Beyond Springs and Shocks: Modern GVM Compliance
WORDS BY PEDDERS SUSPENSIONS & BRAKES
Legally upgrading the payload of a vehicle has become far more complex in recent years. This is driven by rapid advances in vehicle safety systems, with the ongoing effort by regulators to keep pace requiring automotive aftermarket suppliers such as Pedders Suspension & Brakes to develop solutions that comply with a constantly changing regulatory framework.
Modern vehicle safety technology continues to evolve rapidly, with Anti-Lock Braking Systems( ABS), Electronic Stability Control( ESC), and now Advanced Driver Assistance Systems( ADAS) reshaping vehicle safety and offering significantly improved accident avoidance. As systems like these prove their value, regulators turn them into mandatory minimum standards that every manufacturer must meet.
Compliance with Australian Design Rules
In Australia, these standards are known as Australian Design Rules( ADRs). First introduced in the late 1960s, they have evolved into a highly detailed regulatory framework, now comprising well over 100 individual rules.
Compliance is demonstrated through manufacturing approvals, which function as a licence to supply a vehicle type to the Australian market and cover each model and its variants.
Any company modifying vehicles before first registration must operate within this same framework. Suspension companies offering nationally recognised GVM upgrades therefore require Second Stage Manufacturing( SSM) approvals, based on the original manufacturer’ s approval.
28 ISSUE 57 FEBRUARY 2026 / WWW. AFMA. ORG. AU