How rigid is payload number

spoon059 wrote:

LarryJM wrote:
For me I'll treat the FMVSS certified safety limit as a hard one since insuring one is under it is not that hard.

Larry

FYI, the FMVSS rating for my axles in the Tundra is over 8300 lbs with stock P rated tires. I'm not sure what the rating is with my OEM E rated tires, but its likely even higher than 8300 lbs. That being said, Toyota REQUESTS that I keep my GVWR to under 7200 lbs. According to YOUR logic (FMVSS safety limits are the hard and fast rule), then I have an additional 1100 lbs of payload.

Payload ratings from manufacturers are required to be at or under FMVSS ratings, but they are numbers assigned by individual manufacturers with little to no oversight... so long as they are at or under FMVSS ratings. Toyota chose to be conservative and de-rate the Tundra by 1150 lbs or so. They did that to reduce wear and tear, reduce warranty issues and increase the duty cycle of the truck.

I understand the point of your argument, but your supporting documents don't correspond with your argument.

You don't understand how those GVWR #s that are on the certifictions work. While the manufacturers set the GVWR # they are required to hire and pay for a separate contract for independent testing to meet the FMVSS standards. They also have to provide the vehicles for testing. Those test results go directly to the COTR which is the government representative and the contract specficially PROHIBITS the contractor from even sharing the results w/o the COTRs written approval with the manufacturer. Thus there is complete oversight to ensure that whatever the GVWR assigned by the manufacturer meets the government set standards as set forth in FMVSS. There are no tests for the GAWRs as you mistakenly believe, but they are used in the FMVSS testing to determine the specific loading on each AXLE under various conditions to meet the GVWR number. Thus that certifcation label as far as braking is concerned is only applied against the GVWR so you 8200lb number has no meaning as to any safety related FMVSS certification as you seem to believe.
Larry