FMIC Legalness?

[Guest]

FMIC on Subarus...need cert?

[Joker]

some say yes : some say no : depends on your install apparently STI's require a cut in a brace that fails

(from a Leggy driver with no FMIC so is pure dolphinism)

[sl8r]

i run a FMIC, and have not had any issue at all. having said that i have an RA with no airbags which i think may give you problems. from memory (i did this mod years ago) i dont think i had to cut much if anything... there was a piece i had to give a tap tho

[Guest]

thx fellas. i have a 1996 gtb wagon, thinking a FMIC on it would look pretty bad ass!

[Marky]

Yeah I\'m bringing this up again

Heaps of posts about it on CS, all are old, and all say "YES" "No"... "maybe?"

Does anyone know what the go is - is it "cert if metal cut" - or if bumper cut - or just if it affects airbag sensors - or just a blanket rule

When referring to "metal cut" is that meaning the steel flimsy bumper brace thing or just when people cut away bodywork to shorten pipes

I\'ve never had an issue with fitting larger ones to cars with FMIC from factory - just wondering since there\'s obviously enough kits being sold online which never seem to mention it - you\'d think they would if they\'d had feedback about it?

[Guest]

The whole cert thing is up in the air. Post 98- there is a higher threshold according to the cert boy mine was built in dec 98 for kicks but registered in Jan 99 - awkward. Pretty much he said by law you cant cut anything remotely structural or supporting structure and pretty much the whole front end is tapu including the bumper support bar. Cutting out the piece beside the guard where the snorkel comes through is ok. I trimmed down the bottom behind my bumper and wheel well so it all sat nice and wasnt a WOF issue. Stupid tho all depends on the cert guy some have been passed which are cleary structural I mean look at josephstefs one that passed no problem... :-\ With a bit of and a bit of :-* and you might get ;D .

TL:DR Talk to the guy thats certing your car - hes the only one with the deciding powar.

[funkytown]

 evowrx said:

TL:DR Talk to the guy thats certing your car - hes the only one with the deciding powar.

this.

and do it before you do the cutting.

[Roo]

Mine flies through wof\'s. But I could get probably pulled up any time and pinged for a whole heap of stuff my wof guy doesn\'t care about.

Getting the wof is up to your wof guy and getting the ticket is up to the man with the flashing lights on his roof.

Would the cert man try to claim it needs certed to make hinself a job or would he avoid it to save himself a job?

[lachlan]

anything with airbag needs cert for fmic . lotta gay rules around air bag stuff .

cant change seats etc

[boon]

 lachlan said:

anything with airbag needs cert for fmic . lotta gay rules around air bag stuff .

cant change seats etc

Wat?

You can change seats, only issue is if the car has the weight sensors in the seats that disable the airbag when nobody is in it.

[rex-leggy]

 boon']

[quote name='lachlan said:

anything with airbag needs cert for fmic . lotta gay rules around air bag stuff .

cant change seats etc

/quote]

Wat?

You can change seats, only issue is if the car has the weight sensors in the seats that disable the airbag when nobody is in it.

this is not what i got told . got pulled up at an event also .... fella said weres the cert plate lucky he didn\'t look under the bonnet

[Kiwi_Fozze]

 boon']

[quote name='lachlan said:

anything with airbag needs cert for fmic . lotta gay rules around air bag stuff .

cant change seats etc

/quote]

Wat?

You can change seats, only issue is if the car has the weight sensors in the seats that disable the airbag when nobody is in it.

Incorrect.

Any seat change (including factory seats, but from a diferent model) changes seating position and under nz\'s cert regulations, it requires certification. However, it takes a cop who knows what standard seats were in what to pick it up

[boon]

Nope, go read the LVVTA threshold. Section 7-1. No problemo.

[Joker]

Boon : I suspect its in conjunction with frontal changes ie airbag/cert area

not JUST swapping seats, cos as you say, no problem

[Pappu1]

Can\'t change seats that have built in airbags

Unless put in replacements that are approved And still need cert for it

[lachlan]

Can\'t swap a seat that has an airbag in that seating position . Regardless of bag inside the seat

[Kiwi_Fozze]

Airbag in steering wheel, no go on seat change.

[boon]

 kwi_fozze said:

Airbag in steering wheel, no go on seat change.

Not what I\'ve heard.

And not what the LVVTA Threshold says.

Please to be showing me where it says this.

[lachlan]

as an example

Can I fit my Lancer GSR RS with a pair of Recaro race seats out of an Evo rally car? The seats are the FIA-approved SPG model and were fitted to Recaro rails which have bolted directly into my GSR.

Sounds like some confusion there. You can have your Recaro seats (yes, certainly a reputable brand!) without the need for a LVV cert provided that:

they\'ve been bolted in to unmodified seat anchorages;

that the anchorage or operation of the seatbelts are not affected;

that the belts are still correctly located in relation to your hip and shoulder;

and that you have no airbag.

The \'unmodified OE anchorages\' mean the mounts in the floor to which your rails or sliders bolt to - but I have heard of some WoF inspectors thinking \'anchorages\' means the rails

from here http://www.lvvta.org.nz/knowledge_base.html

[Kiwi_Fozze]

Lvvta standard "seats and anchorages" section 4.2 (a) (iv)

Do not need cert if there are no airbags in the seating position

I assume that having airbags means it has to be certed from that ruling

[boon]

Well, that\'s me schooled.... thanks chaps

[Marky]

Ok so that makes 95% of the seat swaps you see in scoobydoos not legal without cert (like WRX seats into legacy / forester / earlier model) - interesting (also common would be evo seats into legnum/galant etc for example?)

Bummer

Front mount was just asking about as tossing up if I was getting a WOF before mounting mine or if best to wait till I\'m getting cert etc - will be certing car once i get new adjustumbles (and by the looks of it, now seats too) so might just wait till then, better safe than sorry

ACTUALLY

- whats the go with replacing the bumper on a late model car as well then? Plenty of examples of people putting on the old c-west rep or whatever front bars onto B4\'s, V7 on etc - technically no different to hacking up stocker

Hrmm

[Kiwi_Fozze]

Its a very grey area. Had cops check my forester with the sti impreza seats in, no issues. Think theres a tolerence for seat swaps of same / similar model, while not technically legit i believe as long as you arnt putting obviously aftermarket fixed back buckets in they\'ll let it slide. I mean, you get the same issue of passenger - airbag position with adjustble angle steering wheels aye?

[Guest]

 Marky said:

Ok so that makes 95% of the seat swaps you see in scoobydoos not legal without cert (like WRX seats into legacy / forester / earlier model) - interesting (also common would be evo seats into legnum/galant etc for example?)

Bummer

Front mount was just asking about as tossing up if I was getting a WOF before mounting mine or if best to wait till I\'m getting cert etc - will be certing car once i get new adjustumbles (and by the looks of it, now seats too) so might just wait till then, better safe than sorry

ACTUALLY

- whats the go with replacing the bumper on a late model car as well then? Plenty of examples of people putting on the old c-west rep or whatever front bars onto B4\'s, V7 on etc - technically no different to hacking up stocker

Hrmm

Run the FMIC normally round the sides then cert then make it what you want. I was planning on it but might not bother.

[pistle]

I had to remove my fmic for a wof coz of airbag. Coz car was going for cert anyway i made a few phone calls and found out i could remove my airbag if car was older then 14 years. Had to change steering wheel and make a new button for horn etc and remove airbag bulb from behind dash.