For all "ya'll" other Texans out there...

I just passed a fellow 8 driver on the road the other day and to my dismay, the front liscense plate was still attatched :eek:

I have been driving a Miata since 97 in Texas without a front liscense plate and have never been pulled over. Needless to say, I removed the front plate on my 8 before I drove it off the lot and have not had any trouble.

Hopefully, this post will encourage others to remove that ugly piece of metal from such a beautiful car.

i feel ur pain i saw a black one with a front plate. after hugging and inhaling that new car smell till my lungs couldnt take it any more the first thing i did was take that baby off.

try driving in Houston for an extended period of time with no front plate...

:(

i've been wondering if there is a clean way to mount the front plate on the bumper, between the left headlight and left lower intake. if i could photochop it, i would, but i can't, so i won't. anyone willing to do it? i don't plan on ruining my unblemished driving record by not having the front plate, but the bugsbunny look doesn't fit my mental image of what the 8 is.

Originally posted by DrKillJoY
try driving in Houston for an extended period of time with no front plate...

:(
I lived in Houston (249 and Cypresswood) for about a year and a half with no problems with the front plate. Are they cracking down on people without plates down there? I think the trick is to have a good excuse for not having one attatched. For example, in the event I ever do get pulled over, I keep my front plate in the trunk and will just tell them the dealer did not install it. I don't know if that will work but it's worth not ruining the front appearance of my car.

As I pulled into a mall space, two blue uniforms approached, and one just stopped and stared at the (license plate-less) front before walking up to the driver's side door. Here comes the fixit citation, after five months without challenge, I thought.
As it turned out, license plates were the furthest thing from his mind. This was his first chance to examine an 8 close up, and before long he was sitting in the back seat, comparing it to an M3 he had driven, rating the shift paddles over Audi's buttons, and telling me that he drove an Acura CL but got his kicks with a racing Ducati.
I hope this encourages others to drop the bucktooth look.

Constables in Pct 5 and 8 (NW-area) are and have been cracking down... as well as the actual hi-way traffic cops mostly out of the Gray and SW substations.

Its a sin to where it, then to not!

Three years of running with no plate in Houston, most of that time with a red Mustang. My wife's got 2 years of no front plate driving with her black Trans Am. I've been pulled over before (for changing lanes without a signal and for crossing the "saftety lanes" (those white triangle things that everyone drives over when they get on the freeway. The cop gave me a warning and she never once mentioned the front plate (or lack of one.) Could simply be luck of the draw.....

1. Anyone know how much the fine is if you do get ticketed? I would think it would be less than a moving violation like speeding.

2. Does having it in the windshield count? I've seen people do it but I'm wondering if its actually legal. I could carry it under the passenger seat then throw it up there if I ever get pulled over.

3. Is the fine retroactive? Once I got a ticket for no insurance (the one in my car was expired by 2 days). It turns out (and the cop told me this) I could take my current one down to the court and show it to them and they would take the fine off. You think if I put the license on and show it to them (take pictures?) they'd take it off?

The fine for no front plate in Texas used to be $120 but it has gone up to somewhere around $250. I'm not sure of the actual amount though. Having a license plate on the dash in Teaxs is illegal. It has to be on the front of the car. The people that do that are just asking for trouble. It looks even dumber on the dash than it does on the front of the car anyways. Obviously it was mentioned that it would only be thrown up there when getting pulled over but it isn't legal anyways. Don't try the excuse that the front plate fell off. They will tell you that it is your responsibilty to examine your cr before you frive it and that you need to get a new SET of plates since they do not replace just one.

I have been pulled over in the past and had no front plate on the car and had no repercussions from it. However, the cops are trying to find new ways to be lazy and are cracking down on it. It goes along with the license plate frames not being allowed to cover ANY letters on the rear licence plate. This was due to the amount of people that were drivng through the tollbooths with their plates covered so they wouldn't get ticketed. They have been cracking down on license plate violations in general. HPD down in Clear Lake were just sitting by the side of the road on Clear Lake City Blvd one night looking soley for cars without a front license plate. Seems like a lousy way to stop violent crime to me but they are doing it. You may or may not get away with it. It depends on the cop. I know a cop that makes a judgement based on whether or not the car looks good with or without one. If the car is a junker and doesn't have one, he'll ticket them. If the car is a nice expensive sports car that looks terrible with one on it, he won't ticket it. Other cops don't care and will write a ticket for anything they find. If you don't have one, you are taking your chances. Since it is illegal to not have one, don't get mad if you get ticketed for it. You knew it was a possibility.

I guess it's time we start a petition to amend the Texas Constitution to eliminate front plates! Besides, if we can just get it on the ballot, we have a good chance of getting it passed since the sheep in this state haven't turned down an amendment since 1999.

Seriously, I hate what they do to the front of cars in general. On the RX-8, it's a crime, but the law is the law.

I always figured the license plate holder law they recently passed was due to some dealer pissing off the house member who's responsible for it.

But I'm a cynic.

I just don't think it is worth the possibility of getting pulled over for. Bad things can happen when you get pulled over.....

I agree... which is why mine is still on.


Originally posted by Speed-ER doc
I just don't think it is worth the possibility of getting pulled over for. Bad things can happen when you get pulled over.....

Yall who never got busted are lucky! I totally thought the front licsense plate standard, in addition to being a ridiculous law, destroys the 8's natural beauty. I was told by several friends I needed to remove it. I was hesitant to do so but went ahead with it anyways. So I was cruising around happily with my 8 plate free on the front looking beautiful when all of a sudden I hear a familar sound and look back to see those flashing lights. Thats right I got pulled over and ticketed by some asshole cop on the same day I took it off. And by the way those license plate frames they put on at the dealership, those are illegal too. I guess the officer felt one ticket just wasnt enough for me. So watch your ass in Texas we have some crazy laws with some tough cops.

I kept my front plate off since I purchase the 8. Last week I got finally pulled over, and I was think oh SH***, I probably should have put the plate on. I was also speeding 55 in 35 mile/hr zone. Well the cop stopped me, and the first thing he said as he approached me...
Nice car, what is it?
I told him it is a Mazda RX-8
He said it is a beautiful car
I thanked him
He asked me about how does it drive, and how much HP it got
After a very pleasent conversation, he asked me to slow down, he told me I was doing 20 mph above speed limit, and he never mentioned anything about the front plate. He shooked my hand, and thanked me for showing him my car.

Front Plate stays off, hey I may even the take back out plate now ......

<I got pulled over and ticketed by some asshole cop >

Keep in mind this person is being paid 20-35K to protect you, me, and everyone else by upholding the laws, crazy or not. Not to interpret them or make special allowances for us or our fine looking cars.

...and then there are the cops that don't act as professionals or go too far in the name of being lazy. They have so much power that there is absolutely no excuse what so ever to not have only the best most trustworthy people who are absolutely dedicated to doing their jobs properly and professionally. While this may be tolerated in other jobs, a secretary in an office can't arrest me or affect my life in any significant way, and neither can a McDonald's employee. There need to be stricter standards for those with power. Some cops have fun at being pricks. On the south side of Houston, HPD likes to sit there on the freeway waiting for someone to break the law in front of them. That is ALL that they are good for. Yet all around the freeway in that part of town is ghetto where all the crime is. Shouldn't they be in there instead? Let's compare this to the north side in the Champions area. The cops (constables) patrol the subdivisions and the crime rate is much lower there. See a trend? Cops should be where they are needed not where they can get away with doing their jobs with less effort. I'll use a bs NAACP excuse here. I've only been ticketed by black cops and I'm white. How far does this have to go? Admittedly that is a bs excuse but wanting cops to protect where they are needed isn't and a license plate just doesn't seem life threatening to me.

No argument with any of those statements. Wish we lived in a better world where there were no incompetent doctors, dishonest stockbrokers, idiot polititions, stupid laws, or bad cops. Simply saying that if you know it's a law and you know you are breaking it, why complain about the 'A--hole cop' doing the job? Got a ticket myself the other day for a rolling stop where there were no other cars near the intersection. True, I wasn't putting anyone else in danger, but still was in the wrong. Got the check made out now and will take it down to the courthouse on Monday.

I got a no front plate ticket in my old car on westheimer and only paid $75 for it. It's not a moving violation so it doesn't hurt insurance but it sux when caught. When the cop said something about it I was like "Well if you just paid $800 for a front Veilside bumper plus the $600 to paint and fit the bumper would you even think about ruining the look with a piece of state Grafitti? I mean would you want me to tag your car by screwing a big metal plate into your doors?" He didn't think it was too funny but just threw the ticket at me and told me to get it fixed.... ha Right let me get right on that. Let me just pull up my # for David Sprecher, my traffic attourney... He recommended paying the $75 fine.

Ohhh, I forgot to mention the cop wrote me a speeding ticket too even though I wasn't speeding but he had already written the ticket before my above comment. I ended up having to goto court for that. I've been in Texas for the last 3.5 years and since I moved back I've gotten at least 8-9 tickets and my record is totally clear still hehe..... One of the tickets the Sheriff never turned in and still hasn't totally clear on that one coz I've been checking up on it so I wouldn't end up with an arrest warrant and not know it till I'm in the back of a cop car and watching my baby towed away by a jackass towtruck driver.
It still sux getting tickets but it's a price to pay for having a little fun. And no I do not mean driving like a Jackass and putting other lives at risk I mean a little speeding on a totally clear freeway or accelerating to the speed Limit a little quicker than the average old man driver would do.

Dude(s) I drive a V.Red 8 in the North Dallas area...and I am not risking a ticket for lack of front license plate. NO WAY.
When, and if, I land a pretty substantial income increase and can spare 100~300 bucks weekly for tickets...no problem. Until then, I will be a law-abiding individual.

Troubled by what I read in this thread... are you freaking serious?

If you are willing to buck up and pay my tickets, I will have no problems removing my front license plate.

Otherwise I just gotta say, I agree it kills the 8's aesthetics (a little bit) but if it is that big of a deal to you, then you might want to propose some legislation to your local representative to change the law. Go ahead I'll sign that petition :).

Not that I am some hard-core law abiding citizen or something, but any chance I can avoid a run in with the law I am going to take, I don’t want any reason for a cop to pull me over, make me late, or otherwise harass/annoy me.

10 years in dallas with my miata and never pulled over for not having the front icense plate, and the few times I was pulled over it was never mentioned.

Now leaving Dallas and heading to East Texas is another story. Highway patrol is more likely to pull you over once you leave the city (I have been pulled over twice heading to east texas just for the fact that I didn't have a front license plate.)

Been my experience so far. The times I was pulled over heading to east texas I was let off with a warning.

Originally posted by rotarygod
...On the south side of Houston, HPD likes to sit there on the freeway waiting for someone to break the law in front of them. That is ALL that they are good for. Yet all around the freeway in that part of town is ghetto where all the crime is. Shouldn't they be in there instead? Let's compare this to the north side in the Champions area. The cops (constables) patrol the subdivisions and the crime rate is much lower there. See a trend? Cops should be where they are needed not where they can get away with doing their jobs with less effort.
You know about all the controversy with racial disparity of arrests and tickets in Houston, don't you? About a year ago, the Chronicle was all over that, and now the officers have to make an effort NOT to ticket or arrest non-whites.

If they patrol those areas, what do you think will happen? They will see crime, make arrests, and create more ammo for the New Black Muslims and NAACP and liberal media to further complain about the harassment of minorities.

If they patrol the low crime upscale areas, they will give those citizens the feeling of added security, while keeping their arrest ratio intact.

Admittedly, there are some in the "ghettos" who would like more enforcement of certain laws, but I think the police tread lightly for a reason. I also realize that a lot of drug crime happens in the upscale areas, but it is more hidden (indoors) with less property crime to support it.

Not disagreeing with any of your comments, just explaining my thoughts.

btw, hows the sub enclosure for the pass-through coming?

I personally have never had a Houston officer pull me over just to give me a ticket for no front plate.

However, it is typically a tack on offense when you get pulled over for speeding.

Sad to say but I think the type of car you drive makes a big difference on whether they will pull you over or not. I think a first or second gen RX-7 will be much more likely to be pulled over versus an FD, FE or a Corvette.

-Mr. Wigggles

Never put your license plate in the windshield

NEVER

I heard of someone who got his nose cut off by the plate when he got hit

Not good...

Originally posted by Speed-ER doc
You know about all the controversy with racial disparity of arrests and tickets in Houston, don't you? About a year ago, the Chronicle was all over that, and now the officers have to make an effort NOT to ticket or arrest non-whites.

If they patrol those areas, what do you think will happen? They will see crime, make arrests, and create more ammo for the New Black Muslims and NAACP and liberal media to further complain about the harassment of minorities.

If they patrol the low crime upscale areas, they will give those citizens the feeling of added security, while keeping their arrest ratio intact.

Admittedly, there are some in the "ghettos" who would like more enforcement of certain laws, but I think the police tread lightly for a reason. I also realize that a lot of drug crime happens in the upscale areas, but it is more hidden (indoors) with less property crime to support it.

Not disagreeing with any of your comments, just explaining my thoughts.

btw, hows the sub enclosure for the pass-through coming?

Thank god no one misinterpreted me as cop bashing. I know there are good ones out there. I only bitch about the bad ones.

I hate liberal excuses.

The box has started. There are some fresh pics posted in the audio section of the face being laid up in fiberglass.

I think the only reason they want the front plate on is so they will have a nice flat metal object to shoot radar at... If I'm not mistaken I read this in a radar detector manual.

The laser radars (which operate in the Infrared I belive) need a good surface to work from. And in many states, that surface is the front license plate. I'm thinking of the lower passenger-side corner of the front bumper to move the plate to (while not blocking the oil cooler).

I wonder if some nice, flat clearcoat will help defeat that $1 "reflectorization" fee I pay every year here in Texas...

i believe the front plate is totally unnecessary. If other states dont need one, why do we? I second the motion to start a petition to get that fixed in legislation. This goes for all cars, not just for our beloved 8.

When I had my Miata I was pulled over for not having a front plate. Can't remember the fine, but it sucked.

I currently do have a front plate on my 8. I am not using the factory bracket. I went to a parts store and bought a flat plate mount. It fits flat on the front and I also have a smoke plastic cover on it. Kinda makes it blend in a little.

Doesn't look great, but not as bad as some I have seen.

i'd like to see pics of the plate flat against the car. right now, w/ the plates on the brackets, it reminds me of it having really big front teeth on the car. i want the plate in the front to prevent getting pulled over, but i wish it was more discrete.

btw...you mentioned it has a smoke covering over it, isn't that illegal in tx now??

I will take a pic and post. Will probably wait until I get the car clean though. All this rain . . .

I live in Killeen, I dont think theres a chance in hell that Ill get away with driving with no front plate there, if the cops in town dont get me, Ill get written up driving through the gate at Ft Hood, I wonder if they mind if its in the windshield and viewable?

Regardless of whether it would be allowed, I personally think that putting it in the windshield looks worse than in front.

Besides, I don't like the idea of that sharp, metal piece sitting or loosely affixed to the dash. If it gets knocked loose in an accident, big bump, or quick direction change, that's one of the last things I would want flying around inside the car.

---jps

Originally posted by RatedRX8
btw...you mentioned it has a smoke covering over it, isn't that illegal in tx now?? Yes it is. He might as well drive without a license plate.

...AND yesterday I received my first speeding ticket. The cop never said anything about not having a front license plate. Defensive driving here I come :(

Bummer about the ticket. I have to watch myself like a hawk when I'm out on these back-of-beyond two lane roads.

This morning I was doing a good 30 MPH over...And it felt like I was just gliding along.

I agree, it is hard to stay under 100 when it is nice day... I wish there was an autobahn around here, I really want to hit top speed some time.

Previous posters are correct in saying that the front license plate offers a reflective surface for radar - there are probably other reasons for it as well, but that's part of the reason for the requirement.

Having said that, I've been driving around Austin for eight years without a front plate (a Miata until this year, then the 8) and I've never been cited for it. I got popped for expired inspection a few years ago and the cop mentioned it, but no one has ever pulled me over expressly for a missing front plate.

It's esthetic. I just think the damn things are ugly, and they scratch up the nose unless you take extraordinary measures to protect it. This is pretty much the limit of my civil disobedience.

I haven't taken the 8 on the road yet, but I'll put the front plate on when I leave Austin. Thanks to whoever gave the warning about east Texas - I have to hit the road to Alabama soon.

You can add me to the "law abiding citizen" list. Love my 8, hate the plate. I do have a bone to pick with the radar theory, not with the forum members but with the cops. The Laser or LIDAR guns project a beam about 3 feet wide from 1/4 mile, making a nice flat (ugly) licance plate the perfect target for an accurate return. The RADAR Guns, on the other hand, project a cone about 100-150 feet (minimum, depending on the band) wide at 1/4 mile making any one part of the car pretty much impossible to aim specifically for. Looks like the RADAR theory is just a legislative excuse to me. As far as identification goes, how many head on car chases have you been in that were long enough for you to read the plate? Too many holes, too many holes.