2019 Soul Red CX5

PatrickGSR94 said:
Well that's interesting, because there are TONS and TONS of vehicles with factory rear window tint with VLT lower than 35%. Including the CX5. So how can those vehicles be legal to operate in Virginia?
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You made me go look.

If you believe this site, "<i>The tint applied by car manufacturers at the factory must allow at least 70 percent of visible light through. This regulation from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration applies to any window required for driving visibility, including the windshield and windows immediately to the right and left of the driver.

Manufacturers, recognizing that each state has its own laws, often leave the other automotive windows at the same lightly-tinted, 70-percent level. <B>The NHTSA guidelines for trucks and sport-utility vehicles allow manufacturers to tint back and rear windows to any darkness</B>, according to the New York Times.</i>"

I went to the Virginia State Police site to get the statute directly from there, and it begins with "Except as otherwise provided in this article or permitted by federal law..." It does not say which law takes precedence.
 
RLCarrington said:
That being said, to those who say it can be considered dangerous, I must say that there WAS an adjustment period for me with my first tinted FL vehicle (Mazda6) when driving at night and dusk/dawn...while legally tinted, I started out by rolling down the windows at intersections just to ensure I was clearly seeing any cross-traffic, etc, in particular those vehicles without headlights/DRLs turned on even if they should be at a particular time of day. Eventually, however, I got used to the tint and just made sure I took a bit more time to look before going without the need to roll down the windows.
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It's not you who is endangered by your tinted front windows; it's the pedestrians and other vehicles. If they can't see where you (the driver) is looking, they become at risk.
 
DG_1234 said:
It's not you who is endangered by your tinted front windows; it's the pedestrians and other vehicles. If they can't see where you (the driver) is looking, they become at risk.
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If tinted windows impair your vision to the extent where you can't see pedestrians or other vehicles, than you shouldn't be driving, If you are putting 5% tint on your side windows, than yes, I can see an issue being present there. But tint in the 35%-40% range does not pose any visibility issues in my opinion. A much larger issue is distracted driving and pedestrianing (new word I am going to copyright!)...I see this daily in my commute but have never seen a tint related issue.
 
wrxray said:
If tinted windows impair your vision to the extent where you can't see pedestrians or other vehicles, than you shouldn't be driving, If you are putting 5% tint on your side windows, than yes, I can see an issue being present there. But tint in the 35%-40% range does not pose any visibility issues in my opinion. A much larger issue is distracted driving and pedestrianing (new word I am going to copyright!)...I see this daily in my commute but have never seen a tint related issue.
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Again, IT IS THE PEDSTRIANS AND OTHER DRIVERS WHO (for their safety) NEED TO BE ABLE TO SEE INSIDE YOUR CAR.
For example, is a mom pushing a baby stroller going feel safe entering a crosswalk if some fool idling there has his front window tinted ? No. She has no idea if the driver of the car sees her.
 
DG_1234 said:
Again, IT IS THE PEDSTRIANS AND OTHER DRIVERS WHO (for their safety) NEED TO BE ABLE TO SEE INSIDE YOUR CAR.
For example, is a mom pushing a baby stroller going feel safe entering a crosswalk if some fool idling there has his front window tinted ? No. She has no idea if the driver of the car sees her.
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In my experience, the vast majority of pedestrians don't give a s*** about the cars they're crossing in front of. Most of the time, all they're looking at is the crosswalk light, waiting for it to change. I do see some pedestrians who are more proactive and who pay attention to the drivers at the light, but it's rare, at least where I've lived.
 
sm1ke said:
In my experience, the vast majority of pedestrians don't give a s*** about the cars they're crossing in front of. Most of the time, all they're looking at is the crosswalk light, waiting for it to change. I do see some pedestrians who are more proactive and who pay attention to the drivers at the light, but it's rare, at least where I've lived.
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Same here. Should see all the jaywalking in Denver.
 
sm1ke said:
In my experience, the vast majority of pedestrians don't give a s*** about the cars they're crossing in front of. Most of the time, all they're looking at is the crosswalk light, waiting for it to change. I do see some pedestrians who are more proactive and who pay attention to the drivers at the light, but it's rare, at least where I've lived.
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You'll get run over in Chicago. I've found it's safer to cross outside the crosswalks at certain intersections downtown, AKA Jaywalk, where I feel more in control. It's bad enough when you can see the driver's eyes looking at you as he is about to run you over when you have the right of way. It's way worse when you have no idea what they're looking at, or if they even see you.
 
Sig cx-5 said:
You'll get run over in Chicago. I've found it's safer to cross outside the crosswalks at certain intersections downtown, AKA Jaywalk, where I feel more in control. It's bad enough when you can see the driver's eyes looking at you as he is about to run you over when you have the right of way. It's way worse when you have no idea what they're looking at, or if they even see you.
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Then it makes sense to have a law against tinting the front windshield. Generally, the front windshield should never be tinted (save for the 8-12" at the top) so that people can see the driver at all times. Especially important for law enforcement officers.

In any case, I think the OP was only talking about tinting the front side windows, not the windshield. Tinting the front side windows to match the rear is fine as long as traffic laws permit it.
 
sm1ke said:
Tinting the front side windows to match the rear is fine as long as traffic laws permit it.
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It's not "fine". When the driver of a car cannot be seen he/she is endangering other cars as well as pedestrians.
Tinting front windows is a safety hazard. I understand that there are plenty of foolish idiots on the roads who tint their front windows because they like their privacy, or they want to lower the temperature of the interior of their car, or they think front tint makes their car "look cool" etc... But the reality is it's a safety hazard for other drivers as well as pedestrians.
 
tints or no tints if its your day to get run over by a car then its your day, with that being said mines are at 20% on the front to match the back. no problem with law enforcements and no problem seeing at night or pedestrians walking. im from new York where you get stopped for any little thing. we cross the roads whether the light is green or red, we're not worried about seeing the drivers eyes, if a car is coming towards me you think im going to try and see who's driving? no im going to get the hell out the way. ofcourse some people aren't cautious when walking whether too busy on the phone or looking up at the birds but those are special kind of people.
 
DG_1234 said:
It's not "fine". When the driver of a car cannot be seen he/she is endangering other cars as well as pedestrians.
Tinting front windows is a safety hazard. I understand that there are plenty of foolish idiots on the roads who tint their front windows because they like their privacy, or they want to lower the temperature of the interior of their car, or they think front tint makes their car "look cool" etc... But the reality is it's a safety hazard for other drivers as well as pedestrians.
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That's your opinion. The governing body that applies and enforces the law supersedes your opinion, so until it becomes illegal to tint the front windows, in the eyes of the law, it's fine.

If you think it's such a problem, you should appeal to someone who can actually do something about it.
 
Javila21 said:
tints or no tints if its your day to get run over by a car then its your day, with that being said mines are at 20% on the front to match the back. no problem with law enforcements and no problem seeing at night or pedestrians walking. im from new York where you get stopped for any little thing. we cross the roads whether the light is green or red, we're not worried about seeing the drivers eyes, if a car is coming towards me you think im going to try and see who's driving? no im going to get the hell out the way. ofcourse some people aren't cautious when walking whether too busy on the phone or looking up at the birds but those are special kind of people.
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yeah usually they won't give you any beef with tints, BUT if there are check points, you will get ticketed...which i fell victim to.
Another issue is having to pay "Extra" to pass your inspections..what a pain!
 
Javila21 said:
...mines are at 20% on the front to match the back. no problem with law enforcements ..
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I thought the rears were closer to 30%, not 20%. Also, is it really legal to go with 20% on the front sides in NY?

My biggest concern, when being a pedestrian in Chicago, is with those that tint the windshield so you can't tell if they notice you. I don't really care about the sides.
 
Young-nyc said:
yeah usually they won't give you any beef with tints, BUT if there are check points, you will get ticketed...which i fell victim to.
Another issue is having to pay "Extra" to pass your inspections..what a pain!
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my inspection was due last month and also needed oil change. took it to dealer and I completely forgot about the tints law they asked if they can do my inspection (complementary) I said ok. I get a called an hour later car is ready but they couldn't do my inspection because of tints. i took it to my mechanic he took it to his friends and got it done no problem. no extra charge. i have gotten stopped twice with tints and they have not said anything to me about it. maybe just my luck.
 
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Sig cx-5 said:
I thought the rears were closer to 30%, not 20%. Also, is it really legal to go with 20% on the front sides in NY?

My biggest concern, when being a pedestrian in Chicago, is with those that tint the windshield so you can't tell if they notice you. I don't really care about the sides.
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im sure at the tint place they said it was 20%. i could be wrong but they look pretty dark and is not really legal, you can get away with it though. as long as your windshield is not tinted i think its okay. a friend of mine has her car 20% all around, gets stops frequently, surprisingly she has not gotten any tickets.
 
Javila21 said:
my inspection was due last month and also needed oil change. took it to dealer and I completely forgot about the tints law they asked if they can do my inspection (complementary) I said ok. I get a called an hour later car is ready but they couldn't do my inspection because of tints. i took it to my mechanic he took it to his friends and got it done no problem. no extra charge. i have gotten stopped twice with tints and they have not said anything to me about it. maybe just my luck.
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it's always good to know someone who knows someone ;)
 
sm1ke said:
That's your opinion. The governing body that applies and enforces the law supersedes your opinion, so until it becomes illegal to tint the front windows, in the eyes of the law, it's fine.

If you think it's such a problem, you should appeal to someone who can actually do something about it.
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Ahhh, the voice of reason!! 100% agree with this.
 
DG_1234 said:
It's not "fine". When the driver of a car cannot be seen he/she is endangering other cars as well as pedestrians.
Tinting front windows is a safety hazard. I understand that there are plenty of foolish idiots on the roads who tint their front windows because they like their privacy, or they want to lower the temperature of the interior of their car, or they think front tint makes their car "look cool" etc... But the reality is it's a safety hazard for other drivers as well as pedestrians.
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Sheesh, sounds like you're wrapped a little too tight. Doesn't surprise me that you're in San Francisco, a city with a long history of forcing it's opinions on the rest of the state.
 
Mantra 7 said:
Sheesh, sounds like you're wrapped a little too tight. Doesn't surprise me that you're in San Francisco, a city with a long history of forcing it's opinions on the rest of the state.
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And very quickly the rest of the country. (See my location)
 
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