Wheel spacers, illegal. Uninsurable?

[s4mmie]

We all know wheel spacers are 'illegal', but if one were running them and were involved in a collision, would this give the insurance company an excuse to not cover you? I know a few are running them; just interested in people's opinions, what you say can't and won't be used in a court of law

I can only think if the wheel fell off and caused the accident it would be a big problem...

[Eddy]

Hoyhoy.

Thats why I went with Shannons, they stated as long its not the cause of the accident.

[wai]

The only test of an insurance policy is making a claim. By that stage you can't go back and change things.

Trust me, there is absolutely no point in going to court to try and seek a remedy to things. It will be able to buy a brand new car for what it will cost you in just a few days in court.

Insurers make their money by people not claiming, or them refusing to meet claims. If you decide to use them, then first you can be put off the road if they are detected at a roadside stop, and second if you have the misfortune to be involved in an accident, you could find yourself being charged for having them. Then there is the insurance you have to worry about, and remember, there are two insurers involved. Yours may not want to make an issue of it, but the other insurer will try and pass costs on to your insurer and they will pass those costs on to you.

You have to ask yourself if your insurer will meet the claim where the vehicle has been found to be illegal.

Many years ago, I used to certify vehicle modifications for the RTA. There was a statement at the bottom of all certificates which said that the certificate was valid provided on inspection the vehicle was found to be roadworthy. This is also what insurers use.

[Blitzen]

It's all in Queensland Transport's handout about modifying cars. Wai hit the nail on the head, and there is no way I would run spacers or adaptors.

[aprr32]

Porsche have been running spacers or offset correcters for 30 years( 911 widebody). You can buy them from your Porsche dealer for a boxster and they are perfectly legal.

[HaydEn]

'perfectly legal' for a vehicle that was fitted with them from factory, not anything else however,

[VWindahouse]

'perfectly legal' for a vehicle that was fitted with them from factory, not anything else however,

Interesting. I wonder if spacers now fall under the same regulation change we have recently seen in Australia where they now accept DOT and TUV approved products in place of ADR. Therefore if the wheel spacers are TUV approved they may pass here and therefore become legal?

Just thinking out loud.

[HaydEn]

Interesting. I wonder if spacers now fall under the same regulation change we have recently seen in Australia where they now accept DOT and TUV approved products in place of ADR. Therefore if the wheel spacers are TUV approved they may pass here and therefore become legal?

Just thinking out loud.

That is a very good point. I'm sure they would come up with some stupid reason to not let it pass. Will have to keep a close eye on what is to come.

[wai]

Porsche have been running spacers or offset correcters for 30 years( 911 widebody). You can buy them from your Porsche dealer for a boxster and they are perfectly legal.

There's a difference between manufacturer spacers and aftermarket ones.

The manufacturer has had to go through a process whereas the aftermarket ones have not. They test them over tens of thousands of km under loads that the majority of cars fitted with them will never ever achieve.

Aftermarket suppliers can go through a similar process if they choose, but few do.

As to whether you use them, it is a choice you make, just remember that you can end up in more trouble than they are worth.

[s4mmie]

Pretty much confirmed what I already thought.
I had a look at that modifications brochure, I think it's a great provision for the average tuner who wants to know. It basically simplifies everything in the NCOP which I've had to use a lottt of times when modifying my last few and current hobby car; even then, the NCOP doesn't go into any more detail about wheel spacers.

No, it doesn't seem worth running spacers, like wai said, more trouble than they're worth. I am curious though as to whether I could get them engineered. Probably cost as much as getting the correct offset wheels in the first place. The way I see it, if a lot of crazy modifications I've seen can get certified, then surely correctly engineered wheel spacers out of suitable material and fasteners could be as well.

Either that or get some thicker hats CNC'd for the brakes I'll be running and longer bolts..

[VWindahouse]

There's a difference between manufacturer spacers and aftermarket ones.

The manufacturer has had to go through a process whereas the aftermarket ones have not. They test them over tens of thousands of km under loads that the majority of cars fitted with them will never ever achieve.

Aftermarket suppliers can go through a similar process if they choose, but few do.

As to whether you use them, it is a choice you make, just remember that you can end up in more trouble than they are worth.

So hopefully the aftermarket companies that go through the testing process and earn the certification will be recognized here eventually. The current law would only exist because of the dodgy stuff that would have flooded early days so you can't really blame them.

[gavs]

Interesting. I wonder if spacers now fall under the same regulation change we have recently seen in Australia where they now accept DOT and TUV approved products in place of ADR. Therefore if the wheel spacers are TUV approved they may pass here and therefore become legal?

Just thinking out loud.

Simply put, no.

I read ADRs at least 2-3 times a week and nearly every single one now refers to one of the 150+ unece regulations, nearly every reference to DOT is being removed due to the, well, poor quality of the standards.

You made mention to TUV. TUV is an independent testing company, they have no regulations of their own. You go to TUV and ask for your product to be tested for compliance and they ask "what do you want to check compliance with?" they are like ANCAP, a fully independent company with no real clout other than marketability. To say that a product is TUV approve is to say it complies to something, like SAI Global approval or ISO approval.

Wai got it right, why risk it.

[VWindahouse]

I wouldn't, but thanks for the info.

[gareth_oau]

It amuses me that spacers (of reputable quality) are legal in the US and UK markets (to name a few) and yet are not legal in Oz. We must be 'speshul!!

To be honest I think it just fits in the too hard category for our teeny-minded bureaucrats.


for quite some time I used to advise people that spacers were illegal and they would be risking their insurance and was it worth the risk?

I modify my cars in other areas like exhausts and suspension and reflashes etc, so why not spacers?

the only difference being that spacers are open to abuse with poorer quality ones being available, and so the authorities and insurers apply a blanket ban.

When i recenly decided to use spacers on my S3 (against all my previous views), I purchased a good quality set from the UK, and got extended bolts etc to ensure there were no risks.

mine were virtually undetectable and so unless the car was a complete writeoff and the insurance company was looking for reasons to reject a claim, I dont think it would pose too much of a problem.

Don't buy cheap spacers, that look obvious, and dont buy cheap insurance either.