sunbyrne

I have a page of pictures of my Pro5 along with a collection of reviews of the Pro5 from around the Web. Check it out:

http://byrneweb.com/sunburn/newcar/

Let me know what you think!

jking

Nice....what percent tint do you have. I'm looking to get my windows tinted I'm thinking of going with 45% on front two windows and rest at 35% or 30%

sunbyrne

Thanks!

It's not the same tint all around. The back windscreen is 22%, and there are four windows on each side: 35% front, 30% rear rectanguar, 26% triangular rear, 22% cargo area window. So it's kind of a "tint gradient." It's the standard tint package from the dealer, a titanium-based tint. While it wasn't cheap, I think it looks great and it makes a huge difference in the Houston summer.

mazdaspeedwest

while i haven't done any P5s yet, not many around..?? anyway, my personal favorite is either a 20% or 35% all around.

20% will be a certain bust if laws are as fucked as they are in Cali, but will drastically cut down heat and glare and keep you cool. Looks dope too! (my car has 18% all around)

35% will give a very classy look while still cutting down heat and glare, but safer from getting busted.

Also, tinting the front windshield is the best investment you can make with a new car. I will NEVER drive a car without it again. Although i used a light film (45%) glare and heat are reduced and at night so are on coming headlights. This way ALL windows are tinted and the UV protection is protecting the entire interior, especially the dash.

Ast my shop i charge $240 for a wagon with metal film.
(not including the windsheild)

visit my shop site for more info on tint
Presto Window Tinting

visit my car site (in my sig) for pics of my car with the 18% and 45% on the windshield.

NEVER GET A STANDARD CHARCOAL FILM. THESE BUBBLE UP AND TURN PURPLE WITHIN A FEW YEARS. ALWAYS SPEND THE EXTRA FOR METALLIZED FILM, YOU'LL BE MUCH HAPPIER.

gok

very nice, exactly the car i was looking to get. silver 5spd with ABS. but after looking at your pics i realize that silver is not the color for me. no offense, it just doesnt look how i like. oh well now its between yellow and black.

sunbyrne

In most states, including Texas, tinting the front windshield isn't legal, unless you mean just the top few inches. According to http://www.pcisys.net/~bpc/auto_law/tint/ tinting the windshield or front side windows is illegal in California--have the laws changed?

Here in Texas, the darkest tint allowed in the front side windows is 35%.

Gok--glad to be of service, even if its not the color for you, at least I helped you discover that. :-)

mazdaspeedwest

Nothings changed and you are correct, it's not legal in Cali to tint the fronts or the windshield (well you can tint the fronts, but only 70%, which is pretty much clear) and yes, i meant the complete windshield, not just a visor strip. There are legal ways to tint these though, via a medical reason, or a non-op registration, meaning a race or show car only not to be driven on public streets, but thats about it.

gok

just get the front windshield tinted and then put a darker visor strip on. that way it looks more normal. BTW, i decide on the black P5

MP3-Owner

EWWWW!!!!!!!! hehe IMO

SurfWagon

Hey Mike,

Couple of questions for you;

Is that a Mazda OEM deflector?
How is it installed?
How good is it in cutting down wind noise?

Let me know and thanks!

Dave

sunbyrne

Yep, that's a Mazda deflector, installed by the dealer. They couldn't find me a silver one with 5-speed and side airbags that had the deflector on, so they did it for around $100 when I brought the car in to do the tint, all of which was just added to the price of the car so it got rolled into the good financing deal (4.9%, which was good at the time).

As for wind noise, I got a good comparison. I test drove two Pro5's that didn't' have moon roofs and I didn't understand what all the wind noise fuss was about. Then I picked up mine and I understood--you really do get a lot of wind noise with the moon roof. I had the car for about a week and a half before they could get me in for the tint and deflector, so I know the difference the deflector makes, which is a *LOT*.

There's still wind noise, but it really does make a big difference, cuts down the wind noise a lot.

That help?

SurfWagon

How is it installed? Taped? Screwed on? Riveted?

Let me know and thanks for the input.

sunbyrne

Oh, sorry, I knew I was going to forget something.

There are two strips of metal that come up from the edge of the moon roof; I'm not sure how those are actually attached to the car. The metal strips go basically straight up, then bend 90 degrees when they meet the deflector. There are screws through the deflector into those metal strips.

If you look carefully at the last picture on the web page you can see one of the screws. The screws are black so they blend in pretty well.

jcv26

Hi this is john from New Jersey

Good pics buddy, one of them is set as my wallpaper! I was undecided on the color choice....your site helped me with that, it will be a silver with tint. The only difference between our cars is the polished chrome wheels. Why did you not get those?
Do you think it makes the car look a little tacky or outmoded.

Also, I appreciate the close up shots of the roof of the car. It looks a little over crowded with the deflector/moonroof/roofrack. How hard is it to remove the roof rack, and when you take it off, what comes off? The bar or the part of the roofrack that connects to the side runners or the whole thing as one piece?

thanks for the info

hey what do you teach?

sunbyrne

Hey, John, thanks for the kind words. Just out of curiousity, which picture did you set as wallpaper?

As for the chrome wheels, I could have gone either way there. I was trying to cash in on a special $750 rebate that expired July 31 and they were having a lot of trouble finding *any* Pro5 with side airbags and 5-speed. I was happy to get a silver one at all. I didn't really have a choice. If I had a choice, I'm not sure which way I would have gone. I like the look of the chrome wheels when they're clean, but I think they tend to show dirt more and they cost $500. Tossup in my book. (And no, I don't think they make the car look tacky or outmoded.)

I agree that the roof looks a little busy with all that up there. Frankly, I think the whole car is a little busy with the big foggies and side sills, but I rather like busy, so it doesn't bother me. I know the roof rack does come off, but I haven't done it myself. It leaves the black mounting rails on the roof, which I think looks a little silly. I've actually used the roof rack a couple times, too, so I have no plans to remove it. My dealer was willing to show me how to do it, but I never took him up on it--ask your dealer for instructions.

As for what I teach, that'd be cognitive sciences. Psychology of memory, attention, and problem-solving and some computer science (artificial intelligence and user interfaces). Keeps me busy, anyway.

OK, I've prattled on way long enough...