Loading Your Vehicle; Base Curb Weight; Payload; Gvw (Gross Vehicle Weight) - Mercury Tracer 1997 Owner's Manual

• Do not drive with your foot
resting on the clutch pedal and do
not use the clutch pedal to hold
the vehicle at a standstill. These
actions will reduce clutch life.
• Downshift on steep hills to
reduce the vehicle's chances of
stalling and to prevent
unnecessary brake wear.

LOADING YOUR VEHICLE

Before loading a vehicle, familiarize
yourself with these terms:
• Base curb weight — weight of
the vehicle including any
standard equipment, fluids,
lubricants, etc. It does not
include passengers or
aftermarket equipment.
• Payload — combined maximum
allowable weight of cargo,
passengers and optional
equipment.

• GVW (Gross vehicle weight)

— base curb weight plus the
payload weight (including
passengers, cargo and optional
equipment). Remember, the
GVW is not a limit or a
specification.
• GVWR (Gross vehicle weight
rating) — maximum total
weight of the base vehicle,
passengers, optional equipment,
and cargo. The GVWR is specific
to each vehicle and is listed on
the Safety Compliance
Certification Label on the
driver's door pillar.
Driving
101