Soon To Be In Wa - Questions On Vehicle Mods

[tthomas417]

Hey everyone. Over the past few months I have spent countless hours viewing this forum and decided to join. I am moving to Western Australia from the United States and wanted to get some clarification and advice. I saw the sticky here: http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/topic/295752-information-about-vehicle-regulations-licensing-and-the-road-traffic-laws/ and read through it all but am a little concerned after the reading. I am going to be purchasing an R34 GTT (one of my favorite cars, not really legal in the U.S.) and it seems like modification work, in almost any way, shape, or form is illegal and can cause your vehicle to fail Rego. I am not looking to build a race car but want to know what my options are in terms of modifications. I see cars for sale with mods and have to ask, what is feasible and what is not? Exhaust, BOV, upgraded turbo, ECU, Boost controller, Brakes, Sound system, etc. Sorry if this has been covered but I did my best to read through everything on here and the web before posting. Thanks everyone.

[10 4]

If you just modify sensibly you should be fine.. Ie no wheels that stick out of the guards, loud bovs etc.

You can always get things engineered but its usually an expensive process. With my previous 32 GTR, it had bigger turbos (factory position), pods (secured), bovs (hidden, not loud) a half cage, coilovers, camber arms etc.

I got pulled over by the cops and all they were interested in was my permit for my cage, everything else they didn't care about.

FWIW, car also passed pits with all those mods with the permit for the cage. That said, I know of people who have failed for camber arms and coilovers so its just your luck really. Cops "shouldn't" sticker you for suspension unless you're stupid low.

ECU was in the glovebox so I don't think they ever saw it. With a bov, make sure its plumed back and not atmospheric, pods to be secured. Upgraded turbos are iffy and best if in factory position not high-mounted unless engineered.

[tthomas417]

Great information. I appreciate the help. Any links or info you can provide on engineering? I think at this point I am just looking to start with wheels, BOV, coilovers, exhaust, tune, boost controller, intake, and sound system. If you have any advice on those that would be great (in terms of staying out of trouble with the police). Thanks for the help.

[MLCrisis]

Hey, mate. As James said, sensible mods should be no problem. The main problem here is that the individual Policeman can issue you with a yellow sticker if they "suspect" your car does not comply with road rules. So, if they don't like you, they may well ignore any permits you have and just give you the sticker anyway. So the advice there is not to be a smart alec!

Yes, sir. No, Sir.

So an exhaust that hangs no lower that 100mm from the ground, still has a cat and is not stupidly loud will not be a problem. The more subtle the outlet, the better.

BOV is legal if it is plumbed back. Illegal if it is not - and just gives the cops an excuse!

Wheels should officially be one of the sizes on your tyre placard/sticker on the car. If you go beyond that, it officially needs to have an engineer's certificate. But if your car runs, say, 17s, stock then you will probably get away with 19s. Just go over the pits with the 17s on. If you get 20s - expect some interest from the boys in blue. You also need to be careful of insurance with these things. The wrong size wheels might invalidate your insurance.

Coilovers - check what the Australian Design Rules (ADR) say. If properly installed and set up, and with the car no lower than 100mm from the ground at the lowest point, it should be OK as far as Police interest goes.

Tune - get a Nistune. Plausible deniability. Or get what you like and get an engineer's certificate, which is not that difficult.

Intake - whatever you like as long as it is properly secured (more or less).

Boost controller - these do not comply with ADRs. You can get a higher boost setting engineered, but the ability to change the setting from the driver's seat is not allowed, as far as I am aware. So make sure your Greddy Profec Spec B is hidden from view and an innocuous switch located somewhere handy to switch from low to high boost!

Overall, get a good workshop who know what they are doing. Look at the workshops thread and take the time to talk to people who have had work done - and take a look at their rides.

Cheers.

[ColdFusion]

The wheels thing is that it must not exceed the maximum rolling diametre size allowed on that model of vehicle. So whatever it says on the placard or a placard of a higher ranged model, as long as the new rims plus tyres is not more than 2 inches larger. So you could run 18's on a 32, but your tyre profile would have to be quite small. Also can't run staggered width or offset unless original setup is like that. I doubt there are many people that follow the last point that don't run stock rims.

[Hank Scorpio]

JUst don't put a sound system in it and you'll be fine

[gazza750]

The wheels thing is that it must not exceed the maximum rolling diametre size allowed on that model of vehicle. So whatever it says on the placard or a placard of a higher ranged model, as long as the new rims plus tyres is not more than 2 inches larger. So you could run 18's on a 32, but your tyre profile would have to be quite small. Also can't run staggered width or offset unless original setup is like that. I doubt there are many people that follow the last point that don't run stock rims.

That is the old system that went out about 4 years ago

Now you are legal to go 1.3x the size is says on the tyre placard IE: R32 GTR standard runs a 16 x 8 rim .... 16 x 1.3 =20.8... 8 x 1.3 =10.4 so legally you can run a 20x10 rim on a r32 gtr

so long as you have the correct profile tyre and offset it is no prob.

[StealthX]

Keep in mind when yo buy a car here, it doesn't need any sort of inspection, so providing your rego payments are up to date, you'll never have anyone inspect your car unless you cop a yellow sticker.

my advice: keep ALL the stock bits. I mean ALL. And get very familiar with installing them...

Oh and drive safely and 9/10 times you wont have much bad cop attention... If you do get cop attention, treat them like humans and respect them, you'll be surprised how far it goes to help you

[lunjiaow]

http://www.transport.wa.gov.au/licensing/20500.asp

Somewhere in there is a list of engineers you can use.

Just don't make your car look very nice and you wont have trouble.

[tthomas417]

Thanks for all the help. Glad to know I don't have to keep it stock or worry about running from the law with a modded car. I wasn't thinking body kit for a while so I will climb that mountain when I get there. Looking forward to getting to importing my bayside blue. Thanks all!

[sleptema]

My car: Too loud, too low, tint too dark, wheels have too much poke, atmospheric LOUD bov, HID headlights, underglow.

I don't drive like an idiot, and I am not a prick to the cops, and I haven't been defected once. If you are doing the right thing, cops won't generally pull you over for just visual mods. My cannon is 7' with a 5' tip, it's like a milo tin, hangs 50mm from the ground (SCRAPE!). Cops see it, tail my car for a couple kms, run my plates, give the car a once over with their eyes, then drive away. When I drive through booze busses, I just smile, be polite and be honest.

Obviously I have been lucky, I have heard of cops pulling over cars for rediculous reasons.

[tthomas417]

Thanks Voncina. I am going to try the invisible mod approach. Saw some great ideas on here about the nisstune, FMIC installations, etc that would go unnoticed or unseen by most cops. I will definitely use the advice on being polite and not driving like an idiot and hope that all helps. Really do want a BOV and aftermarket intake but have read a lot about people getting yellow stickered for that. Still undecided about that. What is the cost if you get yellow stickered in WA? Is it worth the risk?

[tricstar]

Mate if they want they will find something to sticker for... Just drive sensibly and keep your nose clean, also if you hang with a bunch of hoons, i'd say your chance of getting stickered is greatly increased.

I've been driving a R33 GTR stroked, big single, big cams etc etc on the street for the past 2 years no dramas. Wouldn't worry ( read ) to much about it,

[t_revz]

Agreed. I've had mine for 10 years and never been pulled over for a "random" vehicle check or ever popped the bonnet. As Cam said, treating police like humans goes along way

Edited April 16, 2012 by t_revz

[tthomas417]

Yeah, that has always been my MO. Never understood why people like to heckle or aggitate cops. They usually are just trying to do their job but can make your life very difficult if you make their job difficult. I have gotten out of several tickets by being polite. I am looking forward to the move (US to Australia). I am moving in June and have been in touch with Danny at Imports101. I am looking to import a manual R34 GTT in Bayside Blue. First the job, then the car, but got enough to get the ball rolling once I arrive. Any tips on what to look for when importing? Sorry for all the questions.

[sleptema]

Yeah, that has always been my MO. Never understood why people like to heckle or aggitate cops. They usually are just trying to do their job but can make your life very difficult if you make their job difficult. I have gotten out of several tickets by being polite. I am looking forward to the move (US to Australia). I am moving in June and have been in touch with Danny at Imports101. I am looking to import a manual R34 GTT in Bayside Blue. First the job, then the car, but got enough to get the ball rolling once I arrive. Any tips on what to look for when importing? Sorry for all the questions.

If you are looking for a bayside blue gtt, I would give up now. They are so rare. I have only ever seen 1 in WA, all the rest are GTR's. You can find them, but it may take a while to get a decent one. Obviously, you are going for GTT because you cannot afford a GTR, yes?

There are a few regulations that we have in place to keep the import quality high, such as no rust, no unrepaired damage, etc. And in Japan the cars are worth stuff all, and most of the markup in price in Australia is because of the importing fees. In my opinion, you are better off finding a stocky with limited mods, because if a car is only worth $2000, and you have $5000 worth of mods on it, you would be smarter to sell the parts induvidually, then sell the car. So when I see a riced import FOB, I get a little worried at the quality and workmanship, that being said, I am a careful/logical/rational thinker.

For a good quality GTT, you are looking at around $20k (AUD obviously). I bought mine completely stock, mechanically perfect, few small/barely noticeable dents (as you get on a 13 year old car), 87,000kms on the clock, $17k. Mine was FOB, and personally, unless I knew the driver or had friends who knew them, I wouldn't buy one that isn't imported, ie, driven by an Aussie. I give my car piss, but I also get it serviced every 5000kms, wash it fortnightly, run on 98 octane fuel (the highest octane % in Perth..), always let the engine cool, and don't thrash it when cold. Yet I know a LOT of people, who drive them like they are indestructable machines. This can too happen with an import, but if you buy one stock, look for tell tale signs of modding then stripping, exhaust would be a good place to start, because mine was very filthy, while the car itself was clean, so the guy who had it in jap had a cannon (at least) on it (because the rest of the heat shielding was in tact). Most of the asian drivers I know drive like me, but obviously, there are exceptions to the rule.

Danny from imports101 is a good bloke, he can help get you started. He is fairly well known around here. Once you start getting into modding, you will want to talk to Andrew from Hyperdrive. He is regarded as the best r34 tuner in Perth by many people, but it is your choice, cross that bridge when you get to it.

I am no expert on the matter, but I have picked up a little bit of knowledge along the way.

Have you ever been to Perth? If not I would be happy to show you around the weekend you show up, take a cruise in my gtt

What kind of job are you looking at getting? What trade?

Thanks Voncina. I am going to try the invisible mod approach. Saw some great ideas on here about the nisstune, FMIC installations, etc that would go unnoticed or unseen by most cops. I will definitely use the advice on being polite and not driving like an idiot and hope that all helps. Really do want a BOV and aftermarket intake but have read a lot about people getting yellow stickered for that. Still undecided about that. What is the cost if you get yellow stickered in WA? Is it worth the risk?

At the end of the day, if a cop wants to yellow sticker you, he will do it whether your car has mods or not. I know a guy who just rolled out of the car yard with a stocky, bitch cop, pulled him over for too low (bullshit..?) and tint (wasn't tinted). A bov and intake is probably the safest mods, yeah if a cop pulls you over and checks under your bonnet, you may get a defect notice, but they won't (not likely..) pull you over because he hears your bov if your car is clean.. Just keep your stock bov and air intake, takes an hour to change them over, just time going over the pits. The only reason a bov is illegal is because it doesn't meet immision standards, stupid rule imo..

[10 4]

Nono, Japanese people never, ever drive their cars hard.

Ever.

[sleptema]

Nono, Japanese people never, ever drive their cars hard.

Ever.

Sarcasm? Hard to tell with no tone.

[tthomas417]

Tons of great info Voncina. I think you hit the nail on the head with the import vs already in the country. I have been trolling the internet for a local one but they all are too heavily modified for my taste. I could save money buying in the country but I really would rather not. When I spoke to Danny he told me I can get a late model R34 GTT in Bayside blue with less than 50k kms, manual, for a little over $20k. The only downside with that combo, like you stated, is the color. He said it would take roughly three months from start to finish. I think the things you mentioned to look for are great advice, things people normally would not think of.

I have been to Perth. My wife's family moved there several years ago from the US and we came to visit last Feb. We loved it and are now moving there. It took a long time and a lot of money to get approved to move there so yeah you are right about the GTR, its just not in the cards at the moment. I would like to come check out your car as well when I get there, I appreciate the offer. Currently, I am an operations Manager here for the nations largest health insurance company, supporting the physicians and hospitals that see our members. Not sure what I am going to do there but I am looking forward to the opportunity for a new start and change in environment.

[kingscorp]

Hope I hope you enjoy Perth.

I wouldn't worrie too much about the modifications, just be more cautious of the driving infringments and the hoon laws!

If your interested in a GTR let me know. I have my 1993 R32 GTR VSpec for sale. Its immaculate and unmodified, therefore reliable!

Ash