Max legal tyre size, lift, etc. (1 Viewer)

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Oct 8, 2011
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Toronto, NSW, Australia
What is the max legal tyre size in Australia for an 80 series? Cop at an rbt chatted me about the 285/75r16 tyres that have been on the 80's wheels for the last 7 yrs. I'm in NSW the anal state .

Cop threatened me with sending the 80 for a blue slip inspection. It's NSW reg'd and passed rego inspection just two days ago. Vsi 9 was what the cop quoted at me so I'll have to read up.

It's got a 3 inch suspension lift but no body lift and the 285/75r16 tyres.

Currently running with no flares so have to sort that out ASAP I think. Kinda hard when working shiftwork but oh well.
 
Looked up VSI 9. I remember NSW being a PITA, but geez. These specs are insane. Time to head up to QLD.
 
Australia is sounding less and less appealing these days.
 
Australia is sounding less and less appealing these days.

It's NSW. Imagine all the bureaucracy we have in New England rolled up into one, but worse in some ways. Beautiful piece of earth, but I was glad to head out for the more peaceful and logical QLD.
 
I caught a $81 ticket for mud flaps in calgary this year. the 42" tires weren't a problem though.
I think the limit was like 5-10% over OEM size unless you had an engineer sign off or something in Oz.
 
Those tyres are legal, but the lift is not.

Maximum you can do is 2” lift (suspension/body lift) and 1” lift from tyres. (Eg stock was 31s, you can run 33s).

Be thankful the rules actually got softened to that, previously it was a MAXIMUM combined lift of 2”, meaning if you went 33 inch tyres you could only have a 1” suspension/body lift.

You can get it engineered to run bigger lifts, but requires a lane swerve test to be completed. I went down this path and it’s not cheap… you need to hire out a private test facility, hire a professional test/race driver and have a official on-site to witness the test. Cheapest was around $2000 per person if you were able to team with a few other people and have multiple cars.
 
What he said. I'm running 285/75r16 tires too, as are a lot of people with 80's here. Max 2" suspension/body lift though. I have a 2" suspension lift (king springs) and the 285/75r16 tires (33s) and my vehicle is right on the legal limit. Had to pass inspection when in SA, and they did get the measuring tape out. Be aware, you might also run into problems with the light transmissibility for the factory tint. Make sure they always know it is in fact a factory tint, IE, the vehicle came with it. That does make a difference. The factory tint for the 80s is no longer legal here, VLT is too low, but there are exceptions if it's the original glass.
 
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That used to be the case, but a couple of years ago they changed it to 3 inch.
 
Found a handy summary here from Jax Tyres with links back to the legislation in each state:

When it comes to choosing the right lift kit for your car, you'll need to consider the legalities in your state. You are responsible for driving your vehicle safely on and off the road. When fiddling with your suspension, you need to make sure it's legal.

Body lifts and suspension lifts are also limited in height, varying from state to state:


  • WA: you can only lift the roof of your vehicle 50mm total, a combination of the suspension lift, body lift and tyres.
  • VIC: Total lift of the roof must be less than 75mm from factory conditions. This includes the increase of the diameter of the tyre and suspension. The maximum lift from either the tyre is 25mm (50mm diameter increase) or the suspension is 50mm.
  • NSW: Like Victoria, any vehicle you register in NSW can now be lifted to 75mm with a maximum of 50mm diameter (25mm lift) and 50mm from suspension.
  • SA: Overall, you can lift the roof of your vehicle by 50mm, a combination of suspension and tyres. Tyres can be lifted to a max of 50mm
  • QLD: you can only lift to 50mm. Anything past that (up to 75mm) requires a certificate.
  • NT: Vehicles are allowed an overall lift up to 100mm that incorporates wheel/tyre, body and suspension modifications

EDIT: This doesn't list what you have to do to exceed these "limits" though. In most (all?) states, there are ways to go higher, which vary in complexity/cost. In SA for example, with a pre-modified vehicle from interstate, a "roadworthy inspection" alone was enough to get the rubber stamp on my 80, even though its total lift was closer to 75mm (50mm suspension, 25mm tyres).
 
That used to be the case, but a couple of years ago they changed it to 3 inch.
i meant to specify 2" / 50mm suspension lift. Tyres, yes that then adds more overall lift

at the end of the day one has to be really sure with lifts as it changes the geometry from what was originally approved by ADR in AUs, apart from height wheelbase is affected as well although minimal if they want to be that particular well they will be.
Whilst everyone lifts and mods their 4x4's there comes a point when an insurance claim unfortunately might need to be done and thats when it all comes unstuck and your deemed unroadworthy and insurance CO refuses to pay anything. Any change from std the insurance Co needs to be advised
 
It's NSW. Imagine all the bureaucracy we have in New England rolled up into one, but worse in some ways. Beautiful piece of earth, but I was glad to head out for the more peaceful and logical QLD.

I believe NSW was at one point, the 2nd most litigious state globally, one step behind California
 
Currently running with no flares so have to sort that out ASAP I think. Kinda hard when working shiftwork but oh well.

Several people suggested in one of your other threads recently that running no flares in NSW instantly makes your cruiser a shìt magnet any time you have any reason to be interacting with a cop.
Easy target for any half awake highway patrol too.
 
Flexy flares are here - just need the time to fit them.
 
What he said. I'm running 285/75r16 tires too, as are a lot of people with 80's here. Max 2" suspension/body lift though. I have a 2" suspension lift (king springs) and the 285/75r16 tires (33s) and my vehicle is right on the legal limit. Had to pass inspection when in SA, and they did get the measuring tape out. Be aware, you might also run into problems with the light transmissibility for the factory tint. Make sure they always know it is in fact a factory tint, IE, the vehicle came with it. That does make a difference. The factory tint for the 80s is no longer legal here, VLT is too low, but there are exceptions if it's the original glass.
No factory tint that I know of on my 80's glass. I'm in the process of replacing all the doors as a result of ridding the vehicle of those awful fibreglass TJM flares that were hiding rust. Barn doors already replaced (which gives the added bonus of dark tint [already on the glass] and a third brake like the vehicle didn't originally have.

Totally agree with other people's comments re the lack of flares, but I see soooo many other 4wd's and utes in the same circumstance (no flares - tyres out a bit from the body).
 
Australia is sounding less and less appealing these days.
There's a view that it's deliberate to try and force people to want to replace older vehicles with new ones and limit people's ability to increase their off-road vehicle's actually off-road usability. I guess with most 4wd's used most of the time on-road (since most of the population lives in the highly populated coastal fringe), there's an element of sense to the rules, but my 80 was previously in SA when I lived there and nobody said a thing.

That cop interaction last week is the first time ever I've had a NSW cop say something about it since it's been NSW registered.
 
There's a view that it's deliberate to try and force people to want to replace older vehicles with new ones and limit people's ability to increase their off-road vehicle's actually off-road usability. I guess with most 4wd's used most of the time on-road (since most of the population lives in the highly populated coastal fringe), there's an element of sense to the rules, but my 80 was previously in SA when I lived there and nobody said a thing.

That cop interaction last week is the first time ever I've had a NSW cop say something about it since it's been NSW registered.
Yeah, a lot of rules are not actively enforced in the regular day to day. Consider that it is illegal to mount a LED light bar on top of your bullbar in NSW. Double infraction - restricts visibility, increases injury risk for pedestrians in case of collision. Lots of people still do it. Those fishing rod holders you see on a lot of bullbars? Totally illegal. Cops usually won't care or do anything - unless they pull you over for another reason and decide they want to make your life harder. It's been known to be weaponised against 4x4ers who are going into areas illegally for example. Cops start defecting vehicles on mass. Getting caught out for DUI or high level speeding are other cases - Cops are likely to write you up for everything they can find.
 
A kid got run over and killed by a driver in a 4x4 in Sydney the past couple of days. Everything I heard in the media, emphasis was put on "4x4".
You can bet 4x4s will be under scrutiny by highway patrol for the next 6-12 months.

Just because you see other 4x4s with illegal mods, doesn't meen you'll get away with it for even a day, although you could also get away with it for years.
It's like being pulled up for speeding and saying "the guy in front of me was speeding too, why didn't you stop him?"

I see lifted Ford Rangers every day with tyres poking out well past the guards and wife flare kits. I often wonder how often they get pulled up. Lots would have exceeded track width more than the allowable amount as well as lift and tyre size infringements.

Attitude test can make a big difference too. Burr up at the police and argue, you're writing your own tickets.
Stay calm, ask questions, feign ignorance you might slide through ok.
 

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