Board Logo

what is the Lowest Legal Ride height?
killakornkobb - December 7th, 2004 at 07:12 PM

any info greatley appreciated..

i keep being told my ride is below legal (thankfully not by any coppers just yet..

i thought is was 100mm/4" am i right?

im kinda under that 4" though :|


dragbug - December 7th, 2004 at 07:20 PM

From what i was told....???
It was around 600mm from centre of headlight beam to ground.
This leave's it open to alot of loop holes tho.
Check with ya local RTA.
Different shoe's for different state's..if you know what i mean.
My front license plate sits an inch off the ground,
Havent been pulled yet...Touch wood.


killakornkobb - December 7th, 2004 at 07:52 PM

did some reading, so for anyone in victoria.. here are our rules :mad:

- - -Ground Clearance- - -


the ground clearance of a vehicle measured from a horizontal road surface to

any point on the underside of the vehicle except the tyres, wheels, wheel hubs

and brake backinbg plates shall, with the vehicle in it's loaded state as

specified by the manufacturer, be not less than:

for any point in the width of the vehicle which is within one metre for and

aft of any axle, 100mm;

for the mid-point between any two consecultive axles, the dimension if

millimetres obtained by multiplying the distance in metres between thoes two

axles by 33.33.

- - -Lowering or Raising Vehicles- - -

A vehicle my be lowered or raised provided the clearance between a suspension

component and it's associated bump stop is not alteredby more than 1/3 of that

specified by the manufacturer. in addition, the original relationship between

front and rear suspension heights must not be unduly affected.

Suspension coil springs must not be shortened by cutting. if lowering blocks

are used, they must be manufactured from either steel, aluminium, or a metal

of equivilent hardness. the vehicle must not be raised by the use of extended

or adjustable shackle plates.


dragbug - December 7th, 2004 at 08:43 PM

Dont you love the way they get all Super english and techy on ya.


gldgti - December 8th, 2004 at 09:20 AM

my cousin, who is a copper, told me in nsw the 'roadside' test that coppers do to determine if your ride is legal or not is to roll a coke can under those parts of the car which are lowest. if it doesnt clear the coke can, your booked.

that makes the clearence about......90mm?


squizy - December 8th, 2004 at 09:23 AM

I'd like to see the coke can test stand up in a court of law. :thumb:thumb

Squiz....


VWFREAK - December 8th, 2004 at 09:31 AM

Min leagal ride height is 100mm, however it can only be lowered a 1/3 of the manufatures origional ride height.

Check out the RACV FAQ section.


Daniel - December 8th, 2004 at 10:20 AM

Over here it is 100mm as well. If you want to go lower than that you have to get it certified to say it still has enough up and down wheel travel. My bus is under 100mm, and a friend of mine has a beetle even lower!


Vw nutter - December 8th, 2004 at 06:53 PM

im pretty sure that to see weather you have enough clearance you have to pass the beer can test but i spoze a coke can would do ay!


Stanley - December 8th, 2004 at 07:47 PM

Any ride height is legal........until you get caught


ColumBUS - December 10th, 2004 at 12:38 AM

ok then whats the rules on hydros and airbags? i mean they can rasie lower etc. is it riding height must be set to a certain limit?


Secoh - December 10th, 2004 at 12:22 PM

ADR's are national, and minimum ground clearance according to the ADR's is 100mm. Nothing must hang lower than this, except the wheels and tyres LOL

There's also a min/max requirement for the centre of the headlights too.

AFAIK airbags can be engineered everywhere except QLD which has an outright ban on them altogether,