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I know this sounds like a really stupid question but...when is a car fully loaded? I know that the tyre pressures on my Focus need adjusting when fully loaded and I always check them when making journeys. BUT my question is this. If there is one adult and one teenager, neither of which are large people (perhaps 18 stone between us), then if I have my camping equipment in the back (seats down but not full), am I needing to adjust my tyre pressures for a 'fully loaded' car?

Up to now I just imagined that our total weight is about 4 average adults anyway so we have not adjusted the pressures. Just wanted to ask opinions.

Thanks. 

You'll find the weights in the handbook (it's only goods vehicles that have them on the VIN plate )

If you are carrying more than 2 people in the car and doing long journeys (at motorway/a-road speeds?) it would be an idea to inflate the tyres to the higher pressure.

I'm with the school of thought that the best idea is to keep your tyres at the higher pressure all the time.  This will reduce fuel consumption & tyre wear without noticeably affecting handling (for normal folk anyway), plus you don't have to pump the tyres up when you unexpectedly put a load in the car.

HTH

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Don

Quote: Originally posted by Valk_scot on 14/6/2009

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My Mondeo has a little chart inside the petrol tank door. It says 1-3 people is a normal load, 4+ people and/or full baggage compartment needs higher pressures. And the figures. I tend to run the tyres somewhere between the two for normal use as i've often got a full load for the tip or whatever, but I always put the tyres to the higher pressure when going campig or on long journeys. I check the pressure every second time I go to the garage anyway, so no big effort.

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My Passat has the little chart in the fuel tank flap too. I feel ashamed by you checking your pressures so regularly - I do mine once a month, if that!

Thanks for all your replies - I am off to have a look and then wash the darned thing I suppose! Wish I had gone camping this weekend - what excellent weather!

Fi