69 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Depending on vehicle production date,
your vehicle is equipped with either a seat
belt reminder system or an enhanced seat
belt reminder system as follows:
Seat belt reminder system
When the engine is started the seat belt
telltale < illuminates for a maximum of
6 seconds and a warning chime sounds to
remind you and your passengers to fasten
your seat belts.
For more information on the seat belt
telltale <, see “Practical hints”
(
page 355).Enhanced seat belt reminder system
When the engine is started the seat belt
telltale< illuminates for a maximum of
6 seconds and a warning chime sounds to
remind you and your passengers to fasten
your seat belts.
If after these 6 seconds the driver’s or the
front passenger’s seat belt (with the front
passenger seat occupied and with all
doors closed) are not fastened,
and the vehicle speed does not exceed
15 mph (25 km/h), the seat belt tell-
tale < remains illuminated for as
long as either the driver’s or front pas-
senger’s seat belt is not fastened.
Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time. Do not fasten a seat
belt around a person and another per-
son or other objects.
Belts should not be worn twisted. In a
crash, you wouldn’t have the full width
of the belt to manage impact forces. The
twisted belt against your body could
cause injuries.
Pregnant women should also use a
lap-shoulder belt. The lap belt portion
should be positioned as low as possible
on the hips to avoid any possible pres-
sure on the abdomen.
Never place your feet on the instrument
panel, dashboard or on the seat. Always
keep both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.
322 Operation
Tires and wheels
Tire size designation, load and speed
rating
1Tire width
2Aspect ratio in %
3Radial tire code
4Rim diameter
5Tire load rating
6Tire speed ratingGeneral:
Depending on the design standards used,
the tire size molded into the sidewall may
have no letter or a letter preceding the tire
size designation.
No letter preceding the size designation
(as illustrated above): Passenger car tire
based on European design standards.
Letter “P” preceding the size designation:
Passenger car tire based on U.S. design
standards.
Letter “LT” preceding the size designation:
Light Truck tire based on U.S. design
standards.
Letter “T” preceding the size designation:
Temporary spare tires which are high
pressure compact spares designed for
temporary emergency use only. Tire width
The tire width1 (
page 322) indicates
the nominal tire width in mm.
Aspect ratio
The aspect ratio2 (
page 322) is the
dimensional relationship between tire
section height and section width and is
expressed in percentage. The aspect ratio
is arrived at by dividing section height by
section width.
Tire code
The tire code3 (
page 322) indicates
the tire construction type. The “R” stands
for radial tire type. Letter “D” means diag-
onal or bias ply construction; letter “B”
means belted-bias ply construction.
At the tire manufacturer’s option, any tire
with a speed capability above 149 mph
(240 km/h) can include a “ZR” in the size
designation (for example: 245/40 ZR 18).
For additional information, see “Tire speed
rating” (
page 324).
i
For illustration purposes only. Actual
data on tires is specific to each vehicle
and may vary from data shown in above
illustration.
329 Operation
Tires and wheels
Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards
(U.S. vehicles)
Tire manufacturers are required to grade
tires based on three performance
factors: treadwear, traction and
temperature resistance.
1Treadwear
2Traction
3Temperature resistanceQuality grades can be found, where appli-
cable, on the tire sidewall between tread
shoulder and maximum section width. For
example:
All passenger car tires must conform to
federal safety requirements in addition to
these grades.Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rat-
ing based on the wear rate of the tire when
tested under controlled conditions on a
specified government test course. For ex-
ample, a tire graded 150 would wear one
and one-half (1
1/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of their use,
however, and may depart significantly
from the norm due to variations in driving
habits, service practices and differences in
road characteristics and climate.
i
For illustration purposes only. Actual
data on tires is specific to each vehicle
and may vary from data shown in above
illustration.
TreadwearTractionTemperature
200AAA
331 Operation
Tires and wheels
Tire ply material
1Plies in sidewall
2Plies under tread
This marking tells you about the type of
cord and number of plies in the sidewall
and under the tread.Tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
The combined weight (in excess of those
standard items which may be replaced) of
automatic transmission, power steering,
power brakes, power windows, power
seats, radio, and heater, to the extent that
these items are available as
factory-installed equipment (whether
installed or not).
Air pressure
The amount of air inside the tire pressing
outward on each square inch of the tire.
Air pressure is expressed in pounds per
square inch (psi), or kilopascal (kPa) or
bar.Aspect ratio
Dimensional relationship between tire
section height and section width
expressed in percentage.
Bar
Another metric unit for air pressure. There
are 14.5038 pounds per square inch (psi)
to 1 bar; there are 100 kilopascal (kPa)
to 1 bar.
Bead
The tire bead contains steel wires wrapped
by steel cords that hold the tire onto the
rim.
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire inflation pressure when your vehicle
has been sitting for at least three hours or
driven no more than one mile (1.6 km).
i
For illustration purposes only. Actual
data on tires is specific to each vehicle
and may vary from data shown in above
illustration.
344 Operation
Vehicle care
Ornamental moldings
For regular cleaning and care of ornamen-
tal moldings, use a damp cloth.Headlamps, tail lamps, side markers,
turn signal lenses
Use a mild car wash detergent, such as
Mercedes-Benz approved Car Sham-
poo, with plenty of water.
!
Due to the width of the vehicle, fold in
exterior rear view mirrors prior to run-
ning the vehicle through an automatic
car wash to prevent damage to the
mirrors.
Make sure that the windshield wiper
switch is set to0 (
page 50). Other-
wise, the rain sensor could activate and
cause the wipers to move unintention-
ally. This may lead to vehicle damage.
i
After running the vehicle through an au-
tomatic car wash, wipe any wax off of
the windshield (
page 345). This will
prevent smears and reduce wiping
noise which can be caused by residual
wax on the windshield.
When leaving the car wash, make sure
that the mirrors are folded out. Other-
wise they may vibrate.
!
Do not use chrome cleaner on orna-
mental moldings. Although ornamental
moldings may have chrome appear-
ance, they could be made of anodized
aluminum that will be damaged when
cleaned with chrome cleaner. Instead,
use a damp cloth to clean those orna-
mental moldings.
For very dirty ornamental moldings of
which you are sure are chrome-plated,
use a chrome cleaner. If in doubt
whether an ornamental molding is
chrome-plated, contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.!
Only use window cleaning solutions
that are suitable for plastic lamp lens-
es. Window cleaning solutions which
are not suitable may damage the plas-
tic lamp lenses of the headlamps.
Therefore, do not use abrasives, sol-
vents or cleaners that contain solvents.
Never apply strong force and only use a
soft, non-scratching cloth when clean-
ing the lenses. Do not attempt to wipe
dirty lenses with a dry cloth or sponge.
Otherwise you may scratch or damage
the lens surface.
435 Technical data
Main dimensions and weights
Main dimensions and weights
Main dimensions
Weights
ModelC55AMG
Overall vehicle length181.8 in (4 617 mm)
Overall vehicle width (exterior rear
view mirrors folded out)77.8 in (1977 mm)
Overall vehicle height55.6 in (1 412 mm)
Wheelbase106.9 in (2 715 mm)
Track, front59.3 in (1 507 mm)
Track, rear58.0 in (1 474 mm)
Roof load max.220 lbs (100 kg)
Trunk load max.220 lbs (100 kg)