Tacoma Window Tint Comparison: Stock 10% 20% 30% 55%

I had Nano-Ceramic Tint installed on my new-to-me 2020 DCLB 3G at Texas Tint Masters in Houston, TX. I learned some things through the process and want to share. The tint shop had a tint meter and were patient with me which helped me make this a little more scientific!

The 3 vocab words to know:

• Visible Light Transmittance (VLT) - Lower % means darker. 5% = Limo tint / 100% = Transparent glass
• UV Rejection (UVR) - Higher % is better rejection (UV = skin damage + heat)
• Infrared Rejection (IRR) - Higher % is better rejections (IR = heat)

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Initial Tint Specs

• 100% (Factory) Windshield
• 20% Front 2 Doors
• 28% (Factory) Rear 2 Doors & Rear

The truck already had some type of ceramic tint (~20%) on the front 2 doors. It matched perfect to the rear dyed factory glass from the outside, from the inside you could tell the difference if you REALLY cared but it was close...



For those unaware, the rear glass in the Tacoma comes from the factory "Dyed" at ~28% VLT and it actually has "decent" UV Rejection on paper (94% UVR / 90% IRR) according to the tint meter.... HOWEVER

Texas summer had like 50 days over 100F this year... sitting in the front I was tanning and sitting in the back I was cooking. Also the glare through the windshield was unbearable. Sweaty drives everywhere I went with AC on max. This level of tint might work great for folks who don't live in a frying pan, but not in Texas.

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Final Tint Specs: XPEL PRIME XR PLUS

• 55% Windshield
• 10% Front 2 Doors
• 30% Rear 2 Doors & Rear

It was critical to me for the truck to have a uniform tint look, I did NOT want multiple shades of glass, personal preference. I worked with the tint shop to match the rear to the 10% fronts. To approximate the VLT when overlaying tints you multiply the VLTs in decimal form. 30% over the factory 28% rear would produce just under 9% (0.30 x0.28 = ~0.09).

To test this, the tint shop actually took different sheets of the XPEL XR PLUS, placed them over the factory rear glass, and metered it. The result was almost spot-on!

Overall I am super happy with the result. The nano-ceramic proved to make a huge difference when it comes to heat rejection, it is a much cooler ride now. The 55% windshield eliminates most glare, I only use sunglasses at sunrise/sunset. I love the look.

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FAQ:

• Night Driving: 10% IS DARK AT NIGHT. In well lit areas (i.e. city driving) it is no problem at all. Backing into a dark parking spot does suck, but I plan on adding rock lights. The reason I did not go darker is because i actually plan on driving off-road at night... and I also hope to sneak by without too many fix-it-tickets
• What would I change?: I really want to add visor/eyebrow tint for function, but I just can't convince myself that I like the way it looks.
• Cost: Just under $900 installed. The windshield was almost 1/3 of that. Cheapest nano-ceramic in my area, lifetime warranty, super helpful, and they did a great job.
• Can you see in?: It depends on the angle and the time of day. It is very difficult to see into the back seats. You can sort of see into the front seats from most angles, but silhouettes only.

POST YOUR TINTS AND LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS!

 

Thank for passing along this info!

 

No problem, glad it was helpful!

 

People around me have some super dark tint.. I've always wondered how they are out their windshield at night. But then I watch them drive and realize they probably can't

 

Nice info.
Thanks

 

LOL... If you have trouble seeing at night don't even try it.

I finally took my truck off road at night, I did better than expected! Once I add ditch lights & lightbar I think it will be very manageable.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Tint on all my windows is double zero except the windshield it has a 00 top strip whatever that’s called and 20 the rest the way down and I don’t have much problem driving at night. Backing up at night was rough but now I have LED lights that come on when my reverse lights come on and it’s much much better

 

The dealer charged me a non-negotiable $599 fee for window tint. I have an appointment today to get it installed. I'm trying to determine what kind of tint and quality it should be at this price point.

 

I think the dealer is usually only adding tint to the front 2 windows, the rear comes factory tinted to my knowledge. Regardless of the tint they add, that’s too steep of a price IMO. If they do make you do it, make sure it’s nano-ceramic. I bought used, not too much help for you.

 

Thanks! I have to either do it or walk away from the money. I was just trying to ensure that the high-end ceramic tint is within that price range.