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front license plate obsruct air flow?

12K views 35 replies 16 participants last post by  myintrepidrt 
#1 ·
Hi everyone, this question may have already been covered in another thread but I can't seem to find it. Anyway, I'll be taking delivery of my 2016 R/T shaker, plus, very soon, and concerning mounting the front plate, would mounting it on the lower grill area obstruct airflow to the rad causing the engine to run hotter? I just don't want to drill holes in the bumper in order to mount it higher!:scratchhead:
 
#3 ·
I didn't want to drill the bumper either so I mounted mine low, and I don't see any difference in temps because of it.

-Kenny
 

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#5 ·
IMO either this^^^, the stock location, or not at all. Anywhere else just looks tacked on. Especially to the side... that's a very JDM (import) thing to do so you don't block airflow to intercooler.
 
#6 ·
The SRT engineers have previously stated that mounting the license plate on top of the front spoiler, using toggle bolts or zip ties, would obstruct air flow. However, this is if you are racing your Challenger in an autocross type event. In normal street driving there is no negative effect on the engine's temperature.
 
#7 ·
That's the great thing about the STO N SHO, pull the locking pin and remove the plate/bracket in 2 seconds. The instructions even say to remove it for track use.

Best of both worlds. I love my STO N SHO.
 
#8 ·
I kinda like it off to the side, it blocks less of the grill and looks cool. Only other issue if the cop is really nitpicking, some states require the bottom of the plate to be at least 12 inches off the ground and sto-n-sho would flunk that, but probably would never be an issue.

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#9 · (Edited)
BTW when I removed the front clip of my 2015 Shaker, I discovered the bottom grille opening on the backside of the bumper is 1/3 covered up! I was surprised by that, I figured they made the grille opening bigger for more air flow. Guess not. In this pic, if you look at the ends of the grill, it has a piece of molded plastic covering up everything except the very center of the grille opening. I didn't see this very well from the front, it was cleverly disguised. I don't think this info is relevant to the license plate bracket mounting but it was interesting for the air flow discussion.


 
#11 · (Edited)

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#12 ·
It's got to affect air flow and cooling, it's directly in front of the main opening in the lower grille. I would move it. Here's a kit that mounts the plate in front of the bumper but does not touch it except for two holes on the underside that you can't see.

http://www.skenedesign.com/FPBracket/Gallery.shtml

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#13 ·
It's got to affect air flow and cooling, it's directly in front of the main opening in the lower grille. I would move it. Here's a kit that mounts the plate in front of the bumper but does not touch it except for two holes on the underside that you can't see.

No Holes License Plate Bracket

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It's already been 106 here and the temp never went over normal and the air inlet temp never went over 12 degrees over ambient temp while moving so there is no cooling problem that I have had so far.
Also I've seen those underside mount plates scrape off in a low driveway
 
#14 ·
It still is blocking airflow and could affect transmission temperature and the faster you go the worse it will be. The mount I linked mounts up higher in front of bumper.

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#18 ·
http://www.skenedesign.com/FPBracket/Gallery.shtml

Pics are in the link. I don't need a front plate and don't run this, just looks better as it mounts it up higher out of the airflow.

The sto-n-sho is better, the toggle bolt mount is mainly what I didn't like because that is mounted dead center of the grille.

It's not the end of the world and chances are you will be ok but just trying to find a better way.

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#19 ·
No Holes License Plate Bracket

Pics are in the link. I don't need a front plate and don't run this, just looks better as it mounts it up higher out of the airflow.

The sto-n-sho is better, the toggle bolt mount is mainly what I didn't like because that is mounted dead center of the grille.

It's not the end of the world and chances are you will be ok but just trying to find a better way.

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Ok. Thanks, I tried to look thru their gallery for a challenger but they must still use dial up. It was so slow loading I gave up
 
#25 ·
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#27 ·
Just a little engineering nerd talk on air flow.... (I'm an Ops Manager for an insulation manufacturer and we deal with this thermodynamics stuff every day)


There are 2 very important factors to air flow and cooling.


1. Volume. Obviously you can't block everything off. There has to be a certain volume of air required, but more is not always necessarily better. Too much undirected flow can actually be detrimental to cooling by creating turbulent flow that will essentially block flow through the radiator. Think about trying to drink from a fire hose:surprise:


2. Flow control. That is why part of the lower grill is blocked off. There is less flow by volume due to the decreased surface area of the lower grill, but the flow is increased and directed by creating a plenum. This becomes directed flow. Think about putting your thumb over the end of the garden hose to make it spray.




Does putting the plate blocking the lower grill affect air flow? Technically, yes.
Is it detrimental? Sounds like it isn’t based on real life examples.


I would so love to mount mine lower, but a 400 lbgorilla put my front frame on and used all 4 bolt holes. So unfortunately I am stuck with it on the bumper.


(Yeah, I know I write a lot of run on sentences :grin2: )
 
#30 · (Edited)
It is a matter of original design. The Fiero has the engine in the rear so it has external fans for cooling. Same for Ferraris, Lambos, and Porsches. Heck, even old VW Bugs were rear engine air cooled. But all were designed and engineered that way.

Any of us that grew up the North know the old winter trick of putting cardboard in the grill to help warm the car up quicker, but also having to be super careful to not restrict too much flow and overheat the motor, even at freezing temps.
 
#34 ·
I did the toggle bolt method to attach the factory front plate holder to the lower grill. Last Saturday the conditions were miserable with a heat index of 103 (think tropical, muggy, air so thick it'd gag a porn star) and saw no difference in engine or oil temps. Proceed with confidence.
 
#35 ·
I ordered my car with no front plate holes drilled in the bumper, but my state requires a front plate, so I've been pondering options for at least a year and reading the numerous threads around here re. front plate mount options.

I have 3M clear stuff on the front clip, which is a must on these cars considering the huge amount of bugs that stick to the front bumper, so I didn't want to scratch up the 3M film either.

I ended up installing the factory plate mount upside down, but with the bottom ON TOP of the chin spoiler. Two five inch toggle bolts hold the plate to the lower grille with a very slight upward incline.

Running this project by my local trusted hardware store guru, he suggested using two rubber fender washers behind the grille and in front of the toggle clips. This not only keeps the rear of the plastic grille from getting scratched up, but provides a sticky surface to capture the toggle clips and keep them from turning, and keeps the toggle bolts centered in the square grille section. This way I don't need tubing on the threaded length of the toggle bolts to keep them from scoring the grille squares, they are centered inside the squares.

To be totally over-anal, I found some nylon bushings in the parts drawer at the hardware store, and ran the toggle bolts through them with a lock washer on top behind the bolt head so there is a little spring tension on the bolts. With that and the rubber fender washers on the back of the mount to provide grip, this mount is super solid with only two bolts holding the plate mount to the grille.

The benefits of this whole setup are NO DRILLING, and can be removed leaving no holes and no scratches.

I considered the fact that this mount would restrict airflow, but found that after I mounted this setup, there is a good three inches or more of space behind the factory plate mount, so there is no reason the air cannot flow around the back of the plate. All in all a good and cheap solution.

To retain the front plate, I found two blackened Allen head bolts, and used a brass nut on the rear to thread them through the holes. This way I did not have to force the factory license plate bolts through and into the plastic of the plate mount gouging it up. Again all removable this way.

I have spoken and found this to be good!
 
#36 ·
To Hunttriumph1500, nice work
 
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