Having a large trunk in our vehicle allows us to carry out trips with larger loads, but sometimes it may be the case that they are too heavy. This makes driving a bit more complex.
Tips for driving with a heavily loaded car
If for some reason you find yourself in the situation of having to drive a heavily loaded car, it is important to bear in mind that all possible precautions should be taken. The reason is that the inertias affect the movements of the car. Some tips to be able to drive in the best safety conditions are as follows:
Do not exceed the maximum authorized weight
To begin with, when traveling by road with your vehicle, you must bear in mind that the load to be transported in your car must not exceed the maximum authorized weight. To do this, you must go to the technical file of the vehicle, where you can find this information.
In the event that you exceed it, you will be committing an infraction for which you could be sanctioned; and it will also pose a risk to your own driving.
Balance of loads
The weight must be distributed in the proper way. To do this, try to distribute your packages and weights evenly over the entire surface that you can use. It is advisable to prevent all the heavy items to be transported from being placed in the trunk, since in this way the rear of the car will lose stability when cornering and braking.
Therefore, it is recommended to make use of the passenger compartment so that it also has some load and is thus properly balanced.
tire pressure
The most suitable tire pressure for each case will depend on whether the driver is traveling alone or with all seats occupied or in a heavily loaded car. Therefore, it must be adjusted on a case-by-case basis.
Making a query to the recommended pressures indicated on the vehicles themselves (or in their instruction manual) will allow you to know the pressure you should use to drive safely. This will also prevent tire blowouts.
Anticipate braking
Another piece of advice to keep in mind if you want to know how to drive with a heavily loaded car is to try to anticipate braking. A car that is loaded takes longer to brake than one that runs with little or no load. Therefore, it is necessary to anticipate braking.
One recommendation is to start braking keeping a distance twice that of what is normally used. In addition, this will mean that you have to leave a greater distance with respect to the vehicles that precede us.
speed reduction
When driving in a heavily loaded vehicle, its agility and balance decrease. This causes more instability and roll in the curves, as well as slower changes of direction. Therefore, it is recommended to drive at a lower speed. This improves the inertia of the car, especially when cornering.
attention to slopes
Whether driving on ascending or descending slopes, a series of indications must be taken into account with slopes when driving with a heavily loaded vehicle.
In the event that you drive downhill, the braking time is lengthened and to achieve better results when braking, it is recommended to use the retention of the motor itself. Also, avoid accelerating when exiting corners.
If you are going uphill, the speed of the car will be reduced as you lift the accelerator pedal, even more than usual due to the load it is carrying. To prevent the speed from being radically reduced, it is necessary to reduce to lower gears. In this way it is possible to keep the engine in the range of revolutions of greater torque.
Planning
One last recommendation when it comes to knowing how to drive with a heavily loaded car is to plan your route correctly. This is very important if you are going to make a long trip, since the ideal when driving the vehicle in these conditions is to avoid mountain passes or areas with a lot of slope.
In this way, it will be more advisable to drive on highways and motorways and thus avoid having to pass through towns or have to overtake in which the opposite lane is invaded. In this way it will be possible to circulate with greater safety and with less wear on the brakes.
