So what's the consensus on tinting?

[Hazard One]

Nothing super deep. The contributing factors to cabin heating include greenhouse effect which has the sun on its side. The contributing factors to cooling, which are mostly convection and conduction don’t have that ancillary driving force.
This is why heating exceeds cooling (in the absence of climate control and the temp rises quickly.
If you decrease that differential by decreasing the amount of greenhouse effect, you should get slower (and therefore easier to counteract with AC) temperature rise.

At some point, the truck reaches a stable (hot) interior temp…maybe around 130-140F on a hot day in the sun….at this point heat in = heat out.

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[hemiarch]

Yes. Absolutely correct. The question is how fast because it’s the gradient that determines how much work has to be done to cool it back down or prevent it from getting to that temp in the first place. The tint alters that gradient.

 

[PungoteagueDave]

In my case which mind you is in Arizona so kind of extreme, the factory rear window tint was useless for thermal protection as was the glass roof. Putting a very light tint on those helped tremendously not because it’s darker, but because it actually blocks the frequencies that make your cabin hot. What’s in there from the factory does absolutely nothing for that in my experience.
I then asked them to match the front windows to the back ones.
With respect to the windshield, I asked for them to come right up to the legal limit, rub up on the line a little bit, spit on it, and then settle down right there. It’s the single biggest contributor by far in my opinion. Also most expensive because it’s hard to do. It’s gigantic and requires two people to contort onto the megadash while also figuring how not to soak all the cloth and destroy electronics.
Very happy with the outcome. There was an immediate change in cabin temp, how hard the ac works and also privacy. I can see crystal clear with sunglasses on for FSD and also see very well at night.
Piece of advice, learn from my stupidity and don’t tint twice, pick a tint that has zero metallic content if you ever want to run a Starlink inside the car.
Also, if you have a wrap or even if you don’t, it’s nice to put a piece on the inside of the glass and wet the outside so you can see what color it reflects when you’re shopping/discussing products with your tinter.
Some of them can produce very cool results in the rain that contrast or match your wrap.

2025 CTs come from the factory with substantially darker tint than FS or other prior builds. I'm not sure when the switch happened (I have a Feb '25 AWD), but my tint guy suggested not doing the roof even though I was prepared to pay him to do it. We did a slight tint on the windshield, which I would probably not do again because I now have a little distortion looking straight ahead - the windshield angle is so oblique that it is tough to know what's causing it, as there is no tint bubble, but I should probably have waited to experience the truck before doing it. In any case, I don't find the heat to be too much even at our Florida place.

 

[hemiarch]

2025 CTs come from the factory with substantially darker tint than FS or other prior builds. I'm not sure when the switch happened (I have a Feb '25 AWD), but my tint guy suggested not doing the roof even though I was prepared to pay him to do it. We did a slight tint on the windshield, which I would probably not do again because I now have a little distortion looking straight ahead - the windshield angle is so oblique that it is tough to know what's causing it, as there is no tint bubble, but I should probably have waited to experience the truck before doing it. In any case, I don't find the heat to be too much even at our Florida place.

Glad they improved the tint thing. Both my foundation series were like glass hothouses before tinting. Maybe it’s the tint type or technique but I get nice crisp vision out of my front windshield.

 

[Sterling Shadow]

This thread has me thinking, I have an appointment this Monday to do my front sides and windshield. I am hoping there aren't any distortion issues, although a pricey lesson I am sure I could simply remove it.

 

[Mattkalin]

This thread has me thinking, I have an appointment this Monday to do my front sides and windshield. I am hoping there aren't any distortion issues, although a pricey lesson I am sure I could simply remove it.

Do it and don’t look back as long as the shop is legit….

 

[Sterling Shadow]

Do it and don’t look back as long as the shop is legit….

Will do, had it done in my wife's MY last week and they did great work and I really like it.

 

[Mattkalin]

Just for a data point I paid 1000 for the front two and the windshield…. Windshield was 650 with ceramic tint.

 

[Sterling Shadow]

That is right inline with what they quoted me for the same!

 

[Hazard One]

Yes. Absolutely correct. The question is how fast because it’s the gradient that determines how much work has to be done to cool it back down or prevent it from getting to that temp in the first place. The tint alters that gradient.

I contend that a CT with a tinted front windshield will stabilize at a lower inside temp than one without tinting all other things being equal.

 

[hemiarch]

I contend that a CT with a tinted front windshield will stabilize at a lower inside temp than one without tinting all other things being equal.

That may be true. It’s been a long time since I thought about thermodynamics and if I’m being honest I was never really all that good at it to start with. College P-chem was many many whiskeys ago.
One thing I’m certain of from pragmatic experience is that the car will cool down to the desired temp much faster in Arizona when you turn on the climate control with tint than without.
Whether this is because it starts at a lower initial temp or because it has to overcome less energy penetrating from the sun, I’m not sure.

 

[MC1987]

Does anyone here had issues with the tint on the windshield causing waviness or distortion when in motion? I have been having this issue. I installed xpel plus 70% on the windshield. The installer says the defect is actually from the glass and the film just accentuates it which i think is BS.

 

[dalton108]

Does anyone here had issues with the tint on the windshield causing waviness or distortion when in motion? I have been having this issue. I installed xpel plus 70% on the windshield. The installer says the defect is actually from the glass and the film just accentuates it which i think is BS.

Lots of folks have had issues with wobbly glass distortion, which is a known potential issue during the manufacturing process.

We’ve had at least a handful of members here have this exact problem. Maybe if they’re watching they’ll identify themselves.

Your installer may be 100% correct.

 

[espresso-drumbeat]

Does anyone here had issues with the tint on the windshield causing waviness or distortion when in motion? I have been having this issue. I installed xpel plus 70% on the windshield. The installer says the defect is actually from the glass and the film just accentuates it which i think is BS.

Yeah, I would agree with the installer. I've had similar waviness on one of my previous X and on the very early VIN FS CT but not on the latest production. CT was pretty bad in 3 or 4 spots where the road marking would actually break apart into separate miniature segments

 

[Sterling Shadow]

I’m having the exact same issues. I have had the tint replaced once and am currently sitting in the CT waiting for the tint shop to open so I can have them remove it again. Unfortunately I don’t think I’ll be able to have a tinted windshield which I absolutely love but the double vision I get is awful.

I have Xpel, wondering if a different brand may work or if I’m just stuck. The slant of the windshield is what exacerbates the issue I believe.

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