Do you run a front plate?

[WickedM4]

If this was brought up before, you can ignore this but a search didn't turn up anything that jumped out at me.

How many of you run front plates?  Any harassment from the bacon-boys?  I haven't used one for a a couple years on my previous car and have been lucky so far (knock on wood) but I don't think I could bring myself to drilling into my bumper even if I did get pulled over for it on the F82. 

 

 

 

 

[jc43089]

I bought the "no plate" OE front trim piece on my e36 and never got pulled over for it in 6 years and it was never noticed or mentioned the one time I got pulled over for a tail light out.  If I were you I would not drill the bumper.  Maybe you have to pay a fine once in awhile but I wouldn't think you would get bothered much in a car like that.  But if you get stupid with an officer they might look for everything possible.

Just say there was nowhere to put it on this car, get a tow hook mount if you get a "fix it" ticket and need to get it inspected that you installed one.

[KaiserRolls]

I don't run one. Was pulled over for it. No ticket.

Gf doesn't run one. She was pulled over for it. No ticket

[WickedM4]

7 minutes ago, jc43089 said:

Just say there was nowhere to put it on this car, get a tow hook mount if you get a "fix it" ticket and need to get it inspected that you installed one.

Oh if I do get pulled over I plan to play stupid and say I bought the car out of state they didn't don't require them so they never offered it LOL .. don't know if it'll work but thats my story (which is legit, I did have to go out of state to find it) and I'm sticking too it. 

[B C]

I run a front plate because

I like to avoid any undue attention from Officer Friendly.

Like everyone else, I like the look of a car without an ugly US front plate but it doesnt affect my driving enjoyment.

Also: cant get pulled over in my own garage.

[B C]

Just say there was nowhere to put it on this car, get a tow hook mount if you get a "fix it" ticket and need to get it inspected that you installed one.

Oh if I do get pulled over I plan to play stupid and say I bought the car out of state they didn't don't require them so they never offered it LOL .. don't know if it'll work but thats my story (which is legit, I did have to go out of state to find it) and I'm sticking too it. 

Just tell him the front fell off

[Earl]

I don't run them and neither does the girlfriend. I never have any issues and haven't had it mentioned during any traffic incidences other than being pulled over in High School once in my then 87 Mazda B2200 for having no rear plate lights. 

[REKIII]

I don't run one on any of my vehicles.  Was pulled over once by a state in the e39. Gave me a warning, no fix it.  Depends how bored the cops are.

I will continue to refuse.  If I ever get a fix it, I'll install one using one of those tow hook mounts, go get it signed off, them promptly remove it.

[straight6pwr]

never have. got pulled over once (in 15 years) by a statey for it, just a verbal warning.

[m42b32]

Never had a front plate on any of my cars and I haven't had any issues. I think living in the Milwaukee area helps as the police have a lot more to do...

[B C]

People in Milwaukee dont run rear plates either and they seem to drive around just fine.

[i_love_cars]

yea fuck that. I've never run one and got pulled over once in my life specifically for that - got an equipment failure notice so I had to get it "fixed" which lasted for like 5 minutes once I had them sign off on the plate. 

My M3 does not have holes drilled in the bumper for the front plate, and if I ever get pulled over, I do have the JDM-Yo' plate hook that goes into the tow hook hole that the prior owner used because the NASA rent-a-cop threatened to report her to real cops if she didn't put the plate on. 

The retarded thing is that 50% of the states in this country already don't require a front plate. Why the rest don't just follow suit is beyond me. 

[wasnt m3]

I generally don't run a front plate on anything I have. The only exceptions are vehicles that I've had with front plate brackets that aren't easily removable. I have never been stopped for not running one and usually put on over 25k miles per year.

[KaiserRolls]

I believe WI was thinking about it for a while, to save money

[B C]

They would probably save 11%

[suspenceful]

I haven't ran a front plate on any of my cars since I got my license.

I was pulled for it in my Miata once. It was on a Friday night downtown and the officer said it was a good reason to pull me over to check for drunk driving. He could tell I was sober, gave me a verbal warning and I drove off.

I've also been pulled over for it in my 1 series - by state troopers each time. First time I just received a written warning. He also measured my tint and gave me a warning for that as well. The second time (different trooper), I was given a $200 ticket for it and got another written warning for window tint and loud exhaust. I paid the ticket and said fuck the police. Was pulled over a third time by the same previous trooper. He saw I still didn't have a front plate and this time wrote me a $300 ticket for front window tint. Gave a written warning for no front plate, rear window tint, and exhaust. I paid the tint ticket and said fuck the police again.

I have since bought a front tow-hook mount for a plate. I never use it but if I get another ticket, I'll mount it and go to court. I recently drove all the way to Texas and back without an issue.

My car is not loud. The tint is not that dark. 

[Jdesign]

I have been pulled over 3 times for it. 2 warnings and a fix it ticket. I only have a front plate on my daily. everything else I do not now. 

The one time that I got a ticket, I had to take a 10 min drive to the cop shop and zip tied the plate on and a they dismissed it. I cut the zip ties and drove away LOL.

[REKIII]

The reason the state would get rid of the plate is to save funds.  It would cut the cost of plates (for them) in half.

The police are very against getting rid of it  The reason they tell us is to more easily identify stolen cars.  If a car doesn't have a front plate, they assume it's stolen, because thieves only bother to steal a rear plate then ditch the front plate.....OK.  The REAL reason they want to keep front plates is because it is a perfect spot to bounce the radar/laser off your car.  9 times out of 10, if you get pulled over for no front plate it's because they couldn't get a decent radar of your speed and they are butthurt about it.

[patsbimmer1]

I haven't been pulled over for no front plate since I started driving BMW's and I never put one on my wife's Volvo.  With my 240sx I was pulled over frequently but it was typically something that was tacked on to the exhaust ticket.

16 hours ago, REKIII said:

The reason the state would get rid of the plate is to save funds.  It would cut the cost of plates (for them) in half.

The police are very against getting rid of it  The reason they tell us is to more easily identify stolen cars.  If a car doesn't have a front plate, they assume it's stolen, because thieves only bother to steal a rear plate then ditch the front plate.....OK.  The REAL reason they want to keep front plates is because it is a perfect spot to bounce the radar/laser off your car.  9 times out of 10, if you get pulled over for no front plate it's because they couldn't get a decent radar of your speed and they are butthurt about it.

Please don't tell me you actually believe that's how those systems work. 

[WickedM4]

Thanks for all the replies, I feel a little safer that I'm not going to get dicked with for no plate .. fingers are crossed. 

[REKIII]

4 hours ago, patsbimmer1 said:

I haven't been pulled over for no front plate since I started driving BMW's and I never put one on my wife's Volvo.  With my 240sx I was pulled over frequently but it was typically something that was tacked on to the exhaust ticket.

Please don't tell me you actually believe that's how those systems work. 

Do enlighten me, please share how laser and radar systems work.  You better fvcking say that it works with some technology other than sending a signal out to a moving object and getting the signal back then measuring the time difference between cycles.

[suspenceful]

3 minutes ago, REKIII said:

Do enlighten me, please share how laser and radar systems work.  You better fvcking say that it works with some technology other than sending a signal out to a moving object and getting the signal back then measuring the time difference between cycles.

I'm also curious because I was told the same thing about using the front plate to reflect radar.

[patsbimmer1]

55 minutes ago, REKIII said:

Do enlighten me, please share how laser and radar systems work.  You better fvcking say that it works with some technology other than sending a signal out to a moving object and getting the signal back then measuring the time difference between cycles.

It's exactly that but the doppler system used has zero reliance on the material its tracking to be effective.  Whether you have a metal plate on the front of your car has zero to do with the fact that you are driving a large object.  Now, where radar does fail is if you are driving in a close group of cars.  Radar cannot "lock on" very accurately, which again makes the idea that a small metal plate has any effect on it's efficiency ridiculous.

LIDAR operates in a similar manner but has the ability to narrow its sight and target specific vehicles.  Again, not limited by the material its tracking.

[straight6pwr]

well, I have to agree that a front plate certainly isn't the key factor for a cop getting your speed with his gun. I've never had a front plate, but the 'radar speed signs' always know exactly how fast I drive past them. pretty conclusive evidence to me.

[Andrew]

I haven't been running a front plate on the 30, but I think this thread might be convincing me to run a front plate since at least half the people who've responded have been pulled over for it.  I don't need to be rolling probable cause.

I just want to say that Doppler does not imply RADAR or LIDAR or any particular part of the electromagnetic system.  It's just an effect.  It is an effect that can be observed with multiple types of waves light, sound ect.  Also, a nice flat metal plate on the front of your car is probably pretty good at reflecting back a RADAR signal, probably LIDAR too.