Originally Posted by
Bigrig
Funny thing is mate, your spot on with some of your statements - passionate to the point of p!ssing people off who "want" to do different driving than yourself, but correct none the less. The point that QLD has some, if not the strictest, laws in place - so VSI50 would in fact be a bonus to a degree. Couple this with the fact that yes, some of us will still run foul of the legislation regardless and run bigger lifts etc - but to suggest a properly installed 4" or 5" lift with 33's would be outlawed as such due to perception that you have a monster truck is simply ludicrous.
I think what we're all talking about here (at the root level and whether we see it or not) is the perceived arbitrary removal of choice by bodies not actively involved in our types of lifestyles etc - half the people in the debate barely have lifts and bigger tyres, but they're getting on the bandwagon due to the thought/perception that their 'choice' will be removed into the future. That's certainly my position - I absolutely agree there's no place for 6" lifts and 35's on the road ONLY because the vast majority of those types of trucks have gone far beyond what I feel are 'acceptable' limits (panel cutting, body lifts, sway bar removal, flexi coils that are soft as butter, etc etc). I'm not saying they can't be on the road, just that they have to have some engineering certificate (the program I'd like to see in place) for the modifications that affects their license status, and more importantly, their back pocket by having increased rego and insurance premiums - that alone would definitely slow at least the flood of ridiculous trucks being driven by (average) 20-30 year olds with limited experience and even less concern for real 4wd'ing issues such as environmental sustainability, track closures, etc.
The point I would argue however is a lifted truck done properly not handling better than a stock rig - this is incorrect and I have personal and very relevant/recent experience with this. My brother owns a 93 GQ which when purchased (5 months ago) was stock as a rock. It was a whale on the road with genuine suspension setup which was soft and handled poorly. Comparatively Ryan (member on here) has a 92 GQ with a 3" EFS setup with new extended panhard, castors, and link pins etc installed, and I got to drive it the other night for the first time - my first comment to him (which he can attest), is that it was "like a sportscar" ... it was simply that tight that it handled like a dream, cornered unbelievably well an would leave stockers for dead on a windy road. He has it done 'right' and it absolutely, unequivocally improves handling and on road dynamics. That said, I wouldn't compare either to mine as it is without doubt the Titanic on road, but I am one of those people who fall foul of the legislation/guidelines as stated above (so I should be paying a certification and/or licensing penalty for it - and would be happy to do so).
Passion without focus is wasted energy, and currently there are a lot of unfocussed, passionate people weighing into this debate. Do I think it'll be sorted by our collective rantings? Not a chance, but at least we may drive a behavior to at least look at alternatives that invoke less passion due to their ability to stand up to logical scrutiny and reasoning - something the current bills cannot do in their current iteration.
Debate solved?? I hardly think so. Common ground achieved between a group of people with plenty of passion?? I doubt it. Beers cold and we can laugh about it agreeing to disagree?? Absolutely!!
