Every ounce counts, right?

"MarquetteLa" (marquettela)
11/17/2016 at 11:08 • Filed to: SimplifyAddLightness

When I bought my Miata 4 years ago, it came with a steel license plate frame. I never gave it all too much thought, since the shiny steel matched the chrome fuel filler lid and the badges on the rear. But I was washing the car last weekend and the old frame just started to bug me. This being the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , I decided to order a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

This decision was made entirely based on aesthetics (the frames of my eyeglasses are also carbon fiber, sue me), but the frame came in the mail last night so I decided to see just how much weight I was “saving”.

The steel frame: 52.0 grams.

The carbon fiber frame: 25.0 grams.

I’m saving a whole 27 grams, which is ALMOST an ounce! And it looks much better.

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! & !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! : @MarquetteLa
!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

DISCUSSION (22)

Decay buys too many beaters > MarquetteLa
11/17/2016 at 11:10

Save another 25 and run no frame at all!

MarquetteLa > Decay buys too many beaters
11/17/2016 at 11:10

Well yeah, if I wanted it to look ugly.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > MarquetteLa
11/17/2016 at 11:18

25 too many. Plate frame is not needed

CalzoneGolem > MarquetteLa
11/17/2016 at 11:20

You can even chop some of the plate off.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Decay buys too many beaters
11/17/2016 at 11:21

I have to use a frame only because the plate rattles horribly without something

Textured Soy Protein > MarquetteLa
11/17/2016 at 11:24

Screw weight savings, recessed frames are still the best frames.

Tripper > Textured Soy Protein
11/17/2016 at 11:26

Where did ya get that? Do they make it in CF?

Textured Soy Protein > Tripper
11/17/2016 at 11:29

I got the black ones at Walmart and the fancy polished one on my wife’s car at O’Reilly. So far those are the only versions I’ve seen but I suppose if you really wanted to get crafty you could do a “CF” wrap on it.

Pickup_man > MarquetteLa
11/17/2016 at 11:37

Apparently I’m one of the few people who thinks plate frames are ugly and cheap looking, although I will admit to having a barbed wire plate frame throughout high school. We all make terrible decisions in high school though so you can’t hold that against me.

MarquetteLa > Textured Soy Protein
11/17/2016 at 11:50

Ehhh it’s the edge of the plate that I find unattractive and these recessed frames don’t do anything to hide the edge. The Miata also only has the two upper mounting holes, so a recessed frame doesn’t seem like it would be very flush on my car.

Decay buys too many beaters > MarquetteLa
11/17/2016 at 12:01

Different tastes I guess. I’ve always thought frames look super tacky but it appears I’m in the minority.

Decay buys too many beaters > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder!
11/17/2016 at 12:01

Run a louder exhaust? ;)

Frank Grimes > MarquetteLa
11/17/2016 at 14:05

Try to find a prepreg vacuum bagged one I bet you would save even more weight. me I have hello kitty

Kinja'd!!!

cuz once you add chassis braces and do some seam welding and crap you realize you add more weight. But one day I hope to make up for it with some light wheels. Of course all the weight added is very low in the car...so i feel like i can spend some grams on hello kitty.