Dump vehicle scale vs curb weight - they match

[GasSavers_maximilian]

The Accent's curb weight is reported a little differently in a couple places, so
today I asked the lady at the dump to let me weigh my car on their scale (usually just trailers and trucks use it, but the place was empty). People usually seem to like helping with geeky experiments for some reason. She says their accuracy is verified every month by the state, but I got a nice round number, which can't help but make me a little suspicious even though it's in the right area: 2600 lbs. With my trash it was 2760 lbs, so again round number at 10 lbs (not that errors at that level would matter for coast down calcs).

Jumping on my bathroom scale in the same clothes and shoes I had on yields 173 lbs. Since I ripped out my rear seats I also held them and measured again (well twice, they're bulky), netting about 69 lbs. So that's 2600 - 173 + 69 = 2496 lbs. That's exactly equal to the reported curb weight for the Accent that I finally settled on for my garage profile! Remarkable, if not statistically significant.

[theholycow]

What's in those back seats to make them heavy? Lots of metal structure attached? I clearly remember another user's backseat weighed under 30 pounds, though I can't find that post now. Just for cushions, cloth, and the seatback structure, I wouldn't expect 69lbs.

[GasSavers_maximilian]

Well, since the bottom cushions folded forward to allow the upright cushions to fold more flat, there are some metal brackets. A few since the seat could fold in two parts. I was also counting all the hardware that held them on, since I removed them (in a small box now). Don't see it adding up to almost 40 lbs difference though! I double checked the weight and got the same thing. They're just heavy! Maybe I can sweet talk an x-ray tech into taking a look? Their backseat removal included the bottom cushions too, right? Just checking, since it is uglier and leads to more road noise. I put some automotive carpet over it, but that weighs squat.

[thisisntjared]

wow... you should be able to feel a difference of 70 lbs when you are driving a car that weighs that much...

[kamesama980]

yea, any metal recycler has to have the scales calculated pretty often. just like gas stations have to have the pumps checked and so on and so forth.

on a related note, my truck weighed in at 2940 lbs at the recycler... I'm 230 and I don't doubt 60 lbs in mods and 'stuff' in it which is right on the 2650 curb weight I've read

[GasSavers_maximilian]

I was a little worried that all that was tested is the differential ability of the scales, not the absolute measurements, since differences are what they care about. Guess not! Good to know in case I ever do a modification whose weight is difficult to estimate (if rather unlikely...).

[GasSavers_maximilian]

I realized this morning that by pure chance I had filled up before going to the dump. That means my weight was with basically a full tank, so I have an easy way to eliminate even that weight fluctuation during testing.