Hey guys I need your opinion on how dark I should go when putting window tint on my Cooper. He's a non-s and chili red with black top if that makes a difference. I plan on blacking out the chrome on the car so I was thinking pretty much limo tint on the back windows and hatch window would look really good. I'm just worried ill have problems with visibility especially at night. As for the front windows, here in sunny CA they have laws that prohibit tint, but as long as you don't get carried away they won't stop you, so ill probably go like 15% in that department. I really want to go as dark as I can but don't want to compromise my safety. Please help!

 

Good luck with the limo tint on the back and rear windows. On my last car I had 15% on back windows and rear glass and could not see sh*t out the back when trying to park at night. I would end up having to roll down drivers window and use mirrors. PITA

 

I think I may have confused my tints in my original post...by 15% I mean 85% visibility. Sorry if I had it backwards. As for the limo tint...that's what I was afraid of. Had the limo tint on my previous vehicle, which was a big 'ol Chevy Tahoe and I had to roll down the windows to back up as well...I just though maybe being so close to the hatch window may make a difference...thanks for the input!

 

I see, I was at 15% visibility, and it looked good but was just too dark in parking situations at night.

 

Here's my tint. I'd say it's dark enough that it looks dark but I can still see out of it at night (Although not well out the rear, I admit, when there's no ambient light.)

Tint in the front is illegal here too, but I haven't had any trouble so far.

35% Front
20% Rear 3
5% Sunroof

 

Are you looking to tint for looks, heat, glare or some other reason? Heat was my primary concern so I went with a ceramic tint. Those films can block a lot of heat without being excessively dark.

 

The 20% on your back windows looks really good. My main reason for tinting is looks, but heat is a problem where I live also. It's not uncommon for summer temps to reach 105 degrees on a daily basis, so that definitely factors in. Also I was looking at a darker tint for security reasons...not a fan of people peering into the backseat/cargo area to see what I own.

 

Thanks, I'm happy with it! You can really see the difference in darkness in that photo, which was taking under the blazing sun. When the light isn't so direct the two tints blend very nicely and it looks more or less uniform. I wouldn't go darker than 35% on the front windows, personally. I think any more and it would be tough to see out of at night.

 

I have 20% all around on my JCW and all my chrome is blacked out too. I also have tint on the windshield which is illegal and looks great. It is not 20% but much lighter and it makes it looks right. You really can't tell the front is tinted. It is perfect at night. On my truck the had 15% on the rear window and rear doors. Way to dark at night. I can't see **** backing up at night.

 

Thanks for the info! It sounds like 20% is the magic number. I've never given much thought to the windshield but the more I consider it, the more I like the idea haha. As long as it doesn't draw the attention of local law enforcement I may have to get it tinted as well

 

I went limo tint on my rear and back window and front I went with 25%. I have no issues with them at all at night when reversing, unless your just blind. But good luck with whatever your choice is.

 

Hmmmm....decisions, decisions....I really wish I knew a few people that had Mini Coopers locally with different visibiltiy percentages so I could use them as a reference. I only know one person local to me that has a Mini, but her's is an R53 S convertible so that wouldnt really help :/ Any members here live in central California and would let me sit in the driver's seat so I could get a better idea of what I want? I can't really even go to a dealer and look at stock tint, being I live 2.5-3 hours to the nearest lot....very inconvenient. If anyone else here has experience with limo tint on their Mini could you please chime in? I just don't wanna regret how dark I go after it's already on....

 

My last car an 07 cooper s, I had the rears and front medium. I wasn't to happy because the light that came through the windshield made my car look like the rears were darker and I also hated when cars were behind me with headlights that cut though and blind me from reflections in mirrors. When I got My 2012 JCW S, I had the front and rears tinted limo and I love it. I've been driving respectively and obey all traffic rules trying not to give any officers another reason to pull me over.. I live south from you in Orange County. I also don't have issues backing up although it takes some preventative planning when backing up.. Another plus with the dark windows is nobody can see in to steal anything. When I see an officer I open my sunroof to allow more light in to make tint seem lighter. You've got a frustrating decision I would look up a local mini club to see in person. Sorry for bad grammar I'm using my phone.

I'm having issue posting pics.. If you see a side shot pic of eclipse grey ..it's got limo. If you see another shot next to some other minis. That's the grey 07 with medium.

 

Wow. As good as the 20% looks the limo looks even better than that. Your cooper looks very sharp. If I lived further south in the LA area I would consider dark tint on my front windows as well but living in such a small town where cops look specifically for tinted front windows that's not really an option. Got a fix-it ticket on my last vehicle for tinted front windows, and that was the only reason I was pulled over....officer said I was obeying all traffic laws but the department/city needs money so he got me. Like you said and I kind of alluded to also, security is actually of great concern to me. There are a great number of small time thefts in my area. They'll bust your window out for an iPod, no joke.

 

Suntek 25:

 

Our pre-owned MINI came like this when we bought it. I'm not sure what the tint number is, but it's nice inside and we can see out of it pretty good in the daytime - my wife drives it at might and hasn't complained about it.

 

My JCW Clubman also was pre-owned, when I had it inspected it measured about 32% on the portable meter used by the service station. Here in MA the legal limit on tinting is about 20% on the front seat side windows the rear can be almost anything. Fortunately, I have been using the same service station for years so he let it slide. I also agree the darker tinting looks sharp. There is no tinting on my windshield, I'm not sure I would want that even if it looks better.

 

I just had my car tinted this morning. It's the third car I've had that I've gotten 20% all around. I think it looks great and still has good visibility. I put 5% on the sunroofs.

 

i just got mine back the other day i went with 35% all the way around super happy.on dark days like in this pic is looks really dark and on the sunny days its perfect.

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Finally got mine done this past Monday. Went limo on the back and as of now, no tint on the front. Eventually I will have them done, but I'm gonna have to keep it light, maybe 50%. Local law enforcement LOVES writing tickets for tinted front windows