P-plater turbo ban lifted

[Njay]

I've been driving a turbo car for the majority of my 3 years as a p plater

In that period I've had two speeding tickets, one was 12k over at 1am coming back from red hill and the other was in a 2.0 Nissan got done for 14k over the speed overtaking a truck, and had no accidents..... Touch wood

Goes to show that not all p platers are hoons as some may think

[HaydEn]

The stereotype only comes cause of the publicity that us p platers receive.

All that ACA bull****, and the elderly, easily convinced population that follow.

[Njay]

I see more mature people in springvale who don't know how to handle a car properly

And don't get me started about international students

[noone]

The rules are odd. Pretty hard to make blanket rules that make sense, especially by the RTA who are not likely to employ the type of people who understand what makes a car safe, a weapon or highly modifyable.

Like was already posted, the ability to drive a r32 legally, but have to apply for driving a 1.4T is purely odd. Turbo's have been around for a while now and new technologies are likely to keep restraints to traditional technologies and modifiable power parameters.

I think there is more logic to limiting the drive train style (eg rwd) than how it makes its power, what we don't want is mods being over scrutinised or outlawed until proven innocent, enthusiasts like us will suffer as will the mod industry.

[Blitzen]

It's good that a bit of sanity is prevailing. I was lucky enough not to have the restrictions, but then again, my first car was a pov pack 94 Hyundai Excel!!

As for bad drivers, I have found that P plate drivers in the ACT are pretty good, and they don't have any vehicle restriction... Try driving around Dikson, epecially the Woolworths area, and you will see where the worst drivers in Australia are!!

[JedR32]

I know how stupid these P-plate rules are first hand (I drive an R32 and previously a Subaru Liberty 3.0R Spec. B). Yet I wasn't able to drive a GTI or half the non-performance cars out there because they were turbocharged for fuel efficiency hahahaha
I know in Queensland they now have P-plate exemptions for moderately powered vehicles which are very easy to get and require no reason for the exemption other than the turbocharged car being less than 125Kw/t.
In all honesty though you can kill yourself whether you're doing 60km/h or 200km/h, and all cars can do 60km/h. I'd rather crash in a safe turbocharged Audi or the likes doing 80km/h than in a ****box Hyundai doing 60km/h!

[THE_EGG]

I know how stupid these P-plate rules are first hand (I drive an R32 and previously a Subaru Liberty 3.0R Spec. B). Yet I wasn't able to drive a GTI or half the non-performance cars out there because they were turbocharged for fuel efficiency hahahaha
I know in Queensland they now have P-plate exemptions for moderately powered vehicles which are very easy to get and require no reason for the exemption other than the turbocharged car being less than 125Kw/t.
In all honesty though you can kill yourself whether you're doing 60km/h or 200km/h, and all cars can do 60km/h. I'd rather crash in a safe turbocharged Audi or the likes doing 80km/h than in a ****box Hyundai doing 60km/h!

This made me very sad and angry when the rules changed in QLD for turbo cars so P-platers can drive turbo's under 125kw/tonne. THIS MEANT I COULD HAVE HAD THE DSPORT DS3!!!!!

Anyway, from what I've heard from friends, you still need to go through the exemption process even if your car is under 125kw/tonne. One of my friends had to wait 3 months for their Alfa Romeo MiTo to get approved.

[The_Hawk]

From what I read about QLD the under 125kW/t thing meant that it was *likely* to be approved as an exemption not an automatic free for all.

Devils advocate here, the blanket rule was semi reasonable at the time it started and made it easy to enforce since it was very very clear what was in and what was out. Everything out required a permit. period. You also need to think back to how many petrol turbo cars that would have been exempt were actually on the market at the time.

Special treatment... even the 125kW/t figure was conceived to ensure the Falcadores are within any limits set. Funny that when Ford start talking about going for a smaller turbo engine all of a sudden it's a great idea to tweak the regulations. The whole concept of "special" build plates to show a particular vehicle is under the threshold seems sort of insane. Why have a plate in a vehicle *just* to certify things for P platers? What proportion of the cars on the road belong to them? Sure the plate makes things idiot proof from an enforcement point of view but it seems like using a canon to kill a fly.

If you do the sums it gets very interesting with the Golf GTI and R coming in at 113kW/t and 127kW/t respectively... both under the 130 limit. If they move to a PMR it's going to be interesting to see how they manage to allow the Falcadores AND reject the GTI/R...

[Mk3 AAA]

I don't mind the kW/t idea, on my P's (pre-restrictions, and even needing a P plate) I had a 4.0L Falcon, and a VR6... both under125kW/t and neither a slouch by anything short of a 'performance' standard. Media over-hypes the situation sure but IMO you do need to be eased into driving to some degree, I can speak from experience that most of my mates have settled down on the roads a lot in that time, and it's gone from encouraging doing silly things to it being a faux pas to be a twit on the roads. We are and were a sensible bunch most of the time and even then silly risks were taken... it's just life, you grow out of risks you took as a youth and there should be a few guidelines in that time (without going nuts), when I was 16 I was convinced I was plenty old enough to be drinking, you just need some patience and you can wait a couple of years for that turbo. The young people I've known killed in vehicle accidents have had something powerful under their control... events that may just have played out differently and been somehow less serious had their cars/boat not gone up to 11. If Ayrton Senna, Peter Brock, and Possum Bourne can come unstuck in a car I certainly don't doubt a spotty faced kid flogging his dads car can too possibly taking whoever else around with him. Flawed analogy but something easily forgotten in those first few years. But hey..... that's not to say that P Platers are even the majority of the problem on the roads.

[Stiggy_21]

Wasnt there some statistic saying that more elderly people have crashes than p-platers???

I still reckon as a p-plater, it should be compulsory to do driving courses to learn how to control a car under extreme conditions... Many ex-racers have emphasized this, and you would think the government would respond. Instead they restrict what cars you car drive:S
I know plenty of people that think they can control a car, next thing I find out they wrapped it into a pole.
As stated previously, doesn't matter how powerfull a car is, anyone including race drivers can have a crash.
In a way having a more powerfull car is better, they have better brakes and it gives you that little bit extra to overtake a car etc.
Yes you get the odd d-head that thinks theyre top-s***, and decides to wrapped it around a pole. But thats still goin to happen in any car, whether it be a Ferrari 458 or a Hyundai excel.... It's not the cars fault, just a f***wit driver.

Anyway comes back to me saying drivers need more experience with car controll!!!
The learner and p-plater system is terrible.

BTW I'm a red p-plater