If left in direct sunlight is a black car with black upholstery hotter than a white car with white upholstery?
White will be cooler. Black will absorb the heat…white will reflect it.
I spent some time in the Middle East; most cars there are WHITE; they reflect the powerful sun. That goes for the upholstery as well. The worst I combination can think of is a black car with black leather upholstery and no tinted windows.
OUCH!!
I believe window tint is more important than color. The short answer is yes, a white car will be cooler. However, there are other important considerations. A lightly colored dash board is dangerous since it casts a reflection on the inside of the windshield. You want to be able to see out the windshield on a sunny day, don’t you? So get a car with a white exterior and a dark interior with tinted windows. The windows don’t have to be tinted too darkly. The ultraviolet protection is what you want. Ask for a reflective tint that will allow you to see at night. This will be the coolest safe setup you can find.
I believe window tint is more important than color.
In most states the front windows can’t be tinted. And I don’t know any state that will allow you to tint the windshield. I have tinted windows in my 4runner and my now daughters pathfinder. The pathfinder is maroon with a charcoal interior…and my 4runner is a light blue with a beige interior…the 4runner is a LOT COOLER.
As for the dash…That’s probably why the dash on my 4runner is brown instead of the beige. And DON’T Armoral…That stuff makes the dash shiny and very bad at night when light reflects on it. In fact it’s tough during the day.
That is what reflective automotive sun shades are for, and some states will let you put a strip of tint across the top of the windshield. Usually these tints are blue and the tint is part of the manufacturing of the windshield. Just make sure you check the local laws in your area before you tint.
Tint across the top of windshield isn’t going to BLOCK a lot of sun though.
In NH tinkting is prohibited without a medical waiver.
Saf-C 2502.01 Tinted Glass Prohibition. Pursuant to RSA 266:58-a, no motor vehicle registered in New Hampshire shall be driven on any way in New Hampshire, sold or inspected which has after market tinting on the windshield or windows to the left or right of the driver.
Saf-C 2502.02 Tinted Glass Exception. Pursuant to RSA 266:58-a, a strip of after market tinting shall not be prohibited, as long as the strip:
(a) Is not wider than 6 inches; and
(b) Has a light transmittance of not less than 35 percent.
Saf-C 2505.02 Inspection of Motor Vehicle. An inspection station shall not inspect any motor vehicle which has after market tinting on the windshield or windows to the left or right of the driver unless the driver displays a permit granting a tinted glass medical waiver.
So the tint is legal if it isn’t an aftermarket tint. In that case, buy it at the dealership before you take ownership of the car, and ask the dealership for a tint that is legal in all 50 states. It might not be dark, but it doesn’t have to be dark to keep out ultravoilet rays.
Mike, have you ever seen those Dodge Caravans with a purple tint on the whole windshield? I think the vehicles were assembled that way.
Yes, but the feds have maximum tint requirements for manufacturers, so that becomes the governing factor. Places that do inspections will test for transmission if they suspect the windows may be too dark.
Where I live you cannot add any tint to the side windows and windshield over and above the normal factory tint. Back windows (anything back of the front seat) you can black out if you wish.
That seems to be the common thread. I think a lot of it is for police safety. They want to be able to see what the driiver is doing. If I were a cop, I’d feel exactly the same way.
If the tint comes from the factory…no problem. But you can’t ADD tint.
In that case, buy it at the dealership before you take ownership of the car, and ask the dealership for a tint that is legal in all 50 states. I
NOPE…Factory installed tint ONLY for the windshield.
Where I live you cannot add any tint to the side windows and windshield over and above the normal factory tint. Back windows (anything back of the front seat) you can black out if you wish.
Ours is almost the same…except the back windows can only be tinted no more then 35%. Front…no tinting beyond any factory tint.
In some locations, boxes that black in the inside and covered with glass are called solar collectors. Draw your own conclusions.
Not even on the rear windows?