Suns Out, Visor Strips Out???

Sure, we have all heard “Suns out, guns out” or even “Suns out, buns out” but what about “Suns out, shade bands out” (also commonly known as sun visor strips). What?! You have not heard of that? Well, I am almost positive each and every one of you have seen them. Though they are poplar they are not a standard option or a requirement. As the revolution of removing distractions from drivers marches on with no signs of stopping, these sun visor strips have become more and more prevalent. Considering the fact that in our lovely home state of Arizona the average amount of ultra violet exposure on any given day ranges from a modest 6.3 to an impressive 8.5 on a solar map in regards to direct normal irradiance. These maps show solar photovoltaics and concentrated solar power. In plain old English that means we get a strong amount of concentrated ultra violet rays in our specific geographic location.

What if I already have tint???

Well, if you already have good tint on your vehicle you are already one step in the right direction! The “sun visor strip” is typically a significantly darker piece of tint located at the top of your windshield extending anywhere from three to six inches down. A Non-reflective tint is allowed on the windshield as long as it is above the manufacturer’s AS-1 line, or roughly in the top two or three inches of the glass. Now it does not just serve an aesthetic purpose, but it actually helps in shading your view from the sun without directly impeding your eye sight. Rather than moving your car’s sun visor up and down and side to side a tint strip can be placed there permanently reducing the unnecessary distractions. The shade band, sun visor strip, or just sun strip is placed on the top part of the windshield to diffuse the light that would otherwise beam right into your eyes. Now diffuse is the key word here, it does not completely block out the sun allowing the driver to see the entire “picture”. Nothing should every fully obstruct your view while operating a motor vehicle. Depending on the auto maker or even just depending on your preference in aesthetics, colors can vary from green to blue to even gray.

Not all are created Equal…

As you might expect not all tints are the same and there are some very specific rules on what can and cannot be used, ESPECIALLY on your windshield. As shocking as it may seem red or amber tint is not allowed to be used on any part of your vehicle’s windows (hence the choices between green blue and grey). At one point this was thought to be more effective when it came to infrared heat protection. However, in the last five to ten years there have been quite the advancements in window tint technology. There are many different types of tint film available on the market that will keep your car cooler without the worry of it being too dark. Solar glass or infrared-reflective windshield glass can be easily identified by the blue-ish purple-ish haze that is seen from outside the vehicle. Infrared reflective works by filtering our only infrared waves from sunlight while allowing visible light through. Now they can’t reflect all infrared rays, but up to fifty percent can be reflected back keeping your car up to ten degrees cooler and making it easier on your eyes at the same time.

Ridin’ dirty…

Now we’d all love to look like Kanye and Jay-Z rolling deep in a blacked out Mercedes right? Sure, it looks like we belong in the next big hit summer music video (flashbacks to the real MTV anyone?) but unfortunately it is not the most legal thing out there. Every state has their own laws when it comes to the degree of tint that is acceptable. If wanted you can tint your sedan or sport utility vehicle’s back passenger window as dark as you like, as long as you have a passenger side mirror. To stay within the legal limits the driver’s side and front passenger’s side must allow at least thirty three percent of light to enter and the side windows (front and back) must not be more than thirty fiver percent reflective. Now all of this is subject to certain types of exemptions, for instance if you are required for medical reasons to be shielded from the direct rays of the sun, you may be able to receive an exemption from the window tinting requirements. Now this is a long process and can only be done through the Arizona Department of Transportation and requires a substantial amount of time and resources so please don’t be “THAT” guy/girl if you just want to look cool without the possibility of getting a ticket.

It’s all in the details…

We are always happy to be the ones you chose for your automotive needs from full window tinting, to car audio, headlight restoration, windshield replacement and even just a simple tint strip we pride ourselves on the tiny details because that is where the difference is made. When scheduling any type of windshield replacement or repair please be sure to let us know if this is something you would like us to add, or if it is something you currently have and would like to keep. As we stated before this is becoming a more popular choice amongst auto manufacturers as time goes on, but it is not yet the set standard. We believe in quality work done right the very first time without any shortcuts or cutting corners. We want to make sure that your experience with us is as pleasant and professional as possible from the beginning to the end. Please feel free to call to book your appointment today. We look forward to working with you to keep you and your family safe and cool out there on those Arizona highways this summer.