Scuba tanks messed up my car

[RonDawg]

I never checked the GVWR rating for Altima, but doesn't that refer to weight evenly distributed along the car's four tires? I, on the other hand, had all the weight in the trunk >=200 pounds. Also (I think), mass stored in a trunk translates into more weight when hitting a pothole because it is located forther from the axis. When coming back from NY yesterday, I put the tanks and weights in the passenger compartment, even on the front seat to try to balance the car a bit.

I was not aware of the damaging potential of salt, I will ask the mechanic if he sees signs of rust. My Altima's year is 2000, it's in pretty good shape.

Unless you like to park in the ocean, a 4 year old car of any sort should not have significant rust damage, so something else is wrong. Definitely a mechanic will need to look at the car to see why it's doing that. If the suspension mountings have rusted through, it might be covered under warranty; many cars have 6 or more years' worth of rust-through warranty coverage.

Ideally, the GVWR (which, incidentally, is the TOTAL weight of the car including passengers, cargo, and fuel) should be evenly distributed among all four tires, primarily for handling reasons. In reality, manufacturers know it's not possible to evenly distribute the weight of cargo when the primary cargo-carrying area (trunk or pickup bed) is at the rear of almost all vehicles. Since the Altima has a front wheel drive, the car is already going to be nose-heavy, so if anything putting weight in the trunk should improve the car's handling to some degree.

My personal experience with loading heavy objects into the trunks of many modern cars is that it causes the piece of cardboard that covers the spare tire well/storage compartment to collapse, and that is the case with scuba tanks. You can solve this problem by putting a thick (minimum 1/2 inch) piece of plywood across the top of the well. It doesn't have to fit the trunk perfectly but it does have to be large enough to reach across the empty space and onto solid sheetmetal.

 

[DandyDon]

tanks and wieghts and other stuff

600# of people are going to ride in the cabin. Gear + more than 1 tank + weights = what are we talking about here? 200# behind the rear axle, in addition to people in front, in a toy car?

Still - I'm skeptical.

Anyway, fix the car, buy a trailer, road it. Can the toy car pull a trailer?

Try to go when the wind is with you.

 

[android]

Springs should be fine, They are not going to wear out. OEM shocks and struts on the other hand are often junk and could well be shot even with fairly low mileage. There are several ways to check your shocks. Most involve bouncing the car and seeing how quickly and if it returns to a neutral position. Search some auto sites for details.

 

[RonDawg]

600# of people are going to ride in the cabin. Gear + more than 1 tank + weights = what are we talking about here? 200# behind the rear axle, in addition to people in front, in a toy car?

I don't think he's carrying that much load, in fact in his last post he mentioned putting some of the heavier items up front to "balance" out the load. I don't think his passengers would be too happy holding scuba tanks in their laps from NY to MA :11:

200 pounds worth of cargo of any sort, particularly if there are no rear seat passengers at the same time, shouldn't cause the problem he speaks of.

Don't make fun of the "toy car" drivers either. With fuel prices the way they are, they're the ones having the last laugh

 

[DA Aquamaster]

In my experience, carrying scuba gear does do a number on struts in passenger cars.

The best long term solution is to get an SUV with more load carrying ability and a generally firmer suspension designed for off road use. The extra weight, bumps and jolts won't damage the generally heavier duty suspension found on that type of vehicle and they stand up much better to hauling scuba gear.

Now having said that, in addition to Jeep Cherokee and Ford Explorer we have a Ford Festiva that also does surprisingly well as a gear hauler with the rear seat folded down (and gets 40 mpg). It has a very stiff frame and a suspension that is much tougher than it deserves to be. A low end economy car but also a great car mechanically speaking that just seems to keep going and going.

 

[Phil@1877SCUBAUSA.COM]

Find a shop that specializes in suspenion (not a general mechanic). They will be able to beef up the supension to support the added weight of your dive gear. Bring the gear with you, don't guess on the weight.
A few bucks spent today, will save you big bucks later.

 

[scubajoe]

Still driving my 11 year old Suburban with 230,000 miles on it. Usually 2 tanks and my gear in the back. Sometimes 12 tanks and 6 sets of gear. Original springs, shocks and other parts. Buy a real vehicle.

Joe

 

[Chebby]

Yeah, I might consider a fuel effiecient van in the near future.

As far as getting a "small wiener car"...uh...I mean.... truck or SUV, no thanx. Maybe when I'll get older.

 

[JustinW]

http://www.fueleconomy.gov
compare your vehicle to the 2005 toyota highlander, and see just how you can still hug your trees and have a vehicle friendly for recreation. If you think you have problems now, just try getting a hybrid and you better hope you don't have to go up hills to get to and from your divesite. Remember that due to tighter emmissions regulations (at least here in hippie california) our vehicles, even SUV's are essentially emmission free vehicles. ULEV-Ultra low emmission vehicle

 

[GOAT]

burn the car. buy a truck (a real, made in the USA Truck).