Volvo 2005 C70 - Manual (Page 92)

86
Vehicle loading
Properly loading your vehicle will provide
maximum return of vehicle design
performance.
Before loading your vehicle, familiarize
yourself with the following terms for deter-
mining 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
information 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
76.
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.
Wheels and tires
Gross vehicle weight (GVW)
The vehicle’s curb weight + cargo +
passengers.
NOTE:
•
The location of the various labels in your
vehicle can be found on page 116.
•
A table listing important weight limits for
your vehicle can be found on page 137.
Steps for Determining Correct Load
Limit
(1) Locate the statement ‘’the combined
weight of occupants and cargo should never
exceed XXX pounds’’ on your vehicle’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 kilograms 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 luggage load capacity is
650 lbs. (1400-750 (5 x 150) = 650 lbs.)
(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.
1 See “Towing a trailer” on page 76.
(6) If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load
from your trailer will be transferred to your
vehicle. Consult this manual 1 to determine
how this reduces the available cargo and
luggage load capacity of your vehicle.
WARNING!
- Exceeding the permissible axle weight,
gross vehicle weight, or any other weight
rating limits can cause tire overheating
resulting in permanent deformation or
catastrophic failure.
- 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. Replacement tires with a higher limit
than the originals do not increase the
vehicle’s GVW rating limitations.