The most common vehicle window tint around (here) is various shades of black, from 5% to 35% VLT (visible light transfer). I am looking for the most effective window tint available, so wonder about a mirror / chrome. What do people use in the real hot places like the southern US? Are there laws against using a chrome finish (glare flashing??)

Buildings and even some RVs use a mirror-finished windows to keep the heat out, why not cars, trucks, and vans?

It seems to me that using transparent black will definitely stop some light from hitting the inside articles (reducing internal heat build-up), but the black glass itself would heat and radiate to the inside. Using a transparent chrome might be cooler.

Our local law allows us to do anything to the windows that are not the front windshield, driver or passenger windows, to which we can have no tinting that isn't from the factory...

 

Chrome tint alays reminds me of Michael Keaton in the movie Night Shift'.....
FF

 

Hah! I will have to watch that movie to get the idea.
I'm more into practicality of keeping cool as to how it looks.

I was in Walmart yesterday and saw a chrome-fade-to-black tint - would have bought it, except the black was 5%. However, Walmart has such a great return policy that maybe I should try it out, just stick it on with scotch tape and see how it looks... from inside out, and from outside in.

Thanks for the tip.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM8VF...eature=related

I always thought it was chrome tinted....my memory from 29 years ago is foggy,
FF

 

ive got 20% dark tint on mine. i wouldnt do mirror unless i had a light colored ride

 

as far as i know Mirror/ chrome tint is illegal in all 50 states. I owned a tint shop for almost 10 yrs and althought it does look good on some vehicles it is highly illegal due to reflection. i would check with local laws before even trying mirror tint. As far as keeping it cooler, while the mirror finish would seem to reflect more heat, it does no better job then a standard charcole or black film. while it does reflect more light it does trap the heat in (think aluminum foil) so it kind of defeats its own purpose.

 

Definitely go black

 

So when you guys tent your windows does brand matter? 3M over Suntec? I'd like to tint my windows again but the Suntec tint I bought sucked terribly. It didn't even seem to reduce the heat inside the car having parked outside in sunlight. I felt like I wasted $250...

 

I paid $90 to have my entire truck done. IDK what brand they used but they guaranteed it for life if it ever peeled, cracked or faded.

 

Weedahoe, does your car get hot inside sitting under the sun. And the truck truck you're referring to being tinted is the one in the sig, correct?