07 Wheels and tires
Vehicle loading
5. Determine the combined weight of luggage
and cargo being loaded on the vehicle.
That weight may not safely exceed the
available cargo and luggage load capacity
calculated in Step 4.
Loading the vehicle
NOTE
Before loading your vehicle, familiarize yourself
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:
The location of the various labels in your
vehicle can be found on page 272.
•
•
A table listing important weight limits for
your vehicle can be found on page
275.
WARNING
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.
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.
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.
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 vehi-
cle's GVW rating. Use only tires with the
correct load carrying capacity. Consult
your Volvo retailer for information.
Capacity weight
2. Determine the combined weight of the
driver and passengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
All weight added to the curb weight, including
cargo and optional equipment. When towing,
trailer hitch tongue load is also part of cargo
weight.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver
and passengers from XXX kilograms or
XXX pounds.
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.
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 lbs. passengers in your vehicle, the
amount of available cargo and luggage
load capacity is 650 lbs. (1400–750 (5×150)
= 650 lbs.)
07
Gross vehicle weight (GVW)
The vehicle's curb weight + cargo + passen-
gers.
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