Quick Facts About GVWR
- GVWR is the maximum weight a specific truck or SUV is engineered to carry, including the vehicle.
- Exceeding the GVWR is unsafe and can damage drivetrain components.
- GVWR and towing capacity are not the same.
When maximizing your SUV or truck’s work capacity, several of its weight limits may come into play, including its gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR). Your vehicle’s GVWR and its relationships with other weight measurements, like curb weight, payload, towing capacity, and tongue weight, determine the maximum safe load your vehicle can manage. Yes, it all sounds a bit complicated to those unfamiliar with vehicle weight management; however, it’s fairly straightforward to master. We provide the basics below. Use the jump links below to skip ahead.
- What Does GVWR Mean?
- Why GVWR Is Important
- GVWR vs. Towing Capacity
- GVWR vs. GCWR
- How to Find Your Truck or SUV’s GVWR
What Does GVWR Mean?
The GVWR is the maximum weight a specific truck or SUV is engineered to carry, including the vehicle. We say specific truck or SUV because, within a model, the GVWR can fluctuate based on the engine, transmission, drive wheels, and optional equipment. For example, every Ram 1500 truck doesn’t have the same GVWR. Exceeding the manufacturer’s GVWR limit impacts the vehicle’s safe operation and can cause wear and tear to its engine, transmission, suspension, and other drivetrain components.
What Is the GVWR?
To manage your truck’s GVWR, you must know and understand the different addends (numbers in an addition equation) contributing to the total GVWR. These are the specific weights comprising the total GVWR.
- Curb Weight — A vehicle’s total weight when empty of passengers and cargo. Curb weight is a fixed number that includes all standard equipment and the fluids required for the vehicle’s operation, like fuel, motor oil, transmission fluid, coolant, windshield washer fluid, etc.
- Dry Weight — This is a vehicle’s curb weight minus the fuel, oil, and other fluids required for its operation. We provide this definition solely for your information. We will use curb weight going forward.
- Payload — The combined weight of anything or anyone loaded into a vehicle is its payload. This includes passengers, their belongings, freight in the cargo area, and even the mishmash of items found in the glovebox and center console. That big duffle bag of balls and bats for your daughter’s softball practice that is a fixture in your truck’s backseat? It’s payload.
- Tongue Weight — When towing a trailer, the tongue weight is the pressure applied to the truck’s trailer hitch. Typically, it’s 10% to 15% of the weight of a trailer and its load weight combined. If the combined trailer and trailer load weight is 10,000 pounds, the tongue weight should be 1,000-1,500 pounds.
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Why GVWR Is Important
A vehicle’s GVWR isn’t an abstract suggestion. It’s the maximum weight at which the truck or SUV can operate reliably and safely, as carefully calculated by its engineers. Moreover, it is the basis for determining maximum payload and towing limits. The engine, transmission, brakes, suspension, axles, driveshaft, frame, and many other components are specifically designed to accept the load and stress of the truck’s GVWR. Overloading an SUV or truck reduces its safety and reliability in the short term and its durability in the long term.
What Happens If You Exceed the GVWR?
Exceeding a truck’s GVWR limits — especially on a repeated basis — will bring repercussions. Remember: The GVWR isn’t a suggestion; it’s a hard limit. Overloading a truck stresses the entire drivetrain while reducing stability, as well as decreasing steering and braking performance. Here are just a few common results of ignoring the GVWR limit.
- Reduced braking capabilities.
- Overloading the suspension, which diminishes stability.
- Stressing the suspension to the point of breaking.
- Overheating the transmission, causing damage or even failure.
GVWR vs. Towing Capacity
We already know that an SUV or truck’s GVWR is the total of its curb weight and payload capacity. If you are towing, you must also add the trailer tongue weight into the equation to ensure that the total doesn’t exceed the GVWR. Furthermore, if you are towing, you must know and not exceed the vehicle’s maximum towing capacity. However, the trailer’s total weight and load don’t impact meeting the GVWR limit beyond the tongue weight. Clear as mud, right? Let’s break it down.
Your SUV or truck has a towing capacity. Even many cars provide a maximum weight limit for towing. It won’t be much for cars, maybe 1,000-1,500 pounds. Trucks, on the other hand, can tow far more. For example, the Hyundai Santa Cruz can tug a maximum of 5,000 pounds, while the Chevy Silverado 2500HD can pull up to 20,000 pounds (traditional) or up to 22,430 (gooseneck).
Your vehicle’s towing capacity is the maximum weight it can pull. If you are towing a trailer with a boat, the total weight of that load is the combined weight of the trailer, the boat, and any extra freight (fishing gear, coolers packed with ice and refreshments, lawn chairs, life jackets, and so forth) you loaded into the boat. If that total is, let’s say, 10,000 pounds, the tongue weight, which contributes to the truck’s gross weight, should be between 1,000 and 1,500 pounds. Therefore, staying within the truck’s GVWR and maximum towing limit is imperative.
What Is GVWR for Trailers?
When towing, it’s crucial to know not only the weight capacities of your towing vehicle but also your trailer’s GVWR. In other words, the combined weight of the trailer and whatever load it is carrying. If it’s a travel trailer (RV), the GVWR is for the trailer and all the stuff inside it, from toothbrushes to pots, pans, food, etc. If your trailer’s GVWR exceeds the manufacturer’s maximum towing capacity for your vehicle, it is too heavy to pull. Doing so is dangerous and can cause damage to your SUV or truck.
GVWR vs. GCWR
Just when you thought you had it all figured out, here comes the Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR). Actually, this is an easy one. It’s simply the total combined GVWR for the vehicle’s curb weight with its payload plus the GVWR for the trailer with its payload.
How to Find Your Truck or SUV’s GVWR
You can most commonly locate your vehicle’s assorted weight limits on the door jamb label. It’s officially called the Safety Compliance Certification Label and is located on the driver’s door jamb or the inside of the driver’s door. Often, this information also appears in the vehicle’s owner’s manual.
