How Does Window Tint Work?

How Tint Is Bonded

Window tint is a film bonded to the inside of a car window. A clear polyester film is combined with dyes and metal deposits. When placed on the inner window of a car, the tint will block various kinds of light from entering the vehicle, either by absorption or reflection. Some window tints are primarily light reflectors, while others act mostly as light absorbers. A car that is not tinted will allow 90 percent of natural light in to a vehicle.

How Tint Benefits Your Car

Tinted windows maintain your upholstery by preventing ultraviolet rays from warping the interior and seating in your car. The tint also blocks out infrared light and keeps a car comfortably cool. It is known that windows that have a tint are more likely not to shatter after a car accident. The tint, consisting of the dye and metal deposits, helps hold the normal glass together after breaking. This is a side benefit from having car windows tinted and could prevent injury from shards of glass entering the driver's or passengers' seats. Tinted glass has other pluses for your car, like keeping would-be burglars from seeing inside your car.

How Tint Benefits Your Health and Safety

The way tint benefits your health and safety is directly related to the amount of tint applied and the quality of the manufacturing of the tint. Tinted films primarily work to reflect glare from entering the vehicle. Glare is harmful because it can cause a driver to become distracted by sunlight or other vehicles with bright lights. Tint will improve driving visibility, so long as the tint is a safe shade. State laws prohibit unsafe tints on the windshield of vehicles, which ensures that driving your car at night is safe. The tints themselves are measured as visible light transmitters, or VLT, which is a measurement of how much normal light passes through the window tint into a car. The tinted film blocks other kinds of light as well, including ultraviolet light, or UV, and infrared, or IR. The various dye tints act as a medium to reduce exposure to cancer-causing UV, as well as IR. Infrared is what makes the vehicle become uncomfortably hot. The tint quality and installation will play a major part in the overall effectiveness of UV and IR reduction.

Comments

thebestintown said

Flag This Comment

on 3/16/2009 One excellent, local, West Michigan window tinting company is 5 Star (http://www.fivestarwindowtinting.com). Based out of Grand Rapids, they specialize in both Commercial and residential window tinting. One thing I’ve seen a lot of homes and businesses move to these days is installing energy saving windows. Five Star uses both Llumar and SolarGard window tint film and their reputation for being a very professional local business to frequent for window tinting if you’re in West Michigan.