License Plate Frame mounting on standard license plate frame?

[minig0d]

So... I realize that most manufacturers sell brackets for their lights... I've also seen the one guy who made his own bracket out of a $2 bracket from Lowes... but what I'm wondering is (barring states that its illegal to have one), is there any reason people don't buy something like one of these and mount the lights directly to it? (I mean metal ones can be purchased for $10 and plastic for $5)... much cheaper than the MFG brackets, and it may look pretty clean? Most of the newer lightheads are less than an inch tall so they would fit and blend in pretty easily... Just wondering if anyone has done it and if so/no why or why not do it? Obviously if you have room in the LP opening of the vehicle to extend them outwards horizontally you get better spacing, but many vehicles with recessed LP openings there isn't enough room to extend out horizontally... So are there any other problems with this method that I'm missing?


On something like this mount two lights horizontally side by side on the bottom? (and you could probably get a third one on the top if you wanted)





Or on something like this maybe one on the top of the plate and one on the bottom (horizontally)

 

[SirenWorld.com]

So... I realize that most manufacturers sell brackets for their lights... I've also seen the one guy who made his own bracket out of a $2 bracket from Lowes... but what I'm wondering is (barring states that its illegal to have one), is there any reason people don't buy something like one of these and mount the lights directly to it? (I mean metal ones can be purchased for $10 and plastic for $5)... much cheaper than the MFG brackets, and it may look pretty clean? Most of the newer lightheads are less than an inch tall so they would fit and blend in pretty easily... Just wondering if anyone has done it and if so/no why or why not do it? Obviously if you have room in the LP opening of the vehicle to extend them outwards horizontally you get better spacing, but many vehicles with recessed LP openings there isn't enough room to extend out horizontally... So are there any other problems with this method that I'm missing?

On something like this mount two lights horizontally side by side on the bottom? (and you could probably get a third one on the top if you wanted)


View attachment 52738


Or on something like this maybe one on the top of the plate and one on the bottom (horizontally)


View attachment 52739

You could do it... only issue I think you might have is routing the wire around. The brackets usually offset the lights from the plate to where you can navigate the wiring without pinching, whereas these would be right up against it.

 

[twodogs603]

The only problem with those frames is they sometimes block part of the license plate, which is a big no no...But if it doesnt, it would work.

 

[minig0d]

You could do it... only issue I think you might have is routing the wire around. The brackets usually offset the lights from the plate to where you can navigate the wiring without pinching, whereas these would be right up against it.

Most of those covers are convex (they are hollow on the back) so I think there would be enough room to get the thin led wires around it...

 

[minig0d]

The only problem with those frames is they sometimes block part of the license plate, which is a big no no...But if it doesnt, it would work.

Is this for some particular reason that people are afraid to obscure any part of the plate? or just to comply with state laws regarding covering part of the plate?


I know for a while people were freaking out about TX's law and license plate frames... but then the law was changed to basically say that the plate numbers can't be obscured and the state's name of registration has to be at least HALFWAY visible... this is in the latest version of the TX transportation code 502.409... so I think they would be OK (I'd have to line one up on the plate to double check, but my current frame doesn't obscure any of the state)... and TX and Louisiana plates both have the state name at the top (currently) so one of those plate covers that covers only the bottom of the plate (below the numbers) would be perfectly acceptable (but I'd much rather mount the lights at the top where they are less visible should the frame like that be legal)...


I'm not familiar with other states Laws besides LA/TX but are other states really that bad about license plate frames? I can't imagine a plate like these covers more than say like the Feniex LP bracket:

 

[foxtrot5]

Rumor has it that a "partially obscured plate" is grounds for a stop when the officer doesn't otherwise have probably cause but really wants to pull someone over...


Personally I've got nothing to hide and I think that as long as it's obvious you're not trying to disguise the identity of the vehicle it shouldn't be a problem. And yet it is a problem...

 

[minig0d]

Rumor has it that a "partially obscured plate" is grounds for a stop when the officer doesn't otherwise have probably cause but really wants to pull someone over...

Personally I've got nothing to hide and I think that as long as it's obvious you're not trying to disguise the identity of the vehicle it shouldn't be a problem. And yet it is a problem...

Personally as long as it doesn't appear that you are intentionally or effectively accidentailly concealing the state name or plate number, I could really care less... TX's latest update revised the law to say only plate number and half of the word TX needs to be visible... Louisiana, plate technically can't be covered at all... so other state's I'm sure are all over the spectrum as well

 

[7d9_z28]

Those cheap plate surrounds can also rattle alot. The one with 4 holes might not, but not all cars have 4 holes for mounting a plate. Just a thought.

 

[arsenal10]

I vote for...no warning lights on or around plates. Isn't emergency warning about creating a large foot print? Never been a fan of plate lighting, unless its intersection warning on an intersection bracket.

 

[minig0d]

Those cheap plate surrounds can also rattle alot. The one with 4 holes might not, but not all cars have 4 holes for mounting a plate. Just a thought.

Yeah my car has two. So I'd definitely have to get the style with the solid bottom strip. I never buy the cheap plastic ones bc they rattle. The metal ones you throw a piece of adhesive foam weatherstrip behind it and when you crank down on the top screws no rattle at all. I do this even with no plate frame since plates often rattle on cars with 2 holes.

 

[minig0d]

I vote for...no warning lights on or around plates. Isn't emergency warning about creating a large foot print? Never been a fan of plate lighting, unless its intersection warning on an intersection bracket.

Lol and that's funny bc I am one of them who questions the effectiveness of the front lp intersection brackets. I don't think a rear plate is the best place for lights in general to create a large footprint. But in some vehicles there is a lack of places for other appropriate warning so it becomes a good place.


In the end I didn't mount my lights there. On my car the recessed plate area was just going to create too much hassle. If I had a car with a larger lp opening or if my state name was on the bottom of the plate I wouldn't hesitate to mount another set there.