When it comes to enhancing the visibility of your car at night, here are three reflective tapes that will work for that purpose, ranked by brightness and type, starting with the lowest brightness:
1. Flexible Engineer Grade Reflective Tape: Flexible Type 1 Engineer grade reflective tape is a commonly used type of reflective tape for vehicle graphics. It offers good reflectivity and visibility at short to medium distances. Sight distance is within 300 feet. Flex EG can be plotter cut, or cut with scissors of an exacto. It is a glass bead film, so the surface is a smooth, even color. Like regular vinyl but reflective. Flexible Engineer is a one layer film that does not delaminate, and while it may not be as bright as prismatic retro reflective films, it still provides satisfactory visibility on your car at night. Also, it comes in the most colors of any reflective tape. Available in white, red, yellow, lime, purple, green, blue, brown, gold, black, and orange. Engineer grade tape is known for its durability and cost-effectiveness. It is easy to work with and inexpensive. For comparison, Flex EG reflects at approximately 75 candelas for white. Spec sheet for Flexible Engineer Grade.
2. Super Engineer Grade Reflective Tape: Type 2 Super Engineer Grade Reflective tape is the next level of brightness after engineer grade tape, and like standard engineer, SEG is a monolithic film which means it will not delaminate. Just like engineer, it is easy to work with. Can be plotter, scissor or exacto cut. It offers excellent reflectivity and visibility at longer distances than engineer grade, making it suitable for a wide range of applications. Sight distance is approximately 600 feet. This type of reflective film is commonly used for emergency vehicles, commercial trucks, and other high-visibility applications. It is available in red, yellow, green, blue, white, and orange. Super Engineer Grade is designed to provide enhanced visibility even in challenging lighting conditions. It is known for its longer sight distance and durability. SEG reflects at approximately 150 candelas for white. Spec sheet for Super Engineer Grade.
3. Oralite V82 – V92 – V98 Prismatic Reflective Tape: Prismatic reflective tape is the brightest type of reflective tape available. It utilizes a prismatic lens that enhances the reflection of light, making it highly effective for maximizing visibility. Prismatic tapes are designed to provide superior brightness and long-distance visibility, making them an excellent choice for enhancing the visibility of your car at night. These tapes are visible at over a thousand feet away and reflective in excess of 500 candelas, with V82 reflecting at around 1000 candelas. These prismatic tapes are commonly used for high-visibility safety markings, traffic signs, and vehicle conspicuity applications. Prismatic reflective tape is known for its exceptional brightness and durability, and are made in a single layer which prevents delamination. Colors available are white (silver), blue, red, yellow, school bus yellow, orange, and green. Lime is available in the V98 product line. Of these three films, V92 is the most affordable, V82 is the brightest, and V98 is the most conformable for vehicle graphics. Spec Sheet for V82 , V92 , V98.
There are a variety of ways to increase the visibility of your vehicle with reflective tape. The back is top priority since rear end collisions are so common. Second are the sides of the vehicle. The simple, and the creative ways to mark a vehicle for safety are limitless. From the very simple, to the very complex.
For more information on reflective tapes and their specific brightness levels, you can visit www.tapefinder.com. They have a comprehensive range of reflective tapes and can provide further guidance on selecting the right tape for your specific needs.
Remember, enhancing the visibility of your car at night with reflective tape can greatly contribute to road safety.
For more information, go to www.tapefinder.com and click on the contact link at the top of the page.