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RE: Silicone License Plate Frames

8.1K views 21 replies 12 participants last post by  Westons  
#1 ·
I'm aware of the silicone license plate frames/backers than many people use. One online vendor also sells a powder coated stainless steel frame that goes over that silicone frame, wrapping around the edges without coming into contact with the car on the backside.

The silicone frames by themselves are very pliable, and I'm sure they add very little stiffness one installed on the license plate. Of course, the metal frames that can encase the silicone frame would be quite stiff.

For those who have these installed on the rear, do they provide enough stiffness to keep from moving around when driving or closing the hatch? I'm sure they deaden most if not all of the noise. I'm wondering if the added metal frame would be overkill on the rear plate?

For those who have these installed on the front, where the bottom half (or so) of the plate does not touch the bumper, is the silicone frame alone enough to keep the frame in place and relatively stable? Has anyone added a metal frame over this silicone frame? Again, I'm wondering if the added metal frame would be overkill on the front plate.
 
#2 ·
If your license plate is flopping around and needs extra support you need to tighten up the main mounting bolts. There shouldn't be "relatively stable" when you can have "that ain't going anywhere" without having to double slap it every time you start the car.

To actually answer your question, I did sometimes hear a little rattle from the plate when closing the hatch because it sits so parallel. I bought the silicone sleeves for the looks but it did eliminate that.
 
#6 ·
For those who have these installed on the rear, do they provide enough stiffness to keep from moving around when driving or closing the hatch?
For those who have these installed on the front, where the bottom half (or so) of the plate does not touch the bumper, is the silicone frame alone enough to keep the frame in place and relatively stable?
Did you put one on the front, as well? Is that working out?
I put the silicone frame on the back. It is fine after 2+ years. No noise. When you slam the hatch closed the unsupported bottom of the license plate will vibrate back and forth but the plate never loosens or makes noise. I also put the silicone frame on the front. That did NOT WORK well. After about a year the bottom edge of the silicone frame came loose and worked itself up over the plate. I fixed it, but it continued to fail. So I took the silicone OFF the FRONT and used a simple, plain metal frame.
 
#9 ·
I will say from experience that the silicone frames are not needed at all. They are used to dampen license plates that do flop around and rattle against the tailgate. The RAV does not have this problem if you have the plate tightened properly. The ONLY time I have ever heard it was when I was hauling an enclosed trailer behind me, and it was loud THUMPING and not a rattle due to the air turbulence caused by the trailer behind the RAV.

I ended up taking them off my plates since they didn't really provide any benefit, and the front one always got caught in car wash and bent the front plate and I had to keep bending it back. After I got my new black out plates, I ended up just getting a slim black aluminum frame kit to hide the white border of my license plate so it looks solid black other than the state/number/county in white. I have the blackout package, black wheel covers, smoke mirror turn signals, and autoclover rain guards on my RAV, so I wanted the black and Blue Flame look with as little white/chrome showing as possible.
 
#10 ·
I have the blackout package, black wheel covers, smoke mirror turn signals, and autoclover rain guards on my RAV, so I wanted the black and Blue Flame look with as little white/chrome showing as possible.
Why black wheel covers? I have black aluminum XSE wheels. Also black CHR center caps that cover the lug nuts (also black lug nuts):

Image
 
#16 ·
I have a brand new 2023 RAV4 and I don't have the plates yet. Yesterday I noted that rear tailgate/hatch only has two mounting bolt holes at the top. I purchased a set of plain black frames and I always have used four bolts to secure the plate to the car but what are folks doing to keep the rear plate from maring up the paint and especially where the two bottom bolts go through the frame and plate? I'm thinking I have to put a rubber strip along the bottom of the plate bolts to keep them off the paint.

What do you guys do about this. I know this discussion is talking about the "silicone plate frame/jacket" but it still has holes for the lower bolts.

Thanks for the help and suggestions.
 
#17 ·
All RAV4s have only two mounting points. But all RAV4s are also supposed to have two small rubber "bumpers" below the mounting points for the license plate to hit instead of the hatch. Is your new RAV missing those?

IMHO, the location of those "bumpers" is poor and they are very thin. Perhaps if they were thicker and mounted nearer the corners of the license plates, there would be fewer complaints. I looked up the part numbers for those little "bumpers" some time back thinking I could buy some extras but fount them horribly expensive, something like $5 each.
 
#20 · (Edited)
I have the silicone frame on my RAV4 as well both front and rear. For the rear plate cover, the silicone frame helps a bit with dampening any slight rattle, especially on bumpy roads or when closing the hatch though it does not stop the slight movement. I did try adding a metal frame on the front over the silicone one, but honestly, it felt like overkill made it too stiff and bulky. if you are finding the frame moves a lot on the front consider using a simple metal frame alone instead of stacking. Silicone frames can work great for the rear but the front might need a simpler setup to avoid hassle.
 
#21 ·
I have the silicone frame on my RAV4 as well both front and rear. For the rear plate, the silicone frame helps a bit with dampening any slight rattle especially on bumpy roads or when closing the hatch though it does not stop the slight movement. I did try adding a metal frame on the front over the silicone one, but honestly, it felt like overkill—made it too stiff and bulky. if you are finding the frame moves a lot on the front consider using a simple metal frame alone instead of stacking. Silicone frames can work great for the rear but the front might need a simpler setup to avoid hassle.
I agree. I used silicon license frames on both the front and rear. The front kept vibrating loose. I replaced the silicone with a simple metal frame only on the front and now it's OK.
 
#22 ·
I have used silicone frames on both front and rear plates. For the rear they work well to prevent noise and minor movement when closing the hatch but they do not eliminate plate flex if only two mounting points are used. For the front I found they tended to loosen over time especially with exposure to wind and car washes swapping to a slim metal frame solved that issue.
Advice: If your rear plate moves too much consider adding a thin rubber strip at the contact points for extra stability and for the front a snug metal frame may be the better long-term option.