Reflectix Vs similar products

[sternwake]

I'm kind of annoyed that over time, my custom made tight fitting front reflective window shades, new as of 18 months ago, seem to lose some of that reflective aluminum thickness, and some light and likely more heats, gets through. 

    I have some more, I can splice it together, double it up, two layers taped together is much less flexible/ harder to roll up and store while driving,  than if it were one thicker layer, and this is also doomed to become translucent over time.

Many years ago, 2007 ish, I replaced the insulation on the inside of my engine cover and used another type of silver insulation, this one is more like small celled foam inbetween the aluminum reflective exterior.  It has actually held up very well, but I don't know how much sunlight it would let through.  Cant recall its thickness or r rating though.  It did seem to keep engine cover itself much cooler, compared to what was left from original insulation.  I think reflectix would have been truly trashed by now had I used that.

I saw this Other product which is White on one side and reflective on the other.  comes in 3 5 and 10mm thicknesses.

Not sure how much the R value figures can actually be trusted.  They claim :


whereas Reflectix claims R8

The white side intrigues me, as it  could be a passable wall or ceiiling cover, whereas aluminum is not, IMO. I have very slight insulation on my white interior walls as I only ever intended to be in mild climates, but.......  I might give California the rear view mirror more often in the future.


Anybody have any experience/info on these other reflectix competitor options when used in windows? They are not all that much more expensive.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/SmartSHIELD-5W-...5sVScUfHyg

Short term I want a better windshield screen. One white side not important here. UNless it stops even more light than dual silver.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/SmartSHIELD-5-R...SwMDhcnoJj

I think the 10Mm version could be pretty easy to stuff tightly along my walls without adhesives/fasteners.

I'd expect the foam version to dampen sound more effectively than reflectix, but heat?  

Is reflective bubble foil/reflectix  the harbor freight/ dollar store version of reflective insulation?  Spend a little more and get much better function and longevity?

If were spitballing along these lines I'd also like to line my firewall with some sound dampening, perhaps front doors too but products like Dynamat are so pricey.....

[rvpopeye]

I relined my engine cover in the class A with similar stuff.
It DID make a huge difference in the temp of that cover going down the road.
Window application ? Guess I defer to you for that.
I made some window covers with the foil faced iso-type insulation and painted one side white (facing out in summer)and one side black (for winter) and it was great at blocking light too.
I was once stopped at a border patrol check point and while the officer asked all the usual questions and I asked about local shortcuts and POIs ....He tried looking inside the back of the truck. And He Looked and looked......until I told him he was looking at a piece of insulation 2" from his face and I'd be happy to open the door to help out !
I think he was a bit embarrassed and laughed , then told me "Have a good trip" !
I'm pretty sure he couldn't see through it,,,optical illusion'd into thinking he was seeing inside ??? Mebby.
"
Anyhoo,
Try a coat of paint , you might get a few more years out of the old stuff ???

[Gr8ful]

All those R values are using it down which is the highest, horiz is less R value & up is the least. Did you use real Reflectex & was it double bubble or single ply of sealed bubbles. The sheet foam you show will neeed the edges covered, I'd suggest whap them in Tyvel tape. Id you decide to use sheet foam I's go to a building supply stire & get 1" Thermax as it's fireproof & the fumes won't kill you like most will. It has silver foil on both sides. Hope it helps.

[B and C]

I recently put some of the Smart Shield in my van as the reflectix was doing as you said. I used the double sided foil. It has only been in about three months. When I put it in it was noticeably cooler to the hand than the reflectix I took out. IIRC, I bought the 5 mm (~1/4") because I thought the other would be too thick to store easily and was about the same thickness as the reflectix. I cannot attest to longevity or its' suitability to remove, roll up and replace as mine was put in and left in place. I don't normally roll mine anyways, I just find a place to slip them into.

For my windshiled I bought one of these made to order sun shield: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007V2...UTF8&psc=1

It is thick and has a reflective side and a felt like side. It works well but doesn't fill the windshield entirely leaving about a 1/2" gap on the sides and at the top. It helps keep the heat out or in. I use a blackout drape behind the front seat for total privacy.

Edit to add: I bought it in Dec, 2016 and it has held up really well. I would buy it again.

[sternwake]

I did buy what I thought/think is real reflectix, double bubble. Much higher quality feel than the dollar store window shades with that single bubble.

B&C, your report is all I really needed to pivot away from reflectix. Thanks. Gonna pull the trigger on it.

Getting My front window shade to fit perfectly with no gaps, well some velcro would likely be needed for the no gaps portion. I do have some thin white oak strips along the sides as previous shades would crease in the middle. and allow a superheated space open up between windshield and reflectix. I also have a bunch of thin neodymium magnets I did not have the last time, I could redesign the shade to accommodate some magnets to hold it tight along the A pillars. I too have a curtain behind drivers seat for extra privacy but would prefer it impossible to see inside through any cracks via reflective panels alone, well both really. Sometimes reflectix screams dweller when one does not want to advertise or make it more obvious than it is already.

I use Nashua 555 flexfix tape along the edges or general joinery. Good stuff, thin and flexible. I had covered my previous windowshade with it as the silverlining faded, but its adhesive smell over that much surface area never abated fully once hot, and it is slightly transparent.

I have my front passenger set turned around 99% of the time. I pull panels from front side windows, place on dash below the windshield panel, then roll all 3 into a 1 foot diameter and squash it just enough to put it between passenger seat back and dash/ Pretty quick process installing or removing. I used to fold them but then the panel would get shorter and require extensions on the ends to reach the A pillars. The act of rolling and unrolling or folding is certainly detrimental to the reflective parts..

The 24 foot wide rolls is just enough for my windshield, but I needed to cut 23" of its width in the middle to account for the windshield curve, and overlap it slightly, joined with 555. That joinery is nice and dark still. I am thinkng about getting the 48" wide versions of new material, in order to not have this joinery.

I don;t know how well paint sticks to reflectix, and I am not keen on paint offgassing for weeks afterwards. My very first vehicle was a station wagon. I had tinted the rear windows, but then made black painted cardboard panels, and would challenge people to look through it. Seems to take a long time for them to realize that was not possible.

I am amazed at how well reflectix blocks/attenuates wifi signals, 3 out of 5 bars disappear if it one layer of it in between router and phone. It is certainly a consideration where I park. If I park facing south I can't get any wifi signal on my phones, If I park facing north I can, 3 or 4 out of 5 bars, but not with reflectix in the back windows. I park facing north 99.5% of the time

[B and C]

I keep my passenger seat turned around also. I keep both front door panels and the windshield shade between the passenger door and seat. I do not fold or roll my my panels other than the windshield one that is premade to fold. My panels make it all the way down to the doorstep and has never been in my way when sitting there. It may be different for you and Fiona. I like the folding windshield one because it looks more normal even if there is reflectix in the other windows.

From what I have read on the forums (I have read both in their entirety ) is that paint does not adhere well to reflectix and probably this stuff. I have thought about glueing material to one side but have never done so. I guess I should just go ahead and do it at least for the windows behind the front doors. Now to find a blue material that doesn't fade. I am partial to blue if you can't tell. I am also contemplating that perforated vinyl for my big back window. It is about 2 x 5 foot.

When I am able to camp, I try to stay in cooler temperatures so reflecting the heat back in is good and I don't care what the outside looks like most of the time. If I can find 45 degrees overnight outside is perfect. This normally means 75 or 80 during the heat of the day.

[sternwake]

Good to have a system.

I have a plywood 'perch'/ platform for Fiona that resides on the front passenger seat's captain's chair armrests.  Though when i X countried with my dad this Perch went on my third chair in back.  Though she did not always like to climb up there on her own, and would pretend she was a  50LB lap dog instead.

Her perch rarely gets removed, and is close enough to the door that sliding the shades there is not going to happen.  I pretty much always keep a 4 gallon Stearns showerbag on the front seat itself with a 45 watt 12v heating pad under it under her perch.

 But that space between seat and dash is wide open for storage so that's where the rolled refelctive window shades go, most of the time.  I can fit them atop my one surfboard but then surfboard wax can contaminate everything forever after.

The extra reflectix used on shower bag and many layers under the heating pad, can really reduce the amount of KWH required to keep the shower bag at temperature, and is easier to do than layering clothes/towells/ jackets above it to insulate further.

Gonna order a 48" x 10 foot section of the 5mm thick SmartShield.  Will do some temperature tests comparing to new and old reflectix on arrival. Need some more Nashua flexfix 555 too.  Thought I had more than half a roll left, but can't seem to find it.

[B and C]

I like the way you test things. My hand test was not much of a test. It will be nice to have some real numbers.

I only get to do things in bits and spurts here.

[Blacktank]

not reflectix but sound deadener/heat shield on floor

had exposed areas i didnt want to form carpet to so i spray painted them,black enamel,scraped off easy so now i am slowly rubbing it off and will try that flex paint on it

[sternwake]

I wish the sound deadener material were cheaper.

If paint did not stick I would not expect better results with Flex seal, but do wipe with isopropyl alcohol or denatured alcohol first.

I'm thinking of glueing some of home depot's recycled rubber door mats to the firewall/ floor.

My tire and wind noise gets annoying on X country road trips, especially with headwinds. Need new window trim rubber. Been contemplating small vortex generators near the leading edge of fiberglass roof to help reduce wind noise, but without a wind tunnel it would be hope and pray trial ad error, and placebo effect as to efficacy of any particular placement. I like the newer tv tops that are more aerodynamic than mine at the windshield mating zone. Some of the Vanagon guys claim to get a lot less road noise and better mpgs with a front skirt/ chin spoiler. I'm likely to put another 6k miles on it this winter going east, and back, perhaps not back. Wwwwwho the F knows.

I am regretting my Cooper discoverer AT3 tires in the noise and MPG department, but they have 2 or 3 more years before they age out, and plenty of tread left. Only once in Death valley, the Titus canyon trail, was an AT tire
perhaps beneficial. Used to require AT tires more so when I trusted Baja.