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Where and how does the OEM plate bracket attach on the C7's? Is it in a position where it obstructs airflow at all? Did a quick look for pictures, but only ones I see are the removable add on options.
Nice to live in a state where it's not required, but for those of us that aren't that lucky, and necessarily have to blight it a bit, what are the thoughts on how it's mounted?
GM recommends the insert be removed if you are tracking the car since it does affect cooling flow. Other than running on the unlimited sections of the Autobahn you don't have to worry about it and the insert looks fairly nice on the front of the car.
It is a well thought out design that gets around a lot of objections over front plate looks. A lot of state's plates would even look pretty good mounted there.
GM recommends the insert be removed if you are tracking the car since it does affect cooling flow. Other than running on the unlimited sections of the Autobahn you don't have to worry about it and the insert looks fairly nice on the front of the car.
It is a well thought out design that gets around a lot of objections over front plate looks. A lot of state's plates would even look pretty good mounted there.
Bill
Thanks, that's what I was looking for-
Does that Corvette insert come out when actually mounting the plate, and the plate is inset when mounted? I wouldn't think you're expected to fold the plate over to match the angle, are you?
Wingerr-
Last edited by wingerr; 10-21-2014 at 11:29 AM.
Reason: added
Well, that's not the "official" license plate mount - it's the aero panel (meant to help aerodynamics). The actual mount IS indeed ugly and there are lots of pics of it in this section. The way it mounts places the plate above the grill
Many of us adapted the aero panel to mount our plates because (as you rightly point out), it looks much better.
I would recommend that you trim the aero panel down to the size of the plate. It looks better and it opens up extra air flow around the plate..
NOTE: The aero panel appears to block a smaller part of the grille than it really does since the outside sections of the stock grille are not even open to airflow.
An estimated area added would be about 2" x 2" x 2 on each side (16 sq. in.) plus maybe 1/2" x 12" x 2 across for top and bottom (12 sq. in.), for a total of approx. 28 sq. in.. (I think there would also be some extra air flow around the edge of the plate and behind it, but I won't count that)
The open area of the grille with the aero panel in place is about 2" x 7" x 4 = 56 sq. in.
percent increase = approx. 28/56 =50%
For reference, the area of the plate is about 12" x 6-1\4" = 75 sq. in., but the open area of the grille behind the plate is less than that.
Best guess is that with the aero panel installed, the open area of the grill is reduced by 50%, and by trimming the panel, it opens approximately 25% more by allowing air flow around the plate. 75% open instead of 50%. Conservatively, it probably opens at least 15%, or 65% total open area.
Where and how does the OEM plate bracket attach on the C7's? Is it in a position where it obstructs airflow at all? Did a quick look for pictures, but only ones I see are the removable add on options.
Nice to live in a state where it's not required, but for those of us that aren't that lucky, and necessarily have to blight it a bit, what are the thoughts on how it's mounted?
I live in a state that requires the front plate. I've been looking for an easily removable plate. I not sure if I like drilling the the two hole through the license plates to install it are remove it. I did find this,
GM recommends the insert be removed if you are tracking the car since it does affect cooling flow. Other than running on the unlimited sections of the Autobahn you don't have to worry about it and the insert looks fairly nice on the front of the car.
It is a well thought out design that gets around a lot of objections over front plate looks. A lot of state's plates would even look pretty good mounted there.
Bill
I just like the look without the plate on the car much better , IMHO.
Originally Posted by Vetteman Jack
That looks a heck of a lot better on the C7 than it did on the C6.
I not sure if I like drilling the the two hole through the license plates to install it are remove it.
The holes in the plate just make it a little easier to remove, but you can always just remove the plate from the bracket, and then remove the two mounting fasteners.
It might not be clear in the photo, but the holes are actually plugged with small plastic plugs, so there are not any exposed holes in the plate..
The holes in the plate just make it a little easier to remove, but you can always just remove the plate from the bracket, and then remove the two mounting fasteners.
It might not be clear in the photo, but the holes are actually plugged with small plastic plugs, so there are not any exposed holes in the plate..
Thank you, I'm going to take a much closer look at it this once I receive delivery of my vette. It is a clean looking job.
Let me open by saying that outside of the fact that we were never hit with a true recession.. Maryland sucks. I refuse to put a tag on the front of my beautiful Stingray. I get a ticket I just have to get a ticket
State laws vary, thus GM has made two different front plate brackets available. Some states just require a front plate so the one shown in the above photos, that mount in the grille opening, are okay. Some states require the plate to be mounted a prescribed minimum distance above the pavement(I think is 12 inches) , thus GM has a bracket that mounts the plate on the nose, above the grille opening, more like the ugly C6 bracket mounting.
There is always somebody that has to say "I don't care what the law is, I refuse to put a front plate on my car", but that is not what this thread is about..
This is for the people that are willing to mount the front plate, and just want to find the best way to do it...
State laws vary, thus GM has made two different front plate brackets available. Some states just require a front plate so the one shown in the above photos, that mount in the grille opening, are okay. Some states require the plate to be mounted a prescribed minimum distance above the pavement(I think is 12 inches) , thus GM has a bracket that mounts the plate on the nose, above the grille opening, more like the ugly C6 bracket mounting.
I hope mine won't be above the grill, having it done like the pictures above would be fine for me. Or hopefully no fines for me..😃
State laws vary, thus GM has made two different front plate brackets available.
That is not accurate.
The aero panel was never meant to be used as a license plate holder by GM but some more enterprising owners asked "why not?" and modified them to do so regardless..
The aero panel is not included with every C7 as it's not needed for aero. It is a $15 option for those that require front plates and that is why GM designed it. To pass laws for states that require a front plate. After is was designed, GM discovered that it did not meet the requirements for EVERY state, thus they designed a second plate bracket for those sates. Originally, GM designed the bracket that mounts within the Grille opening to pacify those that "hated" the nose bracket used on the C6. It was designed to look nice and still be functional as a front plate bracket. The second designed bracket is shipped with cars going to states that have the minimum height requirement above the pavement; also at $15.
The bracket that is shipped with the car depends on what state the car is being shipped too. BOTH brackets(VK3 & R7E) were designed for mounting the front plate, and the bracket that fits in the grille was not an afterthought. On the official GM ordering guide, both VK3 and R7E are called "Front License Plate bracket", not "Aero Panel".
Video from the initial showing of the C7 and the front license plate bracket. Jump to 1:50 and see what Kirk has to say about mounting the license plate.
The aero panel is not included with every C7 as it's not needed for aero. It is a $15 option for those that require front plates and that is why GM designed it. To pass laws for states that require a front plate. After is was designed , GM discovered that it did not meet the requirements for EVERY state, thus they designed a second plate bracket for those sates. Originally, GM designed the bracket that mounts within the Grille opening to pacify those that "hated" the nose bracket used on the C6. It was designed to look nice and still be functional as a front plate bracket. The second bracket, it shipped with cars going to states that have the minimum height requirement above the pavement; also at $15.
The bracket that is shipped with the car depends on what state the car is being shipped too. BOTH brackets were designed for mounting the front plate, and the bracket that fits in the grille was not an afterthought.
That is not accurate
The aero panel ships with EVERY C7 (at least it did)
It makes no mention of using it for mounting a license plate let alone even providing mounting holes for one
I'll stick with what kirk calls it and what he says is it's purpose. Also I'll stick with what GM calls it in their official ordering guide. BTY, it's a $15 dollar option, thus is not shipped with every car(that's why it's an option).
You need to re-read your owner's manual. The "aero panel" is the snap in cover for the license plate bracket if you do not have a license plate mounted.
"To replace the bracket and aero panel: 1. Position the bracket over the grille. 2. Secure the bracket by pushing the two fasteners into place. 3. Snap the aero panel into place."
The purpose of the bracket is for mounting the license plate, but if one likes the look of the bracket, but does not have to run a front plate, they you can snap in the "aero panel" to cover the ugly mounting holes, etc. As Kirk says, it's okay to use to mount the license plate(or as a decorative piece on the front of the car with the "aero panel" snapped in place to the bracket) at normal highway speeds, but it restricts the amount of airflow to the radiator and should be removed when on the track(where a front license plate is not required) to maximize engine cooling etc.
You do know that the link you provided is not an official GM website, don't you, thus you can't rely on any name they may call the license plate holder.
I'll stick with what kirk calls it and what he says is it's purpose. Also I'll stick with what GM calls it in their official ordering guide. BTY, it's a $15 dollar option, thus is not shipped with every car(that's why it's an option).
Both came with mine, neither of which is mentioned or charged for as an option on the window sticker, so no, it's not a $15 option, or wasn't for 2014. My dealer didn't install either one, of which I'm thankful for, even though CO requires a front plate (which mine will never see while I own it.) If the aero panel really is an alternate plate mount, why doesn't it have any holes for a plate?
I really don't understand why anyone would put the aero panel on unless it's to put a license plate on.
10-21-2014, 11:14 AM
Front Plate requirement on C7
