I live in Colorado so I am required to have a license plate on both the front and back of my car. I purchased the car from a state that did not require this so I do not have a bracket on the front for this. I asked the dealer about it and they only have holders that drill into the bumper. I was wondering if such a product exists for this car that will prevent me from drilling into the bumper. I really do not want to drill into the car whatsoever!

Thanks,
Raves

 

check autozone, i believe members on here are getting the "side mount" plate holder, and i believe its a clamp type holder.

 

they do exist, i have one, but just wedge it real nicely between the windshield and the dashboard

 

^imho the autozone plate holder looks like crap, it sits on an angle, and is almost touching the ground, and looks like it really doesnt belong there.

buy yourself a M20 double threaded bolt, a small sheet of aluminum, some M20 nuts and a M20 drillbit and you get this.




dont mind how its crooked, this is when i first put it on.

the M20 threaded bolt goes through the aluminum sheet
(where ever you want the plate located, either more left or more right because you drill where you want it and not preset from a manufacturer.)

and has a nut on either side of the aluminum sheet. then the license plate goes over the nut and gets bolted in.

The threaded M20 bolt goes into the factory tow hook mounting location, the S2(09-12) has 2 along with the S1(04-08). They both have 2 locations for the tow hook to go into, on the top corners of the grill. You can see in the picture below where one of the 2 front mounting locations are on a S1 rx8.



if you look up low hook license plate bracket you should be able to find some DIY's on other forums. I believe i used a DIY on a s2000 website.

 

Here in California it is 'require' by law also.

I haven't used my front license plate on all the cars I've owned.

Do the license plate on the dash if it really is getting you pulled over and such.

 

I just drilled two holes in the grill and used self tapping screws. I like the way it looks better than the factory plate holder, since it is recessed into the front.

 

First of all, the standard dealer-mounted front plate holder DOES NOT mount on the bumper, but rather with two screws that go into two holes hidden inside the front grille. (I don't know if all 8's come with the two holes; if not, dealers in front plate states drilled them. There is a TSB with a template. Believe me, if you choose this option, I wouldn't even consider it having "to drill" into the car; it's fast and simple to do, and the holes are completely invisible with the front plate removed; most US RX-8's already have these two holes. Many dealers would probably just give you the plate holder; I know many here would do the same.)

That said, the front plate looks hideous in that factory position (the original RX-8 grill, dark and brooding, is lost when a big, bright, colorful front plate is slapped over it). Personally, I finally went with the "Bell License Plate Re-Locator" option, available for around $10 from Autozone and amazon.com. I think it looks great:

 

Yikes! That New York plate has some pretty ugly colors. If it were me, I'd move to a different state.

Raves - definitely look up the license plate mounting TSB that New Yorker mentioned. It shows where the blind nuts built into the grille are...they need to be exposed by drilling at the right location. If you can't get an OEM plate holder, there are generic ones that can work in its place on the grille.

I prefer the OEM location over the various bumper and side mounts. The only problem is that the top of the holder will rub against the paint. I fixed that by lowering mine an inch or so, using self-tapping screws into the grille one diamond below the OEM holes.

Ken

 

I resent that! I'll have you know they perfectly match the amber side marker lights.

 

This is the OEM piece. As I said, I wouldn't be surprised if someone basically gave you theres, as a number of owners don't use 'em:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mazda-Rx8-Rx...-/350456666335

http://atkinsrotary.com/store/produc...roductid=17832

http://www.autopartscheaper.com/2004...01-50-170a.htm

I used this one, only $6.99 on amazon prime:
http://www.amazon.com/Bell-Automotiv...m/B0013HP98C/2

 

they also have this, incase you dont want to make your own. I liked my custom design better because it let me place it wherever i wanted and allowed me to place it closer or farther from the bumper itself. It costed me about $96 for the bit,aluminum,nuts and threaded bolt.

here is the company if you are not a DIY'er

http://www.rhoplate.com/index.html

 

Matches the amber markers - perfect.

When I was a kid growing up in NYC, the plates were black. My mother always told me that was the state color.

Ken

 

I have an OEM and relocated it. I hit a debris on the highway and cracked my bumper so I used the plates to cover it.



By the way Raves44, here's the thread where you should have posted: front license plate.

 

This is using just a mount bought at Autozone ($10 - $15 if I recall) and some large washers on the far side of the plastic grill. Admittedly that means it is only attached via that plastic grill but the thing is well fitted/rigid and, lets face it, in a front ender, there's gonna be breakage regardless of mount unless you're just doing 1mph. The frame only attaches to the lower bolts shown, top ones purely decorative.

 

The OEM holder is also just attached to the plastic grill, via machine screws into built-in blind nuts. My relocated OEM holder is attached to the plastic via self-tapping screws, and shows no sign of coming off.

Ken

 

the front tow hook mount i made(pictures above) survived a 40mph impact into a concrete divider. Granted the car was totaled, and the plate had almost a hole in it, if i could drive it away i would have. I can attest to its strength.

it depends also on the type of aluminum used, i bought a aluminum sheet (the license plate attaches to the sheet) which was 1/8cm thick and it took my whole body weight (180lbs) plus additional force to try to bend it while it was on my stationary vice. I think the aluminum was around 30 bucks.

BTW... i applaud you on your painted black plastic. Makes the front bumper look 1000x better, i hated my S2 front end.

 

It's not required here in Nevada.

 

Quote : BTW... i applaud you on your painted black plastic. Makes the front bumper look 1000x better, i hated my S2 front end.

Thanks, actually I bought it that way, looks like the original owner had it installed on purchase as the side vents also have colo coded treatment. Funnily enough I even remarked to the dealer that this small cosmetic was a major player in getting my interest in the car as I also hate the black plastic piece.

 

I have the same problem and bought the frame at the dealer. After not having what was needed to actually attach it to the grill location, I went back to dealer and asked about it. They told me there is another part that is required to order and buy that is the insides for rhe bracket to attach to (through grill).

 

except the factory position looks like trash.

 

This is not at all recommended. If you insist on having it against the windshield, get 4 high grade suction cups and use them with the plate screw holes to secure it to the windshield. In an accident, a plate just wedged up there can easily become a dangerous piece of debris.

 

Can somebody help me find the part no. of this plate bracket? It's the EU one for bigger plates.