FourT6and2

Took a look at some GTRs the other day, in person. And for the life of me, couldn't find the front tow hook. Dealership didn't know either. Said it was "really far back behind the grill." So if I wanted to use a tow-hook attachment for the front plate, what does one do?

MalibuScott

This is from the 2018 GT manual downloaded online. (From the Canadian site. The USA site claims it's the coupe manual but it's the roadster manual.) In the attached picture the tow eye is item no. 1.

thebishman

Given how high up the tow hook would be situated I’d doubt that it could be useful for front plate reasons.

Bish

FourT6and2

Hmm.... some plate holders have arms you can move at angles to hold the plate left, right, up, or down. Really... I'm just looking for options to hold the front plate temporarily. The plan is to run without a front plate unless I get pulled over or something and I can say hey I've got a front plate, just took it out for a second to wash the car or for a car show or something. Unless there's another option? Someone mentioned some kind of clip-on plate holder that doesn't require drilling holes in the car's bumper?

California John

My GTC has the tow hook in exactly the same place.

soulsea

Does anyone have a picture of the front tow hook eye cover off the car?
Or a picture of exactly where I am supposed to pull?

I'm looking at my owner's manual and my car and the manual drawing isn't very precise/clear.

Thanks

guynamedsean

Most exotic type cars are running around with no front plate and the police in most areas ignore it. If you get pulled over, there is a high likelihood the officer will just want to chat you up about your car and give you a warning. Usually, if you're very apologetic and say some BS like "I'm sorry, I rarely drive this car. The dealer is ordering me a mount for the plate..." That usually suffices. Every exotic I see in Houston has no front plate. The cars I see in LA usually have no front plate.

If if it became a real problem, I would prefer to mount the plate in the center, using the factory mount. I think symmetry is very important. Tow hook mounts look awful to me. Of course, nobody wants to drill their bumper or run a front plate though.

FourT6and2

Yeah I don't want to drill the bumper. And a tow-hook mount is just temporary in case a cop does enforce it. You put it on to satisfy the cop. When you get home you take it back off. No holes in bumper. And if cop does issue a fix-it ticket, you can just put the tow hook mount on without having to deal with a bunch of BS.

FourT6and2

Yeah, that's what I'm saying. I was looking at the GTR in person the other day. And I definitely thought the hook was in that area but I couldn't see any sort of cover or door or way to remove a piece of the grill. Or any sort of place where the hook screws in behind the grill.

California John

I can't say for sure about a GTR but on my GTC, which has a similar front, the hook screw hole is definitely visible. I did not try to remove the little cover panel. See the two photos.

soulsea

Someone is going to have to yank on that piece of plastic and see what happens.

FourT6and2

Awesome, thanks for the photos. I'm guessing that piece either pops off or slides down or something.

MalibuScott

California John

Yes, it's definitely a separate piece - not like the solid panels that cover the rest of the front. If anyone wants to come over to my place and pull on it ......

soulsea

Thanks a bunch ... did you just pull it from the whole at top and it just popped out?

MalibuScott

I took a screwdriver and put it in the slot and started to leverage it gently. Then I saw the whole unit was moving and used the center piece as a handle. It came off easily. When putting it back on you have to tuck in the safety tie.

soulsea

Cool I'll try it tomorrow.

I've got a 991 Rennline hook that I hope will fit.

FourT6and2

So I guess if you put a license plat on that thing, the tether means the cover is gonna be flapping around there unless you cut it.

soulsea

So no need for any tools, just grab the plastic by the fin and it pulls out really easily.

If you're tracking you can thread the plastic line out of the hole so the cover doesn't flap around.

The rennline hook eye is the wrong size so that's no bueno, but it looks like the oem one is strong enough.
Plus given the shape of the grille it's probably better to have a straight one as opposed to an articulating one.

surfah

I used a straight tow-hook plate from Amazon to pass my initial safety check and store it in the trunk in case I get pulled over by the Po-po.

Because of the convex shape of the Panamericana grill, one needs to bend the license plate slightly so it doesn't scrape against the chrome finish when tightening the tow-hook plate.

MalibuScott

Can you please provide us with photos and details on the Amazon tow hook?

surfah

It went up $10 since I purchased mine. Make sure to bend the plate so it doesn't scratch the chrome grill. Even with bending the plate, it's not a 100% secure fit but I passed my safety check so that's what matters.

FourT6and2

What is this safety check you're talking about? I thought the dealer registers the car and you get your plates in the mail in like 3-5 months. At least here in CA. At what point does this safety check occur and where?

soulsea

I think he means it passed his own personal safety check.

surfah

I bought my GTS out of state. I took delivery from the shipping company of car and title and went straight to get a temporary safety check certificate which I needed to get temporary Registration and plates. After receiving official Registration and sticker in mail, I had to go back to get my final safety check certificate with front plate mounted on tow hook apparatus.

Had I bought from my local dealer, I would have skipped this step.