Hot cabins: radiant heat sink versus reflective capacity.

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2018 CX-9 GT
Ive been reading that everyone says the cabin gets hot during the day because there tends to be a lot of dark materials. There is a lot of black in the cabin so that being a heat sink will lead to increased temperatures during the day. Would something like lighter colored floor mats & cargo mat, which should have more of a reflective property, be a solution? Even though theyre on the floor, during the day when sun is beating down in the cabin, they would not be storing heat but reflecting it more. (This assumes you have a lighter colored interior, like parchment colored seats. I dont think this will make sense in an all black or gray interior.) Thoughts?
 
Ive been reading that everyone says the cabin gets hot during the day because there tends to be a lot of dark materials. There is a lot of black in the cabin so that being a heat sink will lead to increased temperatures during the day. Would something like lighter colored floor mats & cargo mat, which should have more of a reflective property, be a solution? Even though theyre on the floor, during the day when sun is beating down in the cabin, they would not be storing heat but reflecting it more. (This assumes you have a lighter colored interior, like parchment colored seats. I dont think this will make sense in an all black or gray interior.) Thoughts?

All I know is the interior of my 2018 Signature CX-9 gets hotter than any car Ive owned. (Ive owned nine or ten) Ive even got top of the line heat rejecting tint on every window except the moonroof and windshield.
 
All I know is the interior of my 2018 Signature CX-9 gets hotter than any car Ive owned. (Ive owned nine or ten) Ive even got top of the line heat rejecting tint on every window except the moonroof and windshield.

Try putting clear tint on the windshield like llumar airblue. Itll block the UV from entering and will protect your interior better. I have this on my vehicles and they keep cool and get cool quicker than if I didnt have them. All my vehicles have dark interiors.
 
I don't think having a lighter interior would make a big difference if it isn't in directly exposed to sunlight (like floor mats and cargo liner). If the dark areas are not in direct sunlight, they don't contribute to the greenhouse effect (ex: black and white furniture in your house are the same temperature if they are not in direct sunlight).
 
I think tinting the windshield is a great idea. I'm in PA where we have inspections and there are two windshield stickers which are removed and applied each year. Not sure how to work around this issue with having full windshield tint.
 
I*ve been reading that everyone says the cabin gets hot during the day because there tends to be a lot of dark materials. There is a lot of black in the cabin so that being a heat sink will lead to increased temperatures during the day. Would something like lighter colored floor mats & cargo mat, which should have more of a reflective property, be a solution? Even though they*re on the floor, during the day when sun is beating down in the cabin, they would not be storing heat but reflecting it more. (This assumes you have a lighter colored interior, like parchment colored seats. I don*t think this will make sense in an all black or gray interior.) Thoughts?

I don't think it would hurt, but I don't think it would help much either. I have the same car as Fruitwolf (2018 CX-9 Sig) and I think that the reason it heats up so much is because of the windshield. The CX-9 has an acoustic windshield, which means the glass is thicker than your typical non-acoustic windshield. The thicker glass leads to a stronger "magnifying glass" effect, which heats up the cabin a little more than cars that don't have acoustic windshields. I did my own little "experiment" to qualify this statement. I park in an uncovered parking lot, with the windshield always facing the sun. I tried parking in a different spot, so that the rear windshield was facing the sun, and the cabin was noticeably less warm than it would have been. I got the same effect by using a sunshade on the front windshield.

I had my windshield and my front windows tinted with ceramic film, and while it isn't as effective at rejecting heat as a sunshade is, it does help to keep the car cooler. The A/C doesn't work as hard as it used to, and I don't get the same "warm chest" feeling I used to get before the tint.
 
I don't think it would hurt, but I don't think it would help much either. I have the same car as Fruitwolf (2018 CX-9 Sig) and I think that the reason it heats up so much is because of the windshield. The CX-9 has an acoustic windshield, which means the glass is thicker than your typical non-acoustic windshield. The thicker glass leads to a stronger "magnifying glass" effect, which heats up the cabin a little more than cars that don't have acoustic windshields. I did my own little "experiment" to qualify this statement. I park in an uncovered parking lot, with the windshield always facing the sun. I tried parking in a different spot, so that the rear windshield was facing the sun, and the cabin was noticeably less warm than it would have been. I got the same effect by using a sunshade on the front windshield.

I had my windshield and my front windows tinted with ceramic film, and while it isn't as effective at rejecting heat as a sunshade is, it does help to keep the car cooler. The A/C doesn't work as hard as it used to, and I don't get the same "warm chest" feeling I used to get before the tint.

Thanks everyone for all the info.

I used to have a heat rejecting ceramic tint on the windshield. It helped but the pixelation from reflections and light sources were distracting. If theres a heat rejecting tint that doesnt do that, Im in.
 
I have a 6" strip of 'limo' (very dark) tint along the top of my windshield that comes down to about the bottom of the visors when they are lowered. It takes a little getting used to at first but helps the heat noticeably during the hot summer months when the sun is very high in the sky. I live in the desert so have tested it extensively. (yes)
 
I have a 6" strip of 'limo' (very dark) tint along the top of my windshield that comes down to about the bottom of the visors when they are lowered. It takes a little getting used to at first but helps the heat noticeably during the hot summer months when the sun is very high in the sky. Of course all of my windows other than the windshield are fully tinted. I live in the desert so have tested it extensively. (yes)
 
I have a 6" strip of 'limo' (very dark) tint along the top of my windshield that comes down to about the bottom of the visors when they are lowered. It takes a little getting used to at first but helps the heat noticeably during the hot summer months when the sun is very high in the sky. Of course all of my windows other than the windshield are fully tinted. I live in the desert so have tested it extensively. (yes)

I have that as well and its still not enough for the southern hot and humid months.
 
Got my driver and passenger windows tinted today. 18% tint. They match the factory tint really well. Should help keep the cabin cooler. Also picked up a reflective windshield cover. I've been putting it on during the day and cracking the windows and sun roof. I think it makes a big difference. Cabin doesn't seem extremely hot when I get out of work.
 
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