Living in California where a front licens plate is mandatory (been ticketed twice for not having it on my Element. I finally caved and put the ugly beast on front bumper), and looking at a bunch of pictuers of various hybrid sedans, I'm left wondering if having the .5 sq. ft. flat surface of a front plate will significantly affect the car's aerodynamics? Could it slightly affect FE?


Any thoughts and comments on this issue?

Currently:
2003 Honda Element SLMEX4WDAuto

By March:
2006 Honda Civic Hybrid MP

"Having the potential to accomplish great things without having actually accomplished them is worthless. What did you accomplish today?"

Any time you ad surface area to anything in an airsteam, you are going to suffer some type of drag. Whether it will change your FE is very doubtfull. on an Indy car at 200 miles per hour maybe, but not on a street car at 60.

Wanna make up for the very slight (if any at all) affect your front plate will have on FE? Go on a diet.

<Best Tank Economy!><Best Tank Endurance!>

bleh. i guess i just hate the way the front plate screws the lines over on a car...

Currently:
2003 Honda Element SLMEX4WDAuto

By March:
2006 Honda Civic Hybrid MP

"Having the potential to accomplish great things without having actually accomplished them is worthless. What did you accomplish today?"

Me too. I came from VA where a front plate is mandatory, to AZ where no front plate is required. I love the looks sans front plate.

What I think is funny is all those cars running around without a front plate, but still have the plate holder screwed into the bumper. They don't even have a novelty plate! Just a big open space.

I've removed the plate holder from our Escape when we bought it. Don't know why it was installed. The one for the HAH was in it's plastic bag in the trunk when we bought it. Both are sitting on a shelf in our garage now.

Going on a diet may not make any difference in FE for a four wheel vehicle, but it sure makes your lap times faster when you're on a motorcycle! It's funny when one guy will spend thousands of dollars on lighter aftermarket parts just to shave one second on his lap time while another guy will just lose a few pounds around the waist and shave that same second.

<Best Tank Economy!><Best Tank Endurance!>

Wait a minute... you're driving a boxy looking vehicle and you're complaining about the license plate breaking up the lines??

<Best Tank Economy!><Best Tank Endurance!>

Even though front plates aren't issued here, my dealer puts a plate holder on all its cars -- and fills it with an advertising plate for the dealer! They also put a dealer frame on the rear plate.

Lots of folks in these parts like to have novelty front plates plugging their alma mater, favorite pro sports team, etc. In fact, most malls have kiosk shops that specialize in fancy front plates -- kind of a cottage industry.

For the record, Arizona required front plates until ~15 years ago. Noticed the change in '94 when I visited an old college friend in Tucson. She said the law had been changed a couple of years before.

Hi All;

Thank goodness that Tn. does not require a front license plate.

As you have pointed out, they are so Ugly


No-Plate;

Terry

And it's a good aiming point for police laser. The next preferred area is a headlight assembly.

<Best Tank Economy!><Best Tank Endurance!>

Mine came with a rear plate frame with the dealer name on it. Not that I don't like the dealer, but I'd prefer not to advertise for it. I removed it promptly after returning home from purchasing my car. I've been eyeing the GH plate frame though. I may get one of those. I just wish it was silver with black lettering...


What's even worse is the dealers that put a decal on the back of the car! It's so hard to scrape those off without scratching the paint.

<Best Tank Economy!><Best Tank Endurance!>