HUD windshield replacement
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 484
Likes: 0
From: North Dallas area TX
HUD windshield replacement
I am about to replace the windshield in my 2001 cpe with HUD.
There seems to be some conflicting opinions on whether you need to spend $1500 for the correct windshield or if a stock windshield would work. Help me out please.
There seems to be some conflicting opinions on whether you need to spend $1500 for the correct windshield or if a stock windshield would work. Help me out please.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 985
Likes: 0
From: Cumming Georgia
From everything I hear is a standard windshield is fine. I did an HUD retrofit (Thanks in large part to help and parts from PaceThis - Josh Meeks on the forum) to my car with a standard windshield and it looks great. My guess is an HUD windshield might be slightly crisper, but I simply cannot complain about mine.
Tim Glover
Tim Glover
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,671
Likes: 4
From: MI
From everything I hear is a standard windshield is fine. I did an HUD retrofit (Thanks in large part to help and parts from PaceThis - Josh Meeks on the forum) to my car with a standard windshield and it looks great. My guess is an HUD windshield might be slightly crisper, but I simply cannot complain about mine.
Tim Glover
Tim Glover
I am getting ready to install HUD in my Vette and from all my research you should be fine w/o HUD windshield. At least I hope so just spend alot on parts and didn't have a windshield on the list of things of parts to get.
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 18,681
Likes: 47
From: Reno is so close to Hell you can see Sparks , State Of Confusion
St. Jude Donor '12-'13-'14
I have seen it both way, Both will work, But by using a non HUD window you do lose a bit of the quality, If anyway to get the correct one do it.
JMO.
Bill
JMO.
Bill
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 3,103
Likes: 7
From: Sandy Ego Ca.
Do a search on DW1430 and BitViper....you'll save $$$$
Bothe windshields shown below are APTech windshileds..both are rated for HUD's
They have diffrent part numbers..
One is 900 - 1300 bucks the other is 300-500 bucks (thsi is only for APtech windshields)
The DW1514 will come oup as the replacement for the Z06 (4.8mm thick etc) the DW1430 will come up as the replacement for the coupe...
THEY ARE BOTH THE SAME WINDSHIELD... the bug information (that text on the passenger side lower corner) is exactly the same
You want the APTech DW1430
Bothe windshields shown below are APTech windshileds..both are rated for HUD's
They have diffrent part numbers..
One is 900 - 1300 bucks the other is 300-500 bucks (thsi is only for APtech windshields)
The DW1514 will come oup as the replacement for the Z06 (4.8mm thick etc) the DW1430 will come up as the replacement for the coupe...
THEY ARE BOTH THE SAME WINDSHIELD... the bug information (that text on the passenger side lower corner) is exactly the same
You want the APTech DW1430
Last edited by BitViper; Jan 6, 2009 at 03:58 PM.
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There has been a number of posts here that state the regular windshield will work just fine.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2006
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From: If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door. South West Florida / Livin' The Dream
St. Jude Donor '12
The best way to see the difference is to hold a match up to the windshield in the area of the HUD ( be careful) and you will see two reflections one in the front and a second just behind and offset a little. The offset is the thickness of the glass. and also an indication of clarity of a projected image. A HUD windshield will have less of an offset (thinner in the HUD section) and the tip of the flames will be closer. On the projected image this will provide better clarity.
Will a regular windshield work and be acceptable, Probably! Will a HUD windshield be clearer, Yes. Will it make a big difference probably not.
If it's out of pocket then go with the reg windshield, if it's an insurance claim make them put the aftermarket equivalent of what it came from the factor with.
Just my $0.02 worth.
Will a regular windshield work and be acceptable, Probably! Will a HUD windshield be clearer, Yes. Will it make a big difference probably not.
If it's out of pocket then go with the reg windshield, if it's an insurance claim make them put the aftermarket equivalent of what it came from the factor with.
Just my $0.02 worth.
Pro
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 607
Likes: 0
From: Olympia Washington
Just a heads up, I replaced the windshield on my FRC. We set the new glass in place and turned on the HUD, it was alittle blury and the image looked like tunnel vision. Put in factory HUD glass everything was fine, not sure what the deal was there.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 6,774
Likes: 361
From: Midland TX
Same experience here. They used a non-HUD on mine and it was like seeing double - made them reinstall HUD - no problems now.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
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From: Dear Karma, I have a list of people you missed.
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
From everything I hear is a standard windshield is fine. I did an HUD retrofit (Thanks in large part to help and parts from PaceThis - Josh Meeks on the forum) to my car with a standard windshield and it looks great. My guess is an HUD windshield might be slightly crisper, but I simply cannot complain about mine.
Tim Glover
Tim Glover
What they said. 
It would appear that every once in awhile a particular non-hud glass may have some imperfections or waviness, but the vast majority it seems do not. Mine was OK too.
2nd Gear
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 2
Likes: 1
To HUD or not to HUD seems to be the question...
Team,
I was a senior process engineer at PPG and a member of the team that worked with Huges Aircraft to develop the special HUD windshield for the Corvette and a number of other high-end GM cars at the time.
The reason a "HUD" windshield is recommended for use with the HUD hardware has everything to do with the Optics. If you've never used anything but a regular windshield, you will come to adjust to the poor image quality or just not know it could be much better.
The goal of the HUD program was to achieve aircraft level performance for the image. We spent many thousands of dollars to develop a very special optically correct zone for the area where the HUD projects. That is why the HUD windshields are so expensive.
We had to slow down the vinyl shaping line to less than half speed and do special zoned cooling in the apparatus to get the kind of localized contour we needed. We had to make special non-standard autoclave runs.
Yes, a non-HUD regular windshield will project an image but it will not compare to the quality of a HUD windshield projected image ASSUMING they are still making them the way my team invented it.
Regards,
RKB
I was a senior process engineer at PPG and a member of the team that worked with Huges Aircraft to develop the special HUD windshield for the Corvette and a number of other high-end GM cars at the time.
The reason a "HUD" windshield is recommended for use with the HUD hardware has everything to do with the Optics. If you've never used anything but a regular windshield, you will come to adjust to the poor image quality or just not know it could be much better.
The goal of the HUD program was to achieve aircraft level performance for the image. We spent many thousands of dollars to develop a very special optically correct zone for the area where the HUD projects. That is why the HUD windshields are so expensive.
We had to slow down the vinyl shaping line to less than half speed and do special zoned cooling in the apparatus to get the kind of localized contour we needed. We had to make special non-standard autoclave runs.
Yes, a non-HUD regular windshield will project an image but it will not compare to the quality of a HUD windshield projected image ASSUMING they are still making them the way my team invented it.
Regards,
RKB
2nd Gear
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 2
Likes: 1
Hi and yes, I did not say a HUD would not work with a regular windshield.
I said the special HUD windshield will OPTIMIZE the HUD image.
The only way to really compare is to look at the two side by side.
The other thing is this - some normal windshields can come very close to the HUD spec on their own, especially if your windshield happened to be made from two pieces of glass both cut from the center of the ribbon, and if you are lucky enough to get one of those - all the better!
If I remember correctly, our price for a HUD unit was around 5X the cost of a regular windshield. In the automotive OEM world, that kind of premium is just not paid unless the product is truly worth it and is significantly differentiated from "regular" parts. This was a business where entire contracts could be lost for a nickle a unit.
Hope that clarifies my post a bit,
RKB
I said the special HUD windshield will OPTIMIZE the HUD image.
The only way to really compare is to look at the two side by side.
The other thing is this - some normal windshields can come very close to the HUD spec on their own, especially if your windshield happened to be made from two pieces of glass both cut from the center of the ribbon, and if you are lucky enough to get one of those - all the better!
If I remember correctly, our price for a HUD unit was around 5X the cost of a regular windshield. In the automotive OEM world, that kind of premium is just not paid unless the product is truly worth it and is significantly differentiated from "regular" parts. This was a business where entire contracts could be lost for a nickle a unit.
Hope that clarifies my post a bit,
RKB