So in Texas it is technically required to have the front license plate on the car. But I have spoken with several local police and they all say its up to the discretion of the officer if they will write you a ticket if you just have the front license plate in the windshield. One officer said to me that several police officers own sports cars themselves and do not mount the front tag. I have been debating if I want to have the tag put on the front bumper or not. I think it looks nicer not to do so. Then again I wonder will I just get a lot of rock chips and what not. So I wanted to hear your opinions. Do you have your front license plate mounted? Any pros or cons on not doing so?
A law is either a law or it's not. I chose not to follow the law and was issued 3 tickets for no front plate in Maryland. I finally installed the front plate and moved to South Carolina where I removed the front plate the day the car was registered. That being said, I don't like a front plates on most cars. On my E30 it probably looks better with a front plate until I get around and mod'ing the bumper trim.
I'd love to mount a Euro plate but I can't because I have to have a front plate mounted. What a pain. If it's the law, mount it, regardless of how stupid it looks. It'd be such a shame to get a ticket for something as stupid as that. Speeding is completely understandable, but a front plate? Come on, no brainer.
Any citation is up to the "discretion of the officer", If you are going to place it in the windshield than you may as well mount it. There is a reason for it.
It has been over 15 years since Connecticut mandated the use of a front plate (they only issued rear plates before then), but the law is still almost never enforced. I haven't mounted a front plate on my "toy" cars for the past 6 years and (knock on my wooden head) I haven't yet been cited for it. But I am very seriously contemplating one of these... http://www.swiftmotorsports.com/product_info.php?cPath=2049&products_id=3144
You don't want a metal plate flying around in the car should you have to make an evasive maneuver. I don't know what model you drive, but there is a thread on http://forum.e46fanatics.com/ that details a stealth mounting method without punching obvious holes in the front bumper cover.
I have been running in NY without a front plate on the 83 Euro for a year without incident. I just put on the rear vintage plate, and probably will be stopped by people who may not understand the law. My only option is to zip tie the front plate on, and my wouldn't that look cool.
Gee, Officer, you mean. . . ? I have considered having a vinyl plate produced for my car(s). I have no intention of drilling holes in the front plastic!
what front plate? i live in texas also, and being the dedicated lawbreaker i am , do not have a front plate on either of the M3s for purely self serving reasons- i think it takes away from the looks of the car. i have never been issued a ticket but given several warnings over the years. some of my fellow lawbreakers have not always been as fortunate and have been issued tickets which are dismissed once they see a photo or proof of the front plate on the car (not so convenient). that thingamajiggie from swiftmotorsports is genius!
I'm not sure there is going to be something under the front of the car I can mount it to. I am in Canada so I didnt get to check but ordered the thing anyway. Have my fingers crossed there will be someplace to mount it. _________________ Bob Houston, TX E93 2009 335i Convertible Space Gray - Black Dakota Leather Premium & Sport Package Smart Phone integration for I-Phone
So THAT'S where the second plate is supposed to go! I always wondered why they give you two license plates... . I haven't had a front plate mounted on any one of my cars for over 10 years now and finally got stopped for the first time a couple weeks ago. I was coming home from work in the 2002 and a cop pulled me over for no front plate. I told him I had been in an accident a couple years earlier and the plate was totally crumpled and there was no way to mount it anymore. He said I could go to the courthouse and order a new one. I said thanks for the info and he sent me on my way. I immediately went home and took a hammer to all my front license plates and put them in the trunk. If I get pulled over again, I'll use the same story and show him the plate as proof... . Is that wrong...??
I used that story too. I was waiting for the bracket from Germany. The cop didn't buy it. And in Maryland it's a ticket regardless even if you fix it.
whateva, dan! u know u're just gonna use the same tactic as b4...."i didn't know i was supposed to have a front plate, officer. honest. " *blink blink*
Here in California its the law to have both plates as well. On the 2002 I don't run front plates and no cop has given me trouble for it yet. I'm thinking about taking it off on the M3 as well, it's just a 10 dollar fix-it ticket over here and thats if the cop even decides to pull you over.
Mounting a front plate, temporarily or not... There was a BMW at the autocross this weekend---SORRY ABOUT YOU GUYS WHERE IT'S STILL WINTER!---that had a front plate mounted on a bracket bolted to the tow-hook hole. He got it from some Mini website. . .
I hear the car goes faster without the front plate on! Of course, I carry mine in the glove box so any weight savings is lost.
On the contrary, the extra weight up front acts like front downforce and gives you more grip, I stacked on 7 plates. Each one adds 1G of cornering force. Watch out F1 here I come!
