Carpokes

As far as I know, I was the first to make and sell license plate mounts using plastic blocks and 3M tape. So I guess seeing more and more knock-offs is validation of the idea.

I've been asked over the years to make them for the front but I've always held off. The 3M tape holds on clean flat paint incredibly well. And on the back of the car there is little or no air flow pulling or pushing on the plate -- so the mounts can truly last the life of the car if everything is done right. And, if there is an issue (ceramic coatings, unpainted bumper, bent plates), most people will notice their plate getting loose long before they come off. I think I've had 1 person report missing a plate (on ceramic coated car) and he had no idea when or how it happened.

Front plates, on the other hand, are generally mounted on curved surfaces (at least on a porsche), which dramatically reduces the contact area of the tape. The geometry works against us. The pivoting bolt in those mounts doesn't solve that problem at all -- it really just enables that problem! The flat mounts in that link would be like trying to use double stick tape to tape a domino to a bowling ball.

Next, unlike the rear, at speed air flow exerts a ton of pressure on the plate. Wings hold up commercial airliners weighing over 1 million pounds at take off =- so don't underestimate the power of air! Also unlike the rear, if/when those factors break the plate free, it's more likely to happen at speed when the plate is likely to flip up and cause damage to the car/windshield.

That's why I've never done them for the front -- maybe on a car with a truly flat front, or with mounts contoured to the shape of the bumper, or as a temp measure to avoid no-front-plate tickets while parked -- but otherwise I think it's a pretty bad idea for the front of a Porsche. Just my 2 cents...

Carbonio has a metal mount that affixes with the VHB tape underneath the front bumper lip (at least on the Sportdesign 992). You'd think that would also eventually fly off with all the air pressure.

M

Mikster wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2026 8:32 am Carbonio has a metal mount that affixes with the VHB tape underneath the front bumper lip (at least on the Sportdesign 992). You'd think that would also eventually fly off with all the air pressure.

M

I think Carbonio is making a lot more effort than the Amazon mounts. They allow you to put the tape on a flat surface, so from that perspective alone they are miles ahead of the amazon product. But they introduce a few other concerns.

They appear to marginally reduce ground clearance on some cars, if that's a concern. More importantly, they are applied to black textured plastic rather than a painted surface, at least in installation video, which can reduce adhesion significantly in my experience. Because of that, if you look in the Carpokes store, I expressly recommend again using my mounts on that surface. They supply an adhesion promotor, which I recommend for people who insist on using the mounts on black plastic, but the adhesion still isn't as strong as when the mounts are on clean smooth paint (or PPF).

The design itself also appears to play into the tape's biggest vulnerability -- slow steady pressure. The weight of the bracket and plate are constantly trying to pull the mounts off. Most 3M tape is great at withstanding a ton of pulling pressure all at once, but is vulnerable to slow steady pressure combined with road vibration. That's basically how I recommend people remove the mounts when needed...

Bottom line, I wouldn't be comfortable selling that design myself, though that's in part because I want a 100% success rate -- even with customers who don't read directions. Will they fly off on the freeway? I don't know, but I'd bet the farm they aren't as secure as the rear mounts we sell. If you google that question, you'll see stories of them coming off (or being ripped off going up curbs), but it's always hard to know how much of that is inherent in the design versus user error...

When people press me for a front plate solution, I always suggest a vinyl plate if your jurisdiction allows it...