Huper Optik ceramic tint and Boxer windshield

I had the 512i out for many miles last weekend and although the A/C did a better than expected job at blowing cold, nothing could be done about the IR and UV streaming in the windows. My head and lower body were comfortable while my abdomen roasted and my wrists got sunburned.

Since the car is not a 100pt Pebble Beach car, I am going to take the plunge and put very gentle tints on the windows. I am considering ceramic tint from Huper Optik. Does anyone have any stories about tints, particularly on the front window? Any issue with radio reception?

 

Good to hear. Anything has to be better than the surface-of-Mercury effect you get in a Boxer.

 

Encouraging!

Newbie Q: I am guessing the tint goes on the INSIDE. What happens to all the stickers (reg, inspection, concours-relevant tire pressure)? Do I strip 'em and reapply to the tint? How do you scrape 'em off?

 

Huper all around. Final VLT TBD but very light. Going for IR/UV reduction not cosmetics. StickerShield to deal with reg+insp stickers. Work will commence in a few weeks.

 

I'll see what I can do. The place that does the work may have a suitable instrument for this sort of thing.

 

Huper 60 all around to be applied on Tues.

I took a 1x2 sq ft sample out today in the sun and taped it to the inside glass. The reduction in heat is immediately noticable. I placed my hand one foot away from the glass and in the "shade" of the tint it was warm but not hot. Moving my hand away from the tint produced a noticable heat rise within moments. I could feel my hand getting hotter and hotter. Moving it back to the tinted region was like holding a piece of paper in between my hand and the glass. The reduction in IR is great. And the tint is very light so it doesn't dramatically change the look of the car.

More after the full install is done next week.

 

Took the newly tinted BBi out today. High 70s but more important, a cloudless sky and intense sun. Verdict: SUCCESS! It completely changes the experience of driving the car from piloting a radiation containment chamber to a comfortable fun GT. The Huper 60 is very very light and you'd have to know that tint was applied to know that tint was applied. Some heat does get through, yes, but the difference is PROFOUND. The interior surfaces of the car do not get super hot, not even the black dash.

The tire pressure sticker got totalled but I have a few tricks up my sleeve there. My lovely wife scanned and photoshopped a factory replacement sticker (still on its backing) and I will be making a few really really good copies. I am using StickerShield (stickershield.com) on all stickers now so for daily driving the inspection and reg will sit low on the windshield; for concours, those will come off and the tire pressure sticker carefully positioned.

In other news: I drove in that freak storm that hit NYC last Thurs night. What a bizarre experience! Thankfully, no damage to the car, and the wiper really did a heroic job.

 

If driving through the typhoon last Thurs is any measure, then the answer is there is no material difference. The Huper 60 ceramic tint is very light and the application here was not cosmetic. I'd speculate that it is the same as driving my minivan at night because that came from the factory with IR/UV blockers in the glass already. The stock Boxer glass (at least mine) was 100% crystal clear, clearer than any of my other cars -- except the Mondial.

 

Only 65F in Westchester county NY today but the sun was strong. But not in my Boxer it wasn't. The Huper 60 really does eliminate a good chunk of The Heat in the car when the sun shines bright. It has been over 2 weeks since the tint was applied so the adhesive is well-cured and I could open and close the windows. With the window down, the sun cooked my left arm driving north. Upon raising it, the difference was clearly detectable.

A very good investment for a driver car.

P.S. Met a guy in the parking lot in Thornwood NY with a 1988 Porsche turbo with factory slant nose delete option. Now that's pretty rare!

 

One of my pairs of sunglasses -- not a name brand, just a plastic-y pair but with polarized lenses -- produces an interesting greenish haze effect in the windshields of oncoming cars when viewed through the Huper Optik tint. It was a little weird at first but you get used to it quickly. Everything else appears normal and glare is significantly reduced.

 

Even in the winter, strong sun makes for an ultraviolet experience in the Boxer.....UNLESS you have Huper 60 on the windows. I gotta say, this material actually reduces the need for sunglasses as well. It is really amazing how it reduces heat AND glare in the car.