Safety and performance by design
ederal approval for GVM upgrades require rigorous testing to ensure that the vehicle performs as well or better than when it left the original manufacturer.
You can be sure that your Tough Dog GVM upgraded 4WD will stop and handle well, even with the increased load on board.
Depending on the vehile, the following testing is required:
- Finite Element Analysis (FEA) testing: A check of the maximum load carrying capacity of the vehicle’s axles.
- Brake Testing: Laden and Unladen brake testing as well as testing under partial system failure to comply with ADR35/00
- ESC Testing: If required, this test ensures that the ESC system’s response is the same or better than the original vehicle.
The GVM of any vehicle is the weight in kilograms that the manufacturer has specified as being the maximum that the vehicle can weigh when fully laden. Tough Dog GVM upgrades allow a vehicle to be certified to carry a greater amount than the original manufacturer, without breaching applicable ADRs or laws.
You can upgrade the GVM of a vehicle using either Federal approval or State based approval, depending on whether the vehicle has been registered or not.
- If the vehicle has never been registered, Federal approval can be applied. The Tough Dog GVM kit comes complete with an additional compliance plate which will be fixed to the vehicle.
- If the vehicle is already registered, the data used in Federal compliance is used in conjunction with a vehicle inspection by an authorised State engineer to certify the vehicle.
