Mazda Rotary Club

Cars by Model Type => RX-8's => RX-8 Photos and Videos => Topic started by: kevint on February 11, 2003, 03:21:11 PM

Title: Picture with UK front Number Plate?
Post by: kevint on February 11, 2003, 03:21:11 PM
Anyone have pictures of how the UK front number plate will look on the RX-8?  Hope it doesn\'t spoil the look of the snout.
Title: Picture with UK front Number Plate?
Post by: Rotary Rocket on February 11, 2003, 07:22:40 PM
Don\'t know if "sticky" plate are still legal in UK (I\'ve had them on my previous MX-5\'s!) but good point... why can\'t we be like the U.S.?? Cars like that are spoilt by those big black plinths on the nose:(  
One of the guys from our dealership was in \'Frisco last week at an automotive show and there was a RX-8 in Black there....Looks Sweet.... cloth seats & a spoiler on the back lid... hope we get that as an option...
Regards Rotary Rocket >>>
Title: Picture with UK front Number Plate?
Post by: MikeLMR on February 11, 2003, 07:42:54 PM
Nope

QuoteDVLA
 Are stick-on number plates legal?

No, number plates must meet the British Standard requirements and we are not aware of any self-adhesive number plates that are able to meet these requirements.


I have one with the correct BS (bull sh1t?) numbers on though ;)

and two threads down on the UK road tes thread

(http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/picture_library/dir_16/car_portal_pic_8332.jpg?6485)

Hope thats helps,
                             Mike
Title: Picture with UK front Number Plate?
Post by: kevint on February 11, 2003, 08:24:56 PM
Thanks - it does rather spoil the look of the front end.

Kevin
Title: Picture with UK front Number Plate?
Post by: Rotary Rocket on February 12, 2003, 07:44:05 PM
More to the point of that photoshot of the blue RX-8,putting the plate into the intake duct will seriously impeed the flow of cooling air to the radiator...I remember well when the MX5 came out in \'90 (in UK at any rate!) we,as dealers were told by Mazda Technical not to place the number plate in the "mouth" of the car for the above reason!!:eek: :eek:   Wonder how the cars in the Japanese home markets place their plates ~ if i remember correctly the Jap plates are around a similar size to ours:confused:
Regards
Rotary R
Title: Picture with UK front Number Plate?
Post by: richrx on February 13, 2003, 12:29:48 AM
all the sh1ty british laws seem to be set out to spoil everything
Title: Picture with UK front Number Plate?
Post by: Renesis on March 09, 2003, 02:00:54 AM
You can probably use this rule:
http://www.dvla.gov.uk/vehicles/regmarks/reg_marks_current_requirements.htm#import (http://www.dvla.gov.uk/vehicles/regmarks/reg_marks_current_requirements.htm#import)

.. to get away with a much smaller plate on the front.

Get yourself a Jap-sized front plate holder like I\'ve done for my FD and stick that on the nose.  Hopefully it should clear the intake almost completely.

> Chaz <
Title: Picture with UK front Number Plate?
Post by: MikeLMR on March 09, 2003, 09:52:04 AM
Basically I think if you don\'t take the p1ss and a Police officer isn\'t looking for a reason to give you a ticket you can get away with smaller than standard plates and the stick on ones
Title: Picture with UK front Number Plate?
Post by: conehead on April 03, 2003, 05:14:42 PM
Looking at the height of the lower lip of the intake, do you tink you\'d be able to put the plate below the intake? That is, on (or in front of) the air dam. You should be able to fix up some mounts to attach a standard plate (or a even a special small font plate as mentioned above)

Might affect the airflow round the front but I think it would fit and still remain above the lowest point of the air dam. Reading through the DVLA stuff on plates I didn\'t find any mention of a minimum height (of the plate above ground level, not the lettering). I could be wrong though, are there any restrictions on height?

Ciaran.
Title: Picture with UK front Number Plate?
Post by: zoom44 on April 03, 2003, 07:57:51 PM
QuoteMore to the point of that photoshot of the blue RX-8,putting the plate into the intake duct will seriously impeed the flow of cooling air to the radiator.

QuoteLooking at the height of the lower lip of the intake, do you think you\'d be able to put the plate below the intake? That is, on (or in front of) the air dam.

the short answer to both of those stements is.... No!
Long answer...  the plate will not impede air flow to the radiator where it is supposed to be because the grill was designed to have the plate there. that grill is more for show than air flow. it is mostly solid. you can\'t put the plate lower in front of the air dam because that is where the radiator actually is. Mazda designed it that way on purpose. the engineers took all of those things into consideration when designing the front end. :)
Title: Picture with UK front Number Plate?
Post by: zoom44 on April 03, 2003, 11:36:38 PM
here is the pic to show you what i mean. thanks to gamera at //www.rx8forum.com
Title: Picture with UK front Number Plate?
Post by: Fish on April 04, 2003, 09:22:10 AM
I would loose the wings badge, and put a sticky one on.

Dan
Title: Picture with UK front Number Plate?
Post by: conehead on April 04, 2003, 09:29:50 AM
Ahhh nuts! And I thought that I\'d figured it out. Oh well, it going
to have to be...

a) a sticky plate on the nose, or
b) a stick or rigid plate on the bumper under one headlight (a la Alpha), or
c) a rigid plate on the air-dam to the left/right of the radiator...

..cos its certainly is not going in the mouth of the grill. I mean, why would you want to spoil the asthetics of the front end for the sake of a number plate - even though (as zoom44 says) it won\'t affect air-flow to the engine.

Ciaran.
Title: Picture with UK front Number Plate?
Post by: conehead on April 04, 2003, 09:33:38 AM
Zoom44,

BTW, noticed you have \'"RX8, sunlight silver and cloth with touring package" on your signature. What\'s the "touring package"?

Ciaran.
Title: Picture with UK front Number Plate?
Post by: zoom44 on April 04, 2003, 08:46:11 PM
here is another pic of it this time of a Tit. car(the pic i was originally looking for actaually)

as for the package. i\'m in the U.S. and there are 4 levels of packaging to be had here. Base, Sport, Touring and Grand Touring. Each step up includes everything in the previous level plus what comes in the higher tier. all of the U.S. packaging can be found on the mazdausa build to order page.  click here (http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/rx8/index.jsp) then enter the site and click on "build to order". you will have to enter a postal zip code to start so just use mine 97212. with my package i get 18"wheels and sport suspension,LSD,DSC,ABS with bigger brakes in the rear, fog lights , moonroof, bose audio, auto leveling xenon headlamps, auto-dimming rear view mirror and supposedly heated mirrors. the heated mirrors have mysteriously dissapeared from the website since i ordered. the next package up includes leather power adjustable heated seats, variious color combos for the leather and the aforementioned heated mirrors.