Engineering structures are designed to transfer external loads to their supports. Therefore, it is necessary to study the pattern of load transfer. The U * index method has been introduced to follow the load path in the structure. The U * value at each point corresponds to its significance in the load carrying process. The U * index theory has been used as a new design approach in lightweight vehicle structures but there has not been any experimental validation of this theory. In this study, two experiments are presented to show that the U *index is a true indicator of load transfer in the structure and areas with higher U * index values indeed carry more load. The results also prove the insensitivity of the U * index to stress concentrations. This study presents the first experimental validation of the U * index theory which is important to this new approach for light-weight vehicle structural design.