Are spacer lift kits legal in Australia?

SUPERPRO acknowledges spacer lift kits have an ugly past.

Typically they have not been properly engineered or tested by the manufacturer/importer and manufacturers have made these kits to lift vehicles beyond a safe or legal height. SuperPro has done the engineering work to get its new Ezy-Lift kit right.

The company has incorporated each vehicle’s suspension geometry into the design of every kit, including consideration of the solid height to ensure the shock absorber does not bottom out before it strikes the bump stop. The lift height of each kit is unique and the associated hardware is designed and engineered to be safe and legal.

No other spacer lifts on the market achieve what SuperPro has.

The original design philosophy behind Ezy-Lift kits
It was never the intention to offer these kits in competition to a full suspension lift kit, nor was it thought to be used by an extreme off-roader.

Are spacer lift kits legal in Australia 1Are spacer lift kits legal in Australia 2Are spacer lift kits legal in Australia
The SuperPro Ezy-Lift kit is an alternative best suited to the soft-core four-wheel-drive owner who wants a less intrusive, easily reversible, inexpensive, safe and legal option to achieve a little more ground clearance and retain the ‘feel’ of the OE suspension with the look of a lifted ute.

This kit is ideally suited to a 4WD owner who wants to fit bigger wheels and tyres but is not looking for an expensive hard-core off-road suspension set-up, or someone who wants more ground clearance but is unsure about changing everything so early in the vehicle’s life.

A SuperPro Ezy-Lift kit is designed not to replace a traditional suspension lift kit but to give vehicle owners another option for increasing ground clearance.

The legislation says: Yes, SuperPro spacer lift kits are legal
The following only applies if SuperPro Ezy-Lift kits are fitted correctly to vehicles with standard suspension (following all instructions included in the kit).

Vehicle Standards Bulletin 14
The controlling set of standards for vehicle modification is VSB14, and in particular for this application: Section LS Tyres, Rims, Suspension and Steering Modifications. SuperPro Ezy-Lift kits fall into the category of Basic Modifications without Certification.

Everything about the kits meets the criteria set down in this document.
• “Suspension modification: 50mm maximum if no other modifications resulting in a change of vehicle height are performed.” SuperPro Ezy-Lift kits do not exceed 50mm lift.
• “When raising a vehicle, at least two-thirds of the original rebound travel must be maintained. The rebound must be limited by the same method as originally employed by the manufacturer. For example limit straps or shock absorber full extension.” Each Ezy-Lift kit is specifically designed for each application and the lift is different across all applications to comply with this rule through the use of blocks and strut spacers.
• “Blocks used with leaf spring suspensions must be steel, aluminium or metal of equivalent strength and must be positively located to the axle spigot hole and spring centre-bolt.” Ezy-Lift kits are of aluminium construction with steel spigots.
• “Following the completion of modifications, the vehicle attitude must remain as per original specifications – that is, the original relationship between the front and rear suspension heights must not be changed and therefore the front and rear suspensions must be both raised by the same amount.” Ezy-Lift kits raise the front and rear of the vehicle the same amount, which maintains OE rake and weight distribution as well as OE braking performance.

There is no specific reference to strut spacers in VSB14, so SuperPro has treated them the same as blocks and made sure all other requirements and Australian Design Rules have been adhered to. It should also be noted that VSB14 specifically states that extended or adjustable shackle plates must not be used to raise vehicles on leaf spring suspensions.

Ezy-Lift kits affect electronic stability control systems no more or less than other suspension lift kits, which are permitted as long as the lift is under 50mm.

Australian Design Rules
ADRs apply to new vehicles manufactured in Australia or imported as new or second-hand vehicles. The ADRs are national standards for vehicle safety.

As the Ezy-Lift kits are an aftermarket modification falling under VSB14, they do not fall under the ADRs, but for your information the kits have been reviewed against the national standards.

ADRs that apply to lifting a vehicle
• 7 – Brake Hoses: All SuperPro kits, whether they be Ezy-Lift or Suspension Lift, have provisions for brake hose mount adapters to remove stresses on hoses and ABS cables.
• 10 – Steering Column: No effect.
• 12 – Glare Reduction in Field of View – No effect.
• 31, 35x – Braking: Ezy-Lift kits raise the front and rear of the vehicle the same amount, which maintains OE rake and weight distribution and OE braking performance.
• 43 – Vehicle Configuration and Dimensions (ground clearance): Enhanced.

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