Legal suspension limit on new car

[CRUORGORE]

Hi, this is my first ever post so I apologise if this is in the wrong thread.

I’m in the market for a new car and I’ve just come across a 2008 Ute with 19 inch rims lowered on Front SSL and Rear Triple SSSL springs according to the ad. Could someone please tell me the pros(if there are any) and the cons of having it lowered this much. My concerns are that 1; it’s surpassed the legal limit and becomes a cop magnet. 2; the negative impact on performance, etc.

I’m not very car savvy and it’ll be my first ever car so if anyone has any answers or honest opinions for me that’ll be much appreciated.

Edit;; I’m located in Victoria.

 

[MattSAU2XR8]

1. Reduced ground clearance, may scrape on speed humps, going onto ramps in car parks, front against gutters when parking

2. Reduced suspension travel means ride will likely be harsh

3. Shocks may not be tuned to springs. Most off the shelf sport shocks will be tuned to FE2 or similar springs, since that is what makers envisaged owners using them for - to replace 100,000 km old SV6 and SS shocks. If you use them with lower and likely higher rate springs then the shock may not have enough rebound damping to control the spring as it extends after hitting a bump - so car will want to 'float' up a bit. Although I think Monroe GT short shocks might be designed for shorter and stiffer springs...

 

[shane_3800]

Just buy it and try tbh. If you don't like the ride it'll be less than 2k to do shocks and springs, so ask for 1k off the price.

 

[Skylarking]

4. may reduce load carrying capacity within the tray

4b. I think some models have load proportioning valve under the tray which some may not correctly adjust when lowering

5. if it looks low it probably is too low and becomes a cop magnet as you say...

It all comes down to what sort of license you have (P’s and lowed utes don’t play well together), what you want from your car and how much hassle from police you can put up with. Such can only be answered by you

 

[CRUORGORE]

4. may reduce load carrying capacity within the tray

4b. I think some models have load proportioning valve under the tray which some may not correctly adjust when lowering

5. if it looks low it probably is too low and becomes a cop magnet as you say...

It all comes down to what sort of license you have (P’s and lowed utes don’t play well together), what you want from your car and how much hassle from police you can put up with. Such can only be answered by you

4. may reduce load carrying capacity within the tray

4b. I think some models have load proportioning valve under the tray which some may not correctly adjust when lowering

5. if it looks low it probably is too low and becomes a cop magnet as you say...

It all comes down to what sort of license you have (P’s and lowed utes don’t play well together), what you want from your car and how much hassle from police you can put up with. Such can only be answered by you

That’s really helpful, thank you. I’m a P plater and plan to load up the tray frequently so unfortunately I don’t think this is the right car for me.

 

[ChRiDDa]

Minimum 100mm ground clearance from the lowest point on the undercarriage
Also, should add that the vehicle needs to be fully laden... ie 2 occupants, full tank of juice and what would usually otherwise be found in the rear of a ute

Generally speaking, if you were unlucky enough to attract the attention of the police, you’d be very unlucky to have the vehicle clearance measured fully laden - usually, they’d just measure it ‘as is’

 

[vc commodore]

Minimum 100mm ground clearance from the lowest point on the undercarriage
Also, should add that the vehicle needs to be fully laden... ie 2 occupants, full tank of juice and what would usually otherwise be found in the rear of a ute

Generally speaking, if you were unlucky enough to attract the attention of the police, you’d be very unlucky to have the vehicle clearance measured fully laden - usually, they’d just measure it ‘as is’

In the riverland area of S.A going back 12 months ago, Adelaide coppers went up there on a roadworthy blitz...I know of a few cars they defected for being too low, measured with a boot load of tools and 2 or 3 people in the back when measured.....

Results....All defects for being too low when measured like this, were ripped off windscreens free of charge and the Adelaide coppers involved got hauled over the coals for incorrectly measuring cars for height.

Make of this what you will, with what you have just written...And of course different states measure from different points on a vehicle to get relevant heights and how those heights are deemed to be legal

Quite honestly, I would be contacting your road transport department in your state to determine where they get their height limits from and how they get those height limits ie with or without weight in the vehicle

 

[ChRiDDa]

In the riverland area of S.A going back 12 months ago, Adelaide coppers went up there on a roadworthy blitz...I know of a few cars they defected for being too low, measured with a boot load of tools and 2 or 3 people in the back when measured.....

Results....All defects for being too low when measured like this, were ripped off windscreens free of charge and the Adelaide coppers involved got hauled over the coals for incorrectly measuring cars for height.

Make of this what you will, with what you have just written...And of course different states measure from different points on a vehicle to get relevant heights and how those heights are deemed to be legal

Quite honestly, I would be contacting your road transport department in your state to determine where they get their height limits from and how they get those height limits ie with or without weight in the vehicle

Coppers in Vic certainly wouldn’t have been hauled over the coals for measuring vehicles that were fully laden....

The following is the definition straight from the Road Safety (Vehicle) Regulations 2009

ground clearance, in relation to a vehicle, means the minimum distance to the ground, measured with the vehicle fully laden, from a point on the underside of the vehicle, except a point on a tyre, wheel, wheel hub, brake backing plate or flexible mudguard or mudflap of the vehicle;

The regulations are further defined in section 171 - Ground clearance;

The minimum ground clearance for a vehicle is—
(a) at least 100 millimetres at any point within 1 metre of an axle; and
(b) at least one-thirtieth of the distance between the centres of adjacent axles at the mid-point between them; and
(c) at any other point, the least distance that allows the vehicle or combination to pass over a peak in the road, the gradient on either side of which is 1:15, when—
(i) the wheels of one axle of the vehicle or combination are on the slope on one side of the peak; and
(ii) the wheels of the next axle are on the slope on the other side.

in summary, what I said in my previous comment

 

[Skylarking]

It’s never so simple.... when one hand doesn’t know what the other hand is doing. And cops simply don’t have an engineering mindset to interpret the mess left by bureaucrats.

From RMS Light vehicle modifications manual: Suspension and ride height

ADR 43/04 specifies two different requirements, ground clearance and running clearance. These are similar items that are measured differently:

Ground clearance is a measurement based on the vehicle’s dimensions and its ability to travel along a road or road related area in the fully laden condition (i.e. maximum loaded vehicle mass (MLVM)), and does not specify a specific dimension. Instead, the vehicle must meet the conditions illustrated in Figures 1.1 and 1.2 below.

In contrast, running clearance specifies a minimum dimension of 100mm between the bottom of the vehicle and the supporting ground with the vehicle in the unladen condition (i.e. unladen vehicle mass).

The Regulation only specifies the requirements for ground clearance, and this aligns with Clause 6.4 to ADR 43/04.

Note: The Regulation has an additional requirement for ground clearance to be at least 100 millimetres at any point within one metre of an axle. This was previously in ADR 43/04 but removed it in 2007. It is unnecessary to meet this additional requirement.

For a standard vehicle fitted with variable suspension, the Commonwealth Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development (DIRD) advises that in assessing it for Identification Plate Approval, it requires the vehicle to meet the 100mm running clearance specified in Clause 6.6 to ADR 43/04 with the vehicle in the “normal” driving suspension height as specified by the vehicle manufacturer; and to meet the ground clearance requirements when loaded up as set out in in ADR 43/04 clauses 6.4. Vehicles modified to fit variable suspension must meet these requirements with the “normal” driving position specified by the component manufacturer.


NB In specifying the “normal” driving position, caution is required to ensure that when the suspension is lowered from that position, the vehicle is capable of safe travel on the road, and there is sufficient clearance to allow it negotiate common features, such as peaks and troughs in the road, drains, culverts and traffic calming devices without scraping parts of its under-body along the ground.
Registrable vehicles must comply with the applicable vehicle standards when used on roads and road related areas in NSW. If a vehicle is modified with a variable suspension system, the owner should be advised that the minimum ground clearances specified above must be maintained while the vehicle is being used in NSW.

(height at mid point between front & rear axles must be h (in mm) ≥ X (in m) x 33.3)
( where x is distance between front and rear axles)
Figure 1.1: Ground clearance measured between consecutive axles.

So the best cause of action is to not attract attention from police in the first instance, else they can get you one way or another