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/rd...340/0/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 . So it raises the question, of the 90%+ 4x4s out there with bigger tyres, has anyone had an insurance claim rejected??!!!!

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