2007 MERCEDES-BENZ CL600 tires

521 Operation
Tires and wheels
Tire care and maintenance
Regularly check your tire inflation pressure
at least once a month. For more informa-
tion on checking tire inflation pressure,
see “Recommended tire inflation pres-
sure” (
page 528).Tire inspection
Every time you check your tire inflation
pressure, you should also inspect your
tires for the following:

excessive treadwear (page 522)

cord or fabric showing through the
tire’s rubber

bumps, bulges, cuts, cracks or splits in
the tread or side of the tire
Replace the tire if you find any of the above
conditions.
Make sure you also inspect the spare tire
periodically for condition and inflation.
Spare tires will age and degrade over time
even if never used, and thus should be in-
spected and replaced when necessary.Life of tire
The service life of a tire is dependent upon
varying factors including but not limited to:

Driving style

Tire inflation pressure

Distance driven
Warning!G
Regularly check the tires for damage. Dam-
aged tires can cause tire inflation pressure
loss. As a result, you could lose control of
your vehicle.
Worn, old tires can cause accidents. If the
tire tread is badly worn, or if the tires have
sustained damage, replace them.
Warning!G
Tires and spare tire should be replaced after
6 years, regardless of the remaining tread.

522 Operation
Tires and wheels
Tread depth
Do not allow your tires to wear down too
far. Adhesion properties on wet roads are
sharply reduced at tread depths of less
than
1/8in (3 mm).
Treadwear indicators (TWI) are required by
law. These indicators are located in six
places on the tread circumference and
become visible at a tread depth of approx-
imately
1/16in (1.6 mm), at which point the
tire is considered worn and should be re-
placed.
Recommended minimum tire tread depth:

Summer tires 1/8in (3 mm)

Winter tires 1/6in (4 mm)
1TWI (T
readWear Indicator)
The treadwear indicator appears as a solid
band across the tread.Storing tires
Cleaning tiresWarning!G
Although the applicable federal motor safety
laws consider a tire to be worn when the
treadwear indicators (TWI) become visible at
approximately
1/16in (1.6 mm), we recom-
mend that you do not allow your tires
to wear down to that level. As tread depth
approaches 1/8in (3 mm), the adhesion
properties on a wet road are sharply
reduced.
Depending upon the weather and/or road
surface (conditions), the tire traction varies
widely.!Keep unmounted tires in a cool, dry place
with as little exposure to light as possible. Pro-
tect tires from contact with oil, grease and gaso-
line.
!Never use a round nozzle to power wash
tires. The intense jet of water can result in dam-
age to the tire.
Always replace a damaged tire.

523 Operation
Tires and wheels
Direction of rotation
Unidirectional tires offer added advan-
tages, such as better hydroplaning perfor-
mance. To benefit, however, you must
make sure the tires rotate in the direction
specified.
An arrow on the sidewall indicates the
intended direction of rotation (spinning) of
the tire.Loading the vehicle
Two labels on your vehicle show how much
weight it may properly carry.
1) The Tire and Loading Information
placard can be found on the driver’s
door B-pillar. This Tire and Loading
Information placard tells you important
information about the number of peo-
ple that can be in the vehicle and the
total weight that can be carried in the
vehicle. It also contains information on
the proper size and recommended tire
inflation pressures for the original
equipment tires on your vehicle.
2) The certification label, also found on
the driver’s door B-pillar tells you about
the gross weight capacity of your vehi-
cle, called the Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating (GVWR). The GVWR includes the
weight of the vehicle, all occupants,
fuel and cargo. The certification label
also tells you about the front and rear
axle weight capacity, called the Gross
Axle Weight Rating (GAWR). The GAWR is the total allowable weight that can be
carried by a single axle (front or rear).
Never exceed the GVWR or GAWR for
either the front axle or rear axle.
1Driver’s door B-pillar
Following is a discussion on how to work
with the information contained on the
Tire and Loading Information placard with
regards to loading your vehicle.
iSpare wheels may be mounted against the
direction of rotation (spinning) even with a unidi-
rectional tire for temporary use only until the reg-
ular drive wheel has been repaired or replaced.
Always observe and follow applicable temporary
use restrictions and speed limitations indicated
on the spare wheel.

524 Operation
Tires and wheels
Tire and Loading InformationTire and Loading Information placard
1Load limit information on the Tire and
Loading Information placard
The Tire and Loading Information placard
showing the load limit information is
located on the driver’s door B-pillar
(
page 523).
Locate the statement “The combined
weight of occupants and cargo should
never exceed XXX kilograms or XXX
lbs.” on the Tire and Loading Informa-
tion placard.
The combined weight of all occupants,
cargo/luggage and trailer tongue load
(if applicable) should never exceed the
weight referenced in that statement.
Seating capacity
The seating capacity gives you important
information on the number of occupants
that can be in the vehicle. Observe front
and rear seating capacity. The Tire and
Loading Information placard showing the
seating capacity is located on the driver’s
door B-pillar (
page 523).
Warning!G
Do not overload the tires by exceeding the
specified load limit as indicated on the
Tire and Loading Information placard on the
driver’s door B-pillar. Overloading the tires
can overheat them, possibly causing a
blowout. Overloading the tires can also
result in handling or steering problems, or
brake failure.
iData shown on Tire and Loading Information
placard example are for illustration purposes
only. Load limit data are specific to each vehicle
and may vary from data shown in the illustration
below. Refer to Tire and Loading Information
placard on vehicle for actual data specific to your
vehicle.
iData shown on Tire and Loading Information
placard example are for illustration purposes
only. Seating data are specific to each vehicle
and may vary from data shown in the illustration
below. Refer to Tire and Loading Information
placard on vehicle for actual data specific to your
vehicle.

525 Operation
Tires and wheels
1Seating capacity information on the
Tire and Loading Information placard
Steps for determining correct load limit
The following steps have been developed
as required of all manufacturers under
Title 49, Code of U.S. Federal Regulations,
Part 575 pursuant to the “National Traffic
and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966”.
Step 1
Locate the statement “The combined
weight of occupants and cargo should
never exceed XXX kg or XXX lbs.” on
your vehicle’s Tire and Loading Infor-
mation placard.Step 2
Determine the combined weight of the
driver and passengers that will be
riding in your vehicle.
Step 3
Subtract the combined weight of the
driver and passengers from
XXX kilograms or XXX lbs.
Step 4
The resulting figure equals the avail-
able amount of cargo and luggage load
capacity. For example, if the “XXX”
amount equals 1400 lbs and there will
be five 150 lbs passengers in your
vehicle, the amount of available cargo
and luggage load capacity is 650 lbs
(1400 – 750 (5 x 150) = 650 lbs)
Step 5
Determine the combined weight of
luggage and cargo being loaded on the
vehicle. That weight may not safely
exceed the available cargo and luggage
load capacity calculated in step 4.Step 6 (if applicable)
If your vehicle will be towing a trailer,
load from your trailer will be trans-
ferred to your vehicle. Consult this
manual to determine how this reduces
the available cargo and luggage load
capacity of your vehicle (
page 527).
The following table shows examples on
how to calculate total and cargo load
capacities with varying seating configura-
tions and number and size of occupants.
The following examples use a load limit
of 1500 lbs. This is for illustration
purposes only. Make sure you are using
the actual load limit for your vehicle stated
on the vehicle’s Tire and Loading Informa-
tion placard (
page 524).

526 Operation
Tires and wheels
The higher the weight of all occupants, the
less cargo and luggage load capacity is
available.
For more information, see “Trailer tongue
load” (
page 527).
ExampleCombined weight
limit of occupants
and cargo from
Tire and Loading
Information
placardNumber of
occupants
(driver and
passengers)Seating
configura-
tionOccupants weight Combined
weight of all
occupantsAvailable cargo/luggage and
trailer tongue weight (total
load limit from Tire and
Loading Information placard
minus combined weight of
all occupants)
11500 lbs4front: 2
rear: 2Occupant 1: 190 lbs
Occupant 2: 200 lbs
Occupant 3: 190 lbs
Occupant 4: 170 lbs750 lbs1500 lbs – 750 lbs = 750 lbs
21500 lbs3front: 1
rear: 2Occupant 1: 200 lbs
Occupant 2: 190 lbs
Occupant 3: 150 lbs540 lbs1500 lbs – 540 lbs = 960 lbs
31500 lbs1front: 1Occupant 1: 150 lbs150 lbs1500 lbs – 150 lbs = 1350 lbs

527 Operation
Tires and wheels
Certification label
Even after careful determination of the
combined weight of all occupants, cargo
and the trailer tongue load (if applicable)
(
page 527) as to not exceed the permis-
sible load limit, you must make sure that
your vehicle never exceeds the Gross Vehi-
cle Weight Rating (GVWR) and the Gross
Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) for either the
front or rear axle. You can obtain the
GVWR and GAWR from the certification
label. The certification label can be found
on the driver’s door B-pillar, see “Technical
data” (
page 674).Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR): The
total weight of the vehicle, all occupants,
all cargo, and the trailer tongue load
(
page 527) must never exceed the
GVWR.
Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR): The to-
tal allowable weight that can be carried by
a single axle (front or rear).
To assure that your vehicle does not ex-
ceed the maximum permissible weight
limits (GVWR and GAWR for front and rear
axle), have the loaded vehicle (including
driver, passengers and all cargo and, if
applicable, trailer fully loaded) weighed on
a suitable commercial scale.Trailer tongue load
The tongue load of any trailer is an impor-
tant weight to measure because it affects
the load you can carry in your vehicle. If a
trailer is towed, the tongue load must be
added to the weight of all occupants riding
and any cargo you are carrying in the
vehicle. The tongue load typically is
10 percent of the trailer weight and every-
thing loaded in it.
Your Mercedes-Benz has been designed
primarily to carry passengers and their
cargo. Mercedes-Benz does not recom-
mend trailer towing with your vehicle.

528 Operation
Tires and wheels
Recommended tire inflation pressure
Your vehicle is equipped with the Tire and
Loading Information placard located on
the driver’s door B-pillar (
page 523).
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 3 hours or driven less than
1 mile (1.6 km).
Follow recommended cold tire inflation
pressures listed on the Tire and Loading
Information placard on the driver's door
B-pillar.Keeping the tires properly inflated
provides the best handling, tread life and
riding comfort.
In addition to the Tire and Loading
Information placard on the driver’s door
B-pillar, also consult the tire inflation
pressure label (if available) on the fuel filler
flap (
page 509) for any additional infor-
mation pertaining to special driving situa-
tions. For more information, see
“Important notes on tire inflation
pressure” (
page 529).
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.
Do not overload the tires by exceeding the
specified load limit as indicated on the
Tire and Loading Information placard on the
driver’s door B-pillar. Overloading the tires
can overheat them, possibly causing a
blowout. Overloading the tires can also
result in handling or steering problems, or
brake failure.