I wanted to get Rosie tinted up, nothing crazy, but a comfortable 35%-50%. Turns out that NYS won't allow anything less than 70% on all windows except the rear, which oddly enough you can pretty much black out. But, if you are in a Pickup or a SUV it's ok to tint the back passenger windows. What's up with that? Prius feels a little like a fishbowl with all that glass. Has anyone tinted the windows lightly, is it worth it? Wonder what is the most I could get away with and not attract to much attention. Oh by the way if you want to get a good glimpse into what police officers think of us check their forums, yikes, some pretty angry guys! Read through some threads while researching the tinting issue in NYS, and I did learn that State Troopers like to be called Troopers and not officers. Also that the window tinting in general is a great Probable Cause to pull you over, many officers repeated this on the forum. Im a pretty much a law abiding guy but the idea of being pulled over to just get a look into the car seems a bit intense.
If you tint for heat rejection, then darker isn't always better. A high quality tint can block more heat than a lower quality dark film. However, if you tint because it looks cool, then yes, when it comes to SUVs, trucks and vans, vs sedans, there is a double standard when it comes to tinting. I thought Hawaii tint laws were strict, at least we are able to go as low as 35%, but that is total transmission of light, including any factory tint already in the glass.
If you think NYS is tough. In CA, where we get a lot more sunlight, we're not allowed to tint the front 3 windows at all. The back 3 can be 0%. I tinted the fronts anyway at 50% and was pulled over. I can't really blame the cops or troopers. How would you feel pulling a car over and not being to see the guy behind the glass pulling out a gun? The thing that really bugged me was that I could pay the $175 fine and leave the tint on or I could pay $25 fine + $10 for a cop to sign off that the tint was removed. So if I were rich, I can just leave the tint on?
Heat rejection is most important, as my car is Midnight Grey, and not sure if I would this color again as it's showing every little bit of dust on the road, but also the aesthetics, I like a darker window, not limo black, just darker..