Hi,

No need to guess. Read the door sticker! It should give you a maximum
"payload" figure, as well as tire inflation pressures for a "full" load.
Then get out your cheapo $3 calculator and go to work.

For example:

The sticker on my ol' Loyale wagon says max payload's 900 lbs. Ok, 900
lbs minus 210 lbs (me) minus 560 lbs (your cement) equals 130 lbs
"reserve" if we were using my car instead of yours. So there's no need
to lower the fuel load or anything else IF I'm not gonna carry
passengers or equipment on this trip. If you think you need to drop fuel
to "gain" some extra payload, I've always heard 6 lbs/gal for gasoline
(US gal, not the bigger Imperial gal, which is probably closer to the
seven mentioned.)

Below that, my sticker says "regular" (or "light?") load requires 28 psi
frt/rr, while a "full" load requires 28 psi frt, 32 psi rr. I'd add a
couple of psi to that "just cuz" and still be below max on the sidewall.

As for loading, think "weight and balance" as the guys have mentioned.
Since I'm 210, I'd stick as close to that amount in the front passenger
area as I could (100 lbs on the seat, 100 on the floor
perhaps--depending on what weight sacks we have), maybe 100 lbs behind
the rear seat in the luggage area, positioned fore/aft close to the rear
wheels (axle), and split the rest between the two rear passenger
positions (again, part on the seats, part on the floor perhaps.) Tossing
all 560 lbs all the way in the back will probably exceed the rear axle
weight rating, and certainly cause some interesting (if not serious!)
handling issues even it it doesn't.

Leaving the weight in for 24 hours should pose no problem--I've had mine
pretty well loaded up for week long trips and it didn't know any
different at the end of the trips from the beginning. Just remember what
someone's already mentioned: the car WILL feel and handle differently,
especially w/ longer acceleration and braking distances, so drive more
w/ your head than your right foot.

And after all that, maybe there will be willing bodies at your
destination to unload the car for you?

Rick

I need to transport 560 lbs. of cement in my 2000 Outback. Is it OK to
load up the back with that much and keep it loaded for 24 hours until
I get to the destination?  

I'm guessing it's OK becaus it's like having 3 good-sized adults in
the car, but I just want to be sure.