Hail Net Needed

[Verne Carlson]

I went with http://www.shattergard.com/vehiclegard.html - I got enough laminate in the DIY kit for 2 cars but it looks like they'll sell you a DIY kit for $399 now. I took me a couple of pieces till I got the hang of it and could apply it without bubbles. It goes on like thick window tint with soapy water and a squeegy. If you have a compound window you'll need to do it in strips. I'll be at Chasercon if you want to look at my rear window you'll see what I mean. I wouldn't put it on the front window but for the sides and backs it works well. I got into baseballs and cracked the front window but the laminated windows did not have a scratch.

 

[Greg Campbell]

Many surplus stores carry durable nylon netting of various weights.
I've toyed with the idea of building an overhanging roof-mounted metal frame, and tightly stretching the webbing between the rails. It seems this would be fairly lightweight, and not create a ton of drag. It could even double as a giant roof rack!

You could have a hinged forward section that normally folds back over the body of the car, but deploys to protect the windshield and hood areas.

 

[Scott Hammel]

I've been looking at this http://www.clearplex.com/windshield-protection-film-clearplex-product.php My car has a large, shallow sloping windshield that I would be concerned about, even in some relatively small hail.

Thanks for pointing this company out! I've browsed their site and looks like an installer is 3 blocks from my house, so I might stop by this weekend to see what they could do with my sunroof.

 

[Ryan McGinnis]

The only downside to consider with using window laminate is that if you ever drive into a lake or are in a crash that results in a vehicle fire, you are probably going to die a horrible, agonizing death. There is a reason that side and rear windows asplode into a brazillian little bits when you smack them hard enough.

 

[Donovan Gruner]

Just emailed the people at Shatterguard for more info. I suppose if I decide to go that route, I should probably repair my car's already cracked windshield. Hehe.

 

[Jason Foster]

The only downside to consider with using window laminate is that if you ever drive into a lake or are in a crash that results in a vehicle fire, you are probably going to die a horrible, agonizing death. There is a reason that side and rear windows asplode into a brazillian little bits when you smack them hard enough.

That' why you laminate all windows but driver's window (sorry passenger...LOL) and the windshield (already done). Oh wait...you can always just NOT drive into a lake.

 

[Ryan McGinnis]

I think I read somewhere that a random phone survey of people who drove into lakes revealed that 42.4% did it by accident without previously planning to do so. The results may be a bit skewed, though, as 57.6% of the respondents did not answer their phones because they were at the bottom of a lake.

 

[Donovan Gruner]

That' why you laminate all windows but driver's window (sorry passenger...LOL) and the windshield (already done). Oh wait...you can always just NOT drive into a lake.

I usually avoid driving into lakes as much as possible. So far, I've done a good job of not driving into any bodies of water. Typically, it's a pretty good approach on driving, not driving into lakes/rivers/oceans/bays/harbors/canals/ponds/seas/gulfs, etc...

 

[Jason Foster]

I usually avoid driving into lakes as much as possible. So far, I've done a good job of not driving into any bodies of water. Typically, it's a pretty good approach on driving, not driving into lakes/rivers/oceans/bays/harbors/canals/ponds/seas/gulfs, etc...

Well, I have been known to drive into Oceans...but it's usually when the Ocean is coming to me...in the way of a surge...

I think I read somewhere that a random phone survey of people who drove into lakes revealed that 42.4% did it by accident without previously planning to do so. The results may be a bit skewed, though, as 57.6% of the respondents did not answer their phones because they were at the bottom of a lake.

LMFAO...I wonder what percentage was of those did it on purpose...to check the Mythbuster myths.

 

[Skip Talbot]

The other problem with window laminates is that they don't make your windows indestructible. Sure, they'll take more of a beating than glass with no laminates, but they'll still crack when you get into large enough hail just as your windshield, which is also laminated, cracks/breaks in hail. The plus is that the glass shards don't get everywhere. You'll still have to replace the window AND the laminate afterward though and that will be costly. If it were feasible, I think the best protection would be acrylic or polycarbonate windows. I don't think you'd have to worry about losing any windows due to hail then, and if you're worried about denting the car's body, you're chasing in the wrong vehicle. The most practical solution is to just not drive into hail though. Sure we all gamble with a core punch from time to time, or make mistakes in our positioning, but if you're proactive about not driving into hail cores, dealing with broken side windows should be a rare occasion.

 

[Jim Hunt]

I always wonder if hail damage to glass is more related to driving at highway speed into the falling hail than just parking and waiting it out. The reason I say this is the wife got caught in a hail storm a few years back.

She was working inside of her office when baseball and larger sized hail hit. Our 4 day old Honda Civic with sunroof sustained $9600 hail damage. However not a single window (or the sunroof) was cracked/chipped. The tail lights and headlights were cracked or broken however along with significant body damage.

Anyway, just my two cents.

 

[cedwards]

I've lost several windshields while stopped. I think it was just that you were very lucky. A lot depends on the angle of the windows and the angle the hail is coming down as well. The most important factor is just chance on exactly where the hail hits.

 

[Adam Lucio]

windshields are relatively cheap, its the back windows and some side windows on larger SUVs and vans that can be really costly and those are what I am most worried about protecting. Any chaser worried about dents on their car probably shouldn't be chasing. Its going to happen.

I myself am hopefully going to be out there with some new guards for the side and back windows, I just havent had the time to get them built but when I do they will be of the folding awning type variety...I would never use a net because I can imagine it getting snagged on a tree branch or catching a bird or something.

What others have mentioned about avoiding the hail is easy enough...however if you are like me and enjoy hail and a good core punch that is not an option so you have to be willing to accept the risks involved.

 

[Rob H]

I spoke to someone at ACE recently about their products (http://www.acesecuritylaminates.com/). They mentioned that this was the second correspondence they'd had this week, and the first was with a well-respected chaser. They recommended the 200 series which is designed to prevent pipes, bats, hammers, etc. from breaking into homes and cars. As others have mentioned, a security laminate will increase the strength of the glass a little, but this isn't tested at all as the primary focus is to prevent glass from breaking inwards. It was $475 for 60 sq. ft. of their 200 series in a DIY kit.

We also enjoy the occasional core punch, so I'd like to build a guard for the back window, since that's the most expensive on our chase vehicle and we don't want it cracked at all. Security laminate is something we'd like to do on the side windows, but that's the cost of a few chases for us, so we're holding off for now.

 

[David Wolfson]

For this year I've been speculating about carrying some removable Lexan (or expanded metal) panels fitted with industrial suction cups. They would be used to protect the expensive windows and portions of driver's side windows that can interfere with driveability if broken. Has anyone tried this approach? My instinct says this just might work at moderate cost and adapt to multiple vehicles.