GM, Ford Fudging Payload Ratings
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Forum Discussion
Much ado about nothing! All the American truck manufacturers have been providing bogus ratings for their trucks and SUVs for many years. For example a SUV that holds 5 passengers should have its stopping distance from 65 MPH measured with a 750 lb. load in the vehicle. A 1/2 ton pickup should have 1,000 lbs. in the bed when it is tested, and so forth. That is the reasoning behind the SAE J2897 testing standards.
The "payload" is calculated at the factory and based on the weakest link in the truck. It is usually the tires with trucks. A 2500 truck with two tires rated at 3100@80 PSI is going to have a payload of 6200 lbs. minus the 3,200 lb. weight of the truck or 3000 lbs. and yet the buyer of the truck can easily change out the wheels and or the tires and either increase or decrease the payload capabilities of the truck.
The company that was several years ahead of GM, Ford, and Dodge/Ram was Toyota with its SUV's and trucks. Their numbers I trust, the others I would use as ballpark numbers at best.
The "payload" is calculated at the factory and based on the weakest link in the truck. It is usually the tires with trucks. A 2500 truck with two tires rated at 3100@80 PSI is going to have a payload of 6200 lbs. minus the 3,200 lb. weight of the truck or 3000 lbs. and yet the buyer of the truck can easily change out the wheels and or the tires and either increase or decrease the payload capabilities of the truck.
The company that was several years ahead of GM, Ford, and Dodge/Ram was Toyota with its SUV's and trucks. Their numbers I trust, the others I would use as ballpark numbers at best.
