17" wheels & legal issues

[CvcResponse]

I was planning to get 17" x 7.0 wheels for my EK 2000 civic. I'm pretty sure the stock wheels are 14" x 5.5? I'm just now confused about legal compliance issues.. I'm in Victoria btw so other victorians with advice would be appreciated!

I originally thought the only issue was with your insurance company. I used to be with racv. I told them i wanted to get new wheels and they said they can't be bigger than 6.5 or they wont cover it. The other measurement (14" or 17" etc) didn't matter apparently, so i could technically get 17 x 6.5 and be ok, although they arent very common. So i switched over to justcar as i assumed they weren't as restrictive with mods. Now i could get 17 x 7.0 and be covered, no probs. So i thought..

I've read a couple of posts that say 17" are illegal as its slightly bigger than maximum recommendations. But then others say there are loopholes around it, or show different formulas to use. I just want some simple answers (not being technical-minded) as there are PLENTY of 17" civics out there, i assume the stock size is 14" mostly. Wheels are a pretty big investment so i dont wanna get defected or worse insurance probs later. So is it possible to have 17 x 7.0 and still deemed legal? I read about getting engineer certificates, whats that all about. What stuff must i do to have them legal? Or should i settle for 16 x 6.5.. although i have my heart set on 17s.

[noodles025]

17's do look better but if you want no hassle's by the boys in blue I'd stick to the 16's. 9 out of 10 cops wont even take much notice of the size of your rims they just want them to clear the guard and everything else without rubbing but you can get that 1 that is just itching to give out that yellow sticker... I have 17's on my civic and my mechanic told me that they were illegal but he passed me and cleared my defect anyway, just lucky I guess...

Good Luck...

[Bayani]

Engineering Certificates aren't passes to break the laws. They are meant to to show that when you CREATING a new item on your vehicle, that the car is strucutally secure and safe.

VICroads: http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/CC48FC10-4D57-4F04-82E1-3BD72EF88340/0/VSI8.pdf

They are the same in NSW in respect to Rim Size. 15mm -/+ recommended diameter

[Boban]

same in QLD too
I got done for having 17's on my car, i had 205/40/17 rubber and i exceeded the maximum allowed height by 3mm (i was +18mm but can only go up to +15), but if you get lower profile rubber eg:205/35 i think it should be fine

[krogoth]

17's do look better but if you want no hassle's by the boys in blue I'd stick to the 16's. 9 out of 10 cops wont even take much notice of the size of your rims they just want them to clear the guard and everything else without rubbing but you can get that 1 that is just itching to give out that yellow sticker... I have 17's on my civic and my mechanic told me that they were illegal but he passed me and cleared my defect anyway, just lucky I guess...

Good Luck...

look...any mod carries a risk, i agree with noodles that most cops dont give a shit as long as they clear the guard etc

now therz alot of confusion over here

i think vicroads says that the rim thickness shoodnt exceed 15mm
eg, if the stock rim is 14x5, the largest allowable rim in thickness is 17x6.5, or 18x6.5 etc

i dont think they care too much about the diameter on the face of the rim

so a 3 inch increase in diameter shoodnt be a problem as long as the thickness of the rim hasnt exceeded 15mm

som1 else mentioned tyre profile, and that its +/- 15mm for overall rolling diameter...now i dont know about legislation but IMO wen gettin after market rims u shood try to keep the rollin diameter as close as possible to stock

meaning, if u get bigger rims, ull need to get tyres with a smaller profile than the stock tyres, this bit can be difficult to explain...but whoever fits ur weelz and tyres will also emphasise that the rolling diameter shoodnt change...and heel help u pick the correct tyre

as for cop attention, again most dont care..but post up a pic of the rims u looking at getting, obviously the chromier and shinier the are, the more attention ur gona get, IMO

i have a nice set of 17x7 JDMs style rims on my civic, ive been breath tested many times, they all have a quick look but they dont say anything, and btw i didnt mention anything to insurance, but u may want to if ur that paranoid of the car gettin stolen

good luck, here is another site u shood look at, really useful, i got it from the suspension forum stickie, sorry for long post

http://www.chris-longhurst.com/carbibles/tyre_bible.html

[-[NoS]-]

ive been told that its only 1 inch up in width from stock

so that if ur stock wheels are 14x5 you can only go to 16x6

i dunno

[Zdster]

The short answer is there is no short answer. When it comes to these things lots of people will tell you lots of different things and it is up to you to figure out where you stand. Furthermore, because the law is not clear cut it also adds another level of complexity to the issue.

[XP02ED]

if you car's riced, and u get pulled over alot, your gna get defected for 17's

and really depends on the cop as well.. i once had 18's cops had no problem, they cared more about the tint being %100 black

ps for syd what i know 2" over stock size you get defected.. i may be wrong but hey depends on cops i say

[Bayani]

XPO2ED - 2" is a general guide, for technical information, Refer my previous post.

Also, for those who have 17's. There is no such tyre as 205/35/r17.

The lowest profile 17's come in is 40.

[CvcResponse]

It's fair to say that most 17" wheels are 7.0+, only a small percentage would be 6.5 i would imagine.

So 17" civics are technically illegal, but can get away with it providing they arent inspected by cops nor inform their insurance company? That what it sounds like to me.

I'm leaning towards 16" now, because of legal issues but also i can lower it with less hassles. I'm not that afraid of cops defecting it, more concerned about insurance probs if i'm in a serious accident (and cant change wheels back in the dodgy manner). I could be ok anyway but just peace of mind i guess.

[XP02ED]

how often do u get bugged by the pigs?

if you like 17's go for 17s dont let that stop ya..

id imagine in most cases you would probably get rbt'd about 1once evry couple of months and you got a smal chance they even care

[destrukshn]

rbt's don't really care, unless they have a shit night.
unless you have a 200sx, wrx, or some other common turbo car. lol.

[destrukshn]

It's fair to say that most 17" wheels are 7.0+, only a small percentage would be 6.5 i would imagine.

So 17" civics are technically illegal, but can get away with it providing they arent inspected by cops nor inform their insurance company? That what it sounds like to me.

I'm leaning towards 16" now, because of legal issues but also i can lower it with less hassles. I'm not that afraid of cops defecting it, more concerned about insurance probs if i'm in a serious accident (and cant change wheels back in the dodgy manner). I could be ok anyway but just peace of mind i guess.
it's usually not that bad.

[XP02ED]

mobile rbts, its usually new pig recruits who tend to fine you for the small things

[CvcResponse]

how often do u get bugged by the pigs?

if you like 17's go for 17s dont let that stop ya..

id imagine in most cases you would probably get rbt'd about 1once evry couple of months and you got a smal chance they even care

Yeah i'm not that concerned with the cops, even if i was pulled over. More the insurance side of things.

[Bayani]

In terms of insurance you won't be covered for the rims, they may even try to revoke your insurance for failure to declare.

[Channy]

hi guys but i thought the only regulations in vic where the 17s tyres must meet the load rating and can be upto 2 inches larger than OEM spec. If it is possible could you get a rim 17x7 witha large off-set it maybe +44.0 in stead of the +35.0? so it sit closer under the guard, cause if anything did happen i dont think those insurance pencil pushers would be able to tell and wouldnt pull cops and be pain in the arse. goodluck

[sendok]

it's legal as long it's max 2" bigger, 2" wider. other than that, even insurance company will not cover your vehicle.. :D

[Bayani]

It's not Sendok; there is technical information regarding the legalities. Simply "2" bigger and wider doesn't cut it.

Channy, those pencil pushers' don't check your car. Qualified people do.

[iceman_vti]

Oh... well... looks like i'm for a bit of trouble lol..

Yesterday fitted up some 18x7.5's, with 215/35's on them.. as far as tyrepower told me the only thing cops care about is if the tyre is inside the guards.. anythin else is trouble.

Anyways, drivin round last night and today, i've had no trouble yet. I've had cops come in to work (holden dealer) and see the car, no problem, i've driven past them and theres been no issue...

Maybe i'm just dodging bullets tho.. lol

Hully

[Bayani]

They're field duty cops. Take it on the Highways. :)
Highway patrol will know what to do with you.

[SiR Feoc]

Yeah I went through this all a few years back, had 17s on my first crx got into a accident which totally killed the car and my insurance company didn't want to cover cos I was 1 inch too big.

[XP02ED]

i had 18s for about a year on my eg..

No trouble with cops towards it.. it was dumped too

just insure your car without the rims, and if you have an accident Bad luck or talk to who you have an accident with to keep it in the downlow unless its a right off ;D

if your gna care about cops when you do your mods, then dont do any

[oniononline]

how about the 06 8th gen Civic? They comes with 15 inch wheel, can I put a 17 inch 45+ rim in it?

[Zdster]

how about the 06 8th gen Civic? They comes with 15 inch wheel, can I put a 17 inch 45+ rim in it?

You can put whatever you like in your car, just depends if the boot space is big enough really.

As others have said, look at the regulations and make some enquiries with your local road authorities.