Page 269 of 417

268 Operation
Tires and wheels
In addition to tire load rating, special load 
information may be molded into the tire 
sidewall following the letter designating 
the tire speed rating6 (
page 266).
No specification given: absence of any text 
(like in above example) indicates a 
standard load (SL) tire.
XL (Extra Load): designates an extra load 
(or reinforced) tire.
Light Load: designates a light load tire.
C, D, E: designates load range associated 
with the maximum load a tire can carry at 
a specified pressure.
DOT, Tire Identification Number (TIN)
U.S. tire regulations require each new tire 
manufacturer or tire retreader to mold a 
TIN into or onto a sidewall of each tire 
produced.
The TIN is a unique identifier which facili-
tates efforts by tire manufactures to notify 
purchasers in recall situations or other 
safety matters concerning tires and gives 
purchasers the means to easily identify 
such tires. 
The TIN is comprised of “Manufacturer’s 
identification mark”, “Tire size”, “Tire type 
code” and “Date of manufacture”.1DOT 
2Manufacturer’s identification mark
3Tire size
4Tire type code (at the option of the tire 
manufacturer)
5Date of manufacture
i
For illustration purposes only. Actual 
data on tires are specific to each vehi-
cle and may vary from data shown in 
above illustration. 
     
        
        Page 270 of 417

269 Operation
Tires and wheels
DOT (Department of Transportation)
A tire branding symbol1 (
page 268) 
which denotes the tire meets require-
ments of the U.S. Department of 
Transportation. 
Manufacturer’s identification mark
The manufacturer’s identification mark2 
(
page 268) denotes the tire 
manufacturer.
New tires have a mark with two symbols.
Retreaded tires have a mark with four sym-
bols. For more information on retreaded 
tires (
page 252).
Tire size
The code3 (
page 268) indicates the 
tire size.Tire type code
The code4 (
page 268) may, at the 
option of the manufacturer, be used as a 
descriptive code for identifying significant 
characteristics of the tire.
Date of manufacture
The date of manufacture5 (
page 268) 
identifies the week and year of manufac-
ture.
The first two figures identify the week, 
starting with “01” to represent the first full 
week of the calendar year. The second two 
figures represent the year.
For example, “3202” represents the 32nd 
week of 2002.
Maximum tire load
1Maximum tire load rating
The maximum tire load is the maximum 
weight the tires are designed to support.
i
For illustration purposes only. Actual 
data on tires are specific to each vehi-
cle and may vary from data shown in 
above illustration. 
     
        
        Page 276 of 417

275 Operation
Tires and wheels
Production options weight
The combined weight of those installed 
regular production options weighing over 
5 lbs (2.3 kilograms) in excess of those 
standard items which they replace, not 
previously considered in curb weight or 
accessory weight, including heavy duty 
brakes, ride levelers, heavy duty battery, 
and special trim.
PSI (P
ounds per square inch)
A standard unit of measure for air pressure 
-> bar, kilopascal (kPa).
Recommended tire inflation pressure
Recommended tire inflation pressure 
listed on placard located on driver’s door 
B-pillar for normal driving conditions. 
Provides best handling, tread life and 
riding comfort.Rim
A metal support for a tire or a tire and tube 
assembly upon which the tire beads are 
seated.
Sidewall
The portion of a tire between the tread and 
the bead.
TIN (Tire Identification Number)
Unique identifier which facilitates efforts 
by tire manufacturers to notify purchasers 
in recall situations or other safety matters 
concerning tires and gives purchases the 
means to easily identify such tires. The TIN 
is comprised of “Manufacturer’s identifica-
tion mark”, “Tire size”, “Tire type code” 
and “Date of manufacture”.
Tire load rating
Numerical code associated with the 
maximum load a tire can support.Tire ply composition and material used
This indicates the number of plies or the 
number of layers of rubber-coated fabric in 
the tire tread and sidewall. Tire manufac-
turers also must indicate the ply materials 
in the tire and sidewall, which include 
steel, nylon, polyester, and others.
Tire speed rating
Part of tire designation; indicates the 
speed range for which a tire is approved.
Traction
Force exerted by the vehicle on the road 
via the tires. The amount of grip provided.
Tread
The portion of a tire that comes into 
contact with the road. 
     
        
        Page 277 of 417

276 Operation
Tires and wheels
Treadwear indicators
Narrow bands, sometimes called 
“wear bars” that show across the tread of 
a tire when only 
1/16in (1.6 mm) of tread 
remains.
TWR (T
ongue Weight Rating)
Maximum permissible weight on trailer 
tongue.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards
A tire information system that provides 
consumers with ratings for a tire’s traction, 
temperature and treadwear. Ratings are 
determined by tire manufacturers using 
government testing procedures. The 
ratings are molded into the sidewall of the 
tire.
Vehicle capacity weight
Rated cargo and luggage load plus 
68 kilograms (150 lbs) times the vehicle’s 
designated seating capacity.Vehicle maximum load on the tire
Load on an individual tire that is 
determined by distributing to each axle its 
share of the maximum loaded vehicle 
weight and dividing it by two.Rotating tiresTire rotation can be performed on vehicles 
with tires of the same dimension all 
around. If your vehicle is equipped with 
tires of the same dimension all around, 
tires can be rotated, observing a a 
front-to-rear rotation pattern that will 
maintain the intended rotation (spinning) 
direction of the tire (page 255).
In some cases, such as when your vehicle 
is equipped with mixed-size tires (different 
tire dimension front vs. rear), tire rotation 
is not possible.
If applicable to your vehicle’s tire configu-
ration, tires can be rotated according to 
the tire manufacturer’s recommended in-
tervals in the tire manufacturer’s warranty 
pamphlet located in your vehicle literature 
portfolio. If none is available, tires should 
be rotated every 3 000 to 6 000 miles 
(5 000 to 10 000 km), or sooner if neces-
sary, according to the degree of tire wear. 
The same rotation (spinning) direction 
must be maintained (
page 255). 
Warning!G
Rotate front and rear wheels only if the tires 
are of the same dimension.
If your vehicle is equipped with mixed-size 
tires (different tire dimensions front vs. 
rear), tire rotation is not possible. 
     
        
        Page 349 of 417

348 Practical hints
Flat tire
Preparing the vehicle
Park the vehicle as far as possible from 
moving traffic on a hard surface.
Turn on the hazard warning flashers.
Turn the steering wheel so that the 
front wheels are in a straight ahead 
position.
Set the parking brake (page 57).
Move the gear selector lever toP.
Turn off the engine (page 58).
Have any passenger exit the vehicle at 
a safe distance from the roadway.
Remove the vehicle tool kit 
(
page 323) and the jack 
(
page 324).
Remove the spare wheel from the 
spare wheel mounting bracket 
(
page 325).Information on spare wheel
When you replace the vehicle’s tires, you 
can use the spare wheel as a regular wheel 
if:
it is not more than six years old
rim and tire are the same model as the 
regular wheels
Warning!G
For your safety, remove spare wheel from 
the spare wheel mounting bracket before 
undertaking any further steps.
Warning!G
If the spare tire is more than six years old or 
is not the same model as the regular tires, 
have the spare tire replaced with a new tire 
at the nearest Mercedes-Benz Light Truck 
Center. 
Never operate the vehicle with more than 
one spare tire. 
Warning!G
G55AMG:
Vehicles with different tire dimensions on 
the front and rear axle: rim and tire size of 
spare wheel and normal wheel differ. 
Handling will be adversely affected when the 
spare wheel is used. 
Do not exceed the maximum speed of 
50 mph (80 km/h).