Take a look at the Skene holder. It does have two holes required but they are vertical in the front so that the holes don't show. The Tow Hook mounting does obscure the front parking sensor. The Skene one can either have the plate in the centre of the front (in front of the cooling opening) or if you buy the medium one you can locate the plate a little higher up so as to not totally block the air intake to the central radiator if you have X51. See my avatar picture for how/where we located it.

 

+1 on the Skene. Has the ability to adjust high or low depending upon where you want it located. Pretty easy to mount but took me longer than the 10 minutes suggested on the web site

 

It says that the Skene is a NO hole mount but on the installation instructions it asks you to use 2 small self tapping screws... I mean that's fine, I'm just sayin.

I actually still like the Tow Hook install, however SnowCzar brought up a good point that it blocks one of the parking sensors... Hmmm. How about a hole the size of the parking sensor in the license plate directly in front of the sensor?

A little sanding and finishing of the edge of the hole with some similar touch up paint, and Bob's your uncle...

Lame or cool...?

 

If you drill a hole in the front license plate here in BC you could get a ticket for modifying the plate! Also, I think the "eye" of the parking sensor needs wider field of view than would be allowed by drilling the hole.

 

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions and comments to try and keep me out of some Texas jail for running around without a front license plate.

During the past fourteen months of going without a front plate, I have been looking at different front plate mounts. I have already decided that I do not like the looks of the plate being off center, so this kind of rules out the tow hook mount which is probably the easiest, strongest and best choice. This appears to leave four choices: Skene, Bell, the hide-a-way or drilling the bumper.

Drilling the bumper is certainly out as well as the hide-a-way bracket as I would drag it off within a week.

The Skene mount appears to, perhaps, be the best of the center mounts, but being the cheap guy I am, I have about decided to go with the Bell Automotive front bracket. At Bell Automotive's website, there is a review that states the bracket works on a 911, although it might not apply to a 991, nevertheless it is a recent review?
http://www.bellautomotive.com/Licens...-1-46230-8.htm

I will give Bell a call Monday, meanwhile maybe someone who has used the Bell bracket will post their experiences with it.

Again, thanks to all of you and if I go with Bell, I will post my opinion of it.

With kindest regards,

Billy

 

Front License Plate solution for a 911 with parking sensors.

My first post in these forums. I've looked through these forums and searched the net without success for some way to reluctantly (a) mount the front plate (it's now required in Texas, as of 2014 - $200 fine), and happily (b) not drill holes in the pristine bodywork of my 2012 Carrera S Cabrio. Since it has the parking proximity sensors in front, the tow hook method won't work - the plate blocks the sensor.

I considered some means of mounting it to the 'grill fin' in front of the radiator, but like many on this forum, I REALLY didn't like the look of the offset mount, and did not want to hinder cooling air flow to the radiator. And it would probably still have tripped the proximity sensor. Honestly, if I didn't have the sensor issue, I'd have gone with the tow hook offset.

My center mount solution was pretty simple. It uses wooden D-shaped spacers mounted to the Front Insert with 1/8 x 4" toggle bolts. And it works like a charm, if you are the least bit handy. 30 - 45 minutes tops. After I run it at Circuit of the Americas, I'll report back on stability at speed.

I bought the "wide-H" shaped 'genuine Porsche' license bracket online with its nylon 'nuts' for the license plate screws. You could use other brackets. The long oval, solid, black plastic Front Insert (the 'opening' above chin spoiler) where a normal low radiator grill would be has nothing behind it for a couple of inches. If you wish to remove it to do the install using normal machine bolts, you can -- I opted to (a) use 1/8" x 4" toggle bolts to do a blind install from the front with the toggles.

By trial and error with 3 x 5 cards - try, trim, try, trim, try, etc., I used the final 3x5 card template (I will provide a jpg) to cut out two identical, D-shaped pieces of 3/4" thick pine about 2 3/4 deep, by 4 1/4 tall, and checked and rechecked the shape to fit well back into the Front Insert, sanding here and there. The wood spacer block pieces were then painted flat black. If you are inclined you could turn the template over to a CNC shop and have them mill them out of magnesium, aluminum, etc. I stayed with wood. Bent aluminum angles might have worked. A couple of "U" shaped channel pieces might have if you can find the correct dimension.

The Porsche license bracket has two sets of holes pressed into it. One set, (the one I used) was just under 5" apart. The wide set was around 7" apart.

You need to drill a 3/16 hole all the way through the pine spacers, edge to edge, from the front edge of the D to the back in the direction of the short dimension. Then lay out the install points in the Front Insert the same width apart as the Porsche bracket holes - this step can use an extra set of hands. Place the two D-shaped pieces in the correct position so the holes match those in the license plate bracket. Using an icepick or some such, push it through the two drilled holes to leave a dimple on the back surface of the Front Insert to mark where to drill. you could mount the bracket and therefore the plate higher than my example by drilling the hole above the location shown on the template. You could also shorten the front-to-back dimension to pull the plate closer to the bodywork as you can see in the middle photo.

CAREFULLY, drill a 3/8" hole to pass through the toggles at your dimples without pushing the bit much. Let it just slowly chew through the relatively soft plastic. Try one of the 'toggles' to make sure it goes through the hole readily. Assemble the toggle bolts through the bracket, through the D-shaped block, and thread on the toggle loosely.

Press the assembly into place, push the toggles into the holes, making sure the toggles pop open, pull the bracket toward to you to trap the toggles against the back of the Front Insert, and tighten the bolts. Check spacing behind and below license plate screws, add washers, bumpers, etc if needed -- mine didn't -- and mount license plate.

Thumb nose at LEO's eye-balling your front end.*

Options: Leave the spacer blocks flat black. Wrap the spacer blocks in shiny silver 'duct tape'. Or, go for another color! Match your bodywork paint. I wrapped the front 2" of the black blocks in shiny duct tape -- looks just like chrome - leaving the back 3/4 flat black where they met the black plastic. You can add double sided rubber tape to the rear of the spacer blocks, or you can use a marine adhesive or silicon to adhere it to the Front Insert along the back edge for some added strength. Buy a new black plastic Front Insert, and if the opportunity comes that you can do away with the front plate, or for resale, you can pop out the drilled one and pop in the clean new one.

* The template I have actually has the plate tilted forward slightly as you can see in the middle photo, to reflect anything bounced off of it down toward the pavement. You can trim the front of the spacer block to position the plate vertically. CAREFUL with license plate mounting screws being long enough to reach bodywork!! Use washers to space plate forward for clearance.

Hope it is of some use to ya'll.

Barrett
Austin, TX

 

I just ordered the Skene bracket. I have the tow hook mount on my 928 GTS and think it looks odd off to one side. The center mount looks so much more balanced to me. Also in Texas, it's cheaper than the $200.00 fine.

 

I think that is a decent solution, as well. But it will still require drilling some holes -- that you could also eliminate in the future with a new front insert to replace the drilled version on the 911, at least. Don't know on the 928.

 

I had this very plate holder on my 997 and loved it. One problem - they may have solved it by now, but when I needed to make this same call - the US Mill Works version did not work with car's with front park assist - it blocked one of the sensors. With deep regret, I had no choice other than to drill a plate mount to the front bumper. Perhaps they fixed it or you don't have front park assist. Just check it out before you pay.

 

I think that is a decent solution, as well. But it will still require drilling some holes -- that you could also eliminate in the future with a new front insert to replace the drilled version on the 911, at least. Don't know on the 928.


Agree, but the holes are on the bottom side of the center opening and cannot be seen unless your laying on the ground. I'm ok with holes in that location.

 

Seems like they could conceive a means to mount a front American plate that leaves no marks in the body work, but I agree that if only the underside is drilled, that is a good solution, as long as there isn't anything important right behind the drilled surface! Glad you've got a good solution.

 

What police intelligence?? J/k

 

I have a friend that mounted his remote plate in the front bumper......it's very clever!!

 

I bought one and yeah it won't work with PA, but I don't drive with it usually.. Only just put it on when parking at the airport or some public place where they like to ticket you... So the US MILL works works quite well..

I know it varies by states, but I've haven't had a front plate on a car in CA, since about 1985.. I just never put them on and have never once been stopped for it.. But parking tickets.. oh yeah that's revenue. they love to get you on that.. So pulling it out to the trunk and screwing it in works well for me..

 

I've seen old cars and SUVs without holes ever drilled in to front bumper yet folks get bullied (especially with nicer cars) to put front license plate. Is it optional or real deal to put front license plate in California? I lived in Michigan with no front plate and then Texas both needed but kinda confusing here!