09 Altima re-tint with CTX, Stratos, Crystalline, XPel XR Plus

DynamicATL · July 31, 2018

1 minute ago, FAUguy said:

One thing that I had read is that Crystalline isn't as durable as other films, such as Stratos/Pinnacle and Huper Optiks.

I have seen the Crystalline CR20 in person last week, and it has a brown hue when looking through the sample.

I still have to drive up to West Palm Beach to look at the Stratos and Pinnacle there.

Yeah if you take sandpaper or a rough surface to it, the color won't hold up as much as the others. In the real world though, it will probably outlast Pinnacle/Stratos in So. Fl. due to the climate.

DynamicATL · July 31, 2018

1 minute ago, FAUguy said:

I already told you there was a brown color to it...it is most noticeable in the 20%.

FAUguy · July 31, 2018

2 minutes ago, DynamicATL said:

Huper Ceramic is another great film on the same playing field. IMO Crystalline had higher real-world experience when I switched it on one of my vehicles. I didn't initially say anything about it to our tinter, but when he swapped his out he felt the exact same way. Keep in mind if you are going off that spreadsheet, the higher numbers are Huper Ceramic 5% and 15%. Due to the thickness of this film, it is extremely difficult to install those shades and most dealers won't even try. The first shade that is easily installed is the 30% so chances are you wouldn't be going any darker than that. Now if you want a 35% that will beat them all, you can check out Huper Drei. This is another more difficult option to install but will have higher than the other films.

Since I have always had 20% tint on my past 4 cars (92 Pontiac Bonneville with Llumar, 98 Buick LeSabre with Llumar, 06 Altima with Llumar, and my current 09 Altima with 3M) I would want to stay around that 20% (to 15%). Not really wanting to go lighter at 30/40.

DynamicATL · July 31, 2018

Just now, FAUguy said:

Since I have always had 20% tint on my past 4 cars (92 Pontiac Bonneville with Llumar, 98 Buick LeSabre with Llumar, 06 Altima with Llumar, and my current 09 Altima with 3M) I would want to stay around that 20% (to 15%). Not really wanting to go lighter at 30/40.

Double check with any Huper dealer, just make sure they can install 20 without ghosting the film. Keep in mind Huper Ceramic will be slightly reflective. Just to give you an idea, this is Ceramic 30 below...

FAUguy · July 31, 2018

I had forgot to ask about clarity. Between the ones I've been looking at (Crystalline, Stratos, Pinnacle) are any better or worse when viewing from the inside.

Edited July 31, 2018 by FAUguy

DynamicATL · July 31, 2018

1 minute ago, FAUguy said:

I had forgot to ask about clarity. Between the ones I've been looking at (Crystalline, Stratos, Pinnacle) are any better or worse when viewing from the inside.

IMO Crystalline has the best clarity but all are good. Here are some videos we took...

Llumar AIR 80 on Windshield and CTX 35 on Sides - Sunny Day

Llumar AIR 80 on Windshield and CTX 35 on Sides - Cloudy Day

3M Crystalline 40 on Sides & Windshield - Sunny Day

3M Crystalline 40 on Sides & Windshield - 8pm w/ Sun Setting and Rain

FAUguy · July 31, 2018

Regardless of what brand of tint I go with for the sides and rear, I wasn't sure about doing the windshield since I like it nice and clear. But if I were to do it, it would probably be with wither the AB 80, Stratos 70, or Crystalline 70/90, as those are the lightest colors.

I know alot of heat comes through the windshield, as I can really feel it while driving.

Edited July 31, 2018 by FAUguy

FAUguy · July 31, 2018

These are two pictures I found that show the Sand color of my car. The 2nd one has tint that looks similar to the 3M that's on there now.

http://www.nissancolors.info/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/2009-Nissan-Altima-2.5-S-2.jpg

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/1f/2e/f8/1f2ef8e17328e54dd8f89946e5cab436.jpg

Edited July 31, 2018 by FAUguy

DynamicATL · July 31, 2018

3 minutes ago, FAUguy said:

Regardless of what brand of tint I go with for the sides and rear, I wasn't sure about doing the windshield since I like it nice and clear. But if I were to do it, it would probably be with wither the AB 80, Stratos 70, or Crystalline 70/90, as those are the lightest colors.

I know alot of heat comes through the windshield, as I can really feel it while driving.

The Crystalline video is 40% on all windows including the windshield...metering around 33 on the vehicle. Just to give you an idea of the optical clarity of it at a darker shade.