NISSAN 2014 Versa Note - Towing Guide - Manual (Page 12)

2014 NISSAN Towing Guide 11
MEASURING VEHICLE WEIGHT
The key to safer, efficient towing has to do with weight. Your vehicle — SUV, crossover, truck
or passenger car — is capable of carrying and towing only a certain amount of weight. You
must compare your vehicle’s tow weight ratings with the combined weight of the vehicle,
trailer, and their contents. This will help ensure that the total weight does not exceed any of
your vehicle’s tow weight ratings.
There are four weights to consider when towing:
Š Gross Vehicle Weight
Š Gross Axle Weight (Front and Rear)
Š Gross Combined Weight
Š Trailer Tongue/King Pin Load
These ratings are based upon normal highway driving and may be reduced if operating in
reduced-traction situations, (for example, slippery boat ramps).
WARNING – Attempting to tow loads greater than the GVWR, GAWR, GCWR, and/or the
trailer tongue/king pin load specified could adversely affect vehicle handling, braking, and
performance. Damage to your vehicle resulting from overloading may not be covered by your
vehicle warranty.
GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT (GVW)
The Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) is the actual weight of the fully loaded vehicle or trailer,
including passengers, cargo, fuel, hitch, trailer tongue/king pin load, and any optional
equipment.
The best way to determine the GVW is by having the vehicle — loaded and ready to
tow — weighed at a public scale. That figure must include the combined weight of all
passengers and cargo that are normally in the vehicle when towing a trailer.
The GVW you come up with must not exceed the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)
for your vehicle.