Roughly how much weight can you safely carry in a car boot?

[tonyrobbo]

its a VW Passat and I need to pick up some flags, would 250kg be too much at once?

 

[Diyisfun]

When I carry heavy loads, I try & spread it over the seating area as well.
Think of maybe a car full of 4 fat people, plus luggage.

 

[timtheenchanter]

look iun the manual, it will give to data for your max gross weight and each axle loading for said weight.

try to keep it over the centre.

250Kgs is less than 3 adults in the back seat

 

[ColJack]

bear in mind that the max gross weight does not include the driver, who's weight must be deducted from the figure given..

 

[TicklyT]

You may need to adjust your tyre pressures to suit the fully laden condition.

Bear in mind that if the boot is outside the wheelbase, the increase in rear axle loading may be more than the mass of the load.

Where does the extra come from? - It's part of the loading from the front axle that's reduced by the counterbalance effect of a heavy load behind the rear wheels shifting the centre of gravity backwards.

Taken to extremes, it can make driving 'interesting'

 

[DevilDamo]

If you're driving at night, load the boot up, your headlights then point to the sky even though they're adjust automatically or are on the lowest setting, then... your boot load is too heavy

 

[SteNova]

it should do that easily, make sure they are pushed right up the the back seat so they are over the axel as best as can be

 

[SteNova]

Taken to extremes, it can make driving 'interesting'

look what i did in my old nova it drove fine!

 

[ericmark]

I remember in the Falklands we had some old Leyland buses. The fitters had one they used to replace any that broke down and put all bits and bobs in the boot which was large.

One day it got too much and driving down the road the boot broke scattering it's contains on the road.

That night in military bar we heard it being talked about.

"Did you see that LMA bus this morning. The engine blown up it still carried on down the road with pistons and everything left on the road"

I don't think a car boot will fail in same way but it is likely to get damaged with hard items carried in it. If nothing else paint damaged. I think few of us read the car manual but they do give as already said max weights.

In my Vauxhall it states that mobile phones should not be used without external aerials being fitted. You try telling a passenger not to use mobile in your car. It's all right I'm not driving is reply you get.

So next time you see a passenger with head out of the window while using phone you will know why!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[foxhole]

A cabby friend I know picked up three barrels of beer in his estate after a pub had an emergency and forgot to order, should have seen his face when he revered into the car park and the top barrel rolled out thru the rear window.

 

[Mickymoody]

I remember in the Falklands we had some old Leyland buses. The fitters had one they used to replace any that broke down and put all bits and bobs in the boot which was large.

One day it got too much and driving down the road the boot broke scattering it's contains on the road.

That night in military bar we heard it being talked about.

"Did you see that LMA bus this morning. The engine blown up it still carried on down the road with pistons and everything left on the road"

I don't think a car boot will fail in same way but it is likely to get damaged with hard items carried in it. If nothing else paint damaged. I think few of us read the car manual but they do give as already said max weights.

In my Vauxhall it states that mobile phones should not be used without external aerials being fitted. You try telling a passenger not to use mobile in your car. It's all right I'm not driving is reply you get.

So next time you see a passenger with head out of the window while using phone you will know why!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think that refers to the driver?

I once had a load of scrap, so put the car on the weighbridge, then removed all the stuff, loads of it there was..then they weighed the car again..and got something like £20...grr.

 

[j.m]

When I was a hit man for the Maffia I stowed three dead folks in the boot of my car, but the police noticed it was hanging low & stopped me...... So I had to shoot him too.......... That was a bad day......... I'm a Plumber now, a lot less stress, but it took me a good three years to learn the Polish vocabulary.

On a more sensible note...... 150 Kg MAX