Thread: Larger tyres - they can't all be legal...?

Originally Posted by Grumbles

That is probably true but what we don't know is how many claims are refused due to oversize/illegal tyres and rims.

Not saying claims aren't knocked back, or insurance companies should be taken for granted. But I haven't come across one post on 3 to 4 forums over as many years suggesting they were denied compensation. Due to any mod for that matter.
I have head, but that is all, that an insurance company has to prove the tyres were a direct link to the accident if they use them as a way out. However I would imagine if they are bigger by 15mm in Qld for arguments sack, they that would make them illegal. So that in itself would be reason not to pay.

I had oversized tyres by an inch on my last 4x4, it was a write off to drowning.
Insurance paid, and all my mods which were all legal anyway bar the tyres. When I asked the accessor if I could reclaim and swap the tyres as they were new; he replied as long as it has tyres on it when the two tuck arrives go for it.

Although in the past I have had coil sprung hybrids engineered on 36'' tyres (9.00x16s and Q78 TSLs) this was done together with a series of other modifications.
It is my belief that Series 2 and 3 LandRovers can be legally fitted with 9.00x 16s plus the 50mm allowance without need for engineering approval, because this size, together with the wider 6.5'' rims was available as an optional extra. For safetys sake, it's advisable to fit LWB brakes onto SWBs when fitted with the larger rubber.
The Irish Shoreland Armoured car version of the 110/defenders also have 9.00x16s, but I'm not certain that the standard Def/110 optional equipment catalogue list this size. I understand the current 1 ton Defenders no longer use this size, possibly because Rover no longer fit Salisbury diffs.
Bill.

Originally Posted by Casper

These are the key lines in that paragraph,
a.Did the modification contribute to the accident
b.Did they agree to insure you with the said modification.

Originally Posted by tuffrangie

We will not cover
Undisclosed or illegal modifications
if your car is modified and:
• you did not tell us and we would not have agreed to cover
your car had you told us; or
• the modification is not permitted by any law in Australia.

I think you will find that the "or" is the vital bit. Even if they know about the modification, if it is illegal they have no obligation to pay, whether or not the modification contributed to the accident.

Originally Posted by Casper

The car had just 6 weeks earlier passed a RWC with the tyres and all mods but possibly now it may not have passed with the new laws but I would have just got it engineered.

In NSW the "rego check" does not mean a thing. They are allowed to check only a small number of items under strict regulation - for example they cannot remove a hub cap to check if all the wheel nuts are fitted. It does not therefore mean the vehicle meets legal requirements, and I suspect you'll find that somewhere in the small print.

Originally Posted by Casper

There is normally always a way to get your mods passed as long as they are really safe, if they are not safe they wont get passed by an engineer.

Entirely true, it's just that most people don't bother. When the claim in question is a few hundred dollars it's not worth the insurance company's time to investigate, but as you say, in the case of a big shunt they are free to do what they like to try to avoid paying!

I did mine properly and the engineer was happy and signed off.

That included:
Springs
Shocks
Brakes
steering lock
speedo correction
axles
diffs
tailshafts
body trims
flares

Other areas complied such as headlight heights etc.


Out of interest, the speedo correction has 2 speed correction settings (both adjustable) so my certificate allows me to run 2 different tyre sizes.

I think it's also important to remember that all of these things go together as a system rather than it being just fitting bigger tyres. For example, when specing the shocks the engineer needed to know the tyre size... mind you he also wanted to know if I was going to be jumping it!

Generally speaking if it's safe then an engineer will sign it off. But that means "safe under all road driving conditions", and we've all seen vehicles that could never be called "safe"!

It's also interesting to note that the insurance small print quoted above says cover is invalidated if:

"• the modification is not permitted by any law in Australia."

which really means that only the strictest state law applies, i.e. if a Victorian driving a Victorian registered vehicle in Victoria has a modification that is illegal in Queensland the insurance company can technically refuse to pay a claim (the modification is illegal by a Queensland law, which is "any law in Australia"). It's unlikely that they'd go to those extremes, but in fact they'd be quite entitled to! I guess they have to cover themselves against people crossing state boundaries and suddenly becoming illegal due to differing State laws!