questiioooonnnn...

for those of you with states requiring a front license plate, where is yours? a friend of mine with an rx7 came in and warned me that where they placed mine could cause serious issues, he said it's right over the air intake. then he clarified, that is the case with his rx7 and he wasn't sure about the 8, but wanted to warn me anyway.

he also said if you just take the damn thing off, you won't really get stopped for it- he's had his off for years.

anyway, what about anyone else? thoughts?

 

If the plate is where I think it is (don't have them in PA ), that is, the upper part of the grille, that area of the grille is solid so no air gets in there anyway. Take a flashlight and check it out.

On the other hand, I ran a Miata in MD without the front plate for 4 years. Got one ticket issued by a state trooper who I think was just looking for this very thing. Cost me $40 for 4 years. A very small price to pay for having a nice clean front end.

 

Have gone without front plates in Texas for over 25 years. Even when I have been stopped, nobody has mentioned that there was no front plate attached.

 

nice. thanks. maybe i'll just take it off anyway and also hope that no nasty holes were drilled into anything

 

The dealer put mine on with the plates and it has not heated up at all with 100 F+ days. If I had a choice I would not put on, it spoiles the look of the front of the car!

 

I took my bracket off as soon as I got home, and keep the extra plate in the trunk. No problem in Illinois since I moved here 3 years ago. I agree- it really spoils the look of the front end.

 

I am not looking forward to having to use a front plate on my car. NJ sux. Got hit tons of times by local 5/0 for not having one on my truck.

 

Torrent "Best Motoring Internation (BMI) "Enduro Race".

In round 1 the rx8 had no front plate. In round 2, they put the front plates on all the cars. The rx8 started overheating within 2 laps. (10-15F Temp diffential in the coolant temps)

Feel free to snag, buy, or rent the video.

Remember that stock gauges have a huge dead range...and even if the gauge isn't moving, your car can still be running hot enough for the pcm to retard your timing and suck away valuable horsepower.

In the 6, even with our crazy grill openings all over the place...if our coolant temp raises just 5F above normal, the car retards timing by 10%, and causes an instant 10 whp loss. If you get about 15F above normal, its a 20% retard.

 

i live in VA and am really tempted to take my fronts off, I probably will soon, but do keep in mind, that it is not a moving violation= i.e, a regular, walking meter cop can ticket you for not having the front plate (at least that is how it is in Arlington, VA). Also- if there's one thing that i can think is the ONLY good part about the front plate is that it acts as an extra 'bumper' if you will, as it protrudes outwards, and can be the only thing between you and that idiot who parallel parks his minivan infront of you in the city.

 

i got pulled over last weekend going 72 in a 55 mph zone. the state trooper also noted that i didn't have my front tag. i just told him the truth, "i don't like it ruining the look of the front", he said "yea, i understand. atleast put it underneath the windshield". got a ticket for speeding, but no ticket for the tag. the cops don't pull you over just b/c you don't have a tag in the front.

 

I disagree with your last statement. The MD state trooper who stopped me informed me that this was the reason he stopped me. I certainly felt that he was looking for cars without front plates.

 

There shouldn't be any holes if they installed it correctly, my bracked had two pegs that went through the black plastic grille and all I did was put a nut on the back, I can take it off whenever and not have any marks

 

Same thing happened to me while I was driving my MX-3. I only had the front plate off for 2 days and got stopped by a Baltimore County cop just because of that.

Btw, just thought I'd say hello to everyone. I still own the MX, but I've been looking at RX-8's for a couple months now. I hope to have one by the summer. Thanks for all the great information!

Hank

 

well...some cops just don't have anything better to do.

i had a Howard Co. cop follow me around for 10 mins. to see if i put on my seat belt. ******* :D