F20C PWR

i have 5% all round on my berlina black..it looks great do it!

04RioS2k

5% is great in the morning the only problem I have with it is at night when I'm backing out, beside that I can see other people's headlight just fine and what not when they are driving behind, next, or near me....

tlegend

can you guys post pics of the 5% tint on any s2k color plz...

thx

deanjones

I managed a car tint shop for 5 years and I can tell you right now, 5% will eventually get on your nerves, especially in the S2000.

We never applied 5% to cars but we did to SUV's and larger pickups. The reason we didn't was because it is law not to, however, we had more cars come to us to get 5% pulled off and something like 35% put on because the smaller the car, the harder it is to see out of 5% windows. If it's a larger vehicle such as an SUV, it's a bit easier due to the added space and light inside the vehicle. However, in something as small as the S2000... at night, it's almost impossible to see out of especially when there aren't any street lights around.

Currently, I have 20% on my S2000 and I get pissed off with just 20% on it. Trust me, you'll highly regret using 5%.

I'd say 20% should be the limit. And, no, it doesn't look stupid with the top down and windows up. I have to do this a lot because my girlfriend hates driving on the express way with the wind slapping her in the face, so when we get on an express way, the windows come up and it looks normal. The reason for this is light is now coming inside of the cabin and so you can see through the film both ways...

With window tint, wherever there is more light, it will be harder to see into the other side. For example, when a cars windows are all up and you're trying to look inside the car, it's harder to see inside of the car because there is more light outside. However, if you're inside looking out, all of the light is outside so you can see out fine. This also goes in reverse which is why 5% is such a hassle. At night on a dark street, you have more light inside of your car due to the panel lighting up, however, there may be less light outside and this makes it hard to see outside of your car. Now, when you drop the top, there is an equal amount of light on both sides of the window so it's easy to see in and out of it.

mad-dog-one

It would be a great idea to see what the car looks like with 5% tinted windows. I'm curious to see if anyone has pictures too, although what YOU want and how it looks to YOU seems like it should be more important than all of the opinions from others about how they think YOUR car should look.

deanjones

It's not a matter of looks with 5%. 5% looks great. It's a matter of safety.

04RioS2k

well I see just fine out of my window so maybe people that are blind as a bat shouldn't get the 5% but me personally I love it, since I got this little black and yellow scheme thing going on....

deanjones

Sit in a driveway with absolutely no light outside except the moon and try to back out of the driveway with the windows rolled up. If you can do that and see out of your windows just fine, you don't have true 5% film on your car. Plain and simple. It is physically impossible to see out of 5% film when there is more light in your cabin than outside of the car. A visual impossibility.

Incubus

Those are some pretty strong statements. Do you have any scientific data to prove them? Any referred documents/journals.

deanjones

Think about it. Window film works simply by reflecting light and only allowing a specific amount of light through the film. 5% film means that only 5% of light is allowed through it. When you apply light to one side of the film and there is less light on the other side, you will not be able to see through the film unless it allows more light to travel through.

5% of allowed light is very very small and barely enough to allow you to see. However, add the mechanics of the window film. It will be reflecting the light that hits it no matter which side you shine the light. At night, in dark areas, the light inside of your car is brighter than the light outside of your car, especially on overcast nights. So, the film will reflect the light from your panel and radio, etc... Which will make it even harder to see out (Think about a reflection on your TV from a window behind it on a sunny day). Also, think of those trick mirrors you see sometimes where someone is standing behind it and when you look into the mirror, you just see your self. Then the person behind the mirror can turn on the light and all of the sudden you can see them! This is because there is less light behind that mirror than there is in the room you are sitting. When the person adds light behind the trick mirror, it allows you to view through it and see them. They can also see you at this point because there is an equal amount of light in the other room. However, if the person were to shut off the lights in the other room, the person behind the trick mirror would now not be able to see them.

Most 5% films are not really 5%. A lot of them gauge at 10 or 15%. This is because on some vehicles, there is already a thin layer of film in your window that has a very very light tint to it. Some darker than others. If you apply a 10% film to the window like that, it will become 7% in most cases. 5% or less in others. However, if you apply a true 5% film to a window, it will go down to 3 or 2%.

I've always found it funny that people who buy "Limo tint" or "5% tint" think that nobody can see them regardless. My sister was one of these people. When she was younger she had true 5% put on her car. She was in a parking lot smoking a joint and doing absolutely insane things with her girlfriends and they were doing it because they thought nobody could see them. However, they had their interior light on and it dark outside. Everyone saw what they were doing and eventually one of their friends came up and told them...

Film isn't some magical thing where when you apply it to a window, it only has a one-way viewing range. It all depends on light and where that light source comes from.

Honestly, if you think you can back out of a driveway without hitting a mailbox or anything on a dark night without rolling your windows down and you can prove you did this, I'll send you $$... It can't be a driveway that you're used to or anything. Get on a road that you're not sure what's behind you and try to back out of it with 5% film. Prove it and let me know. I'm speaking from years of experience with this and also managing a Formula One window film shop for 5 years... I'm not just making this crap up to piss people off...