2010 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE load capacity

4-4 Storage
Roof Rack System
{WARNING
If something is carried on top of
the vehicle that is longer or wider
than the roof rack—like paneling,
plywood, or a mattress— the wind
can catch it while the vehicle is
being driven. The item being
carried could be violently torn off,
and this could cause a collision,
and damage the vehicle. Never
carry something longer or wider
than the roof rack on top of the
vehicle unless using a GM
Certified accessory carrier.
For vehicles with a roof rack, the
rack can be used to load items. For
roof racks that do not have
crossrails included, GM Certified
crossrails can be purchased as an
accessory. See your dealer for
additional information. Notice:
Loading cargo on the
roof rack that weighs more than
91 kg (200 lbs) or hangs over the
rear or sides of the vehicle may
damage the vehicle. Load cargo
so that it rests evenly between
the crossrails, making sure to
fasten cargo securely.
To prevent damage or loss of cargo
when driving, check to make sure
crossrails and cargo are securely
fastened. Loading cargo on the roof
rack will make the vehicle’ s center
of gravity higher. Avoid high speeds,
sudden starts, sharp turns, sudden
braking or abrupt maneuvers,
otherwise it may result in loss of
control. If driving for a long distance,
on rough roads, or at high speeds,
occasionally stop the vehicle to
make sure the cargo remains in its
place. Do not exceed the maximum
vehicle capacity when loading the
vehicle.
For more information on vehicle
capacity and loading, see Vehicle
Load Limits on page 9‑12.

9-12 Driving and Operating
Vehicle Load Limits
It is very important to know how
much weight your vehicle can
carry. This weight is called the
vehicle capacity weight and
includes the weight of all
occupants, cargo, and all
nonfactory-installed options.
Two labels on your vehicle show
how much weight it may
properly carry, the Tire and
Loading Information label and
the Certification/Tire label.
{WARNING
Do not load the vehicle any
heavier than the Gross
Vehicle Weight Rating
(GVWR), or either the
maximum front or rear Gross
Axle Weight Rating (GAWR).
If you do, parts on the vehicle
can break, and it can change
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
the way the vehicle handles.
These could cause you to lose
control and crash. Also,
overloading can shorten the
life of the vehicle.
Tire and Loading Information
Label
Example Label
A vehicle specific Tire and
Loading Information label is
attached to the center pillar (B-pillar) of your vehicle. With
the driver's door open, you will
find the label attached below the
door lock post (striker). The tire
and loading information label
shows the number of occupant
seating positions (A), and the
maximum vehicle capacity
weight (B) in kilograms and
pounds.
The Tire and Loading
Information label also shows the
size of the original equipment
tires (C) and the recommended
cold tire inflation pressures (D).
For more information on tires
and inflation see
Tires
on
page 10‑36
and Tire Pressureon
page 10‑42
.
There is also important loading
information on the vehicle
Certification/Tire label. It tells
you the Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating (GVWR) and the Gross
Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) for

Driving and Operating 9-13
the front and rear axle. See
“Certification/Tire Label”later in
this section.
Steps for Determining Correct
Load Limit
1.
Locate the statement “The
combined weight of
occupants and cargo should
never exceed XXX kg or
XXX lbs” on your vehicle's
placard.
2.Determine the combined
weight of the driver and
passengers that will be riding
in your vehicle.
3.Subtract the combined
weight of the driver and
passengers from XXX kg or
XXX lbs.
4.The resulting figure equals
the available amount of cargo
and luggage load capacity.
For example, if the “XXX”
amount equals 1400 lbs and there will be five 150 lb
passengers in your vehicle,
the amount of available cargo
and luggage load capacity is
650 lbs (1400
−750 (5 x 150)
= 650 lbs).
5.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.
6.If your vehicle will be towing
a trailer, the load from your
trailer will be transferred to
your vehicle. Consult this
manual to determine how this
reduces the available cargo
and luggage load capacity for
your vehicle.
See Trailer Towing
on page 9‑50
for important information on
towing a trailer, towing safety
rules and trailering tips.
Example 1
A.
Vehicle Capacity Weight for
Example 1 = 453 kg
(1,000 lbs).
B.Subtract Occupant Weight @
68 kg (150 lbs) × 2 = 136 kg
(300 lbs).
C.Available Occupant and
Cargo Weight = 317 kg
(700 lbs).

9-14 Driving and Operating
Example 2
A.
Vehicle Capacity Weight for
Example 2 = 453 kg
(1,000 lbs).
B.Subtract Occupant Weight @
68 kg (150 lbs) × 5 = 340 kg
(750 lbs).
C.Available Cargo Weight =
113 kg (250 lbs).
Example 3
A.
Vehicle Capacity Weight for
Example 3 = 453 kg
(1,000 lbs).
B.Subtract Occupant Weight @
91 kg (200 lbs) × 5 = 453 kg
(1,000 lbs).
C.Available Cargo Weight =
0 kg (0 lbs).
Refer to your vehicle's tire and
loading information label for
specific information about your
vehicle's capacity weight and seating positions. The combined
weight of the driver, passengers,
and cargo should never exceed
your vehicle's capacity weight.
Certification/Tire Label
Label Example
A vehicle specific Certification/
Tire label is attached to the rear
edge of the driver's door.
The label shows the gross
weight capacity of your vehicle.
This is called the Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating (GVWR). The

Driving and Operating 9-45
For information on towing a disabled
vehicle, seeTowing the Vehicleon
page 10‑82. For information on
towing the vehicle behind another
vehicle —such as a motorhome,
see Recreational Vehicle Towing
on
page 10‑82.
Driving Characteristics
and Towing Tips
{WARNING
The driver can lose control when
pulling a trailer if the correct
equipment is not used or the
vehicle is not driven properly. For
example, if the trailer is too
heavy, the brakes may not work
well —or even at all. The driver
and passengers could be
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
seriously injured. The vehicle may
also be damaged; the resulting
repairs would not be covered by
the vehicle warranty. Pull a trailer
only if all the steps in this section
have been followed. Ask your
dealer for advice and information
about towing a trailer with the
vehicle.
The vehicle can tow a trailer when
equipped with the proper trailer
towing equipment. For trailering
capacity, see Trailer Towing
on
page 9‑50. Trailering changes
handling, acceleration, braking,
durability and fuel economy. With
the added weight, the engine, transmission, wheel assemblies and
tires are forced to work harder and
under greater loads. The trailer also
adds wind resistance, increasing the
pulling requirements. For safe
trailering, correctly use the proper
trailering equipment.
The following information has
important trailering tips and rules for
your safety and that of your
passengers. Read this section
carefully before pulling a trailer.

9-52 Driving and Operating
If a weight-carrying hitch or a
weight-distributing hitch is being
used, the trailer tongue (A) should
weigh 10‐15 percent of the total
loaded trailer weight (B).
After loading the trailer, weigh the
trailer and then the tongue,
separately, to see if the weights are
proper. If they are not, adjustments
might be made by moving some
items around in the trailer.
Trailering may be limited by the
vehicle's ability to carry tongue
weight. Tongue weight cannot cause
the vehicle to exceed the GVWR(Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) or
the RGAWR (Rear Gross Axle
Weight Rating). The effect of
additional weight may reduce the
trailering capacity more than the
total of the additional weight.
Consider the following example:
A vehicle model base weight is
2 495 kg (5,500 lbs); 1 270 kg
(2,800 lbs) at the front axle and
1 225 kg (2,700 lbs) at the rear axle.
It has a GVWR of 3 266 kg
(7,200 lbs), a RGAWR of 1 814 kg
(4,000 lbs) and a GCWR (Gross
Combination Weight Rating) of
6 350 kg (14,000 lbs). The trailer
rating should be:
Expect tongue weight to be at least
10 percent of trailer weight (386 kg
(850 lbs)) and because the weight isapplied well behind the rear axle,
the effect on the rear axle is greater
than just the weight itself, as much
as 1.5 times as much. The weight at
the rear axle could be 386 kg
(850 lbs) X 1.5 = 578 kg (1,275 lbs).
Since the rear axle already weighs
1 225 kg (2,700 lbs), adding 578 kg
(1,275 lbs) brings the total to
1 803 kg (3,975 lbs). This is very
close to, but within the limit for
RGAWR as well. The vehicle is set
to trailer up to 3 856 kg (8,500 lbs).
If the vehicle has many options and
there is a front seat passenger and
two rear seat passengers with some
luggage and gear in the vehicle as
well. 136 kg (300 lbs) could be
added to the front axle weight and
181 kg (400 lbs) to the rear axle
weight. The vehicle now weighs:

Driving and Operating 9-53
Weight is still below 3 266 kg
(7,200 lbs) and you might think 318
additional kilograms (700 lbs) should
be subtracted from the trailering
capacity to stay within GCWR limits.
The maximum trailer would only be
3 538 kg (7,800 lbs). You may go
further and think the tongue weight
should be limited to less than 454 kg
(1,000 lbs) to avoid exceeding
GVWR. But the effect on the rear
axle must still be considered.
Because the rear axle now weighs
1 406 kg (3,100 lbs), 408 kg (900 lbs)
can be put on the rear axle without
exceeding RGAWR. The effect of
tongue weight is about 1.5 times the
actual weight. Dividing the 408 kg
(900 lbs) by 1.5 leaves only 272 kg
(600 lbs) of tongue weight that can
be handled. Since tongue weight is
usually at least 10 percent of total
loaded trailer weight, expect that the
largest trailer the vehicle can
properly handle is 2 722 kg
(6,000 lbs).It is important that the vehicle
does not exceed any of its
ratings
—GCWR, GVWR, RGAWR,
Maximum Trailer Rating or Tongue
Weight. The only way to be sure it is
not exceeding any of these ratings
is to weigh the vehicle and trailer.
Total Weight on the Vehicle's
Tires
Inflate the vehicle's tires to the
upper limit for cold tires. These
numbers can be found on the
Certification label or see Vehicle
Load Limits
on page 9‑12for more
information. Do not go over the
GVW limit for the vehicle, or the
GAWR, including the weight of the
trailer tongue. If using a weight
distributing hitch, do not go over the
rear axle limit before applying the
weight distribution spring bars.
Towing Equipment
Hitches
It is important to have the correct
hitch equipment. Crosswinds, large
trucks going by and rough roads are
a few reasons why the right hitch is
needed.
.The rear bumper on the vehicle
is not intended for hitches. Do
not attach rental hitches or other
bumper-type hitches to it. Use
only a frame-mounted hitch that
does not attach to the bumper.
.Will any holes be made in the
body of the vehicle when the
trailer hitch is installed? If there
are, then be sure to seal the
holes when the hitch is removed.
If the holes are not sealed, dirt,
water, and deadly carbon
monoxide (CO) from the exhaust
may get into the vehicle. See
Engine Exhaust on page 9‑22.

Vehicle Care 10-39
(C) Aspect Ratio:A two‐digit
number that indicates the tire
height‐to‐width measurements.
For example, if the tire size
aspect ratio is 60, as shown in
item C of the illustration, it would
mean that the tire's sidewall is
60 percent as high as it is wide.
(D) Construction Code
:A
letter code is used to indicate
the type of ply construction in
the tire. The letter R means
radial ply construction; the
letter D means diagonal or bias
ply construction; and the letter B
means belted‐bias ply
construction.
(E) Rim Diameter
:Diameter of
the wheel in inches.
(F) Service Description
:These
characters represent the load
index and speed rating of the
tire. The load index represents
the load carry capacity a tire is certified to carry. The speed
rating is the maximum speed a
tire is certified to carry a load.
Tire Terminology and
Definitions
Air Pressure:The amount of
air inside the tire pressing
outward on each square inch of
the tire. Air pressure is
expressed in psi (pounds per
square inch) or kPa (kilopascal).
Accessory Weight
:This
means the combined weight of
optional accessories. Some
examples of optional
accessories are, automatic
transmission, power steering,
power brakes, power windows,
power seats, and air
conditioning.
Aspect Ratio
:The relationship
of a tire's height to its width. Belt
:A rubber coated layer of
cords that is located between
the plies and the tread. Cords
may be made from steel or other
reinforcing materials.
Bead
:The tire bead contains
steel wires wrapped by steel
cords that hold the tire onto
the rim.
Bias Ply Tire
:A pneumatic tire
in which the plies are laid at
alternate angles less than
90 degrees to the centerline of
the tread.
Cold Tire Pressure
:The
amount of air pressure in a tire,
measured in psi (pounds per
square inch) or kPa (kilopascal)
before a tire has built up heat
from driving. See Tire Pressure
on page 10‑42.