looking for feedback on mounting the front plate inside the air flow area tight to the grill, will this harm the car? I live in Minnesota and front plates are required(have already paid a c-note ticket), however I can not stand the look of the front plate installed with the factory bracket. Any feedback will be greatly appreciated. Dacdat1 .

 

No it should be fine. Ive seen a few people do it. Besides, I doubt there will be any oveheating issues in Minnesota.

Oh yeah, they also make a aftermarket front plate mount. It kind of mounts it on an angle, but its still in the same spot as the factory.

 

You might take a look at this:

Rick's aftermarket front plate holder

There are also those who have mounted the plate up in the grill area. Being in Minnesota, I wouldn't think that cooling would be an issue for you. In hotter parts of the country, I'm not so sure although it may not be an issue anyway. Someone with more experience than me will have to answer that one for you.

Good luck,
Steve R.

 

My car with the Ricks2k.com (BYS clone) front plate holder:

 

Don't use the factory bracket, or any bracket. Just bolt the plate directly to the bumper, using the threaded holes. That's what I do, and it looks about as good as it can with a plate.

Denis

 

Do a search. Many people have done it, while some have reported overheating problems. Here are some random old threads on this topic:

Front license plate mounting in grill

License plate on front grill...good or bad?

Licence Plates Insert in the grill. ?

Motorized front license plate

Another Possible Front License Plate Solution

Damn front license plate........

It just goes on and on ... This topic comes up every other month and so there's been a lot of old discussions about it. Good luck.

 

My vote go to Rick's plate holder(if I have to). The angle will forces the wind to go into the air duct. Mount the plate in the air duct makes it look as flat as you mount it on the factory bracket infront of the car.

Just my $0.02.

 

I have had my license plate zip-tied to my grille since I first got my car, and that's been almost 2 years. My temp gauge has never read above 3 bars, and I live in Central Ohio.

First, I took a pair of tin snips and cut a little off the top and bottom (approx. 1/4" total) of the plate so that it wouldn't scratch the bumper. Then I filed the edge to remove burrs and took a thin strip of black duct tape and covered the edge all around. I took two long black zip-ties and looped them vertically through the screw holes behind the grille. It has been like that ever since.

Think about what causes a car to overheat: sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic with the A/C cranked up on a 100 degree day. You're not going to overheat while cruising down the highway. Your electric fan will kick in when your radiator needs more air. The worst that can happen is that your fan will kick in a little more often.

 

I hope you're not getting sick of me posting pics of my car. They're getting boring and I really ought to take some new ones. Anyways, here's mine.

 

^looks like a buck tooth