Miata Front License Plate holder

It looks like LA is going to enforce the front license plate law - I have no idea where my holder is and the plate won't simply bolt to the bumper (it looks like it must have an 'L' bracket on it and bolt to the underside of the bumper.)

Do you have any idea where I can get it?

Thanks -

Gary

: ... Do you have any idea where I can get it?

When I needed one, it was available at my local Mazda dealer. I think it was about $14.

Jerry & Serrano

I got one . Let me know what's it worth. plus shipping.

There are a couple 'folding' versions out there (folds down at speed) you might check out. I think I saw some info on miata.net.

The car definitely looks sweet w/o, too bad you're having to join most of the rest of us by installing.

Dagger

: : The car definitely looks sweet w/o, too bad you're having to join most of : the rest of us by installing.

The real reason they're required is as a radar target. Washington just recently replaced its existing reflectorized license plates with new SUPER reflectorized license plates, that work even better with the radar frequencies that are used here. All of us with perfectly good plates (mine were almost new) had to buy new ones all over again.

I'd gotten along without a front plate for a while (it was removed for me by a roll-up parking garage door where I work), but I could see the writing on the wall. Eventually I gave in and replaced the bracket and front plate.

My guess is, the first highway patrolman who tries to get a speed reading off a folded-down front plate is probably gonna stop the car and issue a ticket for it. They don't have much of a sense of humor around here.

Jerry & Serrano

Go to Lowe's or Home Depot & get a large hinge that's shaped like a 'T'. The top part of the T attaches to the plate and the bottom part of the T attaches to the underside of the bumper (where there's already a pre-drilled hole right in the center) or the top part of the open mouth (where there's also a central pre-drilled hole). OTOH, you can buy one specially made here: http://www.teammiata.com/TM305.htm

Later... Sonny & 'Bonnie' STO #679 - BEGI 4.2 turbo with Link

STO Registry - http://www.sonny2.com/

Maybe as a laser target, but they're insignificant as a radar target compared to the radiator, engine block, and the rest of the sheet metal.

Any metal is a darned good radar reflector. Unless they changed the shape to make it into a corner-reflector, there's no way to 'super-reflectorize' a license plate for radar.

The license plate is a good Lidar reflector, but negligible for radar. The large plastic front end piece of the Miata (and many other cars) is essentially transparent to radar; the bumper, radiator and its supports, and the engine provide plenty of relfection. (Incidentally, I've seen test showing that the slightly tinted plastic plate covers don't work well to 'stealth' you from Lidar).

The most obvious reason for double plates is for police to ID the car facing them, rather than alway having to turn around and follow. I still have the stock high-mount plate; its ugly but this is Ohio and the police are picky.

I have the fold-down bracket from Team Miata and don't mind the way it looks. We have 'Stop-Light Cameras' here in CA and I suspect that's a big part of why the state wants that front plate. It might also explain the new, brighter, reflectorized plates (for night pictures). Good, steady 'Revenue Stream' for the sub-humans in the state capitol.

Steve McMahon Green JRSC 2000LS

: : >: The car definitely looks sweet w/o, too bad you're having to : >join most of : the rest of us by installing. : > : >The real reason they're required is as a radar target. : : Maybe as a laser target, but they're insignificant as a radar : target compared to the radiator, engine block, and the rest of : the sheet metal.

You're probably right. I'm not familiar with the technologies used by the agencies in this area, and was speaking only in generic terms when I called it 'radar.' They could be monitoring Doppler shift, for all I know.

: Any metal is a darned good radar reflector. Unless they changed : the shape to make it into a corner-reflector, there's no way to : 'super-reflectorize' a license plate for radar.

Yeah, well, my 'SERRANO' vanity plates were only about 8 months old when I was required to buy brand new ones. They were nearly new, clearly visible, and with a highly reflectorized layer under the painted characters. The directive ordering me to replace them spoke of the even newer version of reflectorized plates they were to be replaced by.

The state surely didn't need me to 'upgrade' from what I already had in order to make them more visible to humans (in fact, to my eyes they look identical to the old plates), so I assumed that the reason for the higher-tech plates is to make them more easily readable by police sensors. They may very well be laser-based devices.

Jerry & Serrano

They are