are 33" tyres legal in Vic?

[boggy2006]

hi,

still looking at what muddies to get for my GQ. I'll be doing a 2" lift so I'm looking for 285/75 R16 or 33" tyres. They are very similar sizes, but I keep seeing posts on the internet saying 33" are not legal? Is this the case in Vic? If so why? They are the same size as 285/75. There are many more 33" available than 285/75 which would seem strange if they are not legal!! Thanks for any advice.

[AB]

Hi mate, I am 99.999999999% sure that 33's are legal in Victoria.

Hopefully someone else can make it 100%...haha

[boggy2006]

just done a bit more reading around. There's a lot of talk about a 15mm rule, ie. you can only go 15mm bigger (and +2% variance) diameter than the tyre placard in your car. My GQ says 265/70 R16 = 777.4mm so I could get up to 807.95mm (31.8") if this rule is correct. That would include 285/70/16, 265/75/16 and 285/75/15.

I don't seem many fourbys driving on stock tyres, most are at least 33". It would be hard to believe that they are all illegal???!!

[boggy2006]

I don't believe they are. Refer to Part 8 of VicRoads Guide to Modifications.

http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/CC48FC10-4D57-4F04-82E1-3BD72EF88340/0/VSI8.pdf

My GU is placarded at 265/70/17 (777.4mm dia). This even makes 265/75/16's (803.9mm dia) illegal!!! Totally rediculous.

33" is the general "rule of thumb" for legally acceptable tyre size however an insurance assessor who was right on the ball may pick them as a voidable modification. Crazy.

265/70/16 = 777.4mm (30.6"). This is the placarded tyre/rim size for my GU.
265/75/16 = 803.9mm (31.65"). This equals 26.9mm bigger than placard or 11.9mm more than max 15mm increase.
285/75/16 = 833.9mm (32.83"). This equals 56.9mm bigger than placard or 41.9mm more than max 15mm increase.
305/70/16 = 833.4mm (32.81"). This equals 56.4mm bigger than placard or 41.4mm more than max 15mm increase.

wow, what an mazing find, thanks for that. So basically, you can not legally change the tyre size on your vehicle from that stated on the placard because the next size up is always greater than 15mm difference :jawdrop:. So it raises the question, of the 90%+ 4x4s out there with bigger tyres, has anyone had an insurance claim rejected??!!!! :confused:

With the suspension height, it seems to read that as long as you don't increase the distance between the bumpstop and the axle by more than 1/3, they you can go as high as you like? But then it goes on to say in sections 6, that any modifications to suspension requires an approval certificate. So basically you can't change anything to do with wheels or suspension!! So nearly every 4x4 on the road is illegal. Or did I read it wrong?

[ilikedonuts_10]

Hi,

I have a 2" lift on my GQ and with 33" tyres the guards look like they are getting pretty close to grating on the guards. Does anyone else have this or is this ok?

[Bigrig]

just done a bit more reading around. There's a lot of talk about a 15mm rule, ie. you can only go 15mm bigger (and +2% variance) diameter than the tyre placard in your car. My GQ says 265/70 R16 = 777.4mm so I could get up to 807.95mm (31.8") if this rule is correct. That would include 285/70/16, 265/75/16 and 285/75/15.

I don't seem many fourbys driving on stock tyres, most are at least 33". It would be hard to believe that they are all illegal???!!

Not sure about other states mate, but the guidelines for modification covering tyre replacement in Queensland are the ones that note no greater than 15mm increase in diameter ... as you no doubt saw in the threads, ridiculous guideline when put in context of the others that you have to obide by ... are you in Queensland? If so and you want a copy of the guidelines, PM me with your email address and I'll shoot them through ...
Scotty

[boggy2006]

thanks, I'm in VIC so have those guidelines now. It's so rediculous. Looks like a grey area, but you could get screwed with a big claim. I mean, how many cars are on the road either raised or lowered, I bet not many have engineering certificates. And tyres as well. Yep, "just car insurance" will insure you for any mod that's legal, yet the next tyre size up is not even legal, so technically you are not insured!!

[JimboGQ]

Mate, any grey area should be treated with caution if an insurance company is involved as they will look for any loophole not to pay for a claim. It is always safer to go the extra mile than try and risk it as the buggers will always try and get out of paying a claim.

[boggy2006]

hi, I asked the question to Vicroads and got an interesting reply. They attached a document called "Vehicle Standards Bulletin 14" and quoted it as stating that for 4x4s you can increase the diameter of the tyres by 50mm above what is on the tyre placard. It also mentions about 50mm suspension and body lifts. Is there anyway I can attach the whole pdf document here?

[Bob]

Go Advanced in your Post and click on Paper Clip (Attach File) and go from there

[boggy2006]

thanks, just having a problem uploading it as it exceeds the allowable file size and all the software I try to split it with says it's not compatible! Will keep trying.

[the evil twin]

AFAIK VSB14 and it's variants in other States allow a max combined increase in height of 50mm on 4X's and as part of that max 50mm tyres above placard. Interestingly a 4X with a beam axle front end is allowed a rim offset/tyre combo with a 50 mm increase in track in most states as well (over the normal 25mm limit in general).

Like most things the "Rules" are written for a holistic approach and then it is a matter of finding the specific exemptions and addendums for a specific type of vehicle for your state.

Insurance wise I have the lift and tyre sizes and all other performance and suspension Mod's annotated on my Insurance Policy so all is fully disclosed.

Bottom line is you wil get a heap of varying opinions and you need to satisfy yourself as best you can...also I bet if you ask two different Transport Inspectors the same Q you will probably get 2 dufferent answers.

Anyway... this is another subject that is usually good for a keyboard war so I might grab a 6 pack and some popcorn and settle in ROFL

[boggy2006]

ok, can't attach the document, but have found a link to it here

http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/roads/vehicle_regulation/bulletin/vsb_ncop.aspx

it is NCOP11 that Vicroads referred to. Just noticed it was updated on the 1st Jan (I was sent the Feb 06 copy), so will see what's changed.

let me know what you think. Cheers

[boggy2006]

AFAIK VSB14 and it's variants in other States allow a max combined increase in height of 50mm on 4X's and as part of that max 50mm tyres above placard. Interestingly a 4X with a beam axle front end is allowed a rim offset/tyre combo with a 50 mm increase in track in most states as well (over the normal 25mm limit in general).

Like most things the "Rules" are written for a holistic approach and then it is a matter of finding the specific exemptions and addendums for a specific type of vehicle for your state.

Insurance wise I have the lift and tyre sizes and all other performance and suspension Mod's annotated on my Insurance Policy so all is fully disclosed.

Bottom line is you wil get a heap of varying opinions and you need to satisfy yourself as best you can...also I bet if you ask two different Transport Inspectors the same Q you will probably get 2 dufferent answers.

Anyway... this is another subject that is usually good for a keyboard war so I might grab a 6 pack and some popcorn and settle in ROFL

Thanks, you're right, it only allows for a 50mm total lift without certification. My plan is to do a 50mm lift, use standard road tyres for road use (99.9% of the time) and fit 33" muddies only when specifically going on an off-road trip. Hopefully that's the best compromise.

[boggy2006]

well, I've done it, got myself a spare set of 5 Patrol alloys, 5 Insa Turbo special track tires (never seen tread so deep and aggressive before) and an ironman 2" HD suspension lift is on its way!! (Mine is sagged by at least an inch lower than it should be, so hopefully I'll get 3"). The tires are 285/75/16, but they are huge compared with my current 265/70/16's. Nearly 3" diameter more! Can't wait to get offroad with them

[the evil twin]

Yeah... similar to Simex's.

Probably be a tad noisy and very twitchy on road but will certainly let you cut sick off road

[ute351]

I'm in Qld, and we were recently shopping for tyres for the GQ (16" factory alloys), and were told by Bob Jane Tmart that they WON'T fit 33s or even 15" sunraysias as it's illegal to reduce rim size also. All the GQ's in my area must all be illegal then according to this guy (and he's the manager)...

[boggy2006]

I don't know about QLD, but in Vic you can have 50mm over the standard height of the vehicle (plus I think 50mm extra track). In addition, Nissan now sell a tyre placard showing 265/75/16 can be fitted instead of the 265/70/16, so this size will give an additional 13mm on top of the original specified height of the vehicle. I've taken this to mean 63mm over standard will be ok. With my lift (probably just under 2") and the Kuhmo 285/75/16 tyres (more like 32"), I'm only a couple of mm over maximum height with the vehicle empty. With me and some kit in it, it's under the max height.

[JohnH]

Hi Boggy, where can I get on of these placards and for which models do they apply? Thx




In addition, Nissan now sell a tyre placard showing 265/75/16 can be fitted instead of the 265/70/16

[JohnH]

Evil Twin does this mean the insurance company agrees to covers you even if the mods aren't legal?


Insurance wise I have the lift and tyre sizes and all other performance and suspension Mod's annotated on my Insurance Policy so all is fully disclosed

[gqboss]

true that jimbo

[NissanGQ4.2]

Evil Twin does this mean the insurance company agrees to covers you even if the mods aren't legal?

Somehow I don't think any insurance policy will cover you if the mods are illegal,

Even when the mods are legal, it still has 2 be listed on your insurance policy, if you don't let them know they will more than decline a claim, saying that there whats mods 2 your vehicle that they were unaware of.........