2008 DODGE SPRINTER Owners Manual

351 Operation
Tires and wheels
4
An arrow on the side wall indicates the
intended direction of rotation (spinning)
of the tire which means the wheel must
be mounted in the direction of rotation.
If a tire does not have an arrow on the
side wall indicating the direction of rota-
tion, the wheel can be mounted either
way.The following labels on the vehicle show
how much weight it may properly carry.
\4
USA only - vehicles with a gross
weight capacity less than 10,000 lbs
(4536 kg)
Direction of rotationiThe Tire Identification Number (TIN)
must always be visible on the out-
board side of the tire.
!
CAUTION
Spare wheels may be mounted
against the direction of rotation
(spinning) even with a unidirectional
tire for temporary use only until the
regular drive wheel has been re-
paired or replaced. Always observe
and follow applicable temporary use
restrictions and speed limitations in-
dicated on the spare wheel.
Have a spare wheel that was mount-
ed against the direction of rotation
replaced with a regular road wheel as
soon as possible.
Loading the vehicle
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352 OperationTires and wheels
4
1Tire and loading information placard on
driver’s door B-pillarTire and loading informationThe information below explains how to
work with the information contained on
the tire and loading information placard
with regards to loading your vehicle.The tire and loading information
placard can be found on the driver’s
door B-pillar. This placard tells you
important information about the
number of people that can be in the
vehicle and the total weight that can
be carried in the vehicle.
It also contains information on the
proper size and recommended tire
inflation pressures for the original
equipment tires on your vehicle.
\4
The certification label can be found
below the driver’s seat on an out-
ward facing position of the mounting
pillar (
\2
page 358).This label tells you about
\4
the gross weight capacity of your
vehicle, called the Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating (GVWR)
\4
the front and rear axle weight ca-
pacity, called the Gross Axle
Weight Rating (GAWR)
\4
the gross combination capacity
of your vehicle, called the Gross
Combination Weight Rating
(GCWR)
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353 Operation
Tires and wheels
4
The GVWR includes the weight of the ve-
hicle, all occupants, fuel and cargo.
The GAWR is the total allowable weight
that can be carried by a single axle (front
or rear).
The GCWR is the total allowable weight
of vehicle and trailer when weighed in
combination.
Never exceed the GVWR, the GAWR for
either the front axle or rear axle or the
GCWR.
Warning
G
Do not overload the tires by exceeding the
specified load limit as indicated on the
tire and loading information placard on
the driver’s door B-pillar or on the certifi-
cation label below the driver’s seat on the
mounting pillar. Overloading the tires can
overheat them, possibly causing a blow-
out. Overloading the tires can also result
in handling or steering problems, or brake
failure.
Continued
Warning (Continued)
G
Overloading of tires is dangerous. Over-
loading can cause tire failure, affect vehi-
cle handling, and increase the stopping
distance. Use tires of the recommended
load capacity for the vehicle. Never over-
load them.
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354 OperationTires and wheels
4
Placard (USA Only)For vehicles with a gross weight capacity
less than 10,000 lbs (4536 kg) only.
The tire and loading information placard
is located on the driver’s door B-pillar.Tire and loading information placard
1Seating capacity
2Load limit information
Seating capacityThe seating capacity
1
gives you im-
portant information on the number of
occupants that can be in the vehicle. Ob-
serve front and rear seating capacity.
Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are designated seating posi-
tions and seat belts available. Make sure
that everyone riding in the vehicle is cor-
rectly restrained with a separate seat
belt.
iThe data shown on this placard is for
illustrative purposes only. The load
limit data and seating data are spe-
cific to each vehicle and may vary
from the data shown in the illustra-
tion below. Refer to the placard on
your vehicle for actual data specific
to your vehicle.
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355 Operation
Tires and wheels
4
Load limit informationLocate the statement “The combined
weight of occupants and cargo should
never exceed XXX kg or XXX lbs.”
2
on
the tire and loading information placard.
The combined weight of all occupants,
cargo/luggage and trailer tongue load (if
applicable) should never exceed the
weight referenced in that statement.
Steps for determining correct load
limitFor vehicles with a gross weight capacity
less than 10,000 lbs (4536 kg) only.
The following steps have been devel-
oped as required of all manufacturers
under Title 49, Code of U.S. Federal Reg-
ulations, Part 575 pursuant to the “Na-
tional Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety
Act of 1966”.Step 1
\1
Locate the statement “The combined
weight of occupants and cargo
should never exceed XXX kg or
XXX lbs.” on your vehicle’s placard.
Step 2
\1
Determine the combined weight of
the driver and passengers that will
be riding in your vehicle.
Step 3
\1
Subtract the combined weight of the
driver and passengers from XXX kg
or XXX lbs.
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356 OperationTires and wheels
4
Step 4\1
The resulting figure equals the avail-
able amount of cargo and luggage
load capacity. For example, if the
“XXX” amount equals 1400 lbs and
there will be five 150 lbs passengers
in your vehicle, the amount of avail-
able cargo and luggage load capacity
is 650 lbs (1400-750 (5 x150) =
650 lbs).
Step 5
\1
Determine the combined weight of
luggage and cargo being loaded on
the vehicle. That weight may not safely exceed the available cargo
and luggage load capacity calculated
in step 4.
Step 6 (if applicable)
\1
If your vehicle will be towing a trailer,
load from your trailer will be trans-
ferred to your vehicle. Consult this
manual to determine how this reduc-
es the available cargo and luggage
load capacity of your vehicle.
The following table shows examples on
how to calculate total load, cargo load
and towing capacities with varying seat-
ing configurations and number and size
of occupants. The following examples
use a load limit of 1500 lbs.
This is for illustrative purposes only
. Make sure
you are using the actual load limit for
your vehicle stated on the vehicle’s tire
and loading information placard
(
\2
page 354).
The higher the weight of all occupants,
the less cargo and luggage load capacity
is available.
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357 Operation
Tires and wheels
4
Exam-
ple
Combined
weight limit
of occu-
pants and
cargo from
placard
Number of
occupants
(driver and
passen-
gers)
Seating
configura-
tion
Occupants' weight
Combined
weight of all
occupants
Available cargo/luggage and
trailer tongue weight (total load
limit or vehicle capacity weight
from placard minus combined
weight of all occupants)
1
1500 lbs
5
Front: 2
Rear: 3
Occupant 1: 150 lbs
Occupant 2: 180 lbs
Occupant 3: 160 lbs
Occupant 4: 140 lbs
Occupant 5: 120 lbs
750 lbs
1500 lbs - 750 lbs = 750 lbs
2
1500 lbs
3
Front: 1
Rear: 2
Occupant 1: 200 lbs
Occupant 2: 190 lbs
Occupant 3: 150 lbs
540 lbs
1500 lbs - 540 lbs = 960 lbs
3
1500 lbs
1
Front:1
Occupant 1: 150 lbs
150 lbs
1500 lbs - 150 lbs = 1350 lbs
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358 OperationTires and wheels
4
Certification labelEven after careful determination of the
combined weight of all occupants, cargo
and the trailer tongue load (if applicable)
as to not exceed the permissible load
limit, you must make sure that your vehi-
cle never exceeds the Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating (GVWR) and the Gross
Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) for either the
front or rear axle and the Gross Combi-
nation Weight Rating (GCWR) (if applica-
ble).
Under a maximum loaded vehicle condi-
tion, gross axle weight ratings (GAWR’s)
for the front and rear axles must not be
exceeded. USA only - for vehicles with a gross
weight capacity less than 10,000 lbs
(4536 kg) only:
To determine the maximum loading con-
ditions of your vehicle, locate the state-
ment "The combined weight of
occupants and cargo should never ex-
ceed XXX kg or XXX lbs." on the tire and
loading information placard. The com-
bined weight of occupants, cargo/lug-
gage and trailer tongue weight (if
applicable) should never exceed the
weight referenced here.
You can obtain the GVWR, the front/rear
GAWR and the GCWR from the certifica-
tion label. The certification label can be found below the driver’s seat on an out-
ward facing position of the mounting pil-
lar (
\2
page 632).
For more information on the trailer
tongue load, refer to "Trailer tongue
load".
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR):
The total weight of the vehicle, all occu-
pants, all cargo, and the trailer tongue
load must never exceed the GVWR.
Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR):
The total allowable weight that can be
carried by a single axle (front (FA) or rear
(RA)).
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