Front Plate
 

It occurred to me that I have not had a front license plate on my cars for nearly 20 years now. When I would take the car to inspection they would either pass me or ask me to put the plate on the dashboard. Another time I got a ball buster so I squeezed a couple of suction cups from my V1 into the holes in the license plate just to stick to the front bumper for five minutes.

More importantly I have passed dozens of cops, state, local, county and not one has ever pulled me over for not having a front plate. One guy gave me a no plate ticket but that was as reduction for actually speeding. I wonder if the plate makes it easier for the cops to nail you with the radar guns. I'd rather pay the ticket.

At any rate front plates look terrible!

It seems as most sports cars in northern IL (north Chicago suburbs) do not sport a front plate and the police don't bother you, unless you've been pulled over for some other reason.

Drives me crazy to have to clutter up the front of the car. I seriously thought about not putting the front plate on. Both my son (18) and I have smoked plate covers. On a couple of occasions where both of us have been pulled over for speeding, an 'Obstructed License Plate' has been the officer's way of cutting us breaks. So I make sure I have a smoked cover. No plate in the front may be an excuse to be pulled over so I'm torn. It would be nice if states with front plates made a European thin style for the front

I've never had a problem not sporting a front plate, but living so close to Indiana and most of my driving occurs there, may have a lot to do with that, as Indiana only uses a rear plate.

The only vehicle I've owned that I installed a front plate on is my '96 Ford F 150 and the bumper rusted out in about a year and the plate fell off somewhere about 4 years ago. Always keep it parked on the street and never had an issue.

Although I do love my license plate... I figured out how to post it!

http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/a...psd8b674ed.jpg

I got my 3rd citation for no front plate in the last 10 years a week ago while pulled over for a improper lane use violation. The CHP parked behind me & approached my window from the rear. After getting my DL, Ins & reg he walked to the front to check for a front plate & returned to his car. I was driving my IS350 because the Box is waiting for new parts. Since I bought the IS new in 07 there are no holes in the front bumper. I guess I will be ordering the towhook plate mount for $60 off E-bay. Front plate enforcement varies around the LA area from city to city. LA city metermaids now write citations for no front plate. Enforcements go up when redlight & speed cameras get installed. Saw a article online last night about speed cameras in Maryland overestimating speed & mailing citations for the last 5 years. :mad:

About a year ago I got pulled over on a 70mph 2 lane road for no front plate.
While he went back and called me in, I sat in the car steaming about how stupid he was to endanger me, him and other people for no plate.

I decided that when it was over I was going to let him know what I thought.
Then he came back and gave me a written warning.
So I just shut up. Still don't have a plate.

These look like a good alternative to the tow hook application. The holes are under the lip.

Skene Design License Plate Mount

http://skenedesign.com/FPBracket/ima...de-high-sm.jpg

Ohio
 

Here in Ohio the Gestapo will ticket you for not having your front plate mounted in the proper location with the proper hardware. A friend with a new Impala didn't want to louse up the front bumper with a plate and got a ticket for her trouble. Another friend with a Bullitt Mustang got a ticket for wanting to keep his front bumper clean.

European Style Plate
 

I have a plate by choice. It is a non-official vanity plate with my initials and identifies the car as a 2001 986. Florida doesn't require a front plate and I wouldn't have put it on but the previous owner already had the license plate holder mounted to the car. I have had people ask me after seeing the plate if I brought the car over from Germany.
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1358969524.jpg

Hmm, yellow plates are from Netherlands, but I like your style.
In the UK, you have to have front and rear plates and you are not allowed to change the font or size (officially) although a lot of folk do as 'private' registration plates are very common.

I also reside in Ohio. The first thing I did when I purchased my Boxster was remove the plate holder and cover up the holes. Boxsters and many other cars look horrible in my opinion with front plates. I also purchased my daily driver new and instructed the dealership not to mount the front plate bracket or I wouldn't buy the car. I have not had any issues thus far.

I don't sport a front plate and haven't gotten any flack for doing so. Drove by countless police with no problems. Took mine off in 2012 when they accidentally omitted the rule, but cannot say if it is still like that now we're in 2013. I abhor front plates.

removed the front plate shortly after purchasing the car.

in maryland, front plates are required. cops generally leave me alone. was pulled over by highway patrol once. when he asked where the plate was, i was upfront - "it's in the garage. i hate the way it makes the front look," he wrote me a warning and laughed it off.

so far, no actual citation for no front plate.

when i'm out of state, no one has ever mentioned or bothered me about it. pulled over a few times and they've never said anything...

I lived in Maryland and D.C. for a while and often drove to Virginia.

I drove in all three locations with only a European Plate in the front, which happened to be illegal in those states. And I passed by many police cars, but I never got stopped.

I now live in Philly and often drive to NJ where the plates are in the front. I assume they care about the Euro Plate only when it's time for H2O because I know many VW/Audi's guys get stopped for that.

They are obscene and grotesque.

I would rather see a Red Sox/Patriots flag pinned to the back bumper.

I've had the opposite result in Ohio: Haven't had a front tag on the Box in the nearly 8 years I've had it. So far so good. I did have one guy stop me for a speeding violation one time who also commented about the lack of a front tag. I basically told him I thought it destroyed the nice lines of the car, made it look like crap. I guess he agreed---he didn't write me up for it. As I recall, he cut me a break on the speeding as well...:)

I think age may come into play as well. My 25 year old son has been stopped at least once for no front tag. I think we're all familiar with the convenient-reason-for-stopping-someone-who's-not-doing-anything-else-wrong phenomenon...

Yes, I have a front plate here in Commiefornia. Resistance is futile (and expensive).

I haven't had a plate on the car since I bought it. I bought some bumper plugs and have never looked back. I got a ticket once in Nassau County in LI as the cops had a road block and wanted to bust my balls. At the end of the day if the cost for no plate is one ticket in 11 years that's fine, I'll pay it.

Front plates ruin the aerodynamics and the looks of a Boxster.

I have never had front plates on my sports cars and have never been warned or ticketed for it... Darn it, you guys are jinxing me. :eek:

I have one and I know where it is, but I prefer not to wear it thanks. In 8 yrs of ownership I have only been stopped once for it.

We had a most amazing, clear, wonderful day last August in the middle of a long heat wave. My brother and I decided to hit Angeles Crest Hwy for a 3 hr tour. We behaved ourselves and mostly stayed within the speed limit but enforcement was heavy. We probably saw 1/2 dozen CHP and they were quick to hand out tix for irrational exuberance. The motorcop that pulled us over gave us a warning "If I see you up here without it again I'll have to write you up!" Yes Officer, thank you for your kindness...

Not a big fan of the front license plate. When I was getting my car serviced at the dealer, I walked around the whole garage and saw that no one else had a plate. Mechanic said most don't but they could drill the holes for me. PASS! Cops may just let you off with a warning.

LOL - Here in Commierado I got a ticket several years ago and since then I've complied blindly. I don't know how the trolls are behaving now, but its time to get the front bumper naked again :)

Wisconsin law REQUIRES front plates for all cars and light trucks. Years ago, I actually got stopped for not having a front plate (it had detached when I was in a hurry and parked into a snowbank).

Probably the same mentality that Schnellman endures in OH.

On a related note, I'm guessing Johnny Dangerous has high-tech revolving plates to thwart law enforcement as he carries out his mis-deeds.

Bear

Wyoming has a front plate law, and where I live (Jackson Hole), we have a high cop to driver ratio 8 months of the year. They like to collect the $ and will stop you if you don't have a front plate. I run a front plate; not worth the expense and hassle of a ticket.

I was tricked into putting on a plate!

Had to affix it permanently, in other words, if it is removed…there will be scars. :eek:

I did my best to not allow the plate to obstruct airflow. It made me wonder COULD REQUIRING A LICENSE PLATE CAUSE A REDUCTION IN MPG?

Think about it for a second. On our cars at least the plate hangs out there like a wrapper off a candy bar. It is flat. It grabs air. It is on the front. It would destroy surface air over the center of the vehicle. Don't know how to prove it but the result in ½ to 1 mile per tank and, IF you have ever had to walk a mile, that can be HUGE over the life of a vehicle.

Think about it, every time you fill up you could have gotten another mile more, if not for those state regulations.

We ALL GO FURTHER WITH LESS REGULATION! ;)

I'm a cop here in NYS, don't have a front plate on my box. Shhhh don't tell. I would say almost all the guys I work with wouldn't give you a hard time as long as you are cool with them. It does give us a reason to stop you though.

springman, where in NY are you?

Little east of you, north fork.

I just got pulled over two days ago here in Loudoun County, Virginia. I wasn't speeding but accelerated away from a right-on-red stop light. Apparently the accelerating got his attention and then he noticed the missing tag. No mention of speeding. I told him the reason for no tag was that I had the bumper painted recently (2 years ago) and lost the screws (true).
He gave me a warning.
Sadly, I will put the license plate back on. After two warnings in 7 months (Cayenne now sporting a front tag) I don't want to push my luck.

I do have a front plate. To me going without's not worth the potential hassle. All I need is to be stopped after dinner & one too many drinks, the I'm in to a DUI. I did make it less obvious by using a low profile body-colored frame, trimming down the plate, and painting the outer edge black.

It's usually a fix-it-ticket. Wait till you get a ticket that requires you to mount the plate to avoid the fine of approximately $30.

I have earmarked $75 a year for a front license plate voilation because mine fell off in the garage, and have yet to use the monies budgeted for it, although I've been stopped twice and given a verbal warning. Once was by Houston PD and once was by Texas Dept. of Safety.

I heard that in Texas a new safety law was passed and it contained a loophole that when fought, can easily get one off of a front plate violation if you take them to court. Frankly, my time to go downtown, park the car, argue a case, and get back to work or home is worth a lot more than $75 so I'd probably just pay it.

I've always thought that front plates were required to make it easier on LEOs to point radar/laser guns at to get a solid reading the first time... and for photo cameras in intersections. Of course, I rarely drive my Porsche at speed on public roads any more. It's not any fun compared to the track!

Ah, good ol' Virginia..lived there 4 years (UVa) and loved it dearly, but they're not so nice when it comes to traffic laws and regulations. Hell, I'd have to sell my Valentine if I ever moved back! The deck is so stacked against the driver! Hardly seems fair..

For eleven years I had a YOM ( year of manufacture ) plate on my 190SL
-1958 and nobody said anything including the border guards.

For the Boxster I took my front plate to a sign place and had them scan the plate and make me a 4" X 8" vinyl stick on sign . It's been on for two years
most people don't even notice the difference and the cops haven't stopped me yet.

i hate front plates. Just the thought makes me cringe.

I had a front plate until I found a GT3 front bumper a few years ago. It didn't have the holes yet, and I just couldn't drill into it. I have been pulled over once and got a warning. I bought the Skene Design bracket (mentioned by Chuck in post 7) and painted it black and it is ready to mount, but that bumper looks so good with no front plate that I will wait until I actually get a ticket before I consider it. It seems 9 out of 10 newer Corvettes do not have a front plate.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1359061411.jpg

Ah, these pictures have prompted me to buy a set of bumper plugs from BumperPlugs.Com just so I can remove my license plate for a nice clean look. Plus, since I also decided to add a center radiator I will not have to worry about blocking the air flow to it!

They didn't omit the rule. The Texas Legislature forgot to specify the punishment. It used to be a class C misdemeanor in Texas (up to $200 fine). The type of misdemeanor determines what court holds jurisdiction. Without a clearly defined punishment range, they can't determine what level of offense has been committed. I have my front plate on a tow hook license frame under the front seat ready for quick install if needed.

Here in the all the UK it is law to have a front & rear number plates and everyone and I mean everyone has them fitted, you wouldn't get 2 miles without being stopped and booked by our nice police patrol man over here, we do make adjustment to them and you can even be booked for that. my number plate is illegal because the number 6 isn't in the correct place it reads:- S 6UVS
http://i418.photobucket.com/albums/p...umberplate.jpg

Only my front number plate is spaced out this way, it should read:- S6 UVS

http://i418.photobucket.com/albums/p...nswitch026.jpg

As my rear number plate is, my theory is if Plod (nick name for our police) are following me, they have time to look at my number plate and can see that it is correctly spaced out and quite legal, so he shouldn't stop me as long as I'm not doing anything else illegal, however not so worried about the front number plate as if Plod are coming towards me, 9 times out of 10 they are responding to a call and can't be arsed to turn around and chase me and give me a minor ticked for a number plate violation. not been stoped in 2 years of ownership.

But there as some that are just asking to be stopped lol.

http://i418.photobucket.com/albums/p...3/untitled.jpg

All of my cars have front plates, don't want to give anyone a legal reason to pull me over. I can't see the front plate on any of my cars when driving them....