Ford Taurus X (2009 year). Manual — part 60

• Drive cautiously. If you hear the cables rub or bang against your

vehicle, stop and re-tighten the cables. If this does not work, remove
the cables to prevent damage to your vehicle.

• If possible, avoid fully loading your vehicle.
• Remove the tire cables when they are no longer needed. Do not use

tire cables on dry roads.

• The suspension insulation and bumpers will help prevent vehicle

damage. Do not remove these components from your vehicle when
using snow tires and chains.

• Do not exceed 30 mph (48 km/h) with tire cables on your vehicle.

VEHICLE LOADING – WITH AND WITHOUT A TRAILER

This section will guide you in the proper loading of your vehicle and/or
trailer, to keep your loaded vehicle weight within its design rating
capability, with or without a trailer. Properly loading your vehicle will
provide maximum return of vehicle design performance. 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
Tire Label or Safety Compliance Certification Label:

Base Curb Weight – is the weight of the vehicle including a full tank of
fuel and all standard equipment. It does not include passengers, cargo, or
optional equipment.

Vehicle Curb Weight – is the weight of your new vehicle when you
picked it up from your authorized dealer plus any aftermarket
equipment.

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Payload – is the combined weight of cargo and passengers that the
vehicle is carrying. The maximum payload for your vehicle can be found
on the Tire Label on the B-Pillar or the edge of the driver’s door
(vehicles exported outside the US and Canada may not have a Tire
Label). Look for “THE COMBINED WEIGHT OF OCCUPANTS AND
CARGO SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX kg OR XXX lb.” for
maximum payload. The payload listed on the Tire Label is the maximum
payload for the vehicle as built by the assembly plant. If any aftermarket
or authorized-dealer installed equipment has been installed on the
vehicle, the weight of the equipment must be subtracted from the
payload listed on the Tire Label in order to determine the new payload.

WARNING: The appropriate loading capacity of your vehicle can
be limited either by volume capacity (how much space is

available) or by payload capacity (how much weight the vehicle should
carry). Once you have reached the maximum payload of your vehicle,
do not add more cargo, even if there is space available. Overloading or
improperly loading your vehicle can contribute to loss of vehicle
control and vehicle rollover.

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Example only:

Cargo Weight – includes all weight added to the Base Curb Weight,
including cargo and optional equipment. When towing, trailer tongue load
weight is also part of cargo weight.

GAW (Gross Axle Weight) – is the total weight placed on each axle
(front and rear) – including vehicle curb weight and all payload.

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GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating) – is the maximum allowable
weight that can be carried by a single axle (front or rear). These
numbers are shown on the Safety Compliance Certification Label
located on the B-Pillar or the edge of the driver’s door. The total
load on each axle must never exceed its GAWR.

GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight) – is the Vehicle Curb Weight + cargo +
passengers.

GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating) – is the maximum
allowable weight of the fully loaded
vehicle (including all options,
equipment, passengers and cargo).
The GVWR is shown on the
Safety Compliance Certification
Label located on the B-Pillar or
the edge of the driver’s door.
The GVW must never exceed the
GVWR.

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