Low Volume Vehicle Certification » Toyota

VRRRRRRRM PISHHHH

johnbrett — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 01:24:10 +0000

Not one of my customers (I hope)

OOOPS!

Aftermarket seats – the seatbelt buckle problem

johnbrett — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 08:14:44 +0000

Mnay enthusiasts want to fit aftermarket seats to their cars.
A problem arises when the original seat has the seatbelt buckle mounted on the seat, so that the seatbelt load goes through the slide rails to the car.
The easiest option is to keep the original slides, and mount the new seat to them. This way the seatbelt anchorage is unchanged.

If this is not possible, and the aftermarket seat has its own base and slide rails, this is where the problem arises.
There needs to be TEST DATA to show that the aftermarket rails are strong enough for the seatbelt load- and THERE NEVER IS ANY TEST DATA

There are two ways around this:
1 Fit a new Seatbelt Anchorage to the vehicle tunnel. This is done using standard Seatbelt Anchorage doubler plates of at least 3000 sq mm area (such as 80 x 50, or 100 x 40).
2 Bracketing the seatbelt buckle to the seat anchorage, using a piece of 40mm x 3 mm flat bar, usually about 100 to 150mm long, drilled for the 7/16 seatbelt bolt at one end, and drilled to fit the seat mounting bolt (usually M10) at the other.

It is a requirement that the Seatbelt is mounted with a 7/16 or M12 bolt. There are good reasons for this, and the seatbelt hardware is all made for this size of bolt.

The seat mounting bolt is whatever the vehicle manufacturer deemed appropriate- a M10 grade 8.8 bolt can take a shear load of 48 Kn, which is more than meets the load requirement for a seat and the seatbelt buckle loading.

The Manufacturers underfloor mounting plate for the seat is designed to take this load- the picture below shows that the seatbelt load in a standard seat is transmitted just to this one bolt- proving that this is true.
So we can rely on the Original, Factory seat mounting point, and the Original seat mounting bolt to take the seatbelt loads, the load just gets there by the new bar we have added.
NOTE- Remember to put the seatbelt load bar between the seat and the tunnel or floor.

S14 Seat showing Force Diagram

The LVV Standard for seats is 185-00. The LVV Standard for Seatbelts and anchorages is 175-00

Vehicle Design Consultancy Launched!

johnbrett — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 21:49:24 +0000

When you have been doing something you enjoy for years- something which is in constant demand- perhaps it is time to call it a business and give it a name!
John Brett has been designing vehicles from WAAY back- starting in the Ministry of Works at Benmore, designing all manner of ambitious and way out vehicles, but under the supervision of some of the best Mechanical Engineers in the country. How about a Penstock transporter, or a Hot-rodded bren-gun carrier for the televiewers association to get to their TV translater!

His career took him to Certified Concrete, where he designed some revolutionary (joke) concrete mixer trucks, which were used all over NZ, including a twin-steer model that discharged over the top of the cab!
His interest in cars led him to Todd Motors in Petone, where he was Tooling and Equipment Engineer, for 5 years, basically designing complete assembly facilities, including paint, body, mechanical assembly, also Tooling and pre-production of such exciting new models as Hillman Avenger, Valiant Charger.

Fords made a better offer, and John spent 5 years as Process Engineer, on things like Falcon, Cortina, Escort, Transit and D-series trucks

John then joined the NZED/Electricorp, initially designing big transmission lines (Pylons etc), before getting into Gas Turbine Power Stations. John was involved with Stratford, Whirinaki and Otahuhu Power Stations, but did work on other Thermal stations as required. John started NZ Manufacture of Turbine parts, worth millions per year, including completer Curtiss Wright Turbine Stator casings

John has been operated as a VSRCE from 1997 to 1999 doing Entry Certification. He has been a Low Volume Vehicle Certifier since 1999, and Certified around 4500 vehicles, and built a large and loyal customer base.

John is now offering a Vehicle Design Consultancy, separate to the LVV Certification.
More details on this page.

Wheel Spacers FAQ’s

johnbrett — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 09:35:43 +0000

Wheel Spacers are the subject we are most common asked about.
The rules are all on the LVVTA website in the Wheels and Tyre Standard 2005-00

Adaptors

Non-Legal spacers

WHEELS MUST BE CENTRALISED ON HUB

SPACERS need to be ‘Hub Centric’ and ‘Wheel-Centric’, or a centering ring has to be made to centralise the wheel and the spacer.
This means in practice, that wheel spacers will need to be custom-made to suit the specific vehicle and wheel combination.
Also you will probably need to fit longer wheel studs to keep the required thread engagement of the nuts.

ADAPTORS are Centered on the hub by the tapered nuts hulding them onto the hub. The wheel is then Centered on the adaptor by the tapered nuts holding the wheel on.
Centering spigots for the adaptor or the wheel are not required. (See LVV Standard 2005-00)

ADAPTORS MUST BE STRONG ENOUGH NOT TO FAIL

The LVV Standard says that adaptors ‘are manufactured by someone competent and experienced in the type of work undertaken, who has the necessary equipment to carry out the manufacturing correctly’
We do not know many people in Japan, or China, and find this clause to be unhelpful.
Instead we:-

1 Do a material hardness test to determine the likely material. Most adaptors are T6 Aluminium Alloy, which has a hardness of 40 to 45 Rockwell C. We do NOT want to accidentally certify any adaptors made of soft alloy, zinc castings or shite metal!!

2 Do a simple stress calculation (using a spreadsheet template) to determine the shear stress between the bolts, and the shear under the bolt head. The adaptor should be equal in strengTH to the wheel studs. We find that adaptors THINNER than about 12mm are usually overstressed.

THICKNESS
Spacers are not permitted to be more than 20 mm
Adaptors are not permitted to be more than 27 mm,
Most adaptors are to compensate for wheels with wrong offset offset, (not to effect a change in stud pattern).

WHY IT MATTERS!!
Wheels flying off can kill people (it has happened more than once)
Wheels flying off can make controlling the vehicle a tad tricky, especially since it is likely to happen under hard cornering.
People getting killed is clearly to be avoided- as is getting sent to jail for manslaughter.
THIS IS WHY ALL SPACERS AND ADAPTORS REQUIRE LVV CERTIFICATION

Additional information-
Tyre and rim sizes-
The LVVTA compatibilty chart can be found here

This is based on the best information available at the time the chart was written- however a Tyre manufacturers reccomendation takes preference- so check with the tyre manufacturer if you want to use a combination outside these guidelines.

Hope this clears up any confusion, and helps you to get it right before going for your Cert.

EMISSION LEGISLATION WILL FORCE CAR PRICES UP, DO NOTHING FOR AIR CLEANSING, SAY DEALERS:

Global Online Cars.com — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 04:11:52 +0000

The National Government’s proposed emissions rule legislation has so upset the second-hand motor vehicle industry that they’re going to seek signatures for a petition nation-wide, using social media to make their point to the politicians.

One importer — Global Online Cars — is producing The Car Info Show for YouTube, and its promotional video asks National party politicians three questions about the consequences of the legislation. They are:

‘How do you think this new emission rule will clean up the quality of air in NZ and benefit the NZ public?’

‘Why are we not considering an annual ‘In service emission testing’ at WoF when there are 20 major cities up and down the country geared up with certified equipment and proven research ready to improve NZ’s quality of air?’

‘Stephen Joyce — will you be willing to accept responsibility for the expected increase in the price of cars?’

The Car Info Show is aimed at showcasing the progress of the motor vehicle industry in New Zealand over the past 30 years but host Chris Jellie’s main focus over the past six months has been on the downside of the Emissions Rule, and its subsequent inability to achieve its desired result.

Importers and second-hand dealers agree the Emissions Rule fails because it limits 85% of fresh imports from Japan, says Jellie, reducing the majority supply of fresh cars to New Zealand. And it includes all imports no matter the country of origin.

‘People are just going to hold onto their old, clapped-out hunks of junk’ he quotes Liam Graham of Wanganui Car Centre as saying, after pointing out over 95% of his stock would be banned by the Emissions Rule.

‘The Emissions Rule is going to make the air quality worse,’ said Jellie. ‘It’s just going to restrict fresh imports, push the prices of available imports up, and force the average New Zealander to keep their old, beaten cars because they can’t afford to upgrade.

‘These fresh imports are vital for New Zealand — we scrap 150,000 cars a year.” he said. “With the decrease of fresh imports proposed by the Emissions Rule, there just won’t be enough cars to fill demand.

‘You, the buyer, will be facing the stupid Emissions Rule. You won’t be able to buy these cars in these price ranges again’ was the view of Rod Milner, Rod Milner Motors, Auckland.

‘The average age of our national fleet is about to become older than 15 years,’ said Jellie. ‘NZTA’s own web site now states the average age a vehicle gets scrapped is 18. As a result the average price of cars, for the Kiwi family, is going to jump between $4000 and $10,000 because of the Emissions Rule.

‘So watch the “3 questions for the National Party” video and click on the petition after watching, to have your say New Zealand.” Jellie said.

The video link is The Emission Rule – Latest News – Government Ignores Proven Emission Test For NZ

NZ Police get a RED CARD for RED STICKERS

johnbrett — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 05:24:28 +0000

The NZ Police have been found out making up their own rules- and have had to cancel a number of Pink and Green Stickers, and related offence notices.
A customer (who shall be nameless) was given a Pink Sticker because his car was below 100 mm gound clearance, even though it was Certified, and was at the ride height on the LVV Cert plate.

When the Police Officer was contacted, he advised that they had been told to issue offence notices if the ground clearance was less than 100, regardless of the LVV Plate ride heights.
The Police even wrote a piece in the advice column “NZ Performance Car” magazine explaining their policy.

The Low Volume Vehicle Technical Association contacted the NZ Police and explained the situation, and now the Police have changed their policy, and we expect a retraction in the next issue of the “NZ Performance Car” magazine. The customer who first complained has had his offence notices and Pink Sticker cancelled.

Top marks to the NZ Police out on the road for having to deal with some of the garbage cars out there, and dealing with the attitude they sometimes get. Lets hope that they get some better training on the rules!

If anybody else thinks that they have been wrongly ticketed when their car is LVV Certified, they should contact the Police, and if that doesn’t work, contact the LVVTA

Road Test requirements for LVV Certification

johnbrett — Sun, 23 May 2010 12:06:57 +0000

A stringent Road Test procedure is required for modified vehicles with changed wheels and tyres, modified suspension such as coil-overs, brake modifications, engine changes or any other modifications which may affect the on-road performance.

SORRY- VIDEO REMOVED FOR MAINTENANCE

Part of the road test is the cyclic brake test, which requires the Certifier to perform three or five hard stops from 100kph to zero within two minutes, on a typical, uneven road surface.
Problems which can occur during the Brake Test are
1 Brake Fade, where the brakes or brake linings are inadequate for the performance or the weight of the vehicle,
2 Brake imbalance, where front and rear brakes are not matched, and wheel lockup is happening before optimum braking is achieved,
3 Wheel bounce and chatter, where the suspension is unable to keep the tyres in contact with the road surface to achieve good braking,
4 Dangerous effects on the steering, where the vehicle becomes unstable, or is hard to keep on course during braking.
5 Malfunction of ABS, EBD, Brake assist, and Stabililty Control systems.

The car being tested here is a 1988 Nissan Silvia, fitted with a SR20DET motor with drivetrain, front intercooler, S14 brakes and 5 stud hubs, adjustable platform struts, adjustable caster bars (front) Adjustable camber arms and adjustable toe arms (rear) and competition seats. It has been set up as a drift car, but it is an excellent handling car for road use.

Electric Rav 4

johnbrett — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 10:21:05 +0000

We have Certified a number of Electric Vehicles.

RAV4 EV under construction

The vehicle shown runs on an AC motor, with lithium Ion batteries. Other vehicles run on DC motors and lead Acid Batteries.

When Lead Acid batteries are used, ventilation is required to ensure that the hydrogen gas given off cannot be ignited, or fill the inside of the car. Lithium Ion batteries do not have this problem.

Weight is a major consideration, the LVVTA advise that the GVM of the vehicle cannot be exceeded, which can limit the number of batteries used, or require seating positions to be removed. A good vehicle to convert is a commercial vehicle which will have a much higher GVM for load carrying, ths will allow a greater weight of batteries to be carried.

Vacuum brakes pose a challenge- one solution is to fit an electric vacuum pump.

Power Steering is another challenge- there are electric steering systems in some vehicles, and there are electric power steering pumps also.

Good news is that Electric Vehicles are exempted from Road User charges, which makes a huge saving in runing costs, (along with the saving in fuel of course)

To ensure that you avoid any LVV Certification problems, talk to John at an early stage

This is a very interesting website- Earthlings Electric Vehicles

John Brett Technology Ltd. 0800 LOW VOLUME (0800 569865)

Seats and Seatbelts in a Van

johnbrett — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 08:05:14 +0000

Fitting seats and seatbelts to a van requires design to meet the loading requirements in a frontal collision.

Van seatbelts - view from side

The LVV Standards for seats and for seatbelt anchorages set out the different ways of meeting these requirements.

In the Hiace shown, some second-hand seats were to be fitted, these had the seatbelt anchorages in the seat frames, making them “Stressed Seats”. This is much neater than having all the seatbelts going to the floor, however it means that the seat has to be strong enough to take the seatbelt loads.

Van seatbelts - view from rear

A quick stress calculation showed that the back beams were not strong enough, and had to be strengthened by adding a 50 x 25 box beam to the original 50 x 50 box beam to make a 50 x 75 box beam.

The mounting system is the “Over-floor mounting bar” system, as in the LVV Standard.

Also visible are headrest mounts on the rear seat back, because of the closeness of the rear window.

Installation by owners Eastern Rentals 66 TeRakau Drive 09 577 0128
Design calculations and LVV Certifification by John Brett Technology Ltd. 0800 LOW VOLUME (0800 569865)

The LVV Standards are here- Seats and seat anchorages [692kB PDF] and here Seatbelts [1024kB PDF]

REAR FACING SEATS
Rear facing seats have to restrain occupants from frontal impact. This means that the seat backs have to be far stronger than normal, or a supporting structure provided.
This is a matter which is often overlooked by some commercial modifiers.

The requirements from ADR VSb 5B are:
Appendix B
Rear-Facing Seat Strength

Rear-facing seats and their anchorages must comply with the requirements of the latest edition of ADR 3/…
In addition, a rear-facing seat should withstand, without imposing any load on any other seat in the vehicle, a load equivalent to twenty times the weight of the seat and its occupants applied in the forward direction relative to the vehicle. Seats intended to accommodate more than one occupant should withstand the loads applied by all occupants simultaneously. This requirement should be demonstrated with the occupant load uniformly distributed over the backrest and head restraint of the seat.
The occupant mass to be used to determine the test loads for each category of seat must be:
Category 1 – 68 kgs
Category 2 – 38 kgs
Category 3 – 26 kgs.

Reasearch link:-
[DOC]
COMMERCIAL MANUFACTURE AND INSTALLATION OF ADDITIONAL SEATS
– 8:15am
File Format: Microsoft Word – View as HTML
Rear-Facing Seat Strength. Rear-facing seats and their anchorages must comply with the requirements of the latest edition of ADR 3/. …
www.infrastructure.gov.au/roads/vehicle…/bulletin/…/vsb_05_b.doc