P-Plate High Performance Vehicles

[bmck]

From today's Courier Mail...

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,,26457250-5010760,00.html

[Flighter]

From today's Courier Mail...

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/s...010760,00.html

Don't you own a 118TSi bmck?

[team_v]

This topic comes up every week.


Consider how hard it would be to enforce a power to weight ratio on vehicles.
DOT would require a dyno and a automotive scale to work out if your car is legal or not.

By the time they give you the infringement notice and get you to go to teh checking area, you could have already modified the vehicle back to a more stock form or added extra weight to teh car to bring it under the threshold.

Registration and license fees would also increase in order to have these stations installed in every major city in the QLD to allow the enforcement of a "proper" restriction system.



The current system is flawed, however it is easily enforceable and as such provides minimum impact to drivers, the state and your wallet.

[bmck]

Don't you own a 118TSi bmck?

Flighter,

I'm waiting...waiting...waiting on delivery of my 118TSI. That photo was taken at the dealership.

[The_Hawk]

Power to weight is just as easy as the current system ro run and if far more justifiable and since the restrictions rule out all engine mods you get a list of "restricted vehicles".

Current restrictions include vehicles with eight or more cylinders, more than 200kW, turbos and superchargers (except diesels) and engine modifications.

Even if it's simply based on the manufacturers stats/claims you would still end up with a black and white list. Sure that doesn't stop you getting a ECU re-map to put you over the threshold but that's more the exception than the rule. As it stands now there are plenty of restrictions like noise, exhaust output etc which are required but not tested. If you get defected it's up to YOU to take the car to an authorised inspection station and get it passed, but these things are not tested every pink slip (in NSW at least). The same could apply to power to weight on cars with "authorised" dyno stations, but you'd only get pinged if it's reasonably believed you have broken the law. Sure unscrupulous cops could start pinging people for fun, but if you don't act and/or drive like a tool *most* cops will leave you alone.

[Swallowtail]

The 200KW maximum doesn't apply in NSW I don't believe. It does in QLD.

NSW:

Vehicles – You must not drive any vehicle with:

*Eight or more cylinders.
*A turbocharged or supercharged engine (diesel powered engines exempt).
*Modifications that increase engine performance.
*Any other vehicle identified by the RTA – further details available on the RTA website.

Power to weight is just as easy as the current system ro run and if far more justifiable and since the restrictions rule out all engine mods you get a list of "restricted vehicles".


Even if it's simply based on the manufacturers stats/claims you would still end up with a black and white list. Sure that doesn't stop you getting a ECU re-map to put you over the threshold but that's more the exception than the rule. As it stands now there are plenty of restrictions like noise, exhaust output etc which are required but not tested. If you get defected it's up to YOU to take the car to an authorised inspection station and get it passed, but these things are not tested every pink slip (in NSW at least). The same could apply to power to weight on cars with "authorised" dyno stations, but you'd only get pinged if it's reasonably believed you have broken the law. Sure unscrupulous cops could start pinging people for fun, but if you don't act and/or drive like a tool *most* cops will leave you alone.

Absolutely agree.

[Maverick]

This topic comes up every week.


Consider how hard it would be to enforce a power to weight ratio on vehicles.
DOT would require a dyno and a automotive scale to work out if your car is legal or not.

By the time they give you the infringement notice and get you to go to teh checking area, you could have already modified the vehicle back to a more stock form or added extra weight to teh car to bring it under the threshold.

Registration and license fees would also increase in order to have these stations installed in every major city in the QLD to allow the enforcement of a "proper" restriction system.


The current system is flawed, however it is easily enforceable and as such provides minimum impact to drivers, the state and your wallet.

How hard is to go by the manufacturer specs which the DOT already have on their system.

Divide the weight and the power to come up with a ratio. P platers can drive cars with a ratio above X.

How can the current system be deemed workable when it allows you to drive a Golf R32 with 184kw but not a Golf TSI with 90kw of power?

[roy]

in VIC, it just needs to fill in a form, as far as i know

[G-rig]

P-Plater's should be allowed to drive a 118 TSI, not superfast but just the way of the future of engine technology.

[Corey_R]

Doesn't Victoria already use Power-to-wait ratio

[Big Yellow]

Doesn't Victoria already use Power-to-wait ratio

yeah they do,

but they might haved added in the turbo/supercharge clause too.

[roy]

vicroads has exemption for P plate about lower performance supercharged/turbocharged Vehicle

[team_v]

Whilst manufacturer weights and power figures would be just as easy to enforce, aftermarket modifications would require individiaul checks on the weight and power of selected vehicles to ensure that the fine is legit.

So banning cars with power to weight ratio's would be a better system but how are the police going to know if you did an ECU and intake mod and removed the spare tyre and used lightweight rims putting over the power/weight limit that stated the car was driveable?

I don't agree with the current system but it is the easiest system to enforce out of the other alternatives in my opinion.

[gareth_oau]

This topic comes up every week.


Consider how hard it would be to enforce a power to weight ratio on vehicles.
DOT would require a dyno and a automotive scale to work out if your car is legal or not.

By the time they give you the infringement notice and get you to go to teh checking area, you could have already modified the vehicle back to a more stock form or added extra weight to teh car to bring it under the threshold.

Registration and license fees would also increase in order to have these stations installed in every major city in the QLD to allow the enforcement of a "proper" restriction system.


The current system is flawed, however it is easily enforceable and as such provides minimum impact to drivers, the state and your wallet.

Team V, an easy way for the government is to base the power to weight ratio approvals on ex factory vehicles, and any mods at all will require the owner to obtain (at his/her expense) a certified 'ptwr' to be presented before the car would be approved.

[team_v]

Team V, an easy way for the government is to base the power to weight ratio approvals on ex factory vehicles, and any mods at all will require the owner to obtain (at his/her expense) a certified 'ptwr' to be presented before the car would be approved.

That could be a viable solution.
Any modifications performed on the car to require a DOT certificate (sort of like the engineering certificate for high performance mods now)

Then they just need to put a plaque on the inside of the engine bay/door sill with the registered modification number and link the database of certifications to police PDA's.

Of course there will be a few people who try to go illegal and mod their cars without certification however it would allow a better equilibrium than we have now.