Hi, I am not much of a car expert, but I have a (possibly dumb) question that fits this forum.

I am trying to figure out how much weight my car (Ford Taurus) can carry safely. As I understand it, I take the GVWR and subtract off the curb weight as well as me, and that should be how much I can safely place in the car? Also, how strict is it? Lets say I'm one hundred lbs heavy, is it more of a "you won't be able to break as fast so go slow" issue or a "you will break the axle dont even come close to maximum" thing?

Trying not to become this guy:
http://www.swapmeetdave.com/Humor/Workshop/Lumber-Car-A.jpg

12/8/2009 12:52:22 AM

i see double axle uhal trailers pulled behind taurases all the damn time. go for it .

12/8/2009 1:22:45 AM

do you have a warranty?

12/8/2009 1:24:57 AM

no warranty

12/8/2009 1:41:55 AM

theres a map for that

12/8/2009 2:00:57 AM

The GVWR is the most your car can safely weigh according to the manufacturer. You can overload it slightly, but it could put excessive stress and wear on your tires, suspension and brakes. A little over the maximum for short distances should be okay, but that's about it.

Now to humor you. In order not to exceed the GVWR in my car I can only load 205lbs (in addition to me).

12/8/2009 8:25:52 AM

Shit...if you suck as a driver and have no automotive skills, I recommend sticking with the GVWR.

If not, load it until the tires bulge and the suspension almost bottoms out. I've hauled ridiculous amounts of weight in cars and trucks before.

2500 lbs of sand in a half ton truck. Easily that much firewood on many occasions. I used to haul firewood in my Integra all the time.

12/8/2009 9:05:10 AM

I put over 1000 lbs in the maxima before. It had the rear suspension riding on bump stops, and handled like shit, but didn't hurt anything.

12/8/2009 11:07:57 AM

Yeah it puts more stress on engine, drivetrain, cooling system, etc as well but if you are nice to the vehicle it usually wont break.

12/8/2009 11:22:10 AM

How far you planning on going here? If you're talking about a long haul then ^ becomes a real concern. My dad just about destroyed the ole family station wagon hauling lumber 100 miles or so at highway speed.

If you're just going to do load up some shit to haul it 10 miles down the road then I'd say just drive slow and watch out for potholes.

12/8/2009 10:00:28 PM