front license plate mounting?

I got two of these --> slcasner says it fits 1.5/2.0 Removable front license plate bracket

I'm in WA state also, I haven't mounted these yet, I've just been lazy and putting my license on my dash for now until the weather gets hot, or a cop complains.

This is funny... My Roadster came from Washington, I had it shipped down here to Texas. It didn't come with any front license bracket -- I assumed because WA didn't require a front plate.

Texas has always required a front plate, but for several years it was effectively not enforced because a legal mistake had set the fine at $0. Recently our wonderful legislature corrected that and re-introduced the fines. So... I reckon I'd better get one. I'm headed to the service center in Austin next week to have the official bracket put on.

My car is a 2.5, which I think mounts the bracket in a better way. For the 1.5-2.0 front end, you probably ought to look into those slcasner brackets.

I have a spare mounting bracket that I'm not using - it's yours if you want it. It's the original Tesla bracket that came with my car - I've since replaced it with a custom mount that drops the plate in front of the vent grill instead of on the nose. PM me if you're interested.

rdstr said:

so I decided to do some more research and found this on the web: http://fasttoys.net/shop/FTP-Lotus-Elise-and-Exige-No-Drill-License-Plate-Mount/ let me know what you guys think of this option!

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That will likely not work, as the tow screw threads are different size than the Elise. Reason I know this is I had custom tow hook made from a guy who did Elises and I've verified they have different thread sizes.

I just received a mount from here: http://moweraxle.com/licenseplatebrackets/othermakesmodelcars.html (scroll to the bottom of the page).

It looks very good. Solidly made, and they shipped it in just a couple of days. I haven't been able to mount it yet (my Roadster is in transit this week), but plan to put this on as soon as it arrives.

rdstr said:

so I decided to fabricate a mount myself from some light gauge steel that I bent to form a channel that surrounds the tow hook, and secured it to the hook with a sandwich-cookie approach and 2 screws clamping it around the hook. Then I got a nice piece of heavy plastic mounting at Walmart and attached it to the bracket with 2 screws. I used regular hardware to attach a license plate and frame and for less than $5 I have a very secure, flat black painted bracket that can be easily unscrewed and removed. I attached a pic and a 'crude' drawing to show what I did. If anyone wants to do this it works and looks great! (I think)

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Nice work! Could you do the same thing in aluminum to save weight?

I remember almost choking when I picked up my new Roadster and watched while they drilled 2 holes in the black plastic grill to hold the bracket. I cringed and looked away until they were done.

I've driven mine for almost two years with no front plate in Ohio and Minnesota (two plate states)... I keep my second plate under the drivers seat to display on the dash when parking on the street... no tickets yet!

What's more important to me at the moment is how to mount my EZ Pass transponder. My front plate bracket is already mounted and I don't want to drill any more holes. It has to be outside the car because the solar-guard windshield blocks the signal, and you can't put it under a body panel that's carbon fiber. The plate frame has a message on it that I don't want to block. As it is the front plate increases aerodynamic drag so I don't want to hang it off the plate in a way that makes it bigger.

hcsharp said:

What's more important to me at the moment is how to mount my EZ Pass transponder. My front plate bracket is already mounted and I don't want to drill any more holes. It has to be outside the car because the solar-guard windshield blocks the signal, and you can't put it under a body panel that's carbon fiber. The plate frame has a message on it that I don't want to block. As it is the front plate increases aerodynamic drag so I don't want to hang it off the plate in a way that makes it bigger.

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Is there a motorcycle EZ Pass transponder in VT? If so, get one of those. In Colorado its a clear sticker with some white bits in it. It's designed to mount on a motorcycle headlight. I put mine on the top of the driver's side headlight. Most people don't even notice. I had to call up and argue with them to get it. The lady was convinced it would not work. Not sure what her thought process was. It works great. I can take a picture if you want.

hcsharp said:

What's more important to me at the moment is how to mount my EZ Pass transponder. My front plate bracket is already mounted and I don't want to drill any more holes. It has to be outside the car because the solar-guard windshield blocks the signal, and you can't put it under a body panel that's carbon fiber. The plate frame has a message on it that I don't want to block. As it is the front plate increases aerodynamic drag so I don't want to hang it off the plate in a way that makes it bigger.

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Were there different windshield options? I don't have any trouble with my toll tag mounted to my windshield.

Check out this thread: http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/38178-Removable-front-license-plate-bracket

I paid $60 for it late last year, and picked it up as he is local to me. He'll charge you $15 to ship it. I have a 2.0 and it fits perfectly. I'm sure it'll fit a 1.5 too, but not so sure about the 2.5. You can contact him at: [email protected]

Thank's to ChadS's ingenuity, I just used zip-ties to attach it to the front grille, tucked away to the left.

supersnoop said:

Were there different windshield options? I don't have any trouble with my toll tag mounted to my windshield.

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Solar Guard windshield was a $400 option, to keep the cabin cooler. I ordered it after reading about the dismal AC reports on this forum. But after a few mods by Tesla, I'm happy to say the AC works great.

xytor said:

Thank's to ChadS's ingenuity, I just used zip-ties to attach it to the front grille, tucked away to the left.

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Illegal in my state. Have to use actual screws.

I never mount the front plate. It's like braces on a 18YO beauty. Not gonna do it! I'll happily pay the 20 bucks in CA to shut them up. Of course, now that I have said that....

VIN 55 arrived yesterday, and it only took a couple of minutes to install this mount that I got from http://moweraxle.com/licenseplatebrackets/othermakesmodelcars.html

Looks great, and can be adjusted up/down/left/right to any of 15 positions.