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08 Wheels and tires
Vehicle loading
08
311
Loads
Properly loading your vehicle will provide
maximum return of vehicle design perform-
ance.
Before loading your vehicle, familiarize your-
self with the following terms for determining
your vehicle's weight ratings, with or without
a trailer, from the vehicle's Federal/Canadian
Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS/
CMVSS) label, and the vehicle's tire informa-
tion placard:
Curb weight
The weight of the vehicle including a full tank
of fuel and all standard equipment. It does
not include passengers, cargo, or optional
equipment.
Capacity weight
All weight added to the curb weight, including
cargo and optional equipment. When towing,
trailer hitch tongue load is also part of cargo
weight.
NOTE
For trailer towing information, please refer
to the section "Towing a trailer" on page
293.
Permissible axle weight
The maximum allowable weight that can be
carried by a single axle (front or rear). These
numbers are shown on the Federal/Canadian
Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS/
CMVSS) label. The total load on each axle
must never exceed its maximum permissible
weight.
Gross vehicle weight (GVW)
The vehicle's curb weight + cargo + passen-
gers.
NOTE
•
The location of the various labels in
your vehicle can be found on page
370.
•
A table listing important weight limits
for your vehicle can be found on page
373.
Steps for Determining Correct Load
Limit
1. Locate the statement "the combined
weight of occupants and cargo should
never exceed XXX pounds" on your vehi-
cle's placard.
2. Determine the combined weight of the
driver and passengers that will be riding
in your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the
driver and passengers from XXX kilo-
grams or XXX pounds.
4. The resulting figure equals the available
amount of cargo and luggage load
capacity. For example, if the "XXX"
amount equals 1400 lbs. and there will be
five 150 lb. passengers in your vehicle,
the amount of available cargo and lug-
gage load capacity is 650 lbs. (1400 –
750 (5 × 150) = 650 lbs.)
5. Determine the combined weight of lug-
gage and cargo being loaded on the vehi-
cle. That weight may not safely exceed
the available cargo and luggage load
capacity calculated in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load
from your trailer will be transferred to your
vehicle. Consult this manual
1
to deter-
mine how this reduces the available
cargo and luggage load capacity of your
vehicle.
1
See page 293.
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