Front License Plate Mounting Options -- A Summary

[mkhuffman]

I don't understand the reason for not putting the license plate holder on the comes with the truck. You put the back plate on. It doesn't look better with the plate offset, sticking out further while hanging on the tow hooks. Clipped to the lower radiator area, same s#*@ as using the one Rivian gives you. You will not get a dime more for the car in three years if you use one of these strange attachments. I have never looked at a car and said, "Oh no, not buying that one because it has a license plate on the front." Come to think of it, I never thought of moving to a state that does not require a front plate because I find them so objectionable.

I guess some think the giant flat front of the Rivian looks better without any plate? A happy cartoon-like front-end, maybe? Somewhat cute, one might say? I wouldn't say it was pretty, not ugly, but not pretty.

Some Tesla folks don't want to stick the standard front plate mount on, so if it makes you happy, then why not? I guess you might think about a plate holder that clips on the back and a filler piece for where the rear plate normally mounts?

"I see," said the blind man to his deaf dog. "It all comes back to me now" he said, as he pissed into the wind.

Different strokes for different folks. It's all good.

I had a thought. Instead of worrying about front plates, how about removing the speed limiter? Or figuring out a way to adjust the tip in on the accelerator, so that the power comes on quicker, more like a Tesla throttle.

Good points. I also doubt a front plate reduces the value of the vehicle. But I don't want to put mine on. This is a factor you didn't consider: efficiency impact due to disrupted aerodynamics from the front plate.

Rivian developed the front end for maximum efficiency (as much as you can with a big, flat front) and putting a plate anywhere on there must have an impact. I have no idea if the impact is measurable or not, but surely there is one.

Many people don't care about the highway efficiency of their R1. I do. When I often arrive home with less than 10% charge remaining, every little kWh matters. (Of course I could slow down. Bah. That is stupid. I will just leave the front plate off until a police officer motivates me to do it.)

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[2kwik4u]

So, how is it working out for you?

I'm not OP, but thought I would add my $0.02 here.

I'm running the BuiltRite from plate holder and did the same "bend the ends". Looks fine and removed just about 100% of the false proximity alerts.

Mines not quite as graceful as the other guys, but it works the same. Best picture I have.

 

[ElGuano]

Mines not quite as graceful as the other guys, but it works the same. Best picture I have.

Mine looks better.....until the first fender bender, I'm sure! These license plates are coke-can thin aluminum, I don't expect they'll stay nice for long.

I have have absolutely zero false positives since bending the sides of the plate. And I agree it actually looks good bent, to me it doesn't seem like a jerry-rig DIY move.

Btw, I see now that Builtright says "Not compatible with Gen2" I have a Gen2, and bought/installed my Builtright before they made that disclaimer. I have no idea why it's not compatible, is it because of the proximity sensor conflict? The fit of the clamp on the tow hooks is absolutely perfect.

 

[JeffC]

I found this one FOR $40 on eBay from OFFROAD ARSENAL:

It looks to be the same as the BuiltRight product for half the price.

• BuiltRight license plate holder installed (8/7/23)

 

[tps5352]

I found this one...same as the...BuiltRight...

It seems like the major issue with this type of LP holder is careful placement so as not to trigger proximity sensors. Judging from consumer comments at their own site, the BuiltRight (New Milford, Connecticut) product appears to require (partial?) disassembly in order to re-position. If true, that is inconvenient. Is the OffRoad Arsenal (Dongguan, China) product any easier to adjust?

While I prefer to support American businesses, the sensor-avoidance issue (without the need to bend the LP) might influence my choice of tow hook LP holder.

 

[JeffC]

Good point on the USA vs China made product.

The mount has a lot of adjustability and I was careful to position the LP centered between the two radar sensors in the bumper. I drove it yesterday and the adaptive cruise and lane assist are working with no issues. No problem with proximity sensors either. Installation is simple and solid but adjusting does require removing the plate. My mount came with 3M VHB double sided tape where it attaches to the tow hook but I left the backing strips on so that I can remove/adjust the mount if necessary. I will likely never peel that backer off - it is rock solid without sticking the tape.

I currently have it mounted to the passenger side tow hook but will probably move it to the drivers side because it is completely invisible to the parking cameras and in the current position it is the most likely thing for me to scrape against the car in front of me when parallel parking.

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