RTA at it again

[TVR-190]

The RTA is at it again trying on the sly to take away our right to modify our rides and if we dont act now and use people power by the masses. Just like when they put out that VSI50 crap we all rallied & the shit was thrown out.

The RTA has put a date (September 29 2011) on when the current vehicle modification rules will cease to exist and the new (communist nanny state style) rules will come into effect.

This may not affect you at the moment, but 5 or 10 years down the track when you decide to upgrade to a newer 4WD or weekend muscle car, you dont want to look back and remember that you did nothing to stop it, and you might as well be driving a white Toyota Prius Hybrid.

Heres a just preview of whats installed for all of us (and theres something here for everyone):

Cars:
- You can no longer increase your tyre rolling diameter by more than 15mm for passenger cars. So for get about fitting a nice pair of 26" street radials on the rear of your muscle cars & no more 20-22" rims for the ricers.

- Replacement engine sizes will be drastically reduced. So no more 308's in LJ toranas, no more 350's in LX toranas, no more V8's in capri's or cortinas, etc, etc. And as for forced induction, with the limits to be imposed you wont even be able to turbo or blow your original engines in most cases.

- Streetrods will become a thing of the past.

4WDs:
- You can no longer increase your tyre rolling diameter by more than 50mm on your everyday ride. So no more fitings a set of 35's to your patrol or landcruiser and if your lucky you may just be able to fit a set of 31's to your hilux navara triton or rodeo. How crazy's that.

- You will no longer be able to raise your vehicle cab more than 6" total, inclusive of that resulting from suspension lifts, body lifts and from larger tyres.

- To get a vehicle lift (like just mentioned) for more than 2" engineer certfied will set you back thousands with all the bulshit testing that will have to be done on a closed circuit test track. From what I here it will need to be done on an unused air-strip, so you will be going somewhere like goulburn or somewhere in the sticks to do it & good luck getting an engineer to travel that far away to do it for you. This shit will end up impossible to get done.

- Bye bye modified 4Wd's and the massive small business workshops and parts industries that it supports. Hello social security.

Mini-trucks:
- Well all ive got to say is do you remember VSI-50 ! Bye bye chassis notches, drop-spindle & fitting 20" wheels. Bye bye minitrucks and the massive small business workshop and parts industries that it supports. Hello social security.

Hurry up Barry and ditch the RTA

[detox_nath83]

im over this nanny state BS. why do it? u will find most accidents are NOT modified cars but normal Stockers so what is pushing this?

Its not the stats on modified cars etc to push this..

soon it will be NO MORE CARS POST 2000 on the road

[one_and_only2004]

I bet you won't see anything about this on the tv.

[Grennan]

Wow... 2 inches requires an engineers cert?

Surprised Kings Superlows doesnt require one going by that

[CapriciousWL]

im over this nanny state BS. why do it? u will find most accidents are NOT modified cars but normal Stockers so what is pushing this?

Its not the stats on modified cars etc to push this..

soon it will be NO MORE CARS POST 2000 on the road

There is some logic behind it. Possibly it will force correct engineering which may reduce the Darwin Effect generated by tools with angle grinders modifying suspension etc. It may mean that you have to belong yo a car club to effectively modify your vehicle.

One benefit may be that prior to a modification you get "permission" from your insurer to guarantee that in the event of an accident or theft the vehicle is covered.

In some other countries there are incentives to remove older cars from the road. This would be for two reasons. The first would be to remove the poorly maintained older vehicles. The second would be to increase safety features.

Clearly, a new car can also be poorly maintained and safety features won't aid the stupid.

Enthusiasts will still exist - it may be more expensive to register (special club categories etc) and insure.

I agree on surface value there needs to be considerable evaluation and debate over the topic - the impact on the lower socio-economic brackets who can't afford to update, students who drive the cheapest possible car etc.

This has been on the table for a number of years with discussion over the buyback of all vehicles over 20 years old. The trouble is the size of the country and the impact due to the cost of purchasing and maintaining a vehicle. Economy of scale is against the concept unless we fall out of love with family sized cars and all drive something small.

I'll go get a Hyndai Getz, put the wife, three kids and two dogs in, tow the camper trailer up a mountain range and see what happens.

Maybe a SmartForTwo would be better?

[detox_nath83]

valid point u have there man. Cheers for the insight

thats one FKD Getz if u do that. poor gearbox

[CapriciousWL]

A Getz wouldn't be capable.... That's the point. The lifestyle you choose to lead dictates the type of car you get. We have a Territory for towing the trailer - a 4x4 would be better, but cost prohibitive. Anything smaller would be an issue with fitting everything in.

Guess if the concepts above paid off, rentals of larger cars would be more competitive. The issue would be for those who want to build a special car of their own as opposed to driving a tame, lame stock unit.

[ephect]

Where is the link for this info? Is there something list on the rta's website?

[detox_nath83]

i know a Getz wouldn't man Lols

[STEEV888]

wont happen

[oska]

laws here are becoming so wrong, on so many levels .....it's no longer funny

[Wombles]

Thats BS. If this goes through wouldnt there be many jobs lost and import/export business gets hurt.

[Trayner]

And just think , More reasons for cops to think that they know all about not being, aloud different rim sizes . There's a cop down my way thinks the 2" rule is still around :S

[Wombles]

I thought the 2' rule was still around? O.o

[Bravotwozero]

Who have you quoted?

[Grennan]

I thought the 2' rule was still around? O.o

Hasnt existed here in YEARS.

We work on rolling diameter. Cant go more than 15mm more than standard rolling diameter. Doesnt stop cops defecting you for perfectly legal wheels, spouting the 2 inch rule...

Thats BS. If this goes through wouldnt there be many jobs lost and import/export business gets hurt.

Doubt it will hurt many of them. We screamed blue murder as well when the P Plater laws came in. Bottom line is yes some businesses will be affected, so may even go bust. But there will still be a market because people will risk it.

[Stressball]

I thought the 2' rule was still around? O.o

You know 2' is 60 centimetres, right? 2"* hehe.

As far as I knew, ADRs already limit your wheels to only 15mm increase in rolling diameter.

[Rufys]

Seriously, what's wrong with driving a car as it comes from the factory?

A car's purpose is to get people around conveniently, comfortably and safely. Beyond that I don't see why non-standard equipment is adding any benefit.

If you want the sporty look, or awesome performance, buy a car that has it from the factory. Can't afford it? Tough! Work harder. Hopefully this will put a big dent into stopping people trying to imitate much more expensive cars.

[walesy]

Seriously, what's wrong with driving a car as it comes from the factory?

A car's purpose is to get people around conveniently, comfortably and safely. Beyond that I don't see why non-standard equipment is adding any benefit.

If you want the sporty look, or awesome performance, buy a car that has it from the factory. Can't afford it? Tough! Work harder. Hopefully this will put a big dent into stopping people trying to imitate much more expensive cars.

If you dont understand it now, you never will, WE ARE ENTHUSIESTS... you sir are a dick... how about we try destroy your hobbies and interest because we dont understand them and see how you like it

[Jarrad]

Seriously, what's wrong with driving a car as it comes from the factory?

A car's purpose is to get people around conveniently, comfortably and safely. Beyond that I don't see why non-standard equipment is adding any benefit.

If you want the sporty look, or awesome performance, buy a car that has it from the factory. Can't afford it? Tough! Work harder. Hopefully this will put a big dent into stopping people trying to imitate much more expensive cars.

This should be good...

[monkeys437]

Seriously, what's wrong with driving a car as it comes from the factory?

A car's purpose is to get people around conveniently, comfortably and safely. Beyond that I don't see why non-standard equipment is adding any benefit.

If you want the sporty look, or awesome performance, buy a car that has it from the factory. Can't afford it? Tough! Work harder. Hopefully this will put a big dent into stopping people trying to imitate much more expensive cars.

That comment is so full of arseclownery its not funny

Factory cars come with a number of compromises for the purpose of standardisation, pricetag, R&D costs, warranty, manufacturing cost etc... Because my car was made in '97, if something breaks I can usually replace it with something better.

There is nothing wrong with IMPROVING a car by fitting aftermarket components and upgraded components from newer/higher spec models. In many cases its cheaper to use aftermarkets than to let holden spare parts bend you over.

For example, when my statesman needed suspension work done due to wear and tear I replaced components with aftermarket parts which were better than standard. Its improved handling drastically and corrected the terrible factory rear suspension geometry which was causing tyre wear issues.

Brakes and tyres, same deal. Better than standard.

When I needed my manifold gaskets replaced I used aftermarket ones because they were better than the factory items which disintegrate after a few heat cycles.

My diff broke so I put an LSD in it (which was a factory option the original owner didnt opt for).


I could go on for ever but im sure you get the point. Nothing wrong with modifying a car providing your not a monkey let loose with a hammer and a grinder

[Rufys]

@monkeys437 - You should have just bought a Grange then...

Like I said, what's wrong with buying a factory spec car that meets your requirements? Obviously if people feel the need to "improve" their car then they haven't made the correct purchase for them in the first place. Perhaps shop around and find a car that offers exactly what you want from the factory next time... Just a thought.

I'm an enthusiast too. Because I really like, admire and would love to own something like a 458 Italia. I can't afford one just yet so I'm going to compromise some of my requirements and drive something that doesn't perform or handle as good. I'm not going to spend money on modifications that aren't ADR compliant or compromise the warranty of my car either. And as for looks, yeah they don't matter at all when someone pushes a shopping trolly into your car or throws a bottle out the window on the highway to Frankston and dents your car!

[HarmlessMuffinMan]

This is so ####ing stupid... Who here, who has modified their car... thrashes it and drives unsafe? I dunno about you lot... But I don't want to ride of the car I have pored money into... RTA are idiots

[monkeys437]

Thats exactly right muffin man. Most people with mods even if they are fully covered by their insurance company would only get the "market value" of the car back if they crashed it. If anything its more incentive to drive carefully, knowing a car which owes you $30k is only covered for $10k.

[pjdm1980]

Seriously, what's wrong with driving a car as it comes from the factory?

A car's purpose is to get people around conveniently, comfortably and safely. Beyond that I don't see why non-standard equipment is adding any benefit.

If you want the sporty look, or awesome performance, buy a car that has it from the factory. Can't afford it? Tough! Work harder. Hopefully this will put a big dent into stopping people trying to imitate much more expensive cars.

You idiot!
Cars are the same as any other product, they are built to a budget.