My 5% tint job ;)

thebigbread · Post by **thebigbread** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 12:15 pm

Here it is guys, this is my bottle rocket, with 5 percent reflective tint.

i could only afford 2 rolls, ill eventually buy 2 more to finish the 3 rear windows.

Typrus · Post by **Typrus** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 4:29 pm

.... I think thats a bit much personally....

I'm likely going to go for 15% Metallic when I finally get it done. I'll have the best shop in town do the back ones then get the under the table guys to take care of my front 2. I might do 15% in the rears and do 20 or 25% in the fronts. I want my night vision. Might do a 15% outer box in the far rear and have a 25% square in the middle to see out of at night.

thebigbread · Post by **thebigbread** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 5:30 pm

Typrus wrote:.... I think thats a bit much personally....

I'm likely going to go for 15% Metallic when I finally get it done. I'll have the best shop in town do the back ones then get the under the table guys to take care of my front 2. I might do 15% in the rears and do 20 or 25% in the fronts. I want my night vision. Might do a 15% outer box in the far rear and have a 25% square in the middle to see out of at night.

yes, get metallic. Lasts much longer, & gives it a high-end look. 25 & 15 are a great combination because we have so many windows on our wagons

waynehoc · Post by **waynehoc** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 7:47 am

Hey, the bigbread, that tint job looks really great, but ...

Here it comes, from a sixty's something (old fuddy-duddy?).

Many vehicles come right from the factory with tint now-a-days, and to be truthful a car/truck/whatever looks great, in most cases, with tinted glass.

My wife drives an '01 CR-V with tinted glass, and our two boys (13 and 16) love it, particularly on hot sunny days, when it keeps them cool and out of the sun's glare.

But me, I don't like how tinted glass cuts down on visibility when I'm driving, whether it's my wife's CR-V or my wagon. In the latter case, I have to drive behind so many vehicles with tinted glass (as does everyone else on the road these days), and it cuts down on my visibility beyond them - thru their window glass. I 'grew up' driving with tintless vehicles, and am used to being able to look thru the vehicles ahead of me. I enjoy driving for its own sake, and want to see where I'm going - its part of the enjoyment of driving for me.

I guess I'm old school, and am very visually-oriented

- I like to SEE where I'm going, and tinted glass cuts this down dramatically, for me, at least. I do use my mirrors a lot, wherever I can, but my first choice is always to see clearly, directly, with my own two eyeballs, where I'm going and came from, in all directions. Probably would have a big learning curve to become a trucker, and have to rely on mirrors a lot

For me, one of the major attractions of my wagon is the huge visibility advantage it provides. Tinted glass would take that away for me. I just love those huge, low windows we have at the back, can see most everything out of them.

One of the things I really noticed when we were test driving mini SUV's, in the process of deciding what to buy for my wife, was the terrible visibility most (all?) of them had, compared to the Terc. The CR-V was the best of what we tried in that dep't, but only one of a number of reasons we chose the CR-V over other possibilities.

Just my 2 cents...

Post by **ARCHINSTL** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 11:03 am

As another person of - ahem - a certain age, I have to agree with waynehoc.
When I had my then-new '83, I did tint the all of the side windows myself (a PITA, to be sure). I had to remove the front doors' tints in the presence of an officer, when he insisted on it. However, I was kinda glad, even though I was stylin' at the time. I've always worn glasses/contacts, and the visibility was none too good, then or now. Granted, the tint on the white Tercel really looked cool (as does yours) - this was not even Kissinger-dark, as we used to say in the old days (who he?), but still looked great.
I would love to do it to Goldie, but, as you will discover, one's night vision does not improve with age......

Also on the CR-V, a daughter has an '03, and she did concur with the vision available with it compared to the other mini-utes. The Honda has (to me) large C-pillars, but those on the others have HUGE ones (as do most other SUVs and wanna-bes; in traffic, I keep a close watch on them if I'm in the right lane, adjacent to them. If I had a choice, I think I'd go with Gen 1 on the CR-V, as it seems to have more visibility. Who knows, maybe I'll buy one one day.

Your car does look really neat, though.
Tom M.

Typrus · Post by **Typrus** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 2:06 pm

I love the visibility my Excursion offers. Its a MONSTER of the road (4 inches taller and 6 inches longer than a Suburban.. I think 2 inches wider as well). Though it does have a big blind spot on the side, the convex towing-mirrors it comes with factory alleviate this issue.

Want to know something odd? My buddies 2005 Magnum R/T has phenominal visibility out of those little skinny windows. Well, for me it does. My height brings me up to the right point to see correctly. Someone much shorter might have issues though. And God is that car a blast to drive.... Not to mention one of the best looking wagons ever made. (Hey, I didn't say THE best. We all know where that title belongs

)

Thats one of my biggest concerns with a tint. I'm none too worried about looking awesome or anything of that nature. I'm worried about privacy and heat inside. But my night-time visibility, especially considering the amount of night driving I do and the place where I live, is very important to me. If all I ever did was drive on nice sunny days, I'd put 5% on. But I do a heck of a lot of night driving with a 20 mile commute. So low visibility is not an option.

keith · Post by **keith** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 3:45 pm

I'm at least as old as any of you are and I find a little tint HELPS visibility, especially at night. Most of my vehicles have 35% all around,except the windshield which has 5% down to the AS1 line across the top and factory below. I have a 50 mile commute to work, each way and I'm driving into the sun in the morning and again when returning home at night, except this time of year its dark when I go home. That 5% strip is a lifesaver. Unfortunately, cops notice it, so after some tickets, I've had to cut about 5 mph off my average speed. I've used the freebee driver safety course in every county around me.

At night, the tint reduces glare from inconsiderate drivers behind me with those (blank) HID headlights. Occasionally I manage to get the rearview mirror adjusted just right to "back um off"

For you guys having trouble with blind spots, check this out, it works. This is the way to adjust your mirrors

http://www.cartalk.com/content/features/mirrors/07.html

thebigbread · Post by **thebigbread** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 4:04 pm

Typrus wrote:If all I ever did was drive on nice sunny days, I'd put 5% on.

im driving always during the day, except driving to church at night (a 2 mile trip)

Mickey_D · Post by **Mickey_D** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 7:33 pm

In all seriousness, if any of us were REALLY concerned about how others view us, would we REALLY be driving a Terc???

I mean, come on. They're not a widely accepted "cool" car like a Magnum, nor are they an accomplished ralley car like the WRX.

They are an underpowered, boxy little thing made by Toyota. Our passion for these things certainly doesn't come from the looks. It's not like they have that coveted plaque on them, "Body by Pininfarina"!!

Post by **ARCHINSTL** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 11:27 pm

Mickey_D wrote:They are an underpowered, boxy little thing made by Toyota. Our passion for these things certainly doesn't come from the looks. It's not like they have that coveted plaque on them, "Body by Pininfarina"!!

Well said.....
Of course, I was a Morris MInor nut for many, many years.....And I owned a '52 Singer Roadster for 40 years, which was hardly as cool as the MG TDs or Morgans or HRGs and, with the top up, looked like a pup tent on wheels.....So I guess I've had a predilection for orphans rather than stylers.
But at least I've never owned a Renault or a Citroen or a Peugeot or a Fiat !!!!!
Tom M.

tercel4wdrules · Post by **tercel4wdrules** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 12:01 am

Being that we're on the topic of visibility, I would like to share some of my observations. Riding 99% of the time in my dad's '01 Corolla, and when I do ride in the Tercel there's a definite difference. I like the fact that I sit higher in the Tercel, even though I haven't driven it, yet. The previous owner, having three, yes three, Volvo wagons said he really enjoyed the view that this car provides.

I was talking to someone who likes the Tercel 4WD and I asked him why he liked it. His response was the "tall windows," and now that I'm reading these responses I see why this concurs with the degree of better visibility attained in this vehicle.

And my reason for liking the Tercel is because I grew up in one and I just simply like the way it drives! Even though I have been ridiculed many times for liking this car, even by my own mechanic, I'm a staunch advocate of the Tercel 4WD and uphold my belief that this car is indeed a well-made vehicle with many different capabilities.

Mickey_D · Post by **Mickey_D** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 11:05 am

ARCHINSTL wrote:But at least I've never owned a Renault or a Citroen or a Peugeot or a Fiat !!!!!
Tom M.

Oh, Lord. Where does that put me then since I owned a 1956 Peugeot 204 convertible?

Hey, at least it was an "unusual" car!!

Typrus · Post by **Typrus** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 1:40 pm

I'm going to buy one of those stickers just for that >.<
Hey, I like how my baby looks.
She looks just as good if not better than most cars I see around. True, she's not the most georgeous thing on 4 wheels (1980's LP5000 Quattrovalvole Countach... Oh God.... Or 60's Miura.... <shivers>)

Countach... I believe that one is a LP4000 non-quattrovalvole... Still phenominal...

Hey man, I have plans to give the Terc a much better appeal. VERY carefully executed body-kit (I'm no ricer, but I know what I think looks good) with emphasis on Aerodynamic improvements, some tint-work or another, my alloy rims (might switch to some Konigs or Enkei later on down the line) and a minor lowering. Might try to improve the roofline as well. Admittedly, there is only so much you can do, but still....

I have to hit the sun pretty constantly as well. Its a real pain. I opted for the 30% strip up top when I had my windsheild replaced, but if I can get it done, I'll probably have 45% done all up and down with a 25% strip up top. Officers shouldn't mind that too much. I'll have to ask my Deputy buddies.

Post by **ARCHINSTL** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 4:30 pm

Mickey_D wrote:Oh, Lord. Where does that put me then since I owned a 1956 Peugeot 204 convertible?
Hey, at least it was an "unusual" car!!

AHA - now we know your true identity ! ! !
You are Peter Falk, retired to MN ! ! !
Tom M.
PS: Did you recycle the trenchcoat to stuff in the rust perforations?

Mickey_D · Post by **Mickey_D** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 2:02 am

Heh, that was MANY years ago (1986). I did a full-on restoration on it for a customer.

He was T-boned in it on the way home from picking it up.

One of 5 left-hand-drive 204 convertibles in North America and some idiot drunk driver turns it into scrap metal.