Interior Exterior
Q:
hi everyone, my step-dad had recently got a fix it ticket for not having a front license plate. when we had it put on, it killed the looks of the car(as expected), and we were both wondering what would happen if we were cought with the plate off again.
A:
if you get caught again,
put the plate back on, pay $10, take the plate off again
I take off the front licence plate on my STi because I want cops to give me no front place ticket rather than something underneath the hood
I figured they just need to give some ticket out, so I let them write the no front licence ticket. Easiest to deal with for me.
My Elise is in Japan so I have to have it on all the time.
I wonder how in the world Ferrari Enzo drivers deal with it.
A:
if you get caught again,
put the plate back on, pay $10, take the plate off again
I take off the front licence plate on my STi because I want cops to give me no front place ticket rather than something underneath the hood
I figured they just need to give some ticket out, so I let them write the no front licence ticket. Easiest to deal with for me.
My Elise is in Japan so I have to have it on all the time.
I wonder how in the world Ferrari Enzo drivers deal with it.
lol, no clue.thanks alot.
A:
hi everyone, my step-dad had recently got a fix it ticket for not having a front license plate. when we had it put on, it killed the looks of the car(as expected), and we were both wondering what would happen if we were cought with the plate off again.
Someone mentioned that if you have to have a front plate, you could cut it down so that just the numbers exist. No idea if this is legal, but it's a compromise. Personally, I've driven around for nearly 20 years, owning many different cars in a state that requires front plates, and I've never been cited. I can't imagine a cop being such a jerk that he would actually give a ticket to someone for such a stupid thing, but apparently it does happen.
A:
Someone mentioned that if you have to have a front plate, you could cut it down so that just the numbers exist. No idea if this is legal, but it's a compromise. Personally, I've driven around for nearly 20 years, owning many different cars in a state that requires front plates, and I've never been cited. I can't imagine a cop being such a jerk that he would actually give a ticket to someone for such a stupid thing, but apparently it does happen.
Oh the parking people are the ones that get you for such things, in NYC anyway. You woudn't stand a chance parked on the street without a front plate.
I've attached mine with cords so that the top of the plate leans back into the front grill whilel the bottom sticks out in front of the car and doesn't hang low. I didn't have to drill any holes and I actually think it looks kind of cool. When I posted some pics in an earlier thread, some guys called it a splitter! lol
A:
Using 2-1/2" metal extenders, that measure about an inch
wide and have pre-drilled holes at the top and bottom
portion, I was able to raise the front license plate's
connecting points by the 2-1/2" inches the extenders gave
me. Moving the license plate upward to the now raised
position required me to attach screws and nuts to both
ends of the the extenders, leaving the lower part of the
license plate unencumbered. To secure its bottom portion
I simply proceeded to bend 'upward' the two metal lips
that extend downward past the (Lotus supplied) mounting
plate and have them snuggly hug the license plate from the
bottom with no need to drill holes and attach screws and
nuts to hold the plate securely in place. Now my license
plate's bottom most point does not exceed the lowest point
of the rectangular fiberglass protrusion that is part of the
car. I have had no problems with ground clearance, nor have
I had problems with restricted air-flow all last summer. With
regard to aesthetics I see nothing unbecoming, and the fact
that I don't have to worry about missing front-plate fines is
welcomed.
A:
Like some others, I too worry about getting fined for not having a front plate, but I don't want a big front plate ruining the looks of the car. So, I thought, why not just get a custom reflective sticker that fits in the 2"x11.5" plate area on the front lower lip? It could have the two letter state code on the left hand side (in a column, one letter over the other), and the license plate characters occupying most of the sticker, as if it was a real plate (using the proper color combinations for that state). The letters would be a little shorter than standard plates, but it would meet the intent of the law. I asked a few police friends of mine what they thought of it, and they said that they would not give a front plate violation to someone with the sticker, but that I should keep the real front plate in my trunk to show it to an officer if need be (to prove it isn't on another car). Of course, the sticker would not be a real plate, and you could still get a ticket for no front plate, but your probability of getting a fine should go down. It isn't a fake plate - just a front bumper sticker that happens to have the same characters as your real license plate.
I realize some folks will probably say this is a stupid idea, but it may be the compromise that others would like. And, if it catches on, maybe we can get some front plate laws changed to allow for lower profile front plates or reflective stickers like this.
I contacted Sticker City (scelise) about it since they sell Elise stuff and sell stickers, including boat registration stickers. They may offer it.
A:
yeah, when you think about it, why do we need plates at all? Why not something like a sticker (like on boats)? It's not like the cops ever physically inspect the plates for authenticy or something. They just run the number.
A:
It gives the speed detectors something flat to aim at. That's why most states are "2 Plate States".
I personally think it is gay, so I don't run both.
A:
It gives the speed detectors something flat to aim at. That's why most states are "2 Plate States".
I personally think it is gay, so I don't run both.
I think that's a myth. A car is a big target. As for having to be flat, are you suggesting radar won't work if a car with one rear plate is coming at the radar gun? And how do you suppose radar guns can measure the speed of a pitched baseball?
Besides that, the flat metal plate form predates the invention of radar!
A:
I think some sort of small (reflective?) sticker with standardized lettering would work just as well as a large metal plate, including for optical toll-road scanners.
FYI (from a WA newspaper):
Brad Benfield of the Washington State Department of Licensing, a veteran at fielding these questions, said state law requires two plates on passenger vehicles and most trucks, and the reason, he said, "is simple -- safety."
Front plates can help police identify a vehicle that's stolen or being driven by someone suspected of having committed a crime, Benfield said -- providing a way for a robbed convenience store clerk to identify a bandit's getaway car, for example. In addition, the reflective paint on a plate can help drivers spot a disabled car on a dark night.
Benfield, anticipating the other question, said the two-license-plate requirement "predates laser speed limit enforcement by decades. Claims that laser speed enforcement is the only reason for front plates ... seem to run wild all over the Internet these days, but they simply aren't true."
A set of Washington state vehicle plates costs the state $2.13, or just over $1 per individual plate, so Benfield said eliminating the two-plate requirement would save about $1.4 million a year because the state issues about 1.4 million sets of general-issue plates annually. Most states require two plates; Connecticut changed to requiring just one plate in 1980 but changed back to requiring two again in 1987. A state spokesman didn't return a call to explain Connecticut's about-face.
A:
I think that's a myth. A car is a big target. As for having to be flat, are you suggesting radar won't work if a car with one rear plate is coming at the radar gun? And how do you suppose radar guns can measure the speed of a pitched baseball?
Besides that, the flat metal plate form predates the invention of radar!
My understanding from all the other threads and sites regarding the topic:
It's not a myth but it's mostly concerning LIDAR. Both Radar and LIDAR have an effective range and license plates or other big flat surfaces improve that range. The sharply angled surfaces of the Elise should help prevent early detection by LIDAR and give the driver more time to react. Black cars have even more of an advantage. Cops are trained to aim at the license plate. I assume that's to maximize range.
As far as radar is concerned, the body of the Elise is invisible to radar. Yes, we drive a stealth car. However, the chassis isn't invisible. This may be an advantage at longer distances. One Elise owner posted that his cop friend tried clocking him and said he didn't pick the car up right away.
Once you're close enough to radar or LIDAR, it shouldn't matter whether there's a front plate or if the car is made of GRP.
Speed safely,
-Shawn
A:
said the two-license-plate requirement "predates laser speed limit enforcement by decades. Claims that laser speed enforcement is the only reason for front plates ... seem to run wild all over the Internet these days, but they simply aren't true."
Although the two plate requirement predate LADAR, I suspect that the apparent recent step up in enforcement in many areas has a lot to do with LADAR and Photo Red Light Cameras and Photo Radar Speed enforcement. It seems that areas than never bother with citing people for no front plate suddenly start enforcing the law shortly after installing Camera based enforcement or purchasing LADAR units...
A:
I think there's an argument to be made that Elise, because it has a front bumper exemption, does not have an "American" front bumper; there is no place to mount a DOT license plate. Properly mounting the plate so that damage will not occur to the clam requires that it is placed higher than european spec, thereby restricting airflow to the radiator. The front bumper exemption should apply to a plate exemption as well.
A:
Although the two plate requirement predate LADAR, I suspect that the apparent recent step up in enforcement in many areas has a lot to do with LADAR and Photo Red Light Cameras and Photo Radar Speed enforcement. It seems that areas than never bother with citing people for no front plate suddenly start enforcing the law shortly after installing Camera based enforcement or purchasing LADAR units...
IIRC, Massachusetts didn't require front plates on cars until cops started using LIDAR. Could be coincidence or maybe I'm not recalling the details correctly.
A:
[quote=gogogo]if you get caught again,
put the plate back on, pay $10, take the plate off again
It is $60.00 in Maryland, you'd think I lived in Taxachusetts!!
A:
wow, i wasnt expecting this much feedback. Thanks for all the suggestions!
A:
Roland Chen came up with a nice solution; simple, effective and easily removable. Here's a link to the thread:
A:
I think there's an argument to be made that Elise, because it has a front bumper exemption, does not have an "American" front bumper; there is no place to mount a DOT license plate. Properly mounting the plate so that damage will not occur to the clam requires that it is placed higher than european spec, thereby restricting airflow to the radiator. The front bumper exemption should apply to a plate exemption as well.
Don't think it'll hold. The state really does not care whether or not the car was designed to have a plate, if it says there needs to be one, there needs to be one.
Forget about the Elise, what about the Pontiac Solstice. It's a fully impact compliant/bumpered car with even fewer choices for mounting a front plate than the Elise.
FYI, back in the '60's, Maryland forbid sales of Plymouth Superbirds and Daytona Chargers because the pointed noses did not consitute front bumpers, violation state law.
You could buy 'em next door in Delaware, but not in Maryland.
A:
Don't think it'll hold. The state really does not care whether or not the car was designed to have a plate, if it says there needs to be one, there needs to be one.
Forget about the Elise, what about the Pontiac Solstice. It's a fully impact compliant/bumpered car with even fewer choices for mounting a front plate than the Elise.
FYI, back in the '60's, Maryland forbid sales of Plymouth Superbirds and Daytona Chargers because the pointed noses did not consitute front bumpers, violation state law.
You could buy 'em next door in Delaware, but not in Maryland.
Except it's a federal exemption and fed wins over state? Just a thought.