Like an athlete juicing, General Motors is weighing its trucks with certain parts removed in order to boost the vehicles’ payload ratings. As Automotive News notes, payload is partly used to separate trucks into different classes. These classes “are based on the vehicle’s gross vehicle weight rating, which is equal to the pickup’s base curb weight plus its maximum payload.”
By taking off extraneous items like rear bumpers, GM has less curb weight to contend with, and thus it can increase its trucks’ payloads to better compete against other trucks. GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson confirmed with AN that the company “establishes a minimum curb weight — and thus a higher maximum payload capacity — on some of its heavy-duty vehicles by deleting the weight of the rear bumper and switching out heavier standard steel wheels for optional lighter alloy wheels.”
GM is certainly not alone in doing this, as Ford reportedly adopted a similar practice four years ago; however, both companies run the risk of having a customer inadvertently void his or her vehicle’s warranty. As AN writes: “if a customer loaded a base [Ford F-450] to Ford’s advertised maximum payload capacity, the vehicle would exceed its Class 3 gross vehicle weight rating by 61 pounds.”
Not all automakers pull such weight saving measures, though. Toyota and Chrysler told AN that they use “only an unmodified base curb weight” when weighing their trucks to measure gross vehicle weight rating.
Comments
This pay load pissing match is getting out of hand. All these trucks are very capable and the added few pounds mean little as so many never get to the max weight anyways.
It is getting to the point where if you need more towing you really need to step it up in class to the next level.
GM really needs to focus on getting back into the medium duty class hauler market to compete with the 450-550 Fords. These segments where Ford is in with a larger F series is where they garner their extra sales for the most part.
Scott is right. Unnecessary games. GM actually knew this when it came to diesel power ratings on the new rigs: The Duramax already outperforms the Super Duty in every measurable performance category (acceleration loaded, and unloaded, braking, handling) and GM wisely resisted squeezing four more ponies out of the mill to make it 401 hp, one more than SD. Oh and tow rating? DMAX will pull 30k lbs uphill just fine.
This practice shows that General Motors is as dishonest as those manufacturers that follow the same practice. Weight of the truck should be as it is driven out the door by the majority of customers. Plain cheating and misleading. Wait, isn’t that false advertising?