Window Tinting Laws

[IAMKING]

Originally Posted by justbob

Cops are anal about it because of visibility.... Try making a traffic stop in the middle of the night.As you approach the car you are doing everything you can to see if there is a threat to you in the car....The tint makes it very hard to see and makes the officer at a severe disadvantage...

Good.

[Cajuncowboy]

Originally Posted by justbob

Cops are anal about it because of visibility.... Try making a traffic stop in the middle of the night.As you approach the car you are doing everything you can to see if there is a threat to you in the car....The tint makes it very hard to see and makes the officer at a severe disadvantage...

I understand that. But they are using the "Tint" as a reason to pull you over to try to find other violations.

[jimmy40]

The start of the window tint craze:

[justbob]

Originally Posted by Cajuncowboy

I understand that. But they are using the "Tint" as a reason to pull you over to try to find other violations.

But that is not any different then using any violation to make a stop. You can follow someone for a very short time and find a reason to do a traffic stop...I roll down front and back windows when I am stopped so the officer can see in. Courtesy to him and shows him I 'm not a threat ....Most officers will recognize what you did and it might buy you some good will.

[Cajuncowboy]

Originally Posted by justbob

But that is not any different then using any violation to make a stop. You can follow someone for a very short time and find a reason to do a traffic stop...I roll down front and back windows when I am stopped so the officer can see in. Courtesy to him and shows him I 'm not a threat ....Most officers will recognize what you did and it might buy you some good will.

I get it and I'm not debating the safety value to the cops at all. What I am saying is that they use that specifically to look for other violations. That's why I said they are anal about it.

[casmith07]

You'll be fine with 20%. Police generally only issue tint tickets if you're doing something else wrong or your car stands out, like having 26" rims or something.

[MonsterD]

Originally Posted by JonJon

How much was you ticket? I've talked to many that had illegal tint and never got a ticket and some that did. I guess it's just the luck of the draw. Also, when you got your ticket, did you get pulled for something else and just happened to get busted for illegal tint, or did he just pull you over for the tint and nothing else?

Oh man it was like 100 bucks I think, I remember getting a speeding ticket a little after that and that one was $225 or so, and I remember the tint ticket was way less.

No nothing else was the reason, he got his little spectrometer thing out and measured then gave me the ticket.

[JonJon]

Originally Posted by justbob

Cops are anal about it because of visibility.... Try making a traffic stop in the middle of the night.As you approach the car you are doing everything you can to see if there is a threat to you in the car....The tint makes it very hard to see and makes the officer at a severe disadvantage...

I understand that from a safety standpoint, but at the same time, you'd think that same rule would apply to SUV's and minivans where there is the possibility for even more people in the back seats and even more of a potential threat. I just don't get the separate tint rules for different vehicles.

Originally Posted by casmith07

You'll be fine with 20%. Police generally only issue tint tickets if you're doing something else wrong or your car stands out, like having 26" rims or something.

Yeah, that's definitely not my style.

[justbob]

Originally Posted by JonJon

I understand that from a safety standpoint, but at the same time, you'd think that same rule would apply to SUV's and minivans where there is the possibility for even more people in the back seats and even more of a potential threat. I just don't get the separate tint rules for different vehicles.


Yeah, that's definitely not my style.

I totally agree with you on the SUV -JonJon.....Only time I didn't hate window tint was when I was driving my own car

[JBond]

Originally Posted by JonJon

Ok, so I'm looking to get my BMW 325i windows tinted. In South Carolina, the legal limit is 27% for all front sides, rear sides, and the back for sedans. I contacted the tint company about seeing exactly how dark the 27% really is. It wasn't very dark at all, and certainly not the darkness I was looking to achieve. I've seen minivans with darker tint than what I was allowed to get on my sedan. Turns out that SUV's and minivans, according to South Carolina law and also many other states, can apply any darkness to the back sides and rear as long as the front sides have the 27% limit.

Whaaaaaaat?

How in the world do SUV's and minivans get special treatment? This makes no sense to me whatsoever. Anyone have any knowledge of why this is or has experienced similar stories?

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