Inner conflict about front license plates

Pondering lately...

Live in Virginia; one must display a front license plate. I drove a Jeep for 6 months and never had a front plate bracket, but never a problem (kept the plate under the seat just in case).

I live in nova and numerous Md, Pa, and WV vehicles frequent the area (Pennsylvania does not require a front license plate). I have always hated a front license plates, vehicles look much more attractive without one (xterras definitely included).

If one were to install an arb bumper with a winch, for example, one couldn't display his/her tag properly, thus the same situation.

My dilemma is whether or not to display the front plate. Have several friends that are split among opinions. Your initial reaction may be to neglect the idea but after thought...

-One viewing the vehicle from behind would not suspect a lack of front tag.

-One viewing the vehicle from the front would disregard (assume PA vehicle)

the only way law enforcement would realize this is after a walk-around of the vehicle. Is my location just numb to this rule because of the states in proximity?

thoughts? Does anyone feel the same way or am I crazy?

When you're in your truck, you can't see your front license plate.

Don't worry about it.

I remember a while back someone talking about how they had their front plate mounted. They had attached two Mag-Light mounts to the backside of their plate and clipped it onto their winch fairlead. Might be an option for you.

lightning, my buddy in il. had done that as well. in Il. you need to have a front plate.

i think it depends more on you state authority.

see the law and obey.

Living in Montana where fron plates are requred and still having Michigan (no front required) plates I am on of the very few cars around town without a front plate. I would say 1 in 5,000 cars in town doesnt have a front plate. Yet I have never been stopped after passing a police head on to question the plate.

If your in a state that requires a front plate, and do not have one... it makes it really easy for cops to see an out of state'r, and gives them other stuff to look for. For example, AZ requires no front plate, but when i drove to MN, i got pulled over on the freeway and got a warning for my Tints being to dark! Theres no way he could of seen tints at 70mph. He just saw an out of state'r.

Anyways... TJM has a resolution to those probelms with the winch bumper.

[img]http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/cruiserconnection_1931_16242653[/img]

I got two tickets in the state of MD for not having a front plate. It took 6 months to get the first one, then 2 days later, I got the second one. So, I moved to NC where it's not required to have a front plate.

My reco: put it on.

In MA they used to require 1 rear plate, now it's 2 plates...

If you still have the older single plate, they DON'T make you change to the new plates when you renew your registration...

So in MA it's both!

That's an idea I've been thinking about too... .always late to the punch!

I've never understood the big deal about front plates. If it looks bad up front, then it must look bad out back, so you may as well just remove them both! Personally, I like the front plate. It not only covers up what is usually a plain part of most cars anyway, but it identifies my cars as mine! Anyway, if your State requires it then put it on, if they don't then do whatever. I guess I'm just not that concerned about how my cars look plate vs. no plate... seems silly to me.

There is no excuse to not have one on an ARB or any aftermarket bumper. You can use the maglite mounts (not very secure, but OK), zip tie, add a plate mount, bolt it directly to the bumper... whatever. You may have to drill a couple holes in the bumper to make it nice, but so what? Neither my front or rear bumper had plate mounts, so I made my own. I take that back, the ARB comes with one, but it's kinda cheesy and hangs the plate in a bad spot.

My ARB isn't normal anymore, but this is how I did mine. It's just an aluminum plate mounted to the bumper above the fairlead that the license plate attaches to. SInce this picture, I have moved the mount up a bit for my new plates because I didn't want to hack the bottom of the new plate off.

Got a link, Preston? Did a quick search on Google and the TJM site and I got nothing. that will work very nice with my new Shrock

I live in NoVA too, cops are always patrolling our parking lots and other parking lots looking for violations like this.

I would put it on, not worth the $60 ticket.

aaaandd....if you ever get pulled over for something else, its another ticket they can pile on top...

If you have a roller fairlead, just make your own:

--> click me <--

dig that maglight setup...thanks for the feedback, I concur with everyone's opinions

I have the maglite solution done to my front plate and those are attached to a standard plate frame that you can pick up at AutoZone or PepBoys...works fine, don't need those joist things to do it. There have been times when I've taken it off road and forgot to remove the front plate...whoever said it's "not strong" has it wrong...it's plenty strong to hold the plate on there...I have to use some force to pull it off the rollers on the fairlead...it's not going anywhere unless I take it off

I've had mine off since a run we did back in October, and I actually forgot to put it back on...have had no problems with it not being on the truck...even pulled up to a parking spot in front of a local cop at a Friday's here in town, and he called me over to his car when I got out...he didn't want to talk about my front plate, he just wanted to ask where I take the truck off road, and commented on how much he liked it Not all cops are as bad as they are up in NoVA. Some down here actually have better things to do than patrol the parking lots looking for horse shit violations to meet their quota or make the city a quick buck.

I just screwed mine onto the side... nobody's ever given me grief over it:



(wheel attachment sold separately...)

Move to Alabama. Hell, they don't even require a rear plate here on a new vehicle. The concept of a temp tag for recently purchased vehicles is unheard of. You see a lot of new (or recently purchased used) vehicles running around with absolutely nothing in the license plate bracket.

I just grabbed a couple of bolts and bolted it through where Jim laser-cut the Shrockworks logo.


Nobody's given me any hassle about it yet. After all, it's on there.

I think it is all a matter of what weighing what is more important to you, paying a $86 ticket vs going to court to see if the judge will "comply" you with the law for installing the plate after the ticket vs making what arrangements are neccesary to obey the law now. Most officers don't/won't stop you for it, but if you go through a road check, or get pulled for something else, then you are likely to get a ticket for that as well. I think the way the law reads in VA it says something along the lines that your front tag must be "securely mounted and easily visible on the front of the vehicle." Hope that helps some.

I have never had a front license plate on any of my vehicles for the past 11 years, yet I actually put one on my X 2 days ago. I have gotten pulled over for speeding in my mustang and they did write me a ticket for no plate. I had to go to court, with a picture of the palte on the car, (double sided tape, snaped a pic, took the plate off) and it looked fine for the judge, no fine, no nothing, even got my speeding ticket thrown out. I have noticed a lot of cops eye balling me lately though so I put it on to avoid hassle by the man. I think the cops are too lazy to pull you over for no plate, but if they pull you over for speeding, no seatbelt, or some kind of moving violation, they usually check for plates just to bust you while they got you.

As for the X, the front plate has a smoke cover over it so it blends in pretty well with the grey bumper. I don't mind it, but I would rather not have it.

If the law requires you to have a front plate in your state, just obey the law it is as simple as that. To me it’s just too much hassle to try and break it. Speaking of plates though, I was pulled over in Schiller Park, IL which is a suburb in Chicago for not having a front plate on. I have a Chicago Cubs front plate since I live in Georgia where the law doesn’t require a front plate. The officer didn’t know that and had to call the station for clarification. Not sure if Schiller Park officers don’t have anything better to do or maybe he was just a White Sox fan.

I thought about this myself.
In my city, people are stealing plates and/or ripping them off, cutting them for the registration tags.

My back plate is much harder to mess with, the front would be a simple tug and it'd rip off.

So I keep my front plate handy inside. I've been questioned once about it by a cop. Told him why it's not on the front, he said "OK".

Wanna bet on tint spotting? You're lucky he didn't give you his autograph.

The great state of WA says:

RCW 46.16.240
"Attachment of plates to vehicles -- Violations enumerated.

The vehicle license number plates shall be attached conspicuously at the front and rear of each vehicle for which the same are issued and in such a manner that they can be plainly seen and read at all times. However, if only one license number plate is legally issued for any vehicle such plate shall be conspicuously attached to the rear of such vehicle. Each vehicle license number plate shall be placed or hung in a horizontal position at a distance of not more than four feet from the ground and shall be kept clean so as to be plainly seen and read at all times. In cases where the body construction of the vehicle is such that compliance with this section is impossible, permission to deviate therefrom may be granted by the state patrol. It shall be unlawful to display upon the front or rear of any vehicle, vehicle license number plate or plates other than those furnished by the director for such vehicle or to display upon any vehicle any vehicle license number plate or plates which have been in any manner changed, altered, disfigured or have become illegible. License plate frames may be used on vehicle license number plates only if the frames do not obscure license tabs or identifying letters or numbers on the plates and the plates can be plainly seen and read at all times. It is unlawful to use any holders, frames, or any materials that in any manner change, alter, or make the vehicle license number plates illegible. It shall be unlawful for any person to operate any vehicle unless there shall be displayed thereon valid vehicle license number plates attached as herein provided."

Fine for non-compliance of the above is $101.00.

I obey the law on my truck - but I don't on the S2000... plates look ridiculous on them and they block airflow and hurt the aerodynamics (I'm sure the last two have a negligible effect - but it makes my argument sound less vain )

You must know my father...he refuses to put a front plate on his S2000 or his Porsche 911 because they look bad. I think he used the "blocks air flow" argumenet with regards to the S2000 once

Front Plate what the hells a front plate... I have not had one since I put my ARB bumper on many years ago.

I think its in my desk somewhere.

Apparently some people around here have tried to use the excuse that their car didn't come with a place to mount a front plate. When I picked-up my X I had to sign a statement that I was provided a front plate mounting bracket.

I love stopping people with no front plates on vettes and other sports cars.

And just because you upgrade to an arb doesn't exempt you. Just put it on.

They look like crap on the front of a Miata too. Drove around for four years in NOVA without one on, and got pulled over for a burned out headlight and another time for expired registration (whoops!) and the front plate was never mentioned. Also passed four safety inspections

nothing better to do?

Lucky I didn't run across you when I drove it home from Va to Tx... Illinois is where I decided to check out the top end

Cute.

And hey my wifes uncle lives in Bozeman.

He mentioned you liked to hang at the gay bar

LOL

I hate the look of front plates on any car or truck. I wish that we had the european style plates that are longer, but much thinner. those blend into the vehicle much better IMO

Yeahhh well that still sounds like a better option than what you like to do with you life. Go solve a real crime you cockstain.

Play nice now, boys.

Yeahhh well that still sounds like a better option than what you like to do with you life. Go solve a real crime you cockstain.

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you would rather suck dick in a gay bar than be a cop. i think your priorities are all fucked up there buddy.

btw pissing of a cop is probably one of the worst thing to do, they all network.