Air Conditioning Effectiveness

We should bump this into its own thread. My car will be in Florida and it will be a necessity.

Questions -
1. I was planning on doing the 3M film like Neil suggest above, Is there a down side to the films? Do they not adhere well over time?
2. Do you know if the Tinted Lexan will reflect the light effectively?
3. Do you know the timeframe to get the tinted Lexan windows?
4. What is the cost differential between the Lexan Tinted windows and the 3M films install?
 
I have worked with a friend who owns a tinting business (20 years). He demonstrated the capability to reduce heat via ceramic films which reduced UV heat nearly 90%. Great stuff but the tint material doesn’t stick to the poly. We tried normal tint film and over time it began to bubble.

if anyone can break the code, us southern owners need a clear path forward. It’s like an oven in the cockpit on a sunny day.
 

Ian Anderson

Lifetime Supporter
I have heard you can dye your polycarbonate yourself.

use fabric dye such as “dyola” in the U.K.
make It up in a paddling pool.

take a test piece and time how long it takes to take up the tint level you want.

put in the new pieces for same time, you can make it darker but cannot lighten it if you go too far!

ian
 
 

Neil

Supporter
The problem with a tinted plastic window or a tint- coated glass window is that when it absorbs heat it then gets hot. Metallized films such as 3M reflect the IR & UV (heat) so the window doesn't get hot and re-radiate the heat inside the car. I never had bubbling problems with 3M film but I did with el-cheapo stuff.
 
I have worked with a friend who owns a tinting business (20 years). He demonstrated the capability to reduce heat via ceramic films which reduced UV heat nearly 90%. Great stuff but the tint material doesn’t stick to the poly. We tried normal tint film and over time it began to bubble.

if anyone can break the code, us southern owners need a clear path forward. It’s like an oven in the cockpit on a sunny day.
Dan I'm in GA as well! if you find someone please let me know! I'll be on the lookout!
 
Raul
Neil said he had good luck with the 3M film. I bit the bullet and ordered the tinted windows others are ordering. In talking to the manufacturer of the tinted poly it’s tint in the poly not a surface film. They said it has UV but the individual I talked to could not give me a number. The windows are rather expensive but if they do the job better than the clear, then it will be a good deal.
 
Raul
Neil said he had good luck with the 3M film. I bit the bullet and ordered the tinted windows others are ordering. In talking to the manufacturer of the tinted poly it’s tint in the poly not a surface film. They said it has UV but the individual I talked to could not give me a number. The windows are rather expensive but if they do the job better than the clear, then it will be a good deal.
I agree!! i'm in an exotics group and i threw the question of tinting lexan and a few people said they had good experience with using a tint spray and doing a DIY. One of the guys had his bodyshop do a clear on on the inside after the tint spray so it lasts.. I guess doing PPF may do the same trick once the tint is applied :) I may bite the bullet and experiment
 

Neil

Supporter
There are two ways of reducing heat through windows-

1. Absorption. The material itself (glass, Lexan, Plexiglass, etc) absorbs the solar UV & IR radiation but passes enough visible light to be legal. This works, but absorbing solar energy raises the temperature of the material which then heats the interior of your car by convection. Getting the absorption to be wavelength-dependent is difficult.

2. Reflection. A thin plastic film carries layers of evaporated metal and other material in microscopic thicknesses that reflect the UV and IR solar radiation like a mirror. This forms a "band-pass filter" that allows a narrow band of visible light to pass through. This is how filters for optics and camera lenses are made. As I said before, the 3M film had good performance in my experience. It had a gold mirror-like appearance. How carefully it is applied to a clean surface is the key.

As they used to say back when there were carnivals, "Youse pays yer money and youse takes yer choice".
 
Somebody knows a thing or two about filmso_O So obviously doing a tint spray is for looks only and not for protecting correct?
 

Neil

Supporter
Somebody knows a thing or two about filmso_O So obviously doing a tint spray is for looks only and not for protecting correct?
Spray tint is an absorption mechanism. It doesn't NOT work- it just doesn't work as well as a reflective surface.
 
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