Page 401 of 474

399 Practical hints
Flat tire
Detach the electric air pump.
Stow the electrical plug and the air
hose behind the flap and place the air
pump back in the trunk.Lowering the vehicle
Lower vehicle by turning crank coun-
terclockwise until the full weight of the
vehicle is resting on the ground.
Pull the jack out of the jack support
tube.
1 - 5 Wheel bolts
Tighten the five wheel bolts evenly, fol-
lowing the diagonal sequence illustrat-
ed (1 to 5), until all bolts are tight.
Observe a tightening torque of 96 lb-ft
(130 Nm).
Before storing the jack in the trunk,
crank back to storage position and fold
in the arm.
iThe flat tire may be transported in the
trunk when the retractable hardtop is
raised. Use the protective sheet provid-
ed with the spare wheel. Do not acti-
vate the tire inflation pressure monitor
until the deflated tire has been re-
moved from the vehicle.
Warning!
G
Have the tightening torque checked after
changing a wheel. The wheels could come
loose if they are not tightened to a torque of
96 lb-ft (130 Nm).Warning
G
When turning the wheel wrench to tighten
the wheel bolts, make sure you position
hands on the wrench in such a way that you
avoid injury to yourself, such as scraping
your hands against the wheel. Make sure
turning the wheel wrench will not scratch or
damage the wheel rim.
Page 405 of 474

403 Practical hints
Batteries
Disconnecting the batteries
Make sure the gear selector lever is set
to position P.
Close the retractable hardtop
(page 196).
Turn off the engine (
page 58).
Turn off all electrical consumers.
Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.
or
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*: Open the
driver’s door.
Depress the parking brake.
Open the trunk.
Warning!
G
The brake system requires electrical power
to operate.
A malfunction in the vehicle’s power supply
or electrical system may impair brake sys-
tem operation and switch it into its emer-
gency operation mode. The same applies if
battery is disconnected. To brake, the driver
must then apply significantly greater brake
pedal pressure and depress the pedal much
further to obtain the expected braking ef-
fect. If necessary, apply full pressure to the
brake pedal. Brakes are only applied to the
front wheels. Stopping distance is in-
creased! Adjust your driving style according-
ly. For more information, see “SBC brake
system” (
page 85).
Warning!
G
With a disconnected battery
you will no longer be able to turn the
SmartKey in the starter switch and
pressing the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button on the gear selector lever will
have no effect
the gear selector lever will remain
locked in positionP
!Always disconnect the batteries in the
order described below, even if you only
want to charge the starter battery, for
example. Otherwise the vehicle’s
electronics can be damaged.
Page 410 of 474

408 Practical hintsTowing the vehicleMercedes-Benz recommends that the vehi-
cle be transported with all wheels off the
ground using flatbed or appropriate wheel
lift/dolly equipment.When circumstances do not permit the
recommended towing methods, the vehi-
cle may be towed with all wheels on the
ground or front wheels raised only so far as
necessary to have the vehicle moved to a
safe location where the recommended
towing methods can be employed.
!Use flatbed or wheel lift/dolly equip-
ment with SmartKey in starter switch
turned to position0.
Do not tow with sling-type equipment.
Towing with sling-type equipment over
bumpy roads will damage radiator and
supports.
To prevent damage during transport,
do not tie down vehicle by its chassis or
suspension parts.
Switch off the tow-away alarm and the
automatic central locking.
!If the vehicle is towed with the front
axle raised, the engine must be shut off
(SmartKey in starter switch position0
or1). Otherwise, the ESP will immedi-
ately be engaged and will apply the rear
wheel brakes.
When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground, the gear selector lever
must be in positionN and the
SmartKey must be in starter switch
position2.
When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground or the front axle raised,
the vehicle may be towed only for dis-
tances up to 30 miles (50 km) and at a
speed not to exceed 30 mph
(50 km/h).
Page 411 of 474

409 Practical hints
Towing the vehicle
!
To be certain to avoid a possibility of
damage to the transmission, however,
we recommend the drive shaft be dis-
connected at the rear axle drive flange
for any towing beyond a short tow to a
nearby garage.
Warning!
G
If circumstances require towing the vehicle
with all wheels on the ground, always tow
with a tow bar if:
the engine will not run
there is a malfunction in the SBC brake
system
there is a malfunction in the power sup-
ply or in the vehicle’s electrical system
as that will be necessary to adequately con-
trol the towed vehicle.
Prior to towing the vehicle with all wheels on
the ground, make certain that the SmartKey
is in starter switch position2.
If the SmartKey is left in starter switch
position0 for an extended period of time, it
can no longer be turned in the switch. In this
case, the steering is locked. To unlock, re-
move SmartKey from starter switch and re-
insert.
iTo signal turns while being towed with
the hazard warning flasher in use, turn
SmartKey in starter switch to
position2 and activate the combina-
tion switch for the left or right turn sig-
nal in the usual manner – only the
selected turn signal will operate.
Upon canceling the turn signal, the haz-
ard warning flasher will operate again.
Page 412 of 474

410 Practical hintsTowing the vehicleWarning!
G
The brake system requires electrical power
to operate.
A malfunction in the vehicle’s power supply
or electrical system may impair brake sys-
tem operation and switch it into its emer-
gency operation mode. To brake, the driver
must then apply significantly greater brake
pedal pressure and depress the pedal much
further to obtain the expected braking ef-
fect. If necessary, apply full pressure to the
brake pedal. Brakes are only applied to the
front wheels. Stopping distance is in-
creased! Adapt your driving style according-
ly. For more information, see “SBC brake
system” (
page 85).
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the brake and steering
systems. In this case, it is important to keep
in mind that a considerably higher degree of
effort is necessary to brake and steer the ve-
hicle. Adapt your driving accordingly.
!When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground, please note the follow-
ing:
With the automatic central locking acti-
vated and the SmartKey in starter
switch position2, or KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button in position2, the ve-
hicle doors lock if the left front wheel
as well as the right rear wheel are turn-
ing at vehicle speeds of approx. 9 mph
(15 km / h) or more.
To prevent the vehicle door locks from
locking, deactivate the automatic cen-
tral locking (
page 110).
Towing of the vehicle should only be
done using the properly installed tow-
ing eye bolt. Never attach tow cable,
tow rope or tow rod to the vehicle chas-
sis, frame or suspension parts.
iIf the battery is disconnected or dis-
charged
the SmartKey will not turn in the
starter switch
the gear selector lever will remain
locked in positionP.
For more information, see “Batteries”
(
page 401) and
“Jump starting” (
page 406).
Page 425 of 474
423 Technical data
Rims and tires
Same size tires
17" tires
18" tires
SL 500*
SL 600
SL 55 AMG
SL 65 AMG
Rims (light alloy)
81/2 J x 17 H2
-
-
-
Wheel offset
1.38 in (35 mm)
-
-
-
Summer tires (radial-ply tires)
255/45 R17 98W
-
-
-
Winter tires (radial-ply tires)
255/45 R17 102V XL
or Extra Load M+S
-
-
-
SL 500
SL 600
SL 55 AMG
SL 65 AMG
Rims (light alloy)
81/2 J x 18 H2
81/2 J x 18 H2
81/2 J x 18 H2
-
Wheel offset
1.38 in (35 mm)
1.38 in (35 mm)
1.18 in (30 mm)
-
Summer tires (radial-ply tires)
-
-
-
-
Winter tires (radial-ply tires)
255/40 R18 95V M+S
255/40 R18 95V M+S
255/40 R18 95V M+S
-
Page 426 of 474
424 Technical dataRims and tires19" tires
SL 500*
SL 600
SL 55 AMG
SL 65 AMG
Rims (light alloy)
-
-
-
81/2 J x 19 EH2
Wheel offset
-
-
-
1.18 in (30 mm)
Summer tires (radial-ply tires)
-
-
-
-
Winter tires (radial-ply tires)
-
-
-
255/35 R19 96V XL or
Extra Load M+S
1
1Must not be used with snow chains.
Page 427 of 474
425 Technical data
Rims and tires
Mixed size tires
SL 500
SL 500 (Sport Package*)
SL 600
Front axle:Rims (light alloy)
81/2 J x 18 H2
81/2 J x 18 H2
81/2 J x 18 H2
Wheel offset
1.38 in (35 mm)
1.38 in (35 mm)
1.38 in (35 mm)
Summer tires (radial-ply tires)
255/40 R18 95W
255/40 R18 95W
255/40 R18 95Y
Rear axle:Rims (light alloy)
91/2 J x 18 H2
91/2 J x 18 H2
91/2 J x 18 H2
Wheel offset
1.57 in (40 mm)
1.57 in (40 mm)
1.57 in (40 mm)
Summer tires (radial-ply tires)
285/35 R18 97W
1
285/35 R18 97W
1
1Must not be used with snow chains.
285/35 R18 97Y
1