Legal Issues with Coilovers

[TheFranchise]

Hey guys

I've read on some other forums that coilovers are infact illegal and you can be defected for them.

Other sources have told me that only certain brands are illegal.

So my questions are:

1. Are coilovers illegal and if so,

2. Which ones (brands) are legal for use on Australian (Victorian) Roads.

Thanks

[newmski]

most hondas have coilover suspension...so in answer to ur question no.
however aftermarket coilovers are as they are not oem standard...

[Zdster]

The issue, as I understand it, is that the problem is with the height adjustment. Height adjustable coilovers can lower the car so that has an illegal ride height. I have read (but am no expert) that Tein are illegal due to the fact that they can go low.

As with all other mods however, you must recognise that any change for original manufactured equipment (ie OEM) can be considered illegal. I have friends that run on coilovers, and have notified their insurers of a suspension change and they are fine with that as long as it is not illegal. They have then made the judgement that the suspension is fine (after reading local state legislation) and take a certain 'risk'. To be 100% certain, the only way to reduce that risk to nothing is to have the entire car looked at by an engineer and to get a roadworthy certificate.

[TypeRice]

if coilovers are height adjustable.. then its no probs when u get defected..

just adjust the height to make it higher .. and get your clearance from rta..

then after that .. adjust it back to low >.<

is that possible?

[AsH_]

but if it's been adjusted to a legal height shouldnt it be fine?

i've told my insurance company i have height adjustable suspension and they marked it on my policy and said it was fine.

[mrwillz]

yeah they allow one mod
they dont ask too much
i've only listed 'lowered suspension'

[zco]

most hondas have coilover suspension...so in answer to ur question no.
however aftermarket coilovers are as they are not oem standard...

honda's dont come standard with coilovers. all coilovers are 'aftermarket'.
read up on RTA (or your states road authorities) and check height/vehicle clearance issues and if you dont lower your car below that point, then its not defectable.

[newmski]

honda's dont come standard with coilovers. all coilovers are 'aftermarket'.
read up on RTA (or your states road authorities) and check height/vehicle clearance issues and if you dont lower your car below that point, then its not defectable.
yes they do... read up on the term coilover...

[TypeRice]

yeah they allow one mod
they dont ask too much
i've only listed 'lowered suspension'

what if you have more than one mod? (eg. bodykit, rims, mp3 playa, exhaust, turbo etc etc)
they wont insure you or wat?
coz when i bought my car it didnt have n e mods, and i insured the car the day i got it.

after adding stuff to the car, i havnt called up to update my info etc since.. lol

[mrwillz]

well that depends on ur insurnace policy regarding legality of mods and no. of mods.

i was only allowed one mod and listed the springs as their not easy to remove/install if i evver need to for insurance purposes

u shud update ur insurance, let em no (especially wif alot of mods)

[CTR Coupe]

As far as i know all "adjustable" suspention is defectable.

Theres been claims in the past as long as the lowest setting doesn't violate Minimum hight requirements then they are legal. (someone wanna show me a set of coilovers that don't violate minimum hight requirements)

I've also been told that Koni yellows pass inspection however i think this is more luck on the day rather than a true indication that they are street legal.
they claimed that the circlip design was the reason it passed apposed to the locking nut design on most Japanese coilovers.

simply "raising" your car for inspection isn't good enough to pass as they know as soon as you drive it out of the building your going to drop it on its **** again.

I' running coilovers and i know if i get pinged ill be putting the standard suspention components back into the car.

your better off just buying coilovers that suit your application and budget rather than trying to get it "street legal" as most people have found if the cops want to defect you, they will.

P.S ZCO all hondas with double wishbone and McPherson strut have coilovers standard they are just non adjustable. Coilover revers to the design of the suspention. Having the shocker captive by the spring.
ie the jazz and new civic do not have coilovers in the rear end.

[dsp26]

yes they do... read up on the term coilover...

we know what your saying... technically all suspension setups are 'coil overs' as the coil is over the strut.

but we are talking about the actual "coilover suspension" with damp/height adjustable stuff.

but as stated above, every modification is technically illegal and must be engineered.

i know for nsw/rta rules the lowest point on your car including wheels cannot be lower than 10cm height...

for example is mine, there is no point in me getting height adjustables on my stock crx sussy because my jdm copy extractors are 12cm above the ground on the underside...

[dsp26]

what if you have more than one mod? (eg. bodykit, rims, mp3 playa, exhaust, turbo etc etc)
they wont insure you or wat?
coz when i bought my car it didnt have n e mods, and i insured the car the day i got it.

after adding stuff to the car, i havnt called up to update my info etc since.. lol

only insurance companies that don't cater for modified vehicles enforce that rule.. ie AAMI. thats why you go to one such as Just Car.

[dsp26]

simply "raising" your car for inspection isn't good enough to pass as they know as soon as you drive it out of the building your going to drop it on its **** again.
that is true and same rule applies to cannons with removable silencers... they are only legal if welded on/permanent.

same with coilover sleeves... highly defectable and cannot pass epa if you get sent there.

coilover sleeves to be legal MUST have the sleeve welded to the strut body.