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198 Tires, wheels
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Wheels
Replace rims or tires with the same designation,
manufacturer and type as shown on the original part.
See your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center for further
information.
See your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center for
information on tested and recommended rims and tires
for summer and winter operation. They can also offer
advice concerning tire service and purchase.Tire replacement
Tires should be replaced in sets. Rims and tires must be
of the correct size and type. For dimensions, see
page 249.
We recommend that you break in new tires for
approximately 60 miles (100 km) at moderate speed.
It is imperative that the wheel mounting bolts be
fastened to a tightening torque of 80 ft.lb. (110 Nm)
whenever wheels are mounted.
For rim and tire specifications, see page 249.
Wa r n i n g !
Worn, old tires can cause accidents. If the tire tread
is badly worn, or if the tires have sustained
damage, replace them.When replacing rims, use only genuine
Mercedes-Benz wheel bolts specified for the
particular rim type. Failure to do so can result in
the bolts loosening and possibly an accident.
Page 202 of 273

199 Tires, wheels
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Wheel rotation applies only when winter tires are
mounted on all four wheels.
The wheels can be rotated according to the degree of
tire wear while retaining the same direction of travel.
Rotating, however, should be carried out as
recommended by the tire manufacturer, before the
characteristic tire wear pattern (shoulder wear on front
wheels and tread center wear on rear wheels) becomes
visible, as otherwise the driving properties deteriorate.
Important!
Unidirectional tires must always be mounted with arrow
on tire sidewall pointing in direction of vehicle forward
movement.Notes:
Thoroughly clean the inner side of the wheels any time
you rotate the wheels or wash the vehicle underside.
The use of retread tires is not recommended. Retread
tires may adversely affect the handling characteristics
and safety of the vehicle.
Dented or bent rims can cause tire pressure loss and
dam age to t he tire bead s. For this reason, ch eck rims for
damage at regular intervals. The rim f langes must be
checked for wear before a tire is mounted. Remove
burrs, if any.
Check and ensure proper tire inflation pressure after
rotating the wheels. For tire inflation pressure see
page 209.
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200 Tires, wheels
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Spare wheel
Important!
SLK 230 Kompressor:
The spare wheel rim size is 4
1/2 B x 15 H 2 with
inflatable, collapsible tire, size 165-15 89 P.
SLK 320:
The spare wheel rim size is 4
1/2 B x 16 H 2 with
inflatable, collapsible tire, size 165/70-16 92 P.
You should inf late the spare tire using the supplied air
pump.In the case of a f lat tire, you may temporarily use the
spare wheel, while observing the following restrictions:
•Do not exceed vehicle speed of 50 mph (80 km / h).
•Drive to the nearest tire repair facility to have the
flat tire repaired or replaced as appropriate.
•Do not operate vehicle with more than one
collapsible spare wheel / tire mounted.
For additional information, see page 249.
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205 Tires, wheels
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For ease of handling and proper unfolding of tire during
its inflation when installing spare wheel with
collapsible tire, first mount the spare wheel, then inflate
the tire.
10.Clean contact surfaces of wheel and wheel hub.
Install wheel on wheel hub. Insert proper wheel
bolts and tighten them snugly.
Unscrew the alignment pin (4) to install the last
wheel bolt.
11.Inflate collapsible spare tire. (See next page for
detailed instructions).Important!
When installing spare wheel with collapsible tire, make
certain to use the correct wheel bolts, supplied in the
vehicle tool kit.
To avoid paint damage, place wheel f lat against hub and
hold it there while installing first wheel bolt.
12.Lower vehicle. Remove jack and insert jack tube
cover.
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216 Towing the vehicle
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Important!
When towing the vehicle, please, note the following:
With the automatic central locking activated and the
key in steering lock position 2, the vehicle doors lock if
the left front wheel as well as the right rear wheel are
turning at vehicle speeds of approximately 9 mph
(15 km / h) or more.
To prevent the vehicle door locks from locking,
deactivate the automatic central locking.Note:
To signal turns while being towed with hazard warning
f lash er in u se, turn key in steering l ock to position 2 a nd
activate combination switch for left or right turn signal
in usual manner – only the selected turn signal will
operate. Upon canceling the turn signal, the hazard
warning flasher will operate again.
Caution!
If the vehicle is towed with the front axle raised, the
engine must be shut off (key in steering lock position 0
or 1). Otherwise, the ESP will immediately be engaged
and will apply the rear wheel brakes. Switch off the
tow-away alarm as well as the ESP, see page 37 and 170.
Page 229 of 273

226 Emergency engine shut-down
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Emergency engine shut-down
If the engine can no longer be stopped using the key, the
engine can be turned off by removing two fuses.
For easy removal of fuses use the fuse extractor
(supplied with vehicle tool kit) to pull out the fuses
marked on the fuse chart as “ENGINE EMERGENCY
OFF”.
The fuse chart is also located in the vehicle tool kit,
see page 196.
For fuses see page 188.Raising hardtop manually
In case of malfunction, the hardtop can also be raised
manually. This procedure should be performed with
great care by 2 persons.
Prior to raising the hardtop manually, make certain that
all points listed under Retractable Hardtop (see
page 120) were observed.
A hex-socket wrench, located on the inside of the
right-hand cover in the trunk, is required for this job.
1.Open doors or lower windows.
2.For safety reasons, remove key from steering lock.
3.Open trunk.
Page 248 of 273
245 Technical data
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SLK 230 Kompressor
routing, belt I
The engine is equipped with two poly-V-belts.
1Crankshaft
2Air conditioner compressor
3Power steering pump
4Coolant pumpSLK 230 Kompressor
routing, belt II
For dimensions of the poly-V-belts, see page 248.
5Idler pulley
6Generator (alternator)
7Idler pulley
8Idler pulley
9Supercharger
P13.20-2007-26
9
6
8
7
4
1
5
32
5
32
9
6
8
4
1
7
P13.20-2008-26
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247 Technical data
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belt routing1Automatic belt tensioner
2Crankshaft
3Air conditioner compressor
4Generator (alternator)
5Idler pulley
6Power steering pump
7Coolant pump
For dimensions of the poly-V-belt, see page 248.
6
5
1
2
3
7
4