Chrome finish shuttle bus?

[GrantRobertson]

The other day I saw a Mercedes transit van pulling a classic Airstream, which had been converted to a rolling bar and buffed to a high sheen (no, not Charlie). The van had been wrapped in reflective vinyl and was at least twice as reflective as the trailer.

So that got me to thinking.... Yup you guessed it: What if I did the same thing to my shuttle bus? I am already planning to get all the (allowable) Windows done in reflective "tint." Why stop there? If I do the whole thing, I could call it "The Silver Snail."

I looked it up, and this traveling bar goes all over the country. So it is apparently legal. It would certainly keep it cooler inside. It wouldn't be especially stealthy other than being like camoflage that automatically adjusts to its surroundings. Out in the boonies, it would blend right in so people might not even notice it in the distance.

Now this wouldn't be my top priority. Not by a long shot. But it is something interesting to think about.

 

[SoulRaven]

I'm not too sure about this... Every Airstream I've been in was like an oven in the summer and a fridge in the winter. Since they are very insulated, that could be a contributing factor.

I have also heard that in some states it is illegal to have a reflective coating on any of the windows. Worth doing some checking on...

After seeing your post, I compared my chrome bumper to my blue van and to a white car parked beside me. The chrome bumper was the hottest to the touch, and the white car was the coolest to the touch.

 

[GrantRobertson]

I'm not too sure about this... Every Airstream I've been in was like an oven in the summer and a fridge in the winter. Since they are very insulated, that could be a contributing factor.

I have also heard that in some states it is illegal to have a reflective coating on any of the windows. Worth doing some checking on...

After seeing your post, I compared my chrome bumper to my blue van and to a white car parked beside me. The chrome bumper was the hottest to the touch, and the white car was the coolest to the touch.

Yeah, I'm definitely going to need to double check all the state laws. Or at least the ones I care to go to/through.

Are you sure the part of the white car you touched was metal? It is well established that reflective, well, reflects more light and infra-red. Sometimes things FEEL hotter merely because they are able to transfer more heat to your skin more quickly. If white was inherently cooler, then they would make Whitix instead of Reflectix.

Anyway, it is just a thought. It will be over a year before I will be doing anything to the outside decor of my shuttle.

 

[highdesertranger]

I hate chrome, I hate shining bling bling things on vehicles. you will not blend in boondocking, when the sun reflects off your bling you will see it 20 miles away. hell the space station will spot you under the right conditions. ok I lied I like the shining yellow stuff. highdesertranger

 

[WriterMs]

Yeah, I think maybe you are thinking of a mirror effect wherein the surroundings (forest, sage, etc) might be the image you see if you are standing next to the reflective surface. But, from a distance, it would not reflect the immediate surroundings, it would reflect the light.

In one of HDR's threads about how he lives and mines for gold, he points out in a couple of the photos how his truck and trailer can blend in to almost any boondocking situation. I can't remember which thread it was --- maybe if he checks back here, he can point you to it. If you are keeping notes on boondocking stealth, you may want to page through those threads to find the photos?

 

[highdesertranger]

here it is https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-On-The-Road--14452?highlight=road+camps . notice the first pic until you click on it to blow it up it's hard to see the truck. if you want to blend in you need to be the same color or close to it as possible to your surroundings. lets face it chrome and shinny is not in the military camo scheme. highdesertranger

 

[WriterMs]

Scrolll down a bit more in those pics until you get to the hot springs sunset pics -- you will see HDR's desert colored rig right next to a white one. My own van is white, so I'm not saying it is not a good heat-reflective color, I'm just commenting on your stealth concerns Grant.

 

[highdesertranger]

you now what WriterMs you are totally correct, good catch. btw so sorry for writing you screen name backwards on that other thread I didn't realize until after the edit time was over. highdesertranger

 

[GrantRobertson]

I hate chrome, I hate shining bling bling things on vehicles. you will not blend in boondocking, when the sun reflects off your bling you will see it 20 miles away. hell the space station will spot you under the right conditions. ok I lied I like the shining yellow stuff. highdesertranger

Well, I had considered going with gold reflective tint but figured it was too pretentious. [emoji12]

 

[GrantRobertson]

lets face it chrome and shinny is not in the military camo scheme. highdesertranger

True. I was mostly thinking of keeping the heat out. The camo effect was a late night afterthought.

 

[highdesertranger]

well Grant I am glad you cleared that up, I was getting a little worried about you. btw a mirror finish would be the best for reflecting heat from the sun. however it was determined that last year a wild fire was started because a shinny piece of metal in someone's garden reflecting onto dry brush. highdesertranger

 

[GrantRobertson]

well Grant I am glad you cleared that up, I was getting a little worried about you. btw a mirror finish would be the best for reflecting heat from the sun. however it was determined that last year a wild fire was started because a shinny piece of metal in someone's garden reflecting onto dry brush. highdesertranger

Wow.

Well, after seeing all the negative reactions, I figure it's not a good idea, if only to avoid being ostracized. [emoji6]

My first idea was to paint it to look like a giant hermit crab and call it "Herbert the Hermit Crab." But then my son told me his ex wife had a hermit crab named Herbert. So now I gotta find a new theme.

 

[SoulRaven]

Yeah, I'm definitely going to need to double check all the state laws. Or at least the ones I care to go to/through.

Are you sure the part of the white car you touched was metal? It is well established that reflective, well, reflects more light and infra-red. Sometimes things FEEL hotter merely because they are able to transfer more heat to your skin more quickly. If white was inherently cooler, then they would make Whitix instead of Reflectix.

It was a metal, white fender on the car beside me.

I also checked the underside of the chrome bumper, and while it was not quite as hot as the chrome side, it was obvious that the heat had definitely penetrated the whole bumper to a large degree, and of course the bumper is thicker than a vehicle skin, so I would expect the inside of the vehicle skin to be even hotter.

A few years back starting with a green Dodge Caravan, painting the roof white cut the inside temp by ~20°, painting the rest of the van white accomplished similar, but just slightly less.