Legal wheel/tyre combinations

Sugest you check with the R.T.A. as they are the authorities who enforce vehicle compliance etc.

I would suggest that it is your vehicles placard information is what to go by. From what I have found out, it is this placard that states what that car is allowed to drive on. You will have to base your tyre upgrade on what is shown on that.

Stands to reason, if the police actually did a compliance check, this is all they would have to go on.

I have have driven SR5s and I think you are right, the standard tyres were bigger than your placard, but your vehicle obviously is not an SR5 - is that right? The earlier Hiluxes I drove had the skinner tyres
Hopefully someone will prove that wrong for you :-) Cheers Tony

What model of hilux? year/model no etc.

Check your handbook, mine shows different tyre size and track info as used on SR5.

The placard is the guide.....

If you wish to go bigger (or smaller?) diameter then you will need an engineering certificate to be legal.

Now there are a few things to consider as well...

Will you insurance company cover the vehicle with the larger tyres? NRMA said yes as long as the vehicle is registerable. I.E. I needed an engineering certificate...
The speedo cannot read under speed at all, but may read up to 10% fast. My speed read about 3.5% faster than I was actaully going, so the increase in tyre size 3.4% basically meant it now was reading correctly.
The loading (kgs) on the tyre must meet or exceed what is on the placard.
The speed rating must be at least 140km/h in NSW (110km/h in VIC)
Technically, you need to show a label so that any driver of your car knows that the tyres that are on the car are not to the same speed rating as the original tyres fitted to that car.
You will need to then present the certificate to the RTA & they will reissue your REGO papers with the certificate number.

NOTE that I did this before the national road rules came out recently so so of this may have changed.

There is a fair bit to it & it is much easier to stay with the standard sized tyres unless you want the extra ground clearance or the ability to run MT's as I wanted since they aren't available in the standard size of my vehicle.

Cheers

Surprisingly , the authorities don't necessarily know the answer.

Can only talk about Vic situation , but here guidlines state that the increases refer to difference from max tyre fitted to a given model.

Hence in case of my GU patrol , and overseas variant has a tall (245/85/16) tyre which is even reffered to in my manual - hence I can go to genuine 33 inch (255/85/16) legally.

The authorites will tend to refer to the tyre placard as a casual reference and could give you grief in the short term but in the end its from whats safe in that model range.

Ad1,

My tyre placard is the same as yours. The Owner's Manual lists 195R14, 205R16 and 255/70R15 as suitable for the vehicle.

RTA (NSW) publication "Guidelines for alternative wheels and tyres", VSI 9 Rev4, Nov 2003 states on page 2

"As a general rule, it is recommended you only fit wheels and tyres that are listed on the tyre placard or in the owner’s handbook. These have been tested and proved for your car.

Sometimes the range of wheels listed by the manufacturer may appear to be limited. While it is recommended that you only fit these wheels, the RTA does not oppose the fitting of wheels outside the range providing they are safe for the vehicle.

An important requirement for all replacement wheels is that the wheel track must not be increased by more than 25mm beyond the maximum specified by the vehicle manufacturer for that vehicle.
Where non original axle or suspension components are fitted, the offset of the wheel in relation to the axle or stub axle assembly used shall not be increased by more than 12.5mm each side of the vehicle based on the specifications of the axle components used. If an axle assembly is shortened then the track width limit is taken as the axle
manufacturers original track dimension, less the amount the assembly has been narrowed, plus 25mm.

If you are contemplating fitting non original axle or suspension components you should seek the guidance of a signatory as engineering certification will be required."

As far as I am aware, via the RTA's website, this publication is still in force.