Beamshots of lighting up inside of a car that has tinted windows

Well I was interested how the usual type of lights stack up in lighting up the inside of a car that has tinted windows. I picked the following lights that I thought would be quite typical of the ones used by LE and Security personnel.

First picture is a control shot of my son's car inside our garage lit up by two standard fluorescent lights, under these conditions you cannot see inside the car. The next six shots are taken in total darkness, exposure is the same for all pictures, 6 seconds at f 4.8. I aimed the beams at the steering wheel.

Fenix L2D Q5, 2x AA
WE Defender II, Original Cree HO 3.7 - 6V, 1x 18650 cell
WE Sniper, WE 3.7V incan, 1x 18650 cell
WE Raider, WE 9V incan, 2x 18500 cells
WE Thunder, Original 3x LED's, 2x 18650 cells
WE Eagle, WA1111 lamp, 2x 18650 cells (custom)

The last two I put in because I was not happy with the previous four lights. I think that if you want to see quite well inside a tinted car at night you will need a light that has at least 500 lumen output, anything less than that is not going to give much detail.

Nice...Thanks for sharing

Wow! I have a 637 lumen LED torch and it is just about good to light up my buddy's mustang with crazy tint. if i were a LEO I would be scared to death of these tint machines!!

Manzerick said:

Wow! I have a 637 lumen LED torch and it is just about good to light up my buddy's mustang with crazy tint. if i were a LEO I would be scared to death of these tint machines!!

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Well, considering that most LEO's use lights that are rated much lower than 500 lumens, this situation could be quite dangerous. After I done this test, if I was a LEO I would make sure to carry a light like the Thunder or brighter, before I would go anywhere near a car with tinted windows at night with very little or no street lights.

This test is a perfect reason why tinting your front 2 windows is illegal in NY. How dark is that tint...5%? And is that a boost gauge I see :naughty:

interesting. i would think a brighter light would make it harder with the glare. i would use a 3200 lumen hid then wear polarized sunglasses :devil:

Thats an intersting and usefull test..

oh PS. your steering wheel is on the wrong side

:laughing:

Excellent shots...especially for LEO officers. Thanks for sharing.

Nice what % tint is that? Want to see something interesting? Try lighting up the rear windshield of a tinted car to see how many occupants there are... If the car has rear limo tint and lighter on the side, it is next to impossible to see in low light or dark.

IcantC said:

Nice what % tint is that? Want to see something interesting? Try lighting up the rear windshield of a tinted car to see how many occupants there are... If the car has rear limo tint and lighter on the side, it is next to impossible to see in low light or dark.

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Not sure what the percentage tint that is, I will ask my son......he has been driving this car for quite a while now and nobody has questioned the tint......and yes its a twin turbo......this is the only car in the family that has tinted windows.......while I was taking the test pictures I noticed that the window was quite dirty, I can imagine this situation on a rainy day when the window is wet as well.

So, on a bad wet day outside, with strong tinted windows.....nothing less than a 500+ lumen incan light.

Yes, tinted windows raises the tension level of the LEO significantly. If you're ever asked to pull over, and you have tinted windows, it is a very good idea to turn on your interior lights, roll down the window, and sit with your hands on the wheel as the officer approaches. This will lower their stress level considerably and maybe even get a thank-you. And if you do have tint outside of the legal limits it just might save you a citation.

Great work on the pics. It needs to be remembered though, any typical traffic stop would have the Police vehicle parked behind the subject vehicle and a "take down" light illuminating the rear window of the vehicle and subsequently the interior of the vehicle.

Traffic stops are known to be the most dangerous situation that LEO face, there are a number of strategies and tactics utilised to reduce the threat however they are always an unknown threat, even more so in the US i would say. Hence the reason i always say that you can never have too much light on your belt.

KeeperSD said:

Great work on the pics. It needs to be remembered though, any typical traffic stop would have the Police vehicle parked behind the subject vehicle and a "take down" light illuminating the rear window of the vehicle and subsequently the interior of the vehicle.

Traffic stops are known to be the most dangerous situation that LEO face, there are a number of strategies and tactics utilised to reduce the threat however they are always an unknown threat, even more so in the US i would say. Hence the reason i always say that you can never have too much light on your belt.

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Keeper, I just wanted to see how much light enters past the tinting and compare LED and Incan lights. The usual compact lights were quite disappointing and gave limited illumination inside the car. It wasn't until I used the two stronger lights that I was comfortable in seeing all I needed to see inside the car. If I were a traffic LEO I would carry a strong light regardless of the inconvenience carrying it.

Sorry i didnt mean to sound like i was having a shot at your comparison just making comment. I do see your point though. As my Mag charger sits in the door of the car it is quite easy to grab for intercepts although it probably isn't as bright as the lights you are talking about.