Australia has some of the best 4WDing on the planet, and for that reason there’s a huge number of people who own, and modify 4WD’s.
Whether its for tackling hard core 4WD tracks in the Glasshouse Mountains, or just for taking your family down to the local beach there’s more 4WD tracks in Australia than you could explore in a lifetime on the road.
It makes sense to modify your 4WD to suit what you are using it for, but Australia has some pretty stringent regulations when it comes to 4WD lift kits, running bigger tyres, GVM and GCM upgrades, body lifts and the list goes on. If you are fitting 4WD accessories, you need to make sure you’re on the right side of the law!
You usually can’t just fit 35 inch tyres without jumping through a number of hoops, and what makes it most difficult is that each state has a different set of regulations that you have to comply with.
In this post, we look at the regulations state by state in terms of what you are allowed to do, what your options are for going beyond that and why its so important to retain a legal 4WD.
Beyond that, there’s a heap of items that are not legal in any state of Australia, and some can land you in some pretty serious hot water. If you want to know more, check out 32 ways to make your 4WD illegal.
Before we move onto each state, I want to cover a few important points:
Every state is different
It’s really important that you understand every state has their own regulations, and they are not the same. A 4WD modified to the maximum in NSW is illegal in WA, and there’s other examples too.
The NCOP (National Code of Practice) is the governing document that covers Australia, but on a state level there are often additional requirements that need to be met, which are outside of this paperwork.
The exact paperwork is called VSB 14, and has 16 sections that range from engines to brakes, body modifications, fuel systems, suspension and steering etc.
4WD registration location trumps actual location
Lots of people always ask whether you can visit another state with a 4WD that doesn’t comply with their regulations. The answer is simple; yes, providing your vehicle is legal in the state it is registered in.
For a practical example, our GVM upgrade on our Isuzu Dmax is not a nation wide upgrade. That means its legal in WA, and every other state, providing it is kept registered in WA. If however, we sell it to someone in another state the GVM upgrade becomes null and void. Yes, it doesn’t make much sense, but that’s the rules we have to roll with for now.
If your GVM is over 4500kg you’ll fall onto a new set of rules
There’s quite a few 4WD’s and trucks today that can be registered as 4495kg GVM, and driven on a normal car license, or you can bump them to over 4500kg GVM and you’ll need a truck license to drive them.
One of the benefits of doing this though, is you no longer need to follow the legalities for normal 4WD’s; it falls under the truck category and there is a LOT more freedom into lift kit sizes, tyre size increases and so forth. This article doesn’t go into that, and we are purely referring to vehicles under 4500kg GVM (most 4WD’s!).
What are you actually allowed to do?
New South Wales
NSW runs off VSB14, but they’ve also introduced a light vehicle modifications manual: Suspension and Ride Height, which you can read here.
Maximum tyre size increase: 50mm
Maximum suspension lift: 50mm
Body lift permissible: Yes, with certification
Maximum roof height increase: 75mm (25mm via tyres and 50mm by suspension)
GVM Upgrade possible: Yes to both pre registered and already registered vehicles.
GCM Upgrade possible: Yes to both pre registered and already registered vehicles.
South Australia
For a link to the limitations in South Australia, you can start here.
Maximum tyre size increase: 50mm
Maximum suspension lift: 50mm
Body lift permissible: Yes
Maximum roof height increase: 50mm in total, using all, or any of the following (body lift, suspension lift, tyre size increase)
GVM Upgrade possible: Yes to both pre registered and already registered vehicles.
GCM Upgrade possible: Yes to both pre registered and already registered vehicles.
Western Australia
WA runs off VSB 14, which you can read here.
Maximum tyre size increase: 50mm without engineering (the only exception is regarding different models, which you can read more about here – 50mm above the largest in your model range)
Maximum suspension lift: 50mm without engineering
Body lift permissible: Yes, with a mod plate
Maximum roof height increase: 50mm total (including tyres, suspension and body lift) without engineering
GVM Upgrade possible: Yes to both pre registered and already registered vehicles.
GCM Upgrade possible: Yes to pre-registered vehicles, but no to already registered vehicles.
Northern Territory
The NT runs off VSB 14, but there’s a process to follow when modifying your 4WD which you can read here.
Maximum tyre size increase: 50mm without engineering
Maximum suspension lift: 50mm without engineering
Body lift permissible: Yes, with a mod plate
Maximum roof height increase: 50mm total (including tyres, suspension and body lift) without engineering
GVM Upgrade possible: Yes to both pre registered and already registered vehicles.
GCM Upgrade possible: Yes to pre-registered vehicles, but no to already registered vehicles.
Queensland
If you want to modify your 4WD in Queensland, you should consult the QCOP.
Maximum tyre size increase: 50mm without engineering
Maximum suspension lift: 50mm without engineering
Body lift permissible: Yes
Maximum roof height increase: 75mm total (50mm suspension, and 25mm tyres, giving you the ability to run 50mm bigger tyres and a 50mm lift as the tyres only increase roof height by 25mm).
GVM Upgrade possible: Yes, to currently registered vehicles and pre-registered vehicles.
GCM Upgrade possible: Approved to pre-registered vehicles, but not to already registered vehicles.
Queenslands Transport Department (TMR) are currently in the process of releasing a draft plan for GVM and GCM upgrades, which we should see mid 2022.
Victoria
Maximum tyre size increase: 50mm without engineering
Maximum suspension lift: 50mm without engineering
Body lift permissible: Yes
Maximum roof height increase: 75mm (25mm via tyres and 50mm by suspension)
GVM Upgrade possible: Yes to both pre and post registered vehicles
GCM Upgrade possible: Yes to both pre and post registered vehicles
Tasmania
Tasmania refers to VSB 14, and the VMCM, but the more comprehensive information is found in the light vehicle inspection manual.
Maximum tyre size increase: 50mm
Maximum suspension lift: 50mm
Body lift permissible: Yes
Maximum roof height increase: 50mm without engineering
GVM Upgrade possible: Yes to both pre registered and already registered vehicles.
GCM Upgrade possible: Yes to both pre registered and already registered vehicles.
What a shambles
Writing this article has been a major headache, and finding the relevant information, then ensuring its up to date and you actually understand it has not been much fun. I have no doubt that things will change and I’ll do my best to keep it updated, but why we can’t have a uniform modification law is truly astounding.
This article first appeared: https://www.4wdingaustralia.com/4×4/australian-4wd-modification-limits/
