I must say that over the last few years I have apparently gotten pulled over for no other reason besides my window tint. While it is annoying, I have nothing to hide and do not really mind. It just gives the cops a reason to stop a suspicious looking car or truck. The key is to avoid getting fined, be sure to mention you are unaware of the tint laws. Many times cops cannot see in these cars and feel threatened. Make sure you turn on your inside lights and fully cooperate with the officer. Many times, they may just let you go with a warning.
It is very easy to see why cops are leery of cars with tint on them. People can hide guns, weapons, among other things without any one being able to see them. While the look of a car with the windows dark looks awesome, you must consider some of the consequences of doing so.
They use window tint tools that they keep in order to determine if you are compliant with the applicable laws on tints in your area. Each state is different so be sure to check your local ordinances to be certain of your rights and know the laws before they bite you in the back.
If it is thought your tints are too dark, they will bring out the window tint meter and test it to see what it rates at. Normally, anything under 50% will cause a fine, but they might let you off with a warning. Note that 0% is the darkest and anything over 50% does not even look tinted in my opinion. Some people go with 35% and it does not look too dark and most cops do not really mind. You can get your own meter and test it yourself if you want, but most just take a chance and drive around with their tints and hope for the best.
I want to talk about the reason why putting window tint on a car with chrome rims almost always looks awesome. Like I said before, it is all about contrast or matching. Your car or truck with auto tint will look best if there is some contrast to go along with the color. Tint is normally jet black, so shiny chrome wheels normally make a good combination since they play off of each other. It is hard to explain, but maybe someday I will post some pictures up here.
On a side note, green cars really do not look that great with chrome rims or window tint. Maybe it is just me, but I have seen very few greenish type vehicles that look sweet. If I am wrong point me in the right direction.
Be prepared to clean your wheels though. Nothing is worse than dirty chrome, so if you do not want to put forth the effort go with a silver or aluminum wheel. It is worth it though to go chrome, unless you are very lazy.
Black cars with a nice tint job really stand out, as I have seen in the past, and combining them with chrome wheels provides a great combination. You can really improve the looks and length of quality looking rims by making sure you clean them at least one or twice a week, and even taking them off during the winter. They could rust or get all pitted or corroded if you do not do anything and leave them on all year round. Do not do this to your pricey investment as they will look bad too. It only takes a few minutes to shine up your wheels and protect them with special products or just plain wax during the winter months.
The same can be said for white cars, maybe I am just biased though!
Many of you have seen cars driving down the road and thought, wow, look how much better that car looks. Generally, cars with tinted windows do look better, as the dark window contrasts with the body and gives it a very cool appearance. You may be asking yourself that auto tint is not legal. Well, it depends, sometimes it is against the law if you tint them too dark. However, my experience has shown that if you are not breaking any other traffic rules will cops pull you over just for the tint. Maybe I have been lucky though.
One advantage of window tint is that it provides more shade in the summer and can keep your car cooler. Also, it reflects much of the light easing the strain on your eyes. Many times, I do not even have to wear sunglasses, unless the sun angle is really low. In the winter, some say the tint acts as an insulator and can keep the heat in better. I have never noticed this so it may or may not be true.
Another advantage of auto tint is that is just looks cool. Most cars look tons better with tinted windows. This is especially true with black or white cars. To see for yourself, just look up images online and see the difference. You will be amazed how much better your car would look with window tint.
I was always skeptical of window tint and being able to not see out of the car at night. While it is harder, if you do not tint them too dark you can still see fine. Just be careful backing up or turning if you cannot see 100%.
Some people try to window tint their own car, and all I can say is good luck. I will post another article on why this is so difficult, but for now do not try it.