You will need to know how much weight can your car tow if you are planning to tow something with the car. Theoretically, any cars are able to tow 200% of the weight of the car, which means a 2009 Ford F150 that weighs 9200 lbs are able to tow 18400 lbs. In this case, you will need to know how much does my car weigh in order to get the 200% calculation.

However, in practical world there is some calculation need to be done to avoid any unwanted accident happen. There are many weights rating for a vehicle where you will need to understand it before do your towing job. A vehicle usually has few types of weight which are:

1. Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)

The maximum allowable total weight of any vehicle when it is loaded. For example, GVWR means the total weight of the vehicle itself plus passenger’s weight, cargo, trailer tongue weight, fuel, or any thing in the car.

2. Gross Trailer Weight Rating (GTWR)

GTWR is the total mass of a road trailer that is loaded to its maximum capacity. It include the curb weight of the trailer, fluids, and cargo, that is rated to tow by the manufacturer. Generally, the weight of the trailer is recommended to be 10-15% of the GTWR.

3. Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR)

GCWR is the maximum allowable combined weight of a towing vehicle, passengers, cargo, plus the mass of the trailer, cargo in the trailer, fuel, and every possible weight in both vehicles.

4. Curb Weight

Curb weight is important and it plays the role in determining the total weight a car can tow. Curb weight or Kerb weight (UK English) is the total weight of a vehicle with standard equipment, engine oil, coolant, transmission oil, and full tank of fuel but without any passenger.

Knowing the curb weight of a car

Curb Weight of any cars usually can be found in the owner’s manual. Besides, many car manufacturer will place the curb weight at the VIN plates or other metal plate located somewhere in the car.

How to know how much weight can a car tow?

Every vehicle manufacturers specify a maximum towing capacity and it is stated clearly in the owner’s manual. For some cars there will be a sticker or metal plate located either at the engine bay, underneath of the car, or somewhere near to the car tow hook. The sticker or metal plate will indicate exactly what is the maximum weight can the car tow. However, sometimes you are able to tow a little bit more weight than the stated maximum weight depending on your experience and confidence.