RE Front plates: It's a Mazda forum. These aren't ubercars. We aren't posting pictures of trailer queens. Well, ok, a handful of us have dedicated race cars that aren't insured, so I guess that counts? But those definitely get driven.
RE Lowering: Unless you're planning on going off roading, the only thing lowering hurts you on (unless it's slammed to crap, ugh, can't believe I'm agreeing with Tungsten) is the occasional super-tall speed bump. Heck, my P5 was lowered on Tein S-Techs. Not super-duper low, but low enough. I had a girlfriend that lived on a rutted dirt road at the time. Never had an issue. Pretty practical.