Tint % and paint the wheels black?

[my3needsaname]

I am just wondering since my 3 is going in next week for tinting, what % should I get? Something that isn't obtrusive to my seeing out at night but won't let anybody see in during the day. Anybody have pics of their tint and can you tell me what % you have?

Also, I doubt anyone has done this with the stock "snowflakes" but if you have painted them black how much was it and can you post a pic of the full wheel please?

Thanks.
-Jeff

[sl0wthe0ry]

i'd check with the DMV first. make sure it's all legal. alot of people on here get 35% and it doesn't look half bad and you can still maintain visibility. me of course, i prefer look over function, went with a 5% all the way around. i can't see shit at night through the side or rear windows. it's all based on preference.

[terbow]

I have 35% on my msp. It looks nice, and is enough that the troopers wont mess with me. You can still see in during the day but i can see out the windows at night. Any darker and visibility would definately be impared and that was a big factor for me.

heres pics of mine

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123709371

[my3needsaname]

I have 35% on my msp. It looks nice, and is enough that the troopers wont mess with me.

That looks absolutely perfect for me. From the picture it looks like you can't see in during the day but the cloud reflection tells me it might be different here in sunny California.

[wagoncrew]

just go with 20 all around it is pretty dark so you can't see in and at night it isn't to bad.

[my3needsaname]

just go with 20 all around it is pretty dark so you can't see in and at night it isn't to bad.

Honestly I am really quite picky about people not seeing into the car during the day but I just have to see %'s in person I guess. Although Ford makes this privacy glass, we have it on the 2005 Expedition and that is exactly what I want but I'm not sure of the %. I think the dealer will know but I'll find out next week when it goes in.

[Talbot]

I have 35% on the 2 front windows and 5% on all the rear windows. I am thinking about going 20% on the front windows though.

[terbow]

That looks absolutely perfect for me. From the picture it looks like you can't see in during the day but the cloud reflection tells me it might be different here in sunny California.

Yea the rears are darker cause the fronts have light from the windshield. Sometimes u can see in, sometimes its hard. The tint i got was the middle of the road quality so its a lil more reflective, which kinda helps with not seeing in. if u get direct sunlight on it, u can see in though.

[sl0wthe0ry]

my rear window, 5pm in oklahoma.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/sl0wthe0ry/S5030067.jpg

mine are little more reflective i guess with the 5%

[my3needsaname]

Damn, 5% is definitely way too much for me. I think somewhere between 25-35% should do the trick.

I just had an idea, I could powder coat the wheels gunmetal or dark gray...or black.

[sl0wthe0ry]

lol it's defenitely not for everyone. given it is dark as hell, but i love it!

[AndrewSquared]

Just a couple posts below I showed my tint:

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123710495

It's 30/15% I believe front/back. In Florida, it does a good job of keeping the awful ball of hate in the sky from heating up my car too much or ruining my interior, as well as decently keeping people from being able to scope out my interior, particularly the back seats, where kids will be sitting eventually.

[my3needsaname]

Yea, in CA you can't tint the front windows but it's going in to get 20% in the back next week.

These are pictures of the tint job and the new mazdaspeed sill plates...here: http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123711541

[my3needsaname]

It turns out that in CA, the front windows can be tinted 70%.
Now, I talked to the tint guy today and he said that getting tint perfect (absolutely no bubbles) is near impossible and that doing the back window took him 3 times to get it to look like it does in the pictures. He also added in that if it ever does get worse then I could bring it back and he would re-do it no charge. But he also did tell me that to comp for the bubbles he would tint my front windows 70% for free which is basically a UV protectant to shield the interior from fading and block out 1/3 of the heat. Normally he charges $100+ for this job and that if i ever got cited whilst pulled over for it he would remove it for free too.
Not a bad deal eh?

[xpretttyinpiink]

I live in MA and on my old car I had 17% tint. Here in MA, 37% is considered legal. I know someone who does inspection stickers, and they always over-look it. Had it for 3 years and not once did I ever get pulled over for it! The darker the tint, the sharper the car! <-- my moto =] hahaha

[mazdaspeedster3]

Go dark or dont bother tinting, it wont make a dif.

Painting your wheels; paint shops dont like painting wheels because if you have a bad tire install the paint will chip or get scratched off. Metal rims can be painted but aluminum rims are not meant for paint, powder coating is the way to go. Powder coating can run you from $45 a wheel all the way to $100 per wheel. All depends on who is doing it and how. First secret is, the factory powder and clear has to come off, they can not coat over a coat, has to be bare metal. So, find a chemical stripping company in your area and have them strip the wheel, typically a 17 inch wheel will run you $12 each. Blasting the wheel will run you from $20 to $35 a wheel so chemical is way cheaper. Most of the powder coating cost comes from the blasting off the stock coating, very time consuming. So if you eat that cost else where and for cheaper the coating itself will be a lot less...

[my3needsaname]

Powder coating...painting, powder coating is what i meant but painting came to mind. Besides this way mainly before I actually started looking for rims. Although I'm still partial to Gunmetal powder...

[lee2run]

do you have an extra set of wheels? what's your car gonna sit on while your stocks are being powder coated?

[my3needsaname]

...square wheels? also known as blocks?

[Tcarl84]

This is about mid-day in Oregon 20% all around Satin Black painted wheels and emblems. I got lucky and found some 16s with tires off of a mazda6 on craigslist for free w/80% tread. I did everything my self except the tint. The emblems took about a day and the wheels took about 10 days doing all the stripping by hand and the painting took a day and a half with dry time

[my3needsaname]

Hmmm...I defiintely like the contrast of black badges and rims on the galaxy gray. Very nice!!! I might do something like this soon...

[xpretttyinpiink]

i'd check with the DMV first. make sure it's all legal. alot of people on here get 35% and it doesn't look half bad and you can still maintain visibility. me of course, i prefer look over function, went with a 5% all the way around. i can't see shit at night through the side or rear windows. it's all based on preference.

I deff agree.. I just posted a new thread talking about how I'm getting my tint on Thursday.. My old car had 17% tint, and taking corners and what not, I would have to roll down my window to make sure I didn't nail a curb, I could just imagine what 5% is like at night... I'm looking to maybe getting 20%

[my3needsaname]

This thread is kinda old but I already got my windows tinted like last July or August, 18% around back and 70% up front.

[aem421]

Post some pics. I'd like to see what that looks like. I have an '09 and I'm debating on tint %'s myself. I've had 20% and 35% but I'm thinking of mixing it up this time. Darker in the back and lighter on the front windows.

[my3needsaname]

These pictures are kinda old but this is pretty much the day it got back.

These are pictures of the tint job and the new mazdaspeed sill plates...here: http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showt...hp?t=123711541 (http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123711541)