Page 403 of 474

401 Practical hints
Flat tire
Removing the wheel
1Alignment bolt
Unscrew upper-most wheel bolt and re-
move.
Replace this wheel bolt with alignment
bolt1 supplied in the tool kit.
Remove the remaining bolts.
Remove the wheel.Mounting the new wheel
Clean contact surfaces of wheel and
wheel hub.
Guide the spare wheel onto the align-
ment bolt and push it on.
Insert wheel bolts and tighten them
slightly.
Unscrew the alignment bolt, install last
wheel bolt and tighten slightly.
!Do not place wheel bolts in sand or dirt.
This could result in damage to the bolt
and wheel hub threads.
!To avoid paint damage, place wheel flat
against hub and hold it there while in-
stalling first wheel bolt.Warning!
G
Always replace wheel bolts that are dam-
aged or rusted.
Never apply oil or grease to wheel bolts.
Damaged wheel hub threads should be re-
paired immediately. Do not continue to drive
under these circumstances! Contact an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center or call
Roadside Assistance.
Incorrect wheel bolts or improperly tight-
ened wheel bolts can cause the wheel to
come off. This could cause an accident.
Make sure you are using the correct wheel
bolts.
Warning!
G
Use only genuine equipment
Mercedes-Benz wheel bolts. Other wheel
bolts may come loose.
Do not tighten the wheel bolts when the ve-
hicle is raised. Otherwise the vehicle could
tip over.
Page 409 of 474

407 Practical hints
Jump starting
The battery is located on the right side of
the trunk under the battery cover
(page 403).
Make sure the two vehicles do not
touch.
Turn off all electrical consumers.
Apply parking brake.
Shift gear selector lever to positionP.
Open the trunk lid.
Remove battery cover (
page 403).
Remove red cover from positive
terminal 1. 1Positive terminal of discharged battery
2Negative terminal of discharged
battery
3Positive terminal of charged battery
4Negative terminal of charged battery
Connect positive terminals 1 and3
of the batteries with the jumper cable.
Clamp cable to charged battery3
first.
Start engine of the vehicle with the
charged battery and run at idle speed.
Connect negative terminals2 and4
of the batteries with the jumper cable.
Clamp cable to charged battery4
first.
Start the engine of the disabled vehi-
cle.
Now you can again turn on the electrical
consumers. Do not turn on the lights under
any circumstances.
Remove the jumper cables first from
negative terminals2 and4 and then
from positive terminals1 and3.
You can now turn on the lights.
Have the battery checked at the near-
est authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
Keep flames or sparks away from battery.
Do not smoke.
Observe all safety instructions and precau-
tions when handling automotive batteries
(page 403).
!Never invert the terminal connections.
Page 425 of 474
423 Technical data
Rims and tires
Same size tires
S 430, S 430 4MATIC
S 500, S 500 4MATIC
(except Sport
Package* and except
Appearance Package*)
S 600 (except Sport Package* and
except Appearance Package*)
S 430, S 430 4MATIC, S 500,
S 500 4MATIC, S 600
(Appearance Package*)
Rims (light alloy)
71/2 J x17 H2
8 J x18 H2
1
1For use with snow chains contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
8 J x18 H2
1
Wheel offset
1.81 in (46 mm)
1.73 in (44 mm)
1.73 in (44 mm)
Summer tires
(radial-ply tires)
-
245/45 R18 96Y
1
245/45 R18 96Y
1
All-season tires
(radial-ply tires)
225/55 R17 97H M+S
-
-
Winter tires
(radial-ply tires)
225/55 R17 97H M+S
245/45 R18 100V XL (Extra Load) M+S
1
or
245/45 R18 96H M+S
1
245/45 R18 100V XL (Extra Load) M+S
1
or
245/45 R18 96H M+S
1
Page 426 of 474
424 Technical dataRims and tires
S 430, S 500, S 600 (Sport Package*)
S 55 AMG
S 430 4MATIC, S 500 4MATIC
(Sport Package*)
Rims (light alloy)
8 J x18 H2
1,2
or
8
1/2 J x18 EH2
3
8 J x18 H2d
1,2
or
81/2 J x18 EH2
3
1For use with winter tires only2For use with snow chains contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center3Must not be used with snow chainsWheel offset
1.73 in (44 mm)
1.73 in (44 mm)
Summer tires (radial-ply tires)
-
245/45 R18 100Y XL (Extra Load)
All-season tires (radial-ply tires)
-
-
Winter tires (radial-ply tires)
245/45 R18 100V XL (Extra Load) M+S
2
or
245/45 R18 96H M+S
2
245/45 R18 100V XL (Extra Load) M+S
2
or
245/45 R18 96H M+S
2
Page 427 of 474
425 Technical data
Rims and tires
Mixed size tires
S 430, S 500, S 600 (Sport Package*)
S 55 AMG
Front axle:
AMG light alloy rims
81/2J x 18 EH2
1
81/2J x 18 EH2
1
Wheel offset
1.73 in (44 mm)
1.73 in (44 mm)
Summer tires (radial-ply tires)
245/45 R18 100Y XL (Extra Load)
or
245/45 R18 96Y
245/45 R18 100Y XL (Extra Load)
Rear axle:
AMG light alloy rims
9 J x 18 EH2
1
9 J x 18 EH2
1
Wheel offset
1.73 in (44 mm)
1.73 in (44 mm)
Summer tires (radial-ply tires)
265/40 R18 101Y XL (Extra Load)
1
or
265/40 R18 97Y
1
1Must not be used with snow chains
265/40 R18 101Y XL (Extra Load)
1
Page 428 of 474
426 Technical dataRims and tiresSpare wheel
S 430, S 430 4MATIC, S 500, S 500 4MATIC
(except Sport Package* and except
Appearance Package*)
S 430, S 430 4MATIC, S 500, S 500 4MATIC
(Sport Package* and Appearance Package*)
S600, S 55 AMG
Rims (light alloy)
71/2 J x 17 H2
8 J x 18 H2
Wheel offset
2.0 in (51 mm)
1.73 in (44 mm)
Summer tires (radial-ply tires)
-
245/45 R18 96Y
All-season tires (radial-ply tires)
225/55 R17 97H M+S
-
Page 434 of 474

432 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.Premium unleaded gasoline
Fuel requirements
Use only premium unleaded fuel:
The octane number (posted at the
pu mp ) m ust b e 91 m i n. It is an a ve ra ge
of both the Research (R) octane num-
ber and the Motor (M) octane number:
(R+M)/2). This is also known as the
ANTI-KNOCK INDEX.
Unleaded gasoline containing oxygenates
such as Ethanol, IPA, IBA and TBA can be
used provided the ratio of any one of these
oxygenates to gasoline does not exceed
10%; MTBE must not exceed 15%.
The ratio of Methanol to gasoline must not
exceed 3% plus additional co-solvents.
Using mixtures of Ethanol and Methanol is
not allowed. Gasohol, which contains
10% Ethanol and 90% unleaded gasoline,
can be used.
These blends must also meet all other fuel
requirements, such as resistance to spark
knock, boiling range, vapor pressure, etc.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among engine manufac-
turers is carbon build-up caused by gaso-
line. Mercedes-Benz recommends only the
use of quality gasoline containing additives
that prevent the build-up of carbon depos-
its.
After an extended period of using fuels
without such additives, carbon deposits
can build up especially on the intake valves
and in the combustion area, leading to en-
gine performance problems such as:
Warm-up hesitation
Unstable idle
Knocking/pinging
Misfire
Power loss
!To maintain the engine’s durability and
performance, premium unleaded gaso-
line must be used. If premium unleaded
gasoline is not available and low octane
fuel is used, follow these precautions:
Have the fuel tank only partially
filled with unleaded regular and fill
up with premium unleaded as soon
as possible.
Avoid full throttle driving and abrupt
acceleration.
Do not exceed an engine speed of
3000 rpm if the vehicle is loaded
with a light load such as two
persons and no luggage.
Do not exceed 2/3 of maximum
accelerator pedal position if the ve-
hicle is fully loaded or operating in
mountainous terrain.
Page 439 of 474

437 Technical terms
ABC
(A
ctive B
ody C
ontrol)
Active, computer-controlled system
that hydraulically adjusts the suspen-
sion at all four wheels in response to
various driving situations.
ABS
(A
ntilock B
rake S
ystem)
Prevents the wheels from locking up
during braking so that the vehicle can
continue to be steered.
ADS
(A
daptive D
amping S
ystem)
Automatically adapts the optimum sus-
pension damping to prevailing driving
conditions.
Airmatic
Automatically selects the optimum sus-
pension tuning and ride height for your
vehicle. Airmatic consists of two com-
ponents:
Adaptive Damping System
Vehicle level controlAlignment bolt
Metal pin with thread. The centering
pin is an aid used when changing a tire
to align the wheel with the wheel hub.
BabySmart
TM air bag deactivation
system
This system detects if a special system
compatible child restraint seat is in-
stalled on the front passenger seat. The
system will automatically deactivate
the passenger front air bag when such
a seat is properly installed (the
58indicator lamp in the center
console comes on). See an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center for availability.
BabySmartTM compatible child seats
Special restraint system for children.
The sensor system for the passenger
seat prevents deployment of the pas-
senger front air bag if a BabySmart
TM
compatible child seat is installed. See
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
for availability.BAS
(B
rake A
ssist S
ystem)
System for potentially reducing braking
distances in emergency braking situa-
tions. The system is activated when it
senses an emergency based on how
fast the brake is applied.
Bi-xenon headlamps
Headlamps which use an electric arc as
the light source and produce a more in-
tense light than filament headlamps.
Bi-xenon headlamps produce low beam
and high beam.
CAC
(C
ustomer A
ssistance C
enter)
Mercedes-Benz customer service cen-
ter, which can help you with any ques-
tions about your vehicle and provide
assistance in the event of a break-
down.