Lowering a vehicle in NSW - recent changes?

[The_Hawk]

Listening to the news on the radio on the way to work this morning they had a passing mention of lowering limits being decreased from the current 15cm to only 5cm.

I'm not sure what the rules actually are, if there is a max drop allowable or a minimum height requirement or maybe both??

Anyone seen anything on this change (or proposed change)??

[Yevvy]

Listening to the news on the radio on the way to work this morning they had a passing mention of lowering limits being decreased from the current 15cm to only 5cm.

I'm not sure what the rules actually are, if there is a max drop allowable or a minimum height requirement or maybe both??

Anyone seen anything on this change (or proposed change)??

just curious, did they actually give any reasoning to this?

[team_v]

I can't find any actual figure on the RTA website (relevant to NSW) to get a guide of whether this will happen or not.

In QLD, The ride height measured between the rubber bump stop and the corresponding metal stop may be reduced by no more than one third. Alternatively, the road clearance of a fully laden vehicle must not be less than 100mm measured at any part of the vehicle other than the wheel rim or brake backing plates. (whichever comes first)

5mm seems like overkill and is probably just a scare tactic, i doubt it will see the light of day as an actual road law.

[DubSteve]

Either way I'm still sittng lower than that so when they say 1 free sump claim a year that will be fantastic!

[AusScare]

What's the point of Policing ride height anyway?

The lower the person goes, the more their car gets hurt and the more carefully they have to drive it.

Mine is 10cm at the front lip and I certainly don't want it any lower, it scrapes on enough things as it is.

[Water Boy]

In Melbourne its 100mm at the lowest point excluding the exhuast. The silly thing is though some new cars came from the factory lower than 100mm and then people get hassled who have just lowered their cars

[team_v]

What's the point of Policing ride height anyway?

The lower the person goes, the more their car gets hurt and the more carefully they have to drive it.

Mine is 10cm at the front lip and I certainly don't want it any lower, it scrapes on enough things as it is.

The point is that the lines that run under the car (brake, fuel etc) are more likely to be damaged if the car is sitting lower to the road and scrapes speed bumps or cubs, endangering other road users and pedestrians when the lowered car driver can no longer stop or is leaking fuel everywhere.

Regarding the cars lower than 100mm from the factory, this would accont for a very limited number of cars on the road in Australia. If they come like that from the factory, they have to be ADR approved anyway so they must be legal to use at that height.

[AGO41T]

its neva going to work and wouldnt ever care

they would need a database with all car's height and start measuring etc etc

[gareth_oau]

and check your insurance, mine only allows a drop of 30mm from standard, as long as its not lower than the WA law of 100mm clearance overall

[Spyda]

In QLD, The ride height measured between the rubber bump stop and the corresponding metal stop may be reduced by no more than one third. Alternatively, the road clearance of a fully laden vehicle must not be less than 100mm measured at any part of the vehicle other than the wheel rim or brake backing plates. (whichever comes first)

Thats exactly the same defenition on vicroads. The 100mm is measured INCLUDING the exhaust and anywhere 1m from the axel. There is also a calulation that ADR used to use that takes in to account wheel base, width, weight IIRC.

Funny how some new cars like the Mini come out of the box lower than 100mm.

Changing it to 50mm still doesnt help me. The mk1s lowest point is about 40mm and i can sleep in the wheel gap.

[Mika]

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25790506-29277,00.html

Get your low on before August 1st

[team_v]

So you can already lower it 5cm without approval and 15cm with approval.
Now they are just making it 5cm across the board.

But as said previously, how are they going to check that, they would need a database of every car and the ride height which is just not doable.

My bet is that they will just use it to question people and then check their car for other defects.

[Manaz]

My car currently sits lower than I intend it to eventually be, so I should be fine.

What does interest me is how they plan on determining whether or not the car was lowered before or after August 1st 2009 - will you have to provide documentary proof? Is the fitment date of the new suspension sufficient (it shouldn't be for items such as coilovers, but how do you police them)?

[DubSteve]

WTF that article is so stupid honestly as if someone is going to know that your car was lowered after 1st august!

[Mika]

WTF that article is so stupid honestly as if someone is going to know that your car was lowered after 1st august!

It's like darker than legal tints...in vic i think the rule is if it was installed pre-93, you can have whatever % tint you like, but if you change the tint, you cannot go darker than 35%.