You’re probably not thinking about the kind of glass your car’s windshield and windows are made of when you’re driving around St. Petersburg, FL. However, having the right kinds of glass for these components is highly important.
Windshields vs Windows
The windshield serves as a significant part of a car’s structural integrity by:
- supporting the roof in a crash, particularly in roll-over accidents
- acting to protect you and your passengers from being ejected
- helping airbags to deploy properly
Other windows don’t reinforce the structural integrity of the car, so they aren’t made of the same kind of glass. Those other windows are actually intended to be much easier to break through so that rescuers can get to you quickly in an emergency.
Safety Glass
Every window of a car should be made from tempered glass, also known as safety glass. Tempered glass gets its name from the tempering process that it goes through.
This process, which involves extreme heating and rapid cooling, makes it up to five times stronger. The tempering process also makes it so that the glass breaks into small pebbles instead of shards.
Laminated Glass
Windshields, on the other hand, are made of laminated glass. Laminated glass is made by placing a sheet of plastic between two pieces of glass.
These components are then heated to seal them together. The two pieces of glass can be either tempered or not.
The lamination process makes it so that the glass stays together when it breaks instead of shattering. The laminated glass used for windshields should be tempered in case extreme circumstances force it out of its frame or cause it to break into multiple pieces.
We offer to come to you because driving with damaged auto glass can be very dangerous. You can always count on the experts at Mr. Auto Glass to use the proper kind of glass when replacing any windshield or window. Call (866) 300-5013 today to schedule your appointment.