2007 MERCEDES-BENZ C230 Fuel economy

289 Operation
Tires and wheels
Recommended tire inflation pressure
Your vehicle is equipped with a Tire and
Loading Information placard located on
the driver’s door B-pillar (
page 284).The tire inflation pressure should be
checked regularly and should only be ad-
justed on cold tires. The tires can be con-
sidered cold if the vehicle has been parked
for at least three hours or driven less than
one mile (1.6 km).
Follow recommended cold tire inflation
pressures listed on placard.
Keeping the tires properly inflated
provides the best handling, tread life and
riding comfort.
In addition to the tire placard on the
driver’s door B-pillar, also consult the fuel
filler flap for any additional information
pertaining to special driving situations. For
more information, see “Important notes on
tire inflation pressure” (
page 290).Placard
1Tire and Loading Information placard
with recommended cold tire inflation
pressures
The placard lists the recommended cold
tire inflation pressures for maximum load-
ed vehicle weight. The tire inflation pres-
sures listed apply to the tires installed as
original equipment.
Warning!G
Follow recommended tire inflation
pressures.
Do not underinflate tires. Underinflated tires
wear excessively and / or unevenly,
adversely affect handling and fuel economy,
and are more likely to fail from being over-
heated.
Do not overinflate tires. Overinflated tires
can adversely affect handling and ride
comfort, wear unevenly, increase stopping
distance, and result in sudden deflation
(blowout) because they are more likely to
become punctured or damaged by road
debris, potholes etc.
iData shown on placard example are for
illustration purposes only. Tire data are specific
to each vehicle and may vary from data shown in
the illustration below. Refer to placard on vehicle
for actual data specific to your vehicle.

291 Operation
Tires and wheels
Checking tire inflation pressure
manually
Follow the steps below to achieve correct
tire inflation pressure:
Remove the cap from the valve on one
tire.
Firmly press a tire gauge onto the
valve.
Read tire inflation pressure on tire
gauge and check against the recom-
mended tire inflation pressure on the
placard on the driver’s door B-pillar
(
page 289). If necessary, add air to
achieve the recommended tire inflation
pressure.
Install the valve cap.
Repeat this procedure for each tire.Run Flat Indicator*
U.S. vehicles: The Run Flat Indicator is only
available in conjunction with the
MOExtended* system (
page 294).
While the vehicle is being driven, the Run
Flat Indicator monitors the set tire inflation
pressures by evaluating each wheel’s rota-
tional speed. This allows the system to de-
tect a significant loss of pressure in a tire.
If a wheel’s rotational speed changes due
to falling tire inflation pressure, you will
see a corresponding warning message in
the multifunction display.
Warning!G
Follow recommended tire inflation pres-
sures.
Do not overinflate tires. Overinflating tires
can result in sudden deflation (blowout) be-
cause they are more likely to become punc-
tured or damaged by road debris, potholes,
etc.
Do not underinflate tires. Underinflated tires
wear unevenly, adversely affect handling
and fuel economy, and are more likely to fail
from being overheated.
Do not overload the tires by exceeding the
specified load limit as indicated on the plac-
ard on the driver’s door B-pillar. Overloading
the tires can overheat them, possibly caus-
ing a blowout.
iIf you have overfilled the tire, release tire in-
flation pressure by pushing the metal stem of the
valve with e.g. a tip of a pen. Then recheck the
tire inflation pressure with the tire gauge.

294 Operation
Tires and wheels
Potential problems associated with
underinflated and overinflated tires
Underinflated tires
Underinflated tires can:

cause excessive and uneven tire wear

adversely affect fuel economy

lead to tire failure from being
overheated

adversely affect handling
characteristicsOverinflated tires
Overinflated tires can:

adversely affect handling
characteristics

cause uneven tire wear

be more prone to damage from road
hazards

adversely affect ride comfort

increase stopping distance
MOExtended system*
The MOExtended system allows you to
continue driving your vehicle even if there
is a total loss of pressure in one or more
tires.
You may only use the MOExtended system
in conjunction with the Run Flat Indicator*
(
page 291).
For information on driving in case of pres-
sure loss in one or more tires (emergency
mode), see the “Practical hints” section
(
page 382).
Warning!G
Follow recommended tire inflation pres-
sures.
Do not underinflate tires. Underinflated tires
wear excessively and / or unevenly,
adversely affect handling and fuel economy,
and are more likely to fail from being
overheated.
Warning!G
Follow recommended tire inflation
pressures.
Do not overinflate tires. Overinflated tires
can adversely affect handling and ride
comfort, wear unevenly, increase stopping
distance, and result in sudden deflation
(blowout) because they are more likely to
become punctured or damaged by road
debris, potholes etc.

302 Operation
Tires and wheels
Always follow the recommended tire
inflation pressure (
page 289) for proper
tire inflation. 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
Warning!G
Never exceed the max. tire inflation
pressure. Follow recommended tire inflation
pressures.
Do not underinflate tires. Underinflated tires
wear excessively and / or unevenly, adverse-
ly affect handling and fuel economy, and are
more likely to fail from being overheated.
Do not overinflate tires. Overinflated tires
can adversely affect handling and ride com-
fort, wear unevenly, increase stopping dis-
tance, and result in sudden deflation
(blowout) because they are more likely to
become punctured or damaged by road de-
bris, potholes etc.
iFor illustration purposes only. Actual data
on tires is specific to each vehicle and may vary
from data shown in above illustration.
TreadwearTractionTemperature
200AAA