How do you aeromod a boatail in states that prohibit the licence plate covered?

[Chuck.]

Ideally, I'd like to do a boatail that has the licence plate encased in the clear plastic part of the boatail.

Like a number of states, Texas seems to prohibit that. For toll stations to get a clear photoshot of a car, they want to make sure the plate holder/cover does not obscure the view....Texas law is pretty strict.

Open to ideas, but think I will have to leave the plate holder blunt and unaero, except maybe a small spoiler above it.

[Sven7]

My suggestion: encase it in a clear plastic part of the boattail, but make this part on the bottom so the bright sky reflections don't "obscure" the plate. The law says you can have something covering the plate as long as it's still easily readable.

As long as you don't have blurry plastic or bright reflections over the plate you should be fine. Of course this is all subjective, too, so if the cop feels like it he/she could presumably write you up. (And you easily get it dismissed in traffic court)

I've gotten pulled over twice for license plate violations. The cop asks me a couple questions etc, I act innocent and be polite, they go look up my clean driving record and let me go (and then I go home and fix the plate). If your record is clean don't worry about it.

[jimepting]

Originally Posted by Chuck.

Ideally, I'd like to do a boatail that has the licence plate encased in the clear plastic part of the boatail.

Like a number of states, Texas seems to prohibit that. For toll stations to get a clear photoshot of a car, they want to make sure the plate holder/cover does not obscure the view....Texas law is pretty strict.

Open to ideas, but think I will have to leave the plate holder blunt and unaero, except maybe a small spoiler above it.

I'd not worry about having a small area transom at the rear on which to mount an uncovered license plate. The last 20 percent or so of a well designed full boattail is mostly worthless, so the flat end has no consequences. This was verified by Liebold in designing the Mercedes-Benz C 111 speed record car (Hucho, 4th Edition, p165), and by Phill Knox's work.

See this site for a discussion:

Honda Insight Tail Extension Project

The Dave Cloud ultra streamline is pretty and probably near perfect, but the last 20 % is probably near worthless. There are a wide variety of other issues with a boat tail taken all the way to the pointed end. The ref. site discusses much of this.

[Cd]

Or you could just mount the plate at an angle.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by Chuck.

Ideally, I'd like to do a boatail that has the licence plate encased in the clear plastic part of the boatail.

Open to ideas, but think I will have to leave the plate holder blunt and unaero, except maybe a small spoiler above it.

Chop off the boattail at 70 to 80 %.
That should give you ample space to put the licence plate.
A good, sudden separation (i.e. no curves) at the end of the shortened boattail will be OK.

It'll be a lot more practical by being a good bit shorter, and those last 20-30 % won't improve the aerodynamics much anyway.

[Sven7]

Originally Posted by Cd

Or you could just mount the plate at an angle.

The kind of angle you'd need to maintain attached flow could get you into trouble. Ask me how I know.

[Thymeclock]

Originally Posted by Sven7

My suggestion: encase it in a clear plastic part of the boattail, but make this part on the bottom so the bright sky reflections don't "obscure" the plate. The law says you can have something covering the plate as long as it's still easily readable.

Not in NY, you can't. I got a ticket for that while my car was parked on the street. They don't allow anything, whether clear or not, over a license plate. Better check your state laws first. It's easier to just slap the plate on after you are through with the aeromods.

[Sven7]

^^^ I just checked his state laws, which are the link I included in the post. It's legal to have something over the plate as long as it doesn't obscure it. Please READ before you reply!!
As far as NY, I can't find anything online regarding license plate mounting statutes. except for their need to be lit at night. This seems to be the place to find it though. http://www.nysorva.org/documents/vtl...e3Article9.htm

[Thymeclock]

Originally Posted by Sven7

^^^ I just checked his state laws, which are the link I included in the post. It's legal to have something over the plate as long as it doesn't obscure it. Please READ before you reply!!
As far as NY, I can't find anything online regarding license plate mounting statutes. except for their need to be lit at night. This seems to be the place to find it though. http://www.nysorva.org/documents/vtl...e3Article9.htm

Unfortunately, you are misinformed; and it benefits no one to broadcast inaccurate information.

When it got the ticket I looked up the section of NYS law that was cited. The citation was accurate. To the parking cop it was like 'shooting fish in a barrel'. The law states you can't have anything covering a license plate in this state. I paid the ticket and removed the clear plastic plate protector. If they were wrong, I would have fought it. But they were right in that there is a law on the books against it.

Case closed. End of story.

[Frank Lee]

I don't get it, we are talking the rear plate right? Reasonable boat tails don't go to a complete point anyway so there is nothing un aero about mounting it conventionally.