The shipped windshield came in a standard brown box and had fragile stickers on it which ensures UPS will conduct their rigorous testing on it while in transit, ha ha. I was surprised at how light the box was for it's size.
The windshield came wrapped in foam wrap and also had a protective film that you peel off before installing which included an inspection sticker with date made. Nice to have this incase there's a problem.
I could not install the windshield myself so with the help of Allsouth Autosports I scheduled the install and wouldn't you know it, it was freezing cold the day of the install. I was worried about the installation and adhesion of the silicone on such a cold day. It was probably 35 degrees at the time of the install.
The first step was removing the protective film and the adding a new gasket to the outer edge of the window.
Then you will need to remove the wiper arms as they will interfere with the installation of the windshield.
Next, remove the old gasket from the windshield.
Now comes the fun part, removing the old windshield. Now you can do this in a few ways by using many different tools but the installer had a saw saw with a flat blade attachment which worked perfectly. If you do this step properly and remove all of the old silicone you have a good chance of getting the windshield out without breaking it. We removed it without any issues so I atleast have a backup if something were to happen. I admit though, I was bummed about loosing all of my stickers from past rides. Those are badges of honor in our world!
So here is what your Jeep looks like without the windshield. Note the amount of silicone used from the factory!
Next you need to remove all of the old silicone so the area is free from any debri that might not let it adhere properly to the new window. A very sharp exacto blade is the prefered method of choice here.
Now apply the silicone around the edges of the opening. There is no need for special silicone with this windshield. It will adhere just the same even though it is a plastic window.
Make sure to also add your rear view mirror bracket. There is a spot on the windshield in black so you can locate and mount the mirror in the correct spot. Again, no special adhesive needed other than what you can buy off the shelf at the auto store. I would suggest leaving your mirror off for a few days to really let the bracket adhere good.
Now it's time to install the windshield. If you have access to some suction cups like the one in the pic it sure does help. I also suggest two people do this step but with the windshield being so light you could do this on your own. Make sure to press against the windshield in the areas of the silicone so it expands the silicone and will ensure a good adhesion.
All done! It was nice to have a fresh clear windshield again! The engraved logo on the corner is a nice touch as well.
First off I will say that this window is so clear it is like looking thru a set of prescription glasses! I know I was used to the old windshield but it really is a sharp image thru the windshield.
While looking thru the glass you may see what I call "ripples" in the window at angle views. So looking across the windshield things get a bit wavy but nothing that will cause a distraction in anyway that I have found. If you look at the above picture note the right side of the image of the tower and see the waves in the window. This is only when looking almost straight down the windshield itself. This is something that happens in the manufacturing process as plastic does not lay like glass does.
So that night I went out on a drive to see how the streetlights and oncoming cars headlights reacted to the windshield. I was surprised that there was absolutely no glare from street lights or oncoming traffic. It was a very nice change from my old window. I also was able to put some speed on the Jeep to test the noise factor and to see if the windshield flexed under the wind pressure. I got onto the interstate and cruised at 65 mph and was impressed with the noise level. I could not tell much if any difference in my glass windshield compared to this new one. I placed my hand on the window as well to see if it was flexing at all and there was a little bit of movement but that is expected at speed. Plastic is certainly not as rigid as glass.
My mind then shifted to off road testing as that was one of the main selling points for me. The company claims on their site... "Optic Armor is a shatterproof, scratch resistant plastic material. Optic Armors specialized coating resists pitting and is windshield wiper friendly." Now I know what you are thinking here, scratch and shatterproof? So I put it to the test at a recent event with my club and found some fun while testing the windshield a bit ;)
I was wondering how it would flex and if any from the stress of wheeling and twisting of the Jeeps body would affect it. To my surprise there was no change. If anything this windshield works better than glass offroad as it does flex some compared to glass. So if bound on a tree for instance, the windshield would bend not break under the pressure. I did not get to test that theory but I am sure it will come someday.
Normally I avoid mud like the plague but in this case I did not mind getting a bit on the Jeep for testing sake ;) After 2 days of wheeling it was evident that the mud was starting to take an effect on the window.
Now let me be clear, this is not a lot of mud by any means and I was a bit surprised to see scratches already from such a small amount of mud and grit. It was apparent that the scratch resistant claim was not entirely true with mud. I was not intentionally trying to scratch the window either. I used the sprayers with the wipers but it still scratched. After the event I washed and cleaned up the Jeep and decided to give the testing a bit more time. A good week went by and with it came alot of rain. So I reluctantly drove the Jeep for a week straight to test the window with the wipers.
It might be hard to see but I developed quite a few good scratches over the week. Between the grit on the road and constant wiper use during that rainy week I had a few more scratches to show. All in all I counted 6 across different spots on the window from only a week and 1 offroad trip. I had a feeling the scratch resistant statement would come out eventually but not so soon. My wipers are not brand new but not old by any means either so maybe this is something the company will look at and try to address for those who want to have this on a daily driver set up.
To wrap up my review I would state that the quality of the product is top notch but I would only recommend it to those that have rigs for mainly trail use. I don't know how it would stand up to a few months of rain and grit. For offroad use it seems to get the job done and does save a good bit of weight (if you are in to that) compared to a glass window. Here in the southeast it will surely pay for itself with trees abound on our trail systems to catch windshields. I have seen many broken windshields from corner hits and rocks pinned against them on extreme trail riding. It is ultimately up to the buyer and what you want to get out of it as the cost is higher than that of a replacement glass window but the breakage factor is much greater with standard glass replacements. I hope this review was beneficial to those looking at a replacement window and what is being offered out there. Keep the tire side down!
I would like to thank the following companies for their assistance on this write up...
Optic Armor for sending me a windshield to test and review. Their website can be found here, http://www.opticarmorwindows.com/ head over and check them out and see all the applications they offer!
Allsouth Autosports thank you for installing the window! If you live in the southeast and need any repairs, parts or anything custom make a point to go see these guys and talk with Danny! They can be found here, http://www.allsouthautosports.com/
Ben, thanks for reviewing the product and providing a well articulated, complete, and honest review.
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