Aftermarket window tint questions

[swoverland]

JotaDe, your LR4 is looking really spot on there. The tints look ideal, but your rock rails also caught my eye. Which ones are they and did you get them/have them installed in California? I'm in CA too and would like to have the steps which came with my LR4 replaced by something like this.

 

[JotaDe]

Thanks swoverland. I'm in the south bay area, but I purchased my LR4 from Niello in Sacramento. I bought the VTD500010 black side tubes from the Niello Rocklin site which has really good deals on LR OEM items.

I installed them myself, the process is not difficult and did it solo in 3-4 hours (I'm sure it could be done faster). In my opinion the tube look is preferred over the steps and sliders. I didn't add the OEM steps to my build as I wasn't in love with the look, but I knew I wanted to put something down there. For a long time I debated between getting real rock sliders (tactical or voyager) or tubes. I was turned off by the weight of the sliders, and how that would impact mpg and performance. Plus I knew I'd rarely be in a position to where I'd actually use them.

I settled for the tubes.
Pros:
- best looking side protection
- low weight
- lower cost
- easy install

Cons:
- not a slider
- not a step

The second con is the biggest pain for me. Unfortunately there just aren't any in-between options out there for our LR4. You can go full bore and get the expensive and heavy sliders, or the OEM steps which are my least favorite in the looks dept., or the tubes which look the best but offer the least functionality. In a perfect world the LR4 would weigh less, making me more confident in adding the weight of the sliders and go that route.

 

[Surfrider77]

Aside from the crappy paint from the vendor, I really like my Voyager sliders / steps.

They attach so low to the ground, I couldn't notice and perceptible handling difference. If you were putting a heavy rack or high riding bumper like the ARB, I am sure you would notice a shift in the higher center of gravity. Sliders are as low as you can possibly place additional weight on the truck.

(I can add a photo from home)

 

[swoverland]

Thanks JotaDe, really appreciate the details! Unfortunately, because I like the look of it a lot, it seems the one you got will not fit on the 2015 & above models. :/

 

[Stealther]

Looks great JotaDe! I'm deciding on tint for my '13. I've got the Ivory interior which I love, even though it's higher maintenance. The only drawback is that there is less privacy due to the increased brightness inside the cabin. I'm thinking of going darker from the second row back myself but haven't decided on how dark to go. Are you pleased with the 32% you added to the rear? What tint did you go with? I'm looking at 3M Crystalline.

 

[JotaDe]

Thanks Stealther.
I'm quite pleased with the work I had done. I was concerned it'd be too dark, but it's not, to me it's just right. I do think having the dark interior leather causes the tint to appear darker. The shop got the front & back to match pretty well. I cannot tell a difference between them (though if measured there probably would be).

Front 2 windows - LLumar Tint
Rear - Solar Gard Tint
$325 at Mr Tint in San Jose (lifetime warranty)

I had no preference on the tint, this was what the shop recommended. I did turn down a much more expensive ceramic tint option.