What is Illegal? Need info/help on specifications of the law...
 

I got multiple tickets today for the following things:

• Tinted tails (even though the lights EASILY still shine through)
• Tinted reflectors (what the heck?!?)
• No front license plate (in Texas, I believe that if a car is registered after 2007, it does not need a front license plate...)

I treated the cop like an angel and he was still a dick to me and my charge is over $400 for these things and so I wanted to see if anyone knew what the specifications on these charges were...

Also, on the tails, he said something like he couldn't see any RED when the lights were off, so I'm guessing that maybe if I just tint the areas on the tails that aren't red, maybe that would work, plus it might look pretty damn sick too.


Believe it or not, my heads are tinted too, not as dark as the tails, but they are tinted. And if anything on my car was to get a ticket, I thought it would be the heads, but he didn't give me a ticket for those for some reason.

Any info is desired at this point. Thanks...

I don't think the bill (H.B. No. 1666) passed so Texas law still requires a front and rear plate.

No changes have been made to the Texas Front License plate requirement.

THIS LINK might be us use regarding your other points. But the basic rule is those lights are considered safety items and you are not supposed to mess with them.

For example can your taillights pass this? " When Lighted, Shall Emit A Red Light Plainly Visible From A Distance Of 1,000 Feet To The Rear"
As for the reflectors the color is stated in the code.

"Sec. 547.353. COLOR REQUIREMENTS. (a) A clearance lamp, identification lamp, side marker lamp, or reflector mounted on the front, on the side near the front, or in the center of the vehicle must be or reflect amber.
(b) A clearance lamp, identification lamp, side marker lamp, or reflector mounted on the rear or the side near the rear of the vehicle must be or reflect red."

On the reflectors, if MAZDA sells clear corners (non-gold) reflectors, then how are those legal either. Because in that code thing it says the reflectors on the front-side of the vehicle must be yellow or amber when light hits it. And if MAZDA (the manufacturer) sells non-gold ones, then isn't that illegal???

I have tint, clear corners with white LEDs and no front plate... in an 06.....

Haven't gotten anything for it.

Pretty sure you don't need a front plate. and the tint, if you think it's legal, then fight it. I asked a cop who told me I could used clear corners with white LEDs..... so this guy sounds like a total doucher.

Clear Corners are not a USA spec part. You will not find them on the Mazda USA site. The ones you see for sale state they are JDM / Imported. Here is an example LINK My state also requires a front plate but I took mine off. If & when I get a ticket I will not protest and put the plate back on. My 8 being yellow makes the appeal of clear corners less so I am ok with the OEM :)

You would be incorrect. LINK You could however get away with the front plate on the dash so long as it is visible.

§ 502.404. OPERATION OF VEHICLE WITHOUT LICENSE PLATE OR
EGISTRATION INSIGNIA. (a) A person commits an offense if the
person operates on a public highway during a registration period a
passenger car or commercial motor vehicle that does not display two
license plates, at the front and rear of the vehicle, that have
been:
(1) assigned by the department for the period; or
(2) validated by a registration insignia issued by the
department that establishes that the vehicle is registered for the
period.

Lol ya that's lucky. Mine is dark grey with everything blacked-out...so a random little bright gold reflector might look pretty bad...so I've decided to put mine up for sale (or better yet for a trade for the clear corners in case anybody has any). These will not be pulled over as easy...and plus they won't look too bad imo. Here's the link to the FS/WTT thread I started for my smoked corners: https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-parts-sale-wanted-44/wtt-fs-smoked-corners-168152/

And for the front license plate...sounds good. My body shop guy will just drill some holes into my fiberglass kit and put it on for free.

About the tails...do you think this would be legal (and look good at the same time)?: having the tails all blacked-out except for the circle of red that is the brake light? It would keep the all black/red theme on my car, plus I think/hope it is legal???

Well I've been driving w/o front plates for 5 months. In fact, just about everyone I see drives without one. So I guess the cops around here just don't enforce that law?

depends on how much of a dick the cop feels like being. been pulled over twice. wasnt mentioned either time. ive had it off since i got the car. very first thing i did when i got home from the dealer.

No they won't usually call you out unless they're just checking up on you or pull you over for other violations. I drove in Texas for at least 10 years w/ no front plate on various vehicles and got like 2 warnings the entire time both by DPS.

I've been driving around for 3 years in Texas without a front plate and I have clear corners. Never had a problem. I see it as a thing they might hit you with if you get pulled over for reckless driving or speeding. Did you gain the attention of the cop from the lights or from something else?

Ya I guess it was the tails being blacked out lol. But this is how it happened. We were waiting to turn left onto a three-lane street (I'm right behind the cop). The light finally turns green, and he goes into the far right lane at about 10mph on a 55mph road. So instead of just staying behind him, I decided to pass him in the middle lane like everyone else behind me ended up doing. As soon as I got infront of him he swerved over into my lane and got behind me to pull me over. The citations were for illegal side reflectors, no front license plate, and illegal tail light tint. So since two of those three charges are not visible from the front, it HAD to be the missing license plate that attracted him...or it might have been the tinted heads but he didn't even mention or cite that during our little 3 min discussion on what I did wrong...

At this point, I'm putting my license plate on the front (yeah! it'll look so stupid with my body kit); and the reflectors/corners, I'm changing from smoked to clear. But for the tails, does anybody know if this will be legal: leaving them completely smoked except for just the red brake circle part of the taillight? It wouldn't look to bad, plus it'll go with my red/black theme around the car...

I got pulled over on Highway 377 heading to Denton. I was in Flower Mound and I wasn't speeding AT ALL. He explained to me that the reason he pulled me over was specifically because I didn't have a front plate - he said that's all he was doing today. I told him because I see so many people drive without them that I assumed it was legal to do... but apparently I was wrong. Luckily he was real nice and just gave me a warning and told me to put it on. Needless to say I won't be driving down 377 to go to school anymore!

lol so you ain't gonna put it on??

dang, well i guess since i got a legit citation I'm going to. If I don't and I get caught again for the same thing, the fine is outrageous...so i ain't taken ANY chance

Nah probably not. If I end up getting a citation for it then I'll put it on, but I've driven around without one for almost a year and haven't been bothered by it. I see so many people without it that it just makes it silly for somebody to get pulled over JUST for that. And the only reason I got pulled over was because he just happened to be finishing up pulling over somebody else. Had he been in the middle of pulling the other guy over I would have been ok! :banghead:

In Texas the plate can be in the window but in the rx8 it sits at such an angle that the cops radar does not hit it correctly. here in texas they use the plates to get our speed. there usto be stickers you put on your plates that the radar would hit and that would work through the window but they dont use that anymore.

If I put it in the window, is it double-sided taped on to the window? Or does it just sit on the dash?