Thread: 130 Wheel Spacers

Originally Posted by rathgar

Which would also be illegal.

Quote from VSI09 "An important requirement for all replacement wheels is that the wheel track must not be increased by more than25mm beyond the maximum specified by the vehicle manufacturer for that vehicle"

https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/documents...si-09-rev4.pdf

Hmm, used to be 50mm on sold axle vehicles....

So if you modified it legally back when you did it, does that make it illegal now the laws have changed?

Originally Posted by Homestar

So if you modified it legally back when you did it, does that make it illegal now the laws have changed?

There would be a clause or similar if tbey ever were legal, the same for bullbars that dont comply with todays laws.
I remember reading somthing along the lines of "any new model car built after 1999 must comply blah blah" im guessing thats how we get away with protruding bullbars on older cars. Id assume the law is the same with wheel spacers but ive always thought they were illegal. Even on track cars they have to be the bolt on type not just a shim.
Cheers Jim

if it was legal to do and you can prove it was done when it was legal then you're ok so long as you havent made any mods in the same area since it was made illegal in which case you are expected to have made the mod completely legal.

for hypothetical example.

lets imagine that in 1980 spacers were legal and I fitted some 1 inch spacers to increase my track width (and fix my turning circle a little)
lets imagine than in 1985 that became illegal but as I had my reciepts and could produce them I was still legal.
lets say in 1990 I decide that 50mm extra is now too wide for my car trailer so I put on some rims that have a 5mm offset putting me at 40mm track increase.

Now my spacers are illegal because I could have just put on some 20mm offset rims and removed the spacers.

lets say I did that and it was after the limit of 25mm track increase was put in I'm illegal in both cases because the the track width changed more than 25mm and I had spacers... Fun.

BUT....

you have to look at each states rulings.

for a while you could have 25mm done with rim offset because the ruling was from the center line of the vehicle not track center to track center in some states and it was track center to track center in others.

Fun.

Originally Posted by LRJim

There would be a clause or similar if tbey ever were legal, the same for bullbars that dont comply with todays laws.
I remember reading somthing along the lines of "any new model car built after 1999 must comply blah blah" im guessing thats how we get away with protruding bullbars on older cars. Id assume the law is the same with wheel spacers but ive always thought they were illegal. Even on track cars they have to be the bolt on type not just a shim.
Cheers Jim

LC/LJ XU1s and some HK Monaros had factory (1/8th shim) spacers. So quite a few "track car"among that lot. I am also led to believe a few European cars had them as well but could not tell you which ones.

Originally Posted by pop058

LC/LJ XU1s and some HK Monaros had factory (1/8th shim) spacers. So quite a few "track car"among that lot. I am also led to believe a few European cars had them as well but could not tell you which ones.

I wonder if those factory shims are legal on the road nowadays, im guessing yes if you can prove it.
When I was "racing" not so long ago we were meant to have bolt on one's, I never had spacers nor was I ever asked. I dunno if they looked when inspecting the car but they were pretty particular.
Apparently there had been incidents of wheels coming off because of the shims so you had to have bolt on ones.
Im guessing the factory ones would pass again if you can prove it.
I have a feeling somwhere in vicroads pages that ive read tucked away says something about factory fitted spacers but not 100%

Cheers Jim

Originally Posted by LRJim

I wonder if those factory shims are legal on the road nowadays, im guessing yes if you can prove it.
When I was "racing" not so long ago we were meant to have bolt on one's, I never had spacers nor was I ever asked. I dunno if they looked when inspecting the car but they were pretty particular.
Apparently there had been incidents of wheels coming off because of the shims so you had to have bolt on ones.
Im guessing the factory ones would pass again if you can prove it.
I have a feeling somwhere in vicroads pages that ive read tucked away says something about factory fitted spacers but not 100%

Cheers Jim

My understanding is that spacers are legal (nationally) on the road IF fitted by the manufacturer. The XU1/Monaro ones were just full shims in behind the bolt up face of the wheel. Now that you mention the racing, I don't recall ever having a scrutineer check for spacers, even in the HQ days where every party trick under the sun was tried (and used until caught).

Some Porsche’s had them, they are legal because they were fitted from factory.