the under rating of cars weight limits never ceases to amaze me, most cars can absolutely haul a half ton safely but few are rated for it, most half ton trucks can haul a couple tons safely, yet are only rated for half of one.

[–] bstix@feddit.dk 31 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

"Can haul" and "can haul safely" are different.

She was loading bags of gravel into a Toyota Corolla. Sure, it'll drive, but will it brake?

If she should crash into something there's also a huge difference in having a heavy passenger wearing a seat belt and loading the back seats with bags of gravel.

[–] WhiteOakBayou@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago

This right here. Towing capacity is "will it go" and payload capacity is "will it stop" One should try not to go over on either.

[–] needanke@feddit.org 12 points 1 day ago (1 children)

They probably assume people just stuff their shit into the trunk so I guess the weight limit usually also includes a safeguard for weight distribution limits.

[–] EtherWhack@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago

They also add a bit of a buffer for manufacturing tolerances along with allowing the rating to stay the same throughout the projected life of the vehicle.