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Number plate in vinyl?
nitram38 - 11/9/07 at 09:29 PM

Will I get away with a vinyl letter number plate on my new nose of the F1-2 or does it have to have the white reflective back ground to be legal?


F1-2 mods
F1-2 mods


[Edited on 11/9/2007 by nitram38]


BenB - 11/9/07 at 09:38 PM

The police aren't usually that clued up on number plates especially on things like nosecones.
If you've got a normal car and put black and silver plates on it I think they might twig, on a nosecone you'll probably get away with "dodge" number plates.... I've had a few police officers checking my car out(!) and no complaints re number plates yet (adhesive black digits on white vinyl background).... you're probably more likely to get away with a motorbike style

Q123
ABC

than a teeny tiny

Q123 ABC

but both are strictly speaking illegal and you *could* get hauled over the coals for it (either by the police or @ MOT)....

Of course you could just get a normal numberplate made up, run over it, and carry it in the car "because it came off just 5 minutes ago and I'm now driving back home to get a new one made up to re-attach, officer"...


worX - 11/9/07 at 09:41 PM

I've done a couple thousand miles without a front one completely, and no bother - mind you I am touching my wooded desk as I type this!

Steve


RazMan - 11/9/07 at 09:46 PM

Your local sign shop will happily make a reflective vinyl numberplate in any size you need - mine is a scaled down version of the real thing


nitram38 - 11/9/07 at 09:47 PM

My nosecone is going to be painted in the flourescent orange/red like the rest of the car.
I was thinking of putting a white roundal on the front and sticking the number inside so it looks a bit like a race number.


Avoneer - 11/9/07 at 09:55 PM

Do it anyway you like.

I work at Court and am happy without a front plate (although I have one in the car and will do the just fell off sceanrio if required).

It's only a fine anyway so it's not the end of the world.

Pat...


RazMan - 11/9/07 at 10:00 PM

quote:
Originally posted by nitram38
My nosecone is going to be painted in the flourescent orange/red like the rest of the car.
I was thinking of putting a white roundal on the front and sticking the number inside so it looks a bit like a race number.


That might just draw attention to it - I would just leave it off if you can't mount a 'normalish' one.


stevebubs - 11/9/07 at 11:38 PM

quote:
Originally posted by BenB
you're probably more likely to get away with a motorbike style

Q123
ABC




That's what I would do as it's an almost obvious "I want to conform but the law is stupid and where the F#'£ do I put it?"


balidey - 12/9/07 at 06:51 AM

You could fit a normal sized number plate on the front of that bit of timber you have under the nose cone. Looks about the right size, maybe a bit off centre.


Sorry

On a serious note, that new nose really suits the car, and I would fit a stick on plate, the motorbike style as suggested above and hope you never get pulled on it as they aren't strictly legal, but it would look legal enough.


russbost - 12/9/07 at 07:23 AM

Martin
I have a standard plate attached to the front of the front wing (aerofoil), I believe to be legal it should be vertical, but I've not been stopped & it's never been queried tho' the plod have looked at the car at various charity events where it's been displayed. If you ever get stopped & nicked it's a £30 fine, no points so nothing to get too excited about. (Shame all fines aren't that Locost!)


BenB - 12/9/07 at 07:45 AM

I think it has to be mounted on the nearest-to-vertical bit of bodywork...


DaveFJ - 12/9/07 at 08:21 AM

there is an exception in the number plate rules that alows a smaller number plate on the front if the car was designed to use a smaller plate... as we all 'design' our front ends how we like it should be possible to argue that one!

The following is taken from the DVLA document on plate sizes and is what i will be quoting if and when i finally get to buy some plates!

quote:


Certain imported vehicles may be permitted to display number plates with smaller characters if:
The vehicle does not have European Community Whole Vehicle Type Approval
AND
The vehicle's construction/design cannot accomodate standard size number plates

Character Height 64mm
Character Width 44mm
Character Stroke 10mm
Space between characters 10mm



as opposed to:
quote:


Height 79mm
Width (except the figure 1 or letter l) 50mm
Stroke 14mm
Space between characters 11mm
Space between groups 33mm
Top, bottom and side margins (minimum) 11mm
Space between vertical lines 19mm




Not a lot difference but when it's all added up it works out quite noticeablely smaller.

for a 8 character plate I make that 15mm less on height and about 50mm less on width (obviously depending on the letters/numbers used)

[Edited on 12/9/07 by DaveFJ]

[Edited on 12/9/07 by DaveFJ]


balidey - 12/9/07 at 08:24 AM

Dare i say it..... do what they do on the Ariel Atom, not saying that you would dare to copy anything that they do

[Edited on 12/9/07 by balidey]


Toady1 - 12/9/07 at 08:25 AM

its one of those things ive 'still' not fitted since sva, and tht was last sep!


nitram38 - 12/9/07 at 12:23 PM

I do get attention from Mr Plod, but they don't pull me over because I think that they see the number plate.
I just don't want to give them the excuse.
There are reflective sticky plates on ebay, so I will put one on the nosecone about half way up.
balidey, it's not for the MotaLeira, it is for the F1-2.

Cheers Guys

[Edited on 12/9/2007 by nitram38]


andyps - 12/9/07 at 01:02 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Avoneer
Do it anyway you like.

I work at Court and am happy without a front plate (although I have one in the car and will do the just fell off sceanrio if required).

It's only a fine anyway so it's not the end of the world.

Pat...


And that could be very useful when you go to the Ackworth meet and pass the recently installed speed cameras on the road where the pub is as they are the Truvelo type which photograph you from the front....