Call for non-destructive front license plate bracket

[EarlyAdopter]

Here are photos of Watt-Up's car. He shared them with me and gave permission to share. He has a very nice setup so mine will probably emulate his.

That looks great! Thanks for sharing.

I can see that the bottom parts of the brackets are attached with double sided tape. Is the same true for the top parts? Or are they just held at that angle against the middle bumper lip by the angle brackets screwed tight?

 

[stevezzzz]

That looks great! Thanks for sharing.

I can see that the bottom parts of the brackets are attached with double sided tape. Is the same true for the top parts? Or are they just held at that angle against the middle bumper lip by the angle brackets screwed tight?

I installed my Skene brackets for the front license plate a little higher and mounted them using the provided double-stick foam tape and two self-tapping machine screws, one for each bracket. But I drilled into the underside of the bottom rim of the black plastic nose cone. It's a nearly horizontal, flat plastic flange of about 2" depth that accepts the Skene bracket arms quite nicely. If I ever dismount the bracket, the sticky foam tape will leave a much more unsightly mess than the two holes in the black plastic.

Note that the Skene brackets attach at only two points, one for each bracket. The manufacturer provides clear plastic dot bumpers for you to stick to the back of the brackets where they might touch another part of the car.

 

[Francis Lau]

nice pics!!! How do the brackets attach?? Where do you drill the holes?

A single screw per bracket at the locations shown below:

I think it might be possible to under-mount it on the surface opposite the ones shown but I have not tried yet. The Skene brackets are quite flexible in how you can pivot and slide the brackets around.

 

[AltPowr]

I will be mounting my brackets under the black cone. As mentioned above, there is about 2 inches of space, perfect for the bracket to be mounted and you would never see the screw holes if you remove the bracket. I will not be mounting mine until I get a ticket. I went for 2 years on my other car, then mounted the brackets with the license plate, got it signed off, then removed the brackets. So in the pictures I have one just taped in place. The brackets allow adjusting the height of the license plate quite a bit, so when mounting under the black nose cone, you can put the plate under the nose cone or up in front of it - see the two locations in the pictures below.

 

[EarlyAdopter]

If that tape is the same 3M kind that comes with the GoPro automotive camera mounts, I can report that it pulls off (with considerable force) perfectly clean.

 

[IlliniT]

A single screw per bracket at the locations shown below:

View attachment 13222

I think it might be possible to under-mount it on the surface opposite the ones shown but I have not tried yet. The Skene brackets are quite flexible in how you can pivot and slide the brackets around.

What depth did you order for the Skene license plate mounts?

 

[AltPowr]

What depth did you order for the Skene license plate mounts?

They look like mine on my white car above, which are MEDIUM. If so, here is what was on my order:

Front License Plate Bracket
Item# FLPB , Depth: Medium , Height: US plate screw spacing , Car: 2012 Tesla Model S

 

[IlliniT]

They look like mine on my white car above, which are MEDIUM. If so, here is what was on my order:

Front License Plate Bracket
Item# FLPB , Depth: Medium , Height: US plate screw spacing , Car: 2012 Tesla Model S

Thanks ISF.

 

[bbmertz]

I think these installations below the nose cone look great! Before I order the Skene brackets, are there any engineers out there who have a perspective on whether there would be a significant difference in the aerodynamic drag coefficient of the MS if the license plate is mounted on versus below the nose cone?

 

[stevezzzz]

I think these installations below the nose cone look great! Before I order the Skene brackets, are there any engineers out there who have a perspective on whether there would be a significant difference in the aerodynamic drag coefficient of the MS if the license plate is mounted on versus below the nose cone?

I don't have a feel for which mounting position is better for aero drag, but it's worth noting that the lower position tends to disrupt cooling airflow. So if you live in a hot climate it might be best to use the higher position.

 

[bbmertz]

I don't have a feel for which mounting position is better for aero drag, but it's worth noting that the lower position tends to disrupt cooling airflow. So if you live in a hot climate it might be best to use the higher position.

Good point, Steve. Although it pains me to have Tesla install the plate over the nose cone, particularly since the Skene install looks so good, I think I will go that route to be safe from a cooling/performance standpoint.

 

[jcadman22]

Looking at ISF's pics, it looks like the Skene brackets are adjustable. I'm thinking you could install with the plate in the low position (below the nose cone) and just raise it up (in front of nose cone, but mounted as ISF depicts) if cooling is an issue. Or, change it seasonally - down in the Winter, up in the Summer.

After looking at these pics I'm regretting checking the box to have Tesla install a front license bracket. I think I'll have to order the Skene brackets and see if I can have Tesla install them when the car arrives next month.

 

[dsm363]

The Skene bracket still requires drilling holes but there are small and on the bottom of the nose cone so may have to do that. Was hoping someone or even Tesla would design something that was easy to snap on and remove though.

 

[AltPowr]

Looking at ISF's pics, it looks like the Skene brackets are adjustable. I'm thinking you could install with the plate in the low position (below the nose cone) and just raise it up (in front of nose cone, but mounted as ISF depicts) if cooling is an issue. Or, change it seasonally - down in the Winter, up in the Summer.

Correct, that was what I was trying to show in my pictures. I have not mounted my brackets and I won't until I get a ticket. I have only received one ticket for a missing front plate in the 35 years I have been driving in California, and about 90% of my cars didn't have a front plate. But if I need to mount it, I will, by drilling two small holes in the bottom of the nose cone and adjusting the bracket up in front of the nose cone. It will in the same position as the factory bracket, but with no holes in the front.

 

[walla2]

Used my makerbot 3d printer to create a prototype non-destructive plate holder. It's in alpha 0.1 but here's the idea. The flattened beehive area just below the nose would be great areas to mount. I devised a short expanding piece of plastic with a screw that can go into a hexagon and then expand by advancing the screw. It snugs the plastic very well into the hex. The picture below is what it looks like before it is advanced and tightened expanded.

Alpha 0.2 will have a flat surface for attaching a plate holder. Sadly, it takes about 15 minutes to print one of these with my makerbot cupcake so mass production isn't really an option at least not by me. Black printing is also an option.

 

[walla2]

Alpha 0.3. I've decided that two hex's will be more sturdy for version 0.4.

 

[dsm363]

Alpha 0.3. I've decided that two hex's will be more sturdy for version 0.4.

Great work. This is exactly the kind of thing I was looking for. Looking forward to future versions of this. Hopefully Tesla can sell something like this on their online store.

Is there anything that keeps it from getting pulled out or just the pressure of the expanded plastic keeps it in place? I was wondering if maybe something that is T shaped would fit through the plastic then you turn in 90 degrees so it won't back out easily. To take it off, you'd turn it back 90 degrees then everything would come out.

 

[efxjim]

Great idea! I guess I'll fire up my Makerbot Thing-o-matic and design one that mounts the plate a little lower.

 

[dsm363]

Thanks. If someone isn't able to sell their design, maybe they can release the design open source for people with similar printers? I'm thinking something that sticks through the mesh like walla2 did where you twist something to lock it in place. If you wanted to take the plate off to take pictures of your car or at a Cars and Coffee event, you simply untwist/unlock and pull it off. I have no ability to design this or machinery to make this but love the design you guys are working on.

 

[ModelS1079]

I am pleased with the effect here of just using plastic ties to secure the plate to the grill. The 14 inch ones are best as they allow one to easily loop the grill. That said, I used 8 inch ties. The black device at the top of the plate is my EZ Pass. The top ties just loop through it. This all took about seven minutes, and avoids any drilling of holes and leaves the car looking sweet and not squared-off and knocked-up as some plate holders do on the Model S.