if it were legal where i live ( 20% is illegal but you dont get shafted for it) id also go for a 5% reflective coat over the top.. it looks unreal specially if you got a silver vic

 
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yea like everyone said go black/smoke. i have 5% rears (all 3) and 20% driver/pass. window. it really looks good and cops dont bother me bout it, but it all depends on your area. the 20% actually blends in with my 5% so it looks pretty even.

 
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get 5 %

 
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20% = 80% of sunrays are reflected (darker than 30%)
30% = 70% of sunrays are reflected (lighter than 20%)

as the percentage goes lower, the darker the tint will be.

so when you call a shop and want tints, their gonna ask what percent. if you want darkest, you tell them 5%.

from my expierence of tints. heres the way i see it:

5% - basically limo tint, difficult to identify whats going on in the interior of the car during daylight and might as well wait til sun comes up if your trying to figure out whose inside at night. you can pick your nose all you want during day and no one will know (unless their in front of you). you would need a flashlight and effort looking to find someone inside.

20% - perfect for daytime as it gives a dark shade, but still very dark at night. will get hassled with in most cases. dark enough so other drivers on the highway at night will NOT see you. during daytime, other drivers on the highway can barely see you depending if sun is directed onto you.

35% - a light shade during daytime, can see exactly what you are doing inside still if sun is directed at you. probably lighter than what SUV's come with from the factory on the back windows. i think 35% is best for night as it is still very dark, but can still somewhat tell whats going on in your car if light is directed at you. most likely not get hassled with this during day, but possibilities are still high/risky during nights depending how desperate the officer is.

anything lower is girly **** IMO. but you get the basic figure. i have 5% on the back 3 windows and 35% on the front of my rsx. i have been pulled twice in california. first time was CHP during daytime.. he told me its not that dark and let me slide. 2nd was in oakland. i believe i was at the wrong place at the wrong time as i was pulled over in the part of east oakland where sideshows occur. so officer took it real serious and probably thought i was attending the sideshow. so he cites me for 35% tint during night time.

btw, california law is no tint on front windows at all. so i guess i cant complain. if your in CA, just dont go real dark and maybe the officer would let it slide. of course if your gonna do 5% tint all around, expect it anytime soon.


and thats my tint faq for your ***

 
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i have 35% on my ssm... if i can do it again, i would do 20%.. 35 is not dark for me

 
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go 20% i just put it all around my car. looks sick on my ssm. plus its not that dark. if the sun is shining through the windsheild then you can see perfectly in my car. if not, then you have to look pretty hard. at night, you cant see **** from the outside, from the inside its eh. when it rains its alittle hard to see out my side windows. but nothing major. 20% is the best route.

 
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i got 20% in the rears, and 50% put up front recently...so far so good

so if you go dark in the back, and the fronts lighter, it might cause the illusion that it's not tinted

 
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i just got 15% today