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Dry weight is a technical term that refers to the weight of an automobile without any consumables, passengers, or cargo. It is one of the two common weight measurements included in automobile specifications, the other one being curb weight.
By definition, dry weight does not include any of the following:
- Gasoline or any other fuel
- Engine oil
- Coolant
- Brake fluid
- Power steering fluid
- Transmission fluid
- Washer fluid
In automobiles, the list of consumables also may contain windshield washer fluid, power steering fluid, etc. The difference between dry weight and curb weight depends on many variables such as the capacity of the fuel tank.
Over time, most domestic vehicle manufacturers have more commonly used the term 'shipping weight', which refers to the vehicle in as-built, no-option condition. This would include engine oil, coolant, brake fluid and at least some small quantity of fuel, as vehicles have traditionally been driven off the assembly line and these fluids were necessary to do so. Hobbyists have debated the accuracy of these figures, as they often seem low versus occasional real world checks on the same-specification vehicle. One theory is that shipping weight was intentionally calculated on the low side to realize a cost savings in the freight transport of vehicles across the country.
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