Are wheel spacers legal in Australia?

Are wheel spacers legal in Australia?

No, wheel spacers are not legal in Australia unless the manufacturer of the vehicle has fitted them to the vehicle in question.

What are wheel spacers? What do wheel spacers do?

A wheel spacer is a disc of steel or machined aluminium that bolts onto an axle and then the wheel is bolted onto the wheel spacer. A wheel spacer’s primary function is to increase your vehicle’s wheel track width.

How do they work?

Car wheel spacers are special components that are fitted between the wheel hub assembly and the wheel to widen the offset of the wheel and to change wheel bolt patterns. They are available in a variety of diameters, thicknesses, and with different bolt patterns.

Are wheel spacers safe? Are wheel spacers bad?

The introduction of any aftermarket component to a vehicle may not be safe if that component, its installation process or the final result is not compliant with Australia’s strict vehicle engineering regulations.

Increasing the offset of the wheel, places more stress on wheel bearings, wheel studs and the more components added to a vehicle, the greater the risk of component strife or failure.

Adding wheel spacers will also alter a vehicle’s handling, i.e. they may affect a vehicle’s stability when braking and the efficacy of some driver-assist tech, such as stability control.

The fitment of any accessories or modifications not regarded as legal will also work against you in the event of a motor vehicle accident and any insurance claim that incident may generate.

Your insurance company – or the other party’s insurance company – will in all likelihood refuse to pay anything at all to you if it’s proven you had installed illegal wheel spacers on your vehicle.

Your comprehensive vehicle insurance is a tightly worded contract between you and your insurance company. While you’re on the phone organising your insurance, the nice person on the other end of the line will more than likely talk to you about accessories, modifications, existing damage and being roadworthy.

You can choose to lie or withhold info about your vehicle if you wish… but if you ever have that big crash your mum warned you about where you write off someone’s Mercedes, your insurance company does NOT have to prove the spacers did – or did not – contribute to the crash. It simply has to show you deceived them… so your insurance contract was null and void from the beginning.

Are wheel spacers illegal in Australia? Why are wheel spacers illegal?

Wheel spacers are illegal in Australia unless they have been fitted by the vehicle’s manufacturer. Wheel spacers are illegal in Australia because they may negatively impact a vehicle’s safety and structural integrity.

Does it differ from state to state?

"Current state and territory government legislation and the Federal Government’s VSB14 [Vehicle Standards Bulletin14] prohibit the use of wheel spacers, between the wheel mounting face and the road wheel, except where they’re provided by the original vehicle manufacturer,” Australian 4WD legend and CarsGuide contributor Allan Whiting reckons. And his word is as good as solid gold*.

* Check out Allan’s website – outbacktravelaustralia.com.au – for even more proof of his comprehensive knowledge.

So, if someone were to ask you: are wheel spacers legal in NSW, Victoria, Qld, South Australia, or WA? – the answer will, for now, be “No, wheel spacers are not legal in any Australian state or territory”.

Are there particular situations in which they are illegal?

No, wheel spacers are not legal in Australia unless they are OEM factory fitted.

If right now you’re tippy-tapping away on your computer, Googling “how to install wheel spacers”, and “why do we have so many dumb Australian laws”, then stop immediately and give yourself an uppercut.

Don’t believe any hearsay or rumours on the internet, be aware of the law, and obey it.

Are there exceptions?

No.

Where can you get help and/or more information regarding the legality of wheel spacers in Australia?

Make sure you check with your local state or territory authorities before you undertake any modification work on your 4WD – or any vehicle for that matter.

Contact the appropriate government transport department in your state or territory or ever-so-politely ask the next police officer you bump into for clarification.