my ute is an 82 model, and it doesent have any side mirrors, only the center rear view, and ive never had any dramas whatsoever with police.
it passed every check and so on and so forth for rego, never been pinged for it when pulled over. in fact the coppers are more interested in having a yarn about the car.

I can't speak for Queensland, but in NSW the ute is a commercial vehicle & is designed to cary a load that can quite lawfully be stacked high enough to completely obscure the internal [central] mirror, so all vehicles that are registered in the commercial category [Utes, Vans & Station Wagons] are required to have two external mirrors, with the left side one offering a view to the rear on the left when the internal mirror is obstructed.

So lets look at the numbers. Tyre diameters.
185/60/13 .................... 552mm [my preference for fronts]
600x12- 4 ply ................ 574mm Highway tread, Ute front.
600x12- 6 ply ................ 574mm Highway tread. Ute rear.
155R12- 4 ply 'rating'....... 554mm Highway tread.
155R12- 6 ply 'rating' ...... 554mm Highway tread.
Bonus numbers.
195/60/13 .................... 564mm
205/60/13 .................... 576mm [My preference for rears]

The 185/60/13 is about 0.45% smaller than the stock radial.
The 205/60/13 is about 0.4% larger than the stock cross ply.

All tyre pressures are 'cold inflation pressure' The maximum load ratings for the front tyres are...
4 ply 600x12 cross ply, ............ 385kg @ 220kpa [32psi]
4 ply 'rated' 155r12 radial ........ 395kg @ 220kpa [32psi]
185/60/13 radial ..................... 450kg @ 240kpa [35psi]

The maximum load rating for the rear tyres are ......
6 ply 600x12 cross ply, ............. 410kg @ 250kpa [36psi]
6 ply 'rated' 155r12 radial .......... 420kg @ 250kpa [36psi]
185/60/13 radial ...................... 450kg @ 240kpa [35psi]
Bonus numbers
195/60/13 .............................. 487kg @ 240kpa [35psi]
205/60/13 .............................. 530kg @ 240kpa [35psi]

Speed rating codes. This is the maximum "sustained" speed that the tyre is rated at when the tyre pressure is at or above the minimum required to support the load imposed upon it.

J=100kph
K=110kph
L=120kph
M=130kph
N=140kph
P=150kph
Q=160kph

Have a real good look at the data on the sidewall of your tyres as the actual data may be at variance with my book, but simply put, if the load rating is equal to or greater than the originals, then that removes that grounds for rejection of a safety slip.

The original wheels were 4" wide & the rear track is 49" [1245mm?]
A 1" increase in rim diameter, particularly since the tyre size doesn't go below 60 series shouldn't ruffle any rego departmental feathers.

Tyre Data Source
The Tyre & Rim Standards Association Standards Manual 1988.
I know it's 20 years old but the only changes would be in the 185/60/13 & if any changes exist, it would be to uprate the specs.

Datsun Data Source.
1972 Datsun 1200 Passenger model sales brochure.

Knowledge is power, so hopefully this will give you the power to succeed.

You can get the safety certificate from any aproved inspection station, most mechanics will be able to do this for you. And then just take the safety certificate to the transport department, they wouldn't need to see the car (unless it was a major defect).
What are the wheels off that you have on there now?

yeah i will find out about the mirrors tommorow.

i see what you are saying about the rims. Does anybody know what the standard width is for the datsun 1200 ute?

He was just pissed i was really polite and very co-opertative and they still stung me.
I was actually at broadwater carpark, just driving through and they got me on rear entry as you couldnt go out the front cause it was all blocked off.

Do you know anything about the safety cert that i need to get and whether it has to be from one of their authorised safety inspection sheds?? or whether it can be one from anywhere?


btw if my rims are bigger by 25mm track am i able to get a modification plate for this so i dont have to take the rims off the car?

Im on the goldy as well and I got around for about three years with only the centre rear view mirror in my sunny, and Im pretty sure you only need one rearview mirror. I was pulled over many times and it was never even mentioned to me that I needed door mirrors.
As for the wheels you can legally go two sizes larger in diameter, so you can have 14" wheels and there isn't anything they can do. So long as you dont increase or decrease the track (width) by 25mm.
Either the police officer was in a really bad mood or you did something to annoy him, cause that is pretty unlucky on your part Where abouts were you.

yeah well thats what i thought about the mirror.

I think my wheels stick out slightly too :P but hte speedo isnt out and he didnt check that he just wanted to check size and load rating. and i assume that these 13's would have a better load rating than the 12's

from the goldcoast too

where r u from mate?

as far as i know, if your car didn't come with a left hand mirror than its legal.

im not sure about a 1200 ute, but 120ys could be optioned with 13inch wheels and therefore would be legal to fit 13's.
as long as your wheels don't stick out from your gaurds and your speedo isn't affected by a great deal you should b right.
185/60 sounds about right on a 13 inch rim
the tyres will have to meet or exceed the standard load rating of the 12's

i thought you needed to go to the rta or the local police station to get them to check, not sure otherwise

don't let the buggers push you around just coz u drive a datsun

lol to be honest i didnt do anything they had a massive raid on the gold coast and they were going over everybodys cars

it was crazy

what did you do to piss him off? those are pretty lame reasons... no mirror on passenger side... my 81 US spec 210 didn't have one either, and wheels that "may not comply"

Hi Guys,

I have a couple of questions. I got a defect notice tonight and i just wanted to clarify 2 things as i am sure somebody has been pulled up on the same things as me.

1. Datsun 1200 utes (mine is 1979) didnt come with a passenger side mirror, but the guy told me i had to put one on for my car to comply??? can somebody tell me me whether this is true or not?

2. Datsun's come standard with 12" rims, i currenty have 185/60/13 on my car. Inspection officer was wrote that my wheels may not comply, does anybody know if this size rim is within car limits (size, load rating) and if not what do i need to do to keep these wheels on the car as i dont have any stock 12" rims i could put on in the mean time.

Lastly I think i can post a safety certificate to them or something without having to actually show them my car. Does anyone with this experiance know whether i can get a safety certificate from anywhere, because on the paper it says at an approved inspection station but i heard from mates that you can just get a safety cert from anywhere and post it in?? anybody please help me

Thanks
Milan