Who has been given an UNROADWORTHY due to their car being too low?

[Sorted]

YES or NO and any additional info like where you got the UNROADWORTHY

Like just driving along and pulled over
or
Was it through a booze bus
or
At a car show etc etc...

[4.9 EF Futura]

YES.

On my way to the laundromat (insult to injury, no?) and I parked in the sidestreet where i park whilst performing this mundane chore. Get out, grab the bag of clothes from the back seat, lock the door, turn around and a VZ commodore pulls up behind me. Can see the hi-vis vest in the drivers seat. Bugger.

Gets out, asks me how im going, do i have my licence on me etc...

"Car looks a bit low mate"
"Yeah it does, but have never had any problems with it before"
"Well i'm gonna have to check it out"
"Fair enough"

*out comes book and tape measure*

"Yeah, see its meant to be Xmm at the front and Ymm at the back" (referring to distance from centre of wheel to bottom of guard) "I'm gonna have to write you a defect sorry"

"Oh"

<--- see my avatar :(

[GRNKPR]

heaps of times about 10 tears ago
Had an XY fairmont and it was about 80 mm at lowest point, was cruising with a mate and we saw the cops sitting there so i just kept driving towards them ,but the problem was they were sitting right beside a speed hump so as i went over it and just about pulled my the whole underside of my car out .It didnt take em long to pull me over and ask if i thought my car was too low .Of course i replied no i dont think so ,The copper loked at me as if to say "YOU CANT BE SERIOUS "i just acted dumb as if i didnt know .The winning prize a nice yellow sticker on the windscreen ,but back the i had to only fix that problem and take it to Vic roads not a full RWC

[deesun]

Originally Posted by GRNKPR

heaps of times about 10 tears ago

Fraudian slip?

[The Yeti]

Originally Posted by GRNKPR

It didnt take em long to pull me over and ask if i thought my car was too low .

What a stupid question, I mean if you lowered it would you think it to be to low, I mean when I had my Ute it wasnt just low it was ken low it was so low I wouldnt even write my own pink slips, but when I was asaked by constable care if I "thought it was to low" my answer (under my breath) was "its not low enough"

And in answer to the orignal question is I was defected a few times and checked and let go a few times I learnt at that point the smart **** approch doesnt generaly get the best results

[EL_futuraistic]

a coke can is prob a little high.... a cigarette pack is approx 90mm.... if u can drive over that you should be fine.

[brenx]

Got to love speed humps now days. We're allowed 100mm clearance from memory yet I know plenty of speed humps that are 100-150mm in height. My XB's collectors hate it.

[4.9 EF Futura]

Originally Posted by brenx

Got to love speed humps now days. We're allowed 100mm clearance from memory yet I know plenty of speed humps that are 100-150mm in height. My XB's collectors hate it.

Lol, i wasnt impressed... i always went by the ADR minimum height (100mm), which i passed according to the officer.

Unfortunately our state authorities also decided to implement their own roadworthy requirements... none of which are enacted within legislation or their relevant regulations.

Gotta love a harmonised national system. *cough*

[Walkinshaw]

Originally Posted by 4.9 EF Futura

Unfortunately our state authorities also decided to implement their own roadworthy requirements... none of which are enacted within legislation or their relevant regulations.

How does that stand up legaly?

[4.9 EF Futura]

Originally Posted by Walkinshaw

How does that stand up legaly?

Reckon it'd be common law mate. I guess it has to be tested in court, if that's even possible. But when you're defected, you're not actually prosecuted in a court, so there's no recourse to defend the ruling or appeal a decision to a higher court. You'd actually have to launch legal action to question the legality of the ruling... which probably has to go through an administrative court or something? Sounds expensive.

Alternatively you could drive the defective vehicle until you got caught, which I imagine results in a prosecution in a magistrate's court.. at which time you could launch a defence based on the fact that the defect had no legal standing.

Then try convincing a magistrate who knows absolutely NOTHING about cars that you know better than Transport SA I think the legal term for that is "pushing shyte up hill" lol

[Trevor 57]

Originally Posted by 4.9 EF Futura

Unfortunately our state authorities also decided to implement their own roadworthy requirements... none of which are enacted within legislation or their relevant regulations.

Gotta love a harmonised national system. *cough*

Of course it is enacted, that is a significant piece of legisilation, each State calls it their own, because even though it is National Road Rules there are still some items that are particular to each State.

Here is the Victorian Road Rules

Here is a link to Victoria's Legislation

[4.9 EF Futura]

Originally Posted by Big_Trev

Of course it is enacted, that is a significant piece of legisilation, each State calls it their own, because even though it is National Road Rules there are still some items that are particular to each State.

I'm familiar with the legislative framework surrounding South Australian vehicle standards. They are addressed (to a very small extent) in the Road Traffic Act of 1961 but the key details are contained within the Regulations which support this Act.

Notably for this topic - the Road Traffic (Vehicle Standards) Rules 1999. This is the set of regulations which effects the ADR into the appropriate state legislative status:

http://www.parliament.sa.gov.au/Cata...999.235.un.htm

And for interested parties, I refer you to Section 73 - Ground Clearance. Several measures are provided to determine ground clearance but there is absolutely no reference to the "eyebrow" height for which i was issued a defect.

[NL Ghia]

Here is a good site to find out how far you can actually lower your car legally in SA.

http://www.sasuspension.com.au/IB44-...%20Version.pdf

Probably the same book the police look at when they defect you.

[miss_xf]

so what is the lowest u can go, and where is it measured from, i drive an '86 xf fairmont.... so many mean policemen round here i wanna do it by the books!!! thanks :-)

[4.9 EF Futura]

Originally Posted by miss_xf

so what is the lowest u can go, and where is it measured from, i drive an '86 xf fairmont.... so many mean policemen round here i wanna do it by the books!!! thanks :-)

Best to call your state's road transport authority and ask. In SA, it was measured from the centre of the wheel to the bottom of the wheel arch. The officer had a book with the relevant measurement for all sorts of car. We are also subject to a 100mm minimum clearance required at the lowest part of the vehicle - that rule comes from the ADR.

[HLC]

rule of thumb. if a coke can doesnt fit entirely under the car at its lowest point, then its too low. again thats being a little safe. but it works.

[miss_xf]

Originally Posted by HLC

rule of thumb. if a coke can doesnt fit entirely under the car at its lowest point, then its too low. again thats being a little safe. but it works.

nice one mate, thanks! ill go down there and check it now! : lol

[GlennBA]

Originally Posted by HLC

rule of thumb. if a coke can doesnt fit entirely under the car at its lowest point, then its too low. again thats being a little safe. but it works.

Will a can of VB also work? :

[MITCHAY]

Hmm interesting. My car doesn't look low at all yet when you look under it, I doubt a Coke can will fit. Might have to check that out although I've been pulled over numerous times and never had a problem.

[miss_xf]

Originally Posted by 4.9 EF Futura

Best to call your state's road transport authority and ask. In SA, it was measured from the centre of the wheel to the bottom of the wheel arch. The officer had a book with the relevant measurement for all sorts of car. We are also subject to a 100mm minimum clearance required at the lowest part of the vehicle - that rule comes from the ADR.

Ok. Thanks alot for that, its a question I've been wanting to ask for a long time but didnt know how to go about it except ask the police, but then i thought it may be dobbing myself in by doing that!

[brenx]

It's measured from the lowest point in the car. Generally the exhaust or front crossmember is the lowest point.

[miss_xf]

Originally Posted by brenx

It's measured from the lowest point in the car. Generally the exhaust or front crossmember is the lowest point.

i have a body kit and the front bumper thing is around maybe 30cm from the ground dont quote me on that tho, im not exactly sure it may be more... but will they measure it from the bottom of that do you think?

[Full Spectrum]

No but i have seen one.
Sisters VL Calais driven by my nephew just got his licence and had it lowered more but was driving with 2 rear bald tyres because he had a LSD fitted 3 weeks earlier so they got used : .

[MrFlibbles]

i worked for a suspension mob in Adelaide, I was just doing a delivery to a customer pulled up at the lights and a cop on a bike pulled up next to me, i politely ignored his presence, but he knocked on the passanger window and told me to pull over when the lights changed, I did and he starts going on to me about how a reputable suspension should have thier company vehicles at a legal hieght, measured the ute up and it was 35mm too low, he then proceeded to tell me in no polite way that the car should be legal, I politely told him I only drive it and its not my responsibility take it up with the state manager oh and can i have your badge number etc because im going to complain about the way you were speaking to me (belittling me to the point of verbal abuse). went back to work and an hour later had 35mm raised from standard height springs back in it and defect fixed later that week... and yes as soon as the sticker came of the ute went back to the low height!!!!

[Dezza]

Well, I certainly haven't. LOL. Go the stock EA suspension!

I am thinking of going superlows some time in the future. I'm just wondering, will that be legal?

[martO]

Originally Posted by ea_silver_ghia

Well, I certainly haven't. LOL. Go the stock EA suspension!

I am thinking of going superlows some time in the future. I'm just wondering, will that be legal?

I don't think itll be legal, I have an EB with super lows and its under the 10mm limit at the cat and the crossmember. I cant even fit my mates LG flipphone when flipped down under my cat lol. :

EDIT: DRHEMI, I am yet to get pulled over for being too low, everytime a cop drives past me I'm always expecting to get pulled over, but so far so good.

[[Tonko]]

yeah, i been canaried for ride height, back when i was young, stupid and bored (wait im still 2 of those things) choppys in the EA were the way to go, 3 coils out all round, wasnt worth it... $240 fine and had to buy more springs...but while i had the canary, the back was on bumpstops...aaahh those were the days...

[jimt3te50]

not yet, but at 70mm I shudder every time I see anything that resembles a cop car....

plus the windows are too dark, car is too loud, tyres are too wide, not to mention the extra 100 odd ponies loping away under the bonnet blah blah blah- I'm sure they'll ping me for something and to be honest it's my own stupid fault when they do. I've been lucky enough to have had the pleasure of driving the car for 4nearly 4 years like it is......

[XRated]

Originally Posted by jimt3te50

not yet, but at 70mm I shudder every time I see anything that resembles a cop car....

plus the windows are too dark, car is too loud, tyres are too wide, not to mention the extra 100 odd ponies loping away under the bonnet blah blah blah- I'm sure they'll ping me for something and to be honest it's my own stupid fault when they do. I've been lucky enough to have had the pleasure of driving the car for 4nearly 4 years like it is......

I'm sure you could outrun them : :sm_headba

[clontarf_x]

Originally Posted by XRated

I'm sure you could outrun them : :sm_headba

I was about to say, I think they haven't pulled you because they know you'd be off in a flash of unburnt fuel and tyresmoke