Comfort Is Everything
In places where ever rising ambient temperatures are a primary concern, window tints become more than an aesthetic accessory to automobiles. Passenger comfort is seriously affected in tropical climates such as Malaysia, where ambient temperature levels can rise up to 38ºC and cabin temperatures in parked vehicles become significantly hotter than that - often rising by an additional 20ºC to 30ºC! Window films are installed to mostly combat heat, in addition to UV wave exposure, excessive glare and even lack of privacy.
Fighting The Heat
As infrared is the primary indicator of heat energy in the solar spectrum, window films with higher IRR (Infrared Radiation Rejection) are more desirable. However, many window film manufacturers tend to promise a very high IRR (i.e. 99% IRR) but produce low TSER (Total Solar Energy Rejection) (i.e. 49% TSER). This is because most companies do not specify at which wavelength their film blocks infrared, which leads to a decrease in performance after only reaching as high as 1000nm. Higher quality window films such as CeraLuxe IRD® and Spectra PhotoSync IRD® maintain up to 93% and 99% IRR consistently at wavelengths as high as 2200nm, which makes them industry leaders in heat-rejection.
Crystal Clear Communication
Other manufacturers may achieve significantly higher IRR and TSER percentages by incorporating metallics in their window films, however with compromise to strong interferences in bluetooth, infrared, mobile phone transmissions, AM radio and even GPS! High-performing window films such as Spectra PhotoSync IRD® has a TSER of up to 80% with virtually no signal interferences, making it the highest performing window film in the world.
A Perfect View
Darker window films are great for blocking access sunlight and glare; however, often compromise window clarity with "ghosting" effects. Certain films also discolour over time, turning from a dark shade to green, purple or yellow. CeraLuxe IRD® comes in shades as dark as 20% VLT and guarantees 10-years of uncompromised clarity upon installation. Better yet, Spectra PhotoSync IRD® has a limited lifetime warranty against such manufacturing defects and performance degradation.
