front license plate mounting?

[rdstr]

Just licensed my new (to me) roadster and in Washington state we are supposed to have a front plate mounted as well as a rear. Anyone have any ideas on how to mount this front plate? I am tempted to leave it in the trunk as I fear it could interfere with cooling airflow. Any thoughts? thanks!:smile:

 

[spaceballs]

I got two of these --> slcasner says it fits 1.5/2.0 Removable front license plate bracket

I'm in WA state also, I haven't mounted these yet, I've just been lazy and putting my license on my dash for now until the weather gets hot, or a cop complains.

 

[tonybelding]

This is funny... My Roadster came from Washington, I had it shipped down here to Texas. It didn't come with any front license bracket -- I assumed because WA didn't require a front plate.

Texas has always required a front plate, but for several years it was effectively not enforced because a legal mistake had set the fine at $0. Recently our wonderful legislature corrected that and re-introduced the fines. So... I reckon I'd better get one. I'm headed to the service center in Austin next week to have the official bracket put on.

My car is a 2.5, which I think mounts the bracket in a better way. For the 1.5-2.0 front end, you probably ought to look into those slcasner brackets.

 

[djp]

I have a spare mounting bracket that I'm not using - it's yours if you want it. It's the original Tesla bracket that came with my car - I've since replaced it with a custom mount that drops the plate in front of the vent grill instead of on the nose. PM me if you're interested.

 

[rdstr]

so I decided to do some more research and found this on the web: http://fasttoys.net/shop/FTP-Lotus-Elise-and-Exige-No-Drill-License-Plate-Mount/ let me know what you guys think of this option!

 

[spaceballs]

so I decided to do some more research and found this on the web: http://fasttoys.net/shop/FTP-Lotus-Elise-and-Exige-No-Drill-License-Plate-Mount/ let me know what you guys think of this option!

That will likely not work, as the tow screw threads are different size than the Elise. Reason I know this is I had custom tow hook made from a guy who did Elises and I've verified they have different thread sizes.

 

[Curt]

I just received a mount from here: http://moweraxle.com/licenseplatebrackets/othermakesmodelcars.html (scroll to the bottom of the page).

It looks very good. Solidly made, and they shipped it in just a couple of days. I haven't been able to mount it yet (my Roadster is in transit this week), but plan to put this on as soon as it arrives.

 

[rdstr]

so I decided to fabricate a mount myself from some light gauge steel that I bent to form a channel that surrounds the tow hook, and secured it to the hook with a sandwich-cookie approach and 2 screws clamping it around the hook. Then I got a nice piece of heavy plastic mounting at Walmart and attached it to the bracket with 2 screws. I used regular hardware to attach a license plate and frame and for less than $5 I have a very secure, flat black painted bracket that can be easily unscrewed and removed. I attached a pic and a 'crude' drawing to show what I did. If anyone wants to do this it works and looks great! (I think)

 

[hcsharp]

so I decided to fabricate a mount myself from some light gauge steel that I bent to form a channel that surrounds the tow hook, and secured it to the hook with a sandwich-cookie approach and 2 screws clamping it around the hook. Then I got a nice piece of heavy plastic mounting at Walmart and attached it to the bracket with 2 screws. I used regular hardware to attach a license plate and frame and for less than $5 I have a very secure, flat black painted bracket that can be easily unscrewed and removed. I attached a pic and a 'crude' drawing to show what I did. If anyone wants to do this it works and looks great! (I think)

Nice work! Could you do the same thing in aluminum to save weight?

I remember almost choking when I picked up my new Roadster and watched while they drilled 2 holes in the black plastic grill to hold the bracket. I cringed and looked away until they were done.

 

[PokerBroker]

I've driven mine for almost two years with no front plate in Ohio and Minnesota (two plate states)... I keep my second plate under the drivers seat to display on the dash when parking on the street... no tickets yet!

 

[rdstr]

you could use aluminum but light gauge steel is easier to bend and tap into- aluminum tends to fatigue when you bend it into a 90 degree. I should have taken better pictures, if anyone wants to see better detail I will take the plate off and take some pics of the actual bracket that show better. :smile:

 

[hcsharp]

What's more important to me at the moment is how to mount my EZ Pass transponder. My front plate bracket is already mounted and I don't want to drill any more holes. It has to be outside the car because the solar-guard windshield blocks the signal, and you can't put it under a body panel that's carbon fiber. The plate frame has a message on it that I don't want to block. As it is the front plate increases aerodynamic drag so I don't want to hang it off the plate in a way that makes it bigger.

 

[tvuolo]

What's more important to me at the moment is how to mount my EZ Pass transponder. My front plate bracket is already mounted and I don't want to drill any more holes. It has to be outside the car because the solar-guard windshield blocks the signal, and you can't put it under a body panel that's carbon fiber. The plate frame has a message on it that I don't want to block. As it is the front plate increases aerodynamic drag so I don't want to hang it off the plate in a way that makes it bigger.

Is there a motorcycle EZ Pass transponder in VT? If so, get one of those. In Colorado its a clear sticker with some white bits in it. It's designed to mount on a motorcycle headlight. I put mine on the top of the driver's side headlight. Most people don't even notice. I had to call up and argue with them to get it. The lady was convinced it would not work. Not sure what her thought process was. It works great. I can take a picture if you want.

 

[supersnoop]

What's more important to me at the moment is how to mount my EZ Pass transponder. My front plate bracket is already mounted and I don't want to drill any more holes. It has to be outside the car because the solar-guard windshield blocks the signal, and you can't put it under a body panel that's carbon fiber. The plate frame has a message on it that I don't want to block. As it is the front plate increases aerodynamic drag so I don't want to hang it off the plate in a way that makes it bigger.

Were there different windshield options? I don't have any trouble with my toll tag mounted to my windshield.

 

[heychubs]

Check out this thread: http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/38178-Removable-front-license-plate-bracket

I paid $60 for it late last year, and picked it up as he is local to me. He'll charge you $15 to ship it. I have a 2.0 and it fits perfectly. I'm sure it'll fit a 1.5 too, but not so sure about the 2.5. You can contact him at: [email protected]

 

[xytor]

Thank's to ChadS's ingenuity, I just used zip-ties to attach it to the front grille, tucked away to the left.

 

[samcarney]

Were there different windshield options? I don't have any trouble with my toll tag mounted to my windshield.

Solar Guard windshield was a $400 option, to keep the cabin cooler. I ordered it after reading about the dismal AC reports on this forum. But after a few mods by Tesla, I'm happy to say the AC works great.

 

[hcsharp]

Thank's to ChadS's ingenuity, I just used zip-ties to attach it to the front grille, tucked away to the left.

Illegal in my state. Have to use actual screws.

 

[CHG-ON]

I never mount the front plate. It's like braces on a 18YO beauty. Not gonna do it! I'll happily pay the 20 bucks in CA to shut them up. Of course, now that I have said that....

 

[Curt]

VIN 55 arrived yesterday, and it only took a couple of minutes to install this mount that I got from http://moweraxle.com/licenseplatebrackets/othermakesmodelcars.html

Looks great, and can be adjusted up/down/left/right to any of 15 positions.