Sunshades - Hard Roll vs Soft

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chefwong

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For those that live in Southern state or are very familiar with Sunshades

New to sunshades......been using a CoverCraft for the car that we take out on the weekends, get's parked at a resort, sits outside for a good bit before return. etc.

I just received a WeatherTech Soft Roll to compare:contrast over the Covercraft
I like the CoverCraft for how easily it accordion folds. Fit is kinda huge around the rear view.....and IME, I have found that it shrinks over time...I'm on my 2nd one and once again. it has shrunk to the point, which it has led me to trying something new

Do you notice a difference in terms of heat....with soft roll type vs . hard type.
Or is the function merely just the reflectivity of the shade.
Or does the thicker hard type offer a slightly heat resistance as well over the soft roll...

FWIW, my windshield is ceramic tinted.....the obvious benefits is when driving re: heat.
A heat soaked car is a heat soaked car though
I do notice the heat difference when using a sunshield on interior temps but also the front seats are not scorching...
I do believe to some degree ....the tint does also help in the matter....but back on topic, just mitigating the sheer heat coming from the front WS.

I guess I'll have my own informal thoughts after using the Soft Roll type for the remainder of this summer season
 
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I considered the HeatShield but Weathertech made one that covered all the glass. I only wanted one for the rear as well, so opted that direction
Too bad no one makes something for the moonroof.....as I swear the Pano Glass on mine makes up 75% off the roof.


For Science Sake....I think I might need to find 2 days where some testing can be done.
Leave car parked in same:similar weather conditions. Day 1 - Hard Shade. Measure Dash temp and Seat Temp right in a fun sun siting location.

Run the same test on with the Soft Shade....based on the same time and variables and compare and contrast.

For sure, the soft shade...I get it, it's is pliable....is considerably better on coverage even though both are -custom- for covers. Where's I have like 4-5 inches of light all around my rearview cutout with the hard type, it's minimal light bleed through with the Soft Roll and that is even with 2 -projections- not allowing it to lie flat (have a standard focal dash cam on right side and telephoto focal lens on the left side) on the windshield
 
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I should give them a jingle tomorrow.....
Need to put on my thinking cap here tho. It's not uncommon so I've read on exploding sun roofs....not sure if it's just due to strength.....a chip never addressed, or a mix of that and temperature swings. I specifically had the sun room tinted at 50% max to allow some -heat- to pass through the glass and not block/retain too much heat by going with a darker level tint on that. I dunno if using a reflective shade ontop will add too much heat on the underside of the tint film (taking into account all the unknown variables of what triggers the exploding sunroofs). I've yet to have a sun roof shatter on me and apparently it is a common thing..
 
I have to park my DD in the sun all day, when I drive into work. I had been using Weathertech's Sun Shade but found it was a pain to unroll, put on, take off and had a little too wide of gaps around the sensor and A-pilars, etc. But more importantly, it didn't keep as much of the heat and temp out as I thought it should. I wanted to like it but it wasn't working for me.

I switched to Covercraft's UVS100 Custom Sunscreen, which is a cardboard, foldable screen. Coverage around the windshild and sensor is better, quicker install and remove and much better at reduceing temperature buildup and heat insulating. I hope that helps some.
 
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Wow. My experience is the opposite..
The fit is day and night between the 2
The Weather tech does take a bit more work putting it on and off but that's because it's a soft cover vs hard cover accordion style.

I plan to do the same testing with the Covercraft, even though there is a 4-5 inch gap around the rearview.
It is thicker.....not sure how much it comes into play

However, I just started doing some testing (which I've never done)....to see how effective it is
I'm sure these #'s may be different with all the variables of tint, interior color etc.

Front WS and Sunroof - 55% Tint
Front - 30% Tint
Everything else is factory dyed but it has 70% Tint

IR Gun
Hood 141F
Back of Sunshade 137
Dash - `122
Front passenger 113
Front Drivers - 122 (sun angle on this side)
 
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chefwong said:
Wow. My experience is the opposite..
The fit is day and night between the 2

However, I just started doing some testing (which I've never done)....to see how effective it is
I'm sure these #'s may be different with all the variables of tint, interior color etc.

Front WS and Sunroof - 55% Tint
Front - 30% Tint
Everything else if factory dyed but it has 70% Tint

IR Gun
Hood 141F
Back of Sunshade 137
Dash - `122
Front passenger 113
Front Drivers - 122 (sun angle on this side)
Click to expand...
Interesting on the numbers. My DD has no tint on any windows but the glass at times, looks like has some type of pigment it it. I don't think it has any effect on my interior temps though.

I wonder if WT has some QC problems with whoever is making their shades...
 
I mention dye....but that doesn't really have any heat reduction properties. It's mainly considered a Privacy Glass.

The pigment you're seeing is probably just the UV laminate

How long have you had your Covercraft. Mine shrunk in 1 1/2 summer seasons.....basically used primarily on the weekend, between April-Oct.
My replacement has shrunk again - thus prompting the need to change to a different brand:style
 
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I live in the meca of summer heat since 2016.....Phoenix AZ. I have used the soft shades previously but this year purchased a custom Covercraft hard shade. Got the silver reflective. I like how it fits my highlander. Also easy to fold accordion style. Not cheap but so far....it does help overall in keeping the harmful rays off the interior.
 
I'll snap a pic of the fit.......it's so awful with my CC....Granted every vehicle template is different

Fitment aside, cannot believe it has not only shrunk once but twice now...
And was a breath of -fresh air- seeing how there is no light from the WeatherTech

I don't think the bleed through is an issue though....but I do have tint on my front WS. Bleed through for sure for others that don't have HP tint on theirs I can see would be a bigger difference
 
I'm using a custom cut, soft rolled sunshade from WeatherTech. It's really durable and does a great job of keeping the interior of the car cooler and protecting the dash area from the sun. After three years of usage it hasn't hardened, shrunk, or cracked. The custom fit is nice and tight.

I think I've used other brands of soft rolled shades in the past, but at the time I bought my car WeatherTech was the only one besides the OEM that had a custom cut shade and it was a better price.
 
chefwong said:
I mention dye....but that doesn't really have any heat reduction properties. It's mainly considered a Privacy Glass.

The pigment you're seeing is probably just the UV laminate
Click to expand...
Back in the old days when not every car came with air conditioning, and you could order a US-built car with a bazillion different options, tinted glass was an option...but a required one if you chose air conditioning, because it reduced the heat load on the interior. I just checked my glass and it says 70%, so nothing compared to what you guys do with aftermarket tint. I can't seem to get a straight answer from the internet on what the factory tint is on the back windows of an SUV. There seems to be a lot of spurious information on the interwebs about this stuff (what a surprise!).
 
*Most* SUVS that come dark in the rear doors, quarters, hatch....
It's not tinted. It is just dyed - it does meter at 20% on average

There is no heat reduction like you would get with a high performance tint installed on it...
 
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chefwong said:
*Most* SUVS that come dark in the rear doors, quarters, hatch....
It's not tinted. It is just dyed - it does meter at 20% on average
Click to expand...
Tint vs. dye is a semantic difference, factory "tinted glass" may be dyed, but it's still tinted.

chefwong said:
There is no heat reduction like you would get with a high performance tint installed on it...
Click to expand...
Again, semantics. I would argue that the 20% tint on SUV's has as much to do with reducing the greenhouse heating from all those big windows as it does with "privacy", regardless of whether it's less effective than an aftermarket high-performance tint.
 
Yes, the 20% is still going to be better than clear

Just saying if you took the front clear windows and even put a clear-ish 70% HP tint on the front, there is still a noticeable difference if let's say while driving and the sun is directly on the left side. The front left side will be noticeably cooler than the rear darker non HP tinted glass..was the point I was trying to convey.
 
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