WHEELS AND TIRES
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load
from your trailer will be transferred to your
vehicle. Consult this manual to determine
how this reduces the available cargo and
luggage load capacity of your vehicle.
Gross vehicle weight (GVW)
The vehicle's curb weight + cargo + passen-
gers.
Determining the vehicle's
permitted weight
Properly loading your vehicle will provide
maximum return of vehicle design perform-
ance.
Steps for Determining Correct Load
Limit
1. Locate the statement "the combined
weight of occupants and cargo should
never exceed XXX kg or XXX lbs." on your
vehicle's placard.
Weight designations
WARNING
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:
Exceeding the permissible axle weight,
gross vehicle weight, or any other
weight rating limits can cause tire over-
heating resulting in permanent defor-
mation or catastrophic failure.
•
•
2. Determine the combined weight of the
driver and passengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
Do not use replacement tires with
lower load carrying capacities than the
tires that were original equipment on
the vehicle because this will lower the
vehicle's GVW rating. Use only tires
with the correct load carrying capacity.
Consult your Volvo retailer for informa-
tion.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the
driver and passengers from XXX kg or XXX
lbs.
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 equip-
ment.
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 luggage
load capacity is 650 lbs. (1400 - 750 (5 ×
150) = 650 lbs.)
Capacity weight
All weight added to the curb weight, including
cargo and optional equipment. When towing,
towbar weight is also part of cargo weight.
Related information
Loading recommendations (p. 561)
•
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.
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.
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