Do major suspension mods alter the cars legal GVW?
Discussion
This question has kept coming back to me so I thought I'd ask. Does a vehicles GVW and max train weight still apply if major suspension modifications have been made? As an example, my car has had the entire suspension replaced with an aftermarket kit.
To me it doesn't matter, it's just curiosity. But there's a lot of people in the 4x4 world that are fitting heavy diesel engines and heavy armour and winch bumpers to lightweight 4x4s and take them over their GVW even before the driver has got in! Case in point, Suzuki Vitara. Kerb weight is 1200kg, Max GVW is 1450kg, leaving just 250kg to play with, including driver, passengers, and their hand bags. Fit a diesel engine, as a lot of people do, some winch bumpers etc and you've probably already used up most of that 250kg. I'm wondering if they've also fitted an aftermarket suspension kit, which replaces the control arms, dampers, springs, trailing arms etc, then does the manufacturers GVW even apply any more or can it be argued that it no longer does?
To me it doesn't matter, it's just curiosity. But there's a lot of people in the 4x4 world that are fitting heavy diesel engines and heavy armour and winch bumpers to lightweight 4x4s and take them over their GVW even before the driver has got in! Case in point, Suzuki Vitara. Kerb weight is 1200kg, Max GVW is 1450kg, leaving just 250kg to play with, including driver, passengers, and their hand bags. Fit a diesel engine, as a lot of people do, some winch bumpers etc and you've probably already used up most of that 250kg. I'm wondering if they've also fitted an aftermarket suspension kit, which replaces the control arms, dampers, springs, trailing arms etc, then does the manufacturers GVW even apply any more or can it be argued that it no longer does?
gioven that in many cases when a MAM is adjusted for Operational reasons suspension modification takes place ( the usual exception to this is where a designed as 3.9 or 4t Medium goods vehicle is down plated to 3.5 tonne MAM becasue of driving licence and/or tacho reasons - ditto some 7.5tonners on the UK market have MAM based on axle weights of up to 9 tonnes but are 7.5 toone plated i nthe UK becasue of the widespread use of 7.5 tonners based o nthe pre 97 car test giving C1.
rcx106 said:
This question has kept coming back to me so I thought I'd ask. Does a vehicles GVW and max train weight still apply if major suspension modifications have been made? As an example, my car has had the entire suspension replaced with an aftermarket kit.
To me it doesn't matter, it's just curiosity. But there's a lot of people in the 4x4 world that are fitting heavy diesel engines and heavy armour and winch bumpers to lightweight 4x4s and take them over their GVW even before the driver has got in! Case in point, Suzuki Vitara. Kerb weight is 1200kg, Max GVW is 1450kg, leaving just 250kg to play with, including driver, passengers, and their hand bags. Fit a diesel engine, as a lot of people do, some winch bumpers etc and you've probably already used up most of that 250kg. I'm wondering if they've also fitted an aftermarket suspension kit, which replaces the control arms, dampers, springs, trailing arms etc, then does the manufacturers GVW even apply any more or can it be argued that it no longer does?
As far as being road legal, if you exceed the GVW for whatever reason you would be breaking the law.To me it doesn't matter, it's just curiosity. But there's a lot of people in the 4x4 world that are fitting heavy diesel engines and heavy armour and winch bumpers to lightweight 4x4s and take them over their GVW even before the driver has got in! Case in point, Suzuki Vitara. Kerb weight is 1200kg, Max GVW is 1450kg, leaving just 250kg to play with, including driver, passengers, and their hand bags. Fit a diesel engine, as a lot of people do, some winch bumpers etc and you've probably already used up most of that 250kg. I'm wondering if they've also fitted an aftermarket suspension kit, which replaces the control arms, dampers, springs, trailing arms etc, then does the manufacturers GVW even apply any more or can it be argued that it no longer does?
You may be able to have the rating increased somehow...but I'd imagine the legal hoops you'd need to jump through to make that happen...would be like jumping through solid concrete hoops and jumping from a great height.
You've replaced the complete suspension system?
Do you mean shocks and springs or axles hubs and brakes aswell?
Even if you have I doubt it will add much once you have taken the weight of parts removed from parts added
I believe GVW includes 75Kg per passenger seat & 15Kg per seat luggage
Do you mean shocks and springs or axles hubs and brakes aswell?
Even if you have I doubt it will add much once you have taken the weight of parts removed from parts added
I believe GVW includes 75Kg per passenger seat & 15Kg per seat luggage
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