Notice: We request that you don't just set up a new account at this time if you are a previous user. If you used to be one of our moderators, please feel free to reach out to Chris via the facebook Outerlimits4x4 group and he will get you set back up with access should he need you.
Recovery:If you cannot access your old email address and don't remember your password, please click here to log a change of email address so you can do a password reset.
First post in the nissan section as I have recently purchased a nissan terrano II 2.7TDI. I have just got rid of my old triton ute which was mildly modded, but I was just wondering how and if I need to get certain things engineered for rego and insurance. Now you have all stopped laughing about the Terrano bit....Some questions. I am planning on a 2" suspension lift(i know i won't get that from the front IFS), 2" BL, 31's which is 2 sizes up from standard, sway bar disconnects (if i can get them made up) and the piggy back chip is in the mail.
When the mods are done, how long do you have to get them engineered and where in sydney is a good place to go. Or do you get the engineering permission prior to fitting the mods?
I notice body lift kits seem to be made for certain vehicles. Seeing as no one really caters for the Terrano, where is a good place that will do this kind of work for me.
Thanks for your help. I'll just wait here for a reply and a bagging.
99 Nissan Terrano II TDi, 2" lift, 30's, UHF, Hellas, Bull Bar
Tritontray, this is a very murky area you are inquiring about. I too have been looking into this issue and I am getting more and more nervous the more I find things out.
Let me just say now that I am definately not an expert in this field and don't pretend to know the vehicle/insurance industry very well at all, however I have been doing some research of my own about this stuff and this is what I've found.
In Victoria, information on vehicle modifications is provided by VicRoads (RTA equivalent) in their Vehicle Standards Information Bulletin No. 8 (Modification Guide).
This document states the overall diameter of any replacement rim and tyre must not be more than 15mm greater than the largest diameter tyre specified by the vehicle manufacturer for that model or vehicle series. I am currently wearing 265/75/R16 tyres on my GU wagon and according to the above statement, they are ILLEGAL because they are more than 15mm larger diameter than the standard 265/70/R16's the vehicle came with (803.9mm compared to 777.4mm standard)!! Can you believe that???
In regards to suspension mods, VicRoads state "A vehicle may be lowered or raised provided the clearance between a suspension component and its associated bump stop is not altered by more than 1/3 of that specified by the manufacturer." I presume even a 2" lift would exceed this distance??
I am therefore beginning to believe engineer certification would be required for just about ANY modification if you wanted to remain totally legal.
One of my mates is an insurance broker and I have asked him for advice on these issues. He wasn't too sure and says the VicRoads information is very ambiguous. I wonder then, how does anybody know exactly where they stand? Do you take it to court in the event an insurance claim is denied? I don't know.
The reason I have been looking into this is that it is very important to me that my vehicle cannot be deemed unroadworthy by some nazi insurance assessor in the event of an at-fault claim. I can't afford not to be covered by insurance.
If my understanding of the VicRoads regulations are true, virtually all fourbies on the road are technically unroadworthy because of minor mods such as tyre size increases. This is very scary.
So Tritontray, I hope you get some good advice from knowledgable people on this forum. I will be keeping a watch on this thread too in the hope somebody may prove me wrong, but my thoughts are that you should definately get some engineering done for the mods you are planning. Just to cover yourself in the event of a claim. Cheers.
I am thinking its not worth trying to work the law out, and just get it engineered whether is needed or not. Not sure what the go is though about getting mods done piece by piece as I wouldn't want to pay to get them engineered each time i get something done.
I guess this all came about by me seeing patrols (as I know a guy that has one like this) with a 4 inch lift and 35's. Now according to the law this is death penalty stuff.....so not really sure where anyone stands.
The other thing that brought this on is this. I am shopping for new tyres looking at 31's but thats a different story. Standard size is a 235/75/15 (BFG AT on the car when I bought it). So I start my research. BFG make an AT 235/75/15 so does coopers so lets use them as an example. A BFG 235/75/15 AT has a circumference of 2221mm which is a diameter of 706mm (2221 divided by pie gives you the diameter) and coopers 235/75/15 ST comes in at 737mm diameter. So which tyre brand am I meant to use as the bench mark to make sure I don't increase by 15mm. If that was the case using a coopers of the correct tyre placard size over the BFG size will have me sent to jail. I have no idea..........Problem is people say don't worry to much about all this crap. My issue with all these laws is that they are so ambiguous, untill the cop pulls you over. then its black and white where you stand. SO basically after my little ramble where the hell do we stand and does anyone one know the law.
Sorry for the long post, but for people who would just like the mods with not this much hassle all this shit is an issue. Sometimes I think they make the laws like this knowing no matter what people do, they can still screw them over. I'm pissed.
99 Nissan Terrano II TDi, 2" lift, 30's, UHF, Hellas, Bull Bar
Suprising little package to tell you the truth. plenty of flex in the rear. shame about the IFS, but it suits me down to the ground and I am pretty exicted about making it into a nice mid size tourer.
99 Nissan Terrano II TDi, 2" lift, 30's, UHF, Hellas, Bull Bar
I got pinged by a double bubble going through Horsham a couple of years ago on my way to the Flinders Rangers. The Cookie went right over the truck and did me on oversized tyres and I got a nice yellow sticker on the windscreen.
When I got back to Melbourne, I put a set of 31" tyres on the truck and went down to Vicroads to get the vehicle roadworthy again. The guy from vicroads came and looked at the truck laughed, signed the inspection report and told me to go back home and put my big tyres back on as it looked silly with 31s.
In terms of insurance, as long as you let your insurer know that you are running bigger tyres and they are happy to keep taking your money, I don't see how they can deny a claim because of bigger tyres.
T_Diesel wrote:In terms of insurance, as long as you let your insurer know that you are running bigger tyres and they are happy to keep taking your money, I don't see how they can deny a claim because of bigger tyres.
just because the pleb on the phone says its ok, doesnt mean that your unroadworthy is ok, and thus no insurance if they dont want to pay..
From the technical side, 2" lift can be achieved with the Terrano without problems. I'm running 100mm lift on mine with spacers under the front UCA's and custom made coils in the back. Altogether with longer shocks and 265/70-16's on 8x16 ROH alloys.
I don't know if this helps, but I could send you a german engineer report to get a 50mm lift suspension road legal in Europe. This could maybe a point to get the engineer started from.
T_Diesel wrote:In terms of insurance, as long as you let your insurer know that you are running bigger tyres and they are happy to keep taking your money, I don't see how they can deny a claim because of bigger tyres.
just because the pleb on the phone says its ok, doesnt mean that your unroadworthy is ok, and thus no insurance if they dont want to pay..
General Insurers in Australia are requierd to comply with the General Insurance Code of Practice. If an insurer has underwriten your vehicle with a full understanding of the modifications even if it makes the vehicle unroadworthy prior to underwriting the risk, they have not got a leg to stand on in terms of trying to deny a claim. Likewise if you haven't disclosed any mods that may have made the vehcile unroadworthy according to the state motoring bodies, then the insurer has a right to deny your claim under a breach of disclosure.
T_Diesel wrote:General Insurers in Australia are requierd to comply with the General Insurance Code of Practice. If an insurer has underwriten your vehicle with a full understanding of the modifications even if it makes the vehicle unroadworthy prior to underwriting the risk, they have not got a leg to stand on in terms of trying to deny a claim.
