332 OperationTires and wheelsTire 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
bars.
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 kilopascals (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 3 hours or driv-
en no more than 1 mile (1.6 km).
Curb weight
The weight of a motor vehicle with stan-
dard equipment including the maximum
capacity of fuel, oil, and coolant, and, if so
equipped, air conditioning and additional
optional equipment, but without passen-
gers and cargo.DOT (D
epartment o
f T
ransportation)
A tire branding symbol which denotes the
tire meets requirements of the
U.S. Department of Transportation.
GAWR (G
ross A
xle W
eight R
ating)
The GAWR is the maximum permissible
axle weight. The gross vehicle weight on
each axle must never exceed the GAWR for
the front and rear axle indicated on the
certification label located on the driver’s
door B-pillar.
GVW (G
ross V
ehicle W
eight)
The GVW comprises the weight of the
vehicle including fuel, tools, spare wheel,
installed accessories, passengers and
cargo and, if applicable, trailer tongue
load. The GWV must never exceed the
GWVR indicated on the certification label
located on the driver’s door B-pillar.
368 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display message
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
ESP
Malfunction
Visit workshop
The ESP
® has detected a malfunc-
tion and switched off.
The ABS may not be operational.
The electro-hydraulic brake system
is still functioning normally but with-
out the ESP® available.
Continue driving with added caution.
Have the system checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as possible.
Failure to follow these instructions increases the
risk of an accident.
unavailable
See Operator’s Manual
The ESP
® is deactivated because the
power supply was interrupted.
The electro-hydraulic brake system
is still functioning normally but with-
out the ESP® available.
Synchronize the ESP
®. With the vehicle sta-
tionary, turn the steering wheel completely to
the left and then to the right to synchronize the
ESP
®.
If the ESP
® message does not go out:
Continue driving with added caution.
Have the system checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as possible.
Failure to follow these instructions increases the
risk of an accident.
!When synchronizing the ESP
®, make
sure you can turn the steering wheel in
both directions as far as it will go with-
out the wheels hitting any objects, e.g.
a road curb.
438 Practical hintsTowing the vehicleWarning!
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
electro-hydraulic 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 the 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,
remove SmartKey from starter switch and
reinsert.
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. 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 may only be applied to
the front wheels. Stopping distance is in-
creased! Adapt your driving style according-
ly. For more information, refer to
“Electro-hydraulic brake system”
(page 89).
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the steering system. In
this case, it is important to keep in mind that
a considerably higher degree of effort is nec-
essary to steer the vehicle. Adapt your driv-
ing accordingly.
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
signal in the usual manner – only the
selected turn signal will operate.
Upon canceling the turn signal, the haz-
ard warning flasher will operate again.
447 Technical data
Layout of poly-V-belt drive
Layout of poly-V-belt drive
CLS 500
1Automatic belt tensioner
2Power steering pump
3Air conditioning compressor
4Crankshaft
5Coolant pump
6Generator (alternator)
7Idler pulley
CLS 55 AMGThe CLS 55 AMG has two poly-V-belts
(belt one shown in purple/belt two shown
in black).1Idler pulley
2Automatic belt tensioner
3Power steering pump
4Air conditioning compressor
5Crankshaft
6Coolant pump
7Generator (alternator)
8Idler pulley
9Automatic belt tensioner
aSuper charger
462 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Model
Capacity
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Power steering
approx. 1.1 US qt (1.0 l)
MB Power Steering Fluid (Pentosin CHF 11S)
Front wheel hubs
approx. 3.0 oz (85 g) each
High temperature roller bearing grease
Brake system
1.1 US qt (1.05 l)
MB Brake Fluid (DOT 4+)
Cooling system
CLS 500
11.9 US qt (11.3 l)
MB 325.0 Anticorrosion/Antifreeze
CLS 55 AMG
13.84 US qt (13.1 l)
MB 325.0 Anticorrosion/Antifreeze
Fuel tank
21.12 US gal (80.0 l)
Premium unleaded gasoline
Minimum Posted Octane 91 (Avg. of 96
RON/86 MON)
including a reserve of
2.38 US gal (9.0 l)
473 Technical terms
Control system
The control system is used to call up
vehicle information and to change
component settings. Information and
messages appear in the multifunction
display. The driver uses the buttons on
the multifunction steering wheel to
navigate through the system and to
adjust settings.
Cruise control
Driving convenience system for auto-
matically maintaining the vehicle speed
set by the driver.
Distronic*
A driving convenience cruise control
system which helps the driver maintain
a pre-selected speed:
If there is no vehicle directly ahead,
the system operates in the same
way as conventional ->cruise con-
trol.
If a slower moving vehicle is ahead,
Distronic will reduce your vehicle
speed to the extent permitted by
reduced throttle and up to 20%
braking power to maintain the pre-
set minimum following distance.
DOT
(Department o
f Transportation)
(
page 332)
DTR
(->Distronic*)
Engine number
The number set by the manufacturer
and placed on the cylinder block to
uniquely identify each engine pro-
duced.Engine oil viscosity
Measurement for the inner friction
(viscosity) of the oil at different temper-
atures. The higher the temperature an
oil can tolerate without becoming thin,
or the lower the temperature it can tol-
erate without becoming viscous, the
better the viscosity.
ESP
®(Electronic S
tability Pr
ogram)
Improves vehicle handling and direc-
tional stability.
ETD
(E
mergency T
ensioning D
evice)
Device which deploys in certain frontal
and rear collisions exceeding the sys-
tem’s threshold to tighten the seat
belts.
->SRS
476 Technical termsPower train
Collective term designating all compo-
nents used to generate and transmit
motive power to the drive axles, includ-
ing:
Engine
Clutch/torque converter
Transmission
Transfer case*
Drive shaft
Axle shafts/axles
Production options weight
(
page 333)Program mode selector switch
Used to switch the automatic transmis-
sion between standard operationS and
operationC.
CLS 55 AMG with steering wheel gear-
shift control and manual shift program:
in addition to S and C (for sporty S or
comfortable C operation), you can use
M for manual shift program.
PSI
(P
ounds per s
quare i
nch)
(
page 333)
Recommended tire inflation pressure
(page 333)
Restraint systems
Seat belts, belt tensioners, air bags and
child restraint systems. As indepen-
dent systems, their protective func-
tions complement one another.Rim
(
page 333)
RON
(Research O
ctane N
umber)
The Research Octane Number for gaso-
line as determined by a standardized
method. It is an indication of a gaso-
line's ability to resist undesired detona-
tion (knocking). The average of both
the ->MON (Motor Octane Number)
and RON (Research Octane Number) is
posted at the pump, also known as
ANTI-KNOCK INDEX.
Electro-hydraulic brake system
Electronically controlled hydraulic
braking system for increased braking
safety and comfort.
Sidewall
(
page 333)
489 Index
Electro-hydraulic brake system 375,
376
Engine oil 382, 383
ESP
®
368
Fog lamps 387, 388, 389, 390
Hood 384
Light sensor 389
Maintenance service 392
Parking brake 375
Parking lamps 388
Power tilt/sliding sunroof 392
Reserve fuel 384
Seat belts 392
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* 385,
386
SRS 393
Taillamps 390
Tele Aid 393
Telephone* 396
Tires 370, 395
Trunk 396
Turn signals 391
Windshield washer fluid 396
Multifunction steering wheel 26, 148,
475
Button operation 148N
Navigation system
See separate COMAND operating
instructions 155
Night security illumination 136
Normal occupant weight 333
O
Occupant distribution 333
Occupant safety 64
Air bags 65
Children and air bags 66
Children in the vehicle 75
Fastening the seat belt 46
Infant and child restraint systems 76
LATCH-type child seat anchors 81
Seat belts 46, 68
Oil
Consumption 294
Viscosity 473
Oil see Engine oil
One-touch gearshifting 183
Opening
Fuel filler flap 290
Operating safety 16
Ornamental moldings, cleaning 345Outside temperature indicator 146
Overdue maintenance service 339
Overhead control panel 29
Overspeed range, engine 475
P
Paintwork, Cleaning 343
Panic alarm 83
Parking 58
Parking brake 51, 59
Message in display 375
Parking lamps 412
Replacing bulbs 415
Switching on 134
Parking position
Exterior rear view mirrors 133
Parktronic 242
Activating/deactivating 245
Minimum distance 243
Range 242
Warning indicators 244
Parktronic system (Parking assist)* see
Parktronic