307 Operation
Tires and wheels
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.
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 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 tires
Tire 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
front-to-rear rotation pattern that will
maintain the intended rotation (spinning)
direction of the tire (
page 280).
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.
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.
336 Practical hints
What to do if …
Warning!G
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
should be checked monthly when cold and
inflated to the inflation pressure recom-
mended by the vehicle manufacturer on the
Tire and Loading Information placard on the
driver’s door B-pillar or, if available, the tire
inflation pressure label on the inside of the
fuel filler flap. If your vehicle has tires of a
different size than the size indicated on the
Tire and Loading Information placard or the
tire inflation pressure label, you should
determine the proper tire inflation pressure
for those tires.
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has
been equipped with a Advanced Tire Pres-
sure Monitoring System (Advanced TPMS)
that illuminates a low tire pressure telltale
when one or more of your tires is signifi-
cantly underinflated. Accordingly, when the
low tire pressure telltale illuminates, you
should stop and check your tires as soon as
possible, and inflate them to the proper
pressure.
Driving on a significantly underinflated tire
causes the tire to overheat and can lead to
tire failure.
Underinflation also reduces fuel efficiency
and tire tread life, and may affect the vehi-
cle’s handling and stopping ability. Please
note that the Advanced TPMS is not a sub-
stitute for proper tire maintenance, and it is
the driver’s responsibility to maintain cor-
rect tire pressure, even if underinflation has
not reached the level to trigger illumination
of the Advanced TPMS low tire pressure tell-
tale.
USA only: Your vehicle has also been
equipped with a Advanced TPMS malfunc-
tion indicator to indicate when the system is
not operating properly. The Advanced TPMS
malfunction indicator is combined with the
low tire pressure telltale. When the system
detects a malfunction, the telltale will flash
for approximately 1 minute and then remain
continuously illuminated. This sequence will
continue upon subsequent vehicle start-ups
as long as the malfunction exists.When the malfunction indicator is
illuminated, the system may not be able to
detect or signal low tire pressure as
intended.
Advanced TPMS malfunctions may occur for
a variety of reasons, including the installa-
tion of replacement or alternate tires or
wheels on the vehicle that prevent the Ad-
vanced TPMS from functioning properly. Al-
ways check the Advanced TPMS
malfunction telltale after replacing one or
more tires or wheels on your vehicle to en-
sure that the replacement or alternate tires
and wheels allow the Advanced TPMS to
continue to function properly.
390 Practical hints
Flat tire
When you replace the vehicle’s tires, you
can use the spare wheel as a regular wheel
if:
it is not more than 6 years old
rim and tire are the same model as the
regular wheels
Preparing the vehicle
Park the vehicle in a safe distance from
moving traffic on a hard, flat surface
when possible.
Turn on the hazard warning flasher
(
page 124).
Turn the steering wheel so that the
front wheels are in a straight-ahead
position.
Set the parking brake (page 62).
Move the gear selector lever to park
positionP (
page 162).
Turn off the engine (page 64).
Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.
Have any passenger exit the vehicle at
a safe distance from the roadway.
Warning!G
If the spare tire is more than 6 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 wheel mounted.
Warning!G
G55AMG:
Vehicles with different tire dimensions on
the front and rear axle: rim and tire size of
spare wheel and regular 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).
iOpen door only when conditions are safe to
do so.
391 Practical hints
Flat tire
Mounting the spare wheel
Preparing the vehicle
Prepare the vehicle as described
(
page 390).
Remove the spare wheel from the
spare wheel carrier (
page 368).
Take the vehicle tool kit out of its
storage compartment (
page 366).
Take the vehicle jack out of its storage
compartment (
page 367).Lifting the vehicle
Prevent the vehicle from rolling away
by blocking wheels with wheel chocks
(not included) or other sizeable
objects.
When changing wheel on a level surface:
Place one wheel chock in front of and
one behind the wheel that is diagonally
opposite to the wheel being changed.
Always try lifting the vehicle using the jack
on a level surface. However, should
circumstances require you to do so on a
hill, place the wheel chocks as follows:
Place the wheel chocks on the downhill
side blocking both wheels of the axle
not being worked on.
Warning!G
For your safety, remove spare wheel from
spare wheel carrier before undertaking any
further steps.
Warning!G
The jack is designed exclusively for jacking
up the vehicle under the axle housing. To
help avoid personal injury, use the jack only
to lift the vehicle during a wheel change.
Never get beneath the vehicle while it is
supported by the jack. Keep hands and feet
away from the area under the lifted vehicle.
Always firmly set parking brake and block
wheels before raising vehicle with jack.
Do not disengage parking brake while the
vehicle is raised. Be certain that the jack is
always vertical (plumb line) when in use,
especially on hills. Always try to use the jack
on level surface.
Make sure the jack is positioned correctly
under the axle housing. Always lower the
vehicle onto sufficient capacity jackstands
before working under the vehicle.
If the vehicle is not raised as described, it
could slip off the jack as a result of vibra-
tions (e.g. opening or closing a door or the
tailgate).
416 Technical data
Rims and tires
!Only use tires which have been tested and
approved by Mercedes-Benz. Tires approved by
Mercedes-Benz are developed to provide best
possible performance in conjunction with the
driving safety systems on your vehicle such as
ABS or ESP
®. Tires specially developed for your
vehicle and tested and approved by
Mercedes-Benz can be identified by finding the
following on the tire’s sidewall:
MO = Mercedes-Benz Original equipment
tires
Using tires other than those approved by
Mercedes-Benz may result in damage that is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
!Using tires other than those approved by
Mercedes-Benz can have detrimental effects,
such as
poor handling characteristics
increased noise
increased fuel consumption
Moreover, tires and rims not approved by
Mercedes-Benz may, under load, exhibit dimen-
sional variations and different tire deformation
characteristics that could cause them to come
into contact with the vehicle body or axle parts.
Damage to the tires or the vehicle may be the
result.
iFurther information on tires and rims is
available at any authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center. The Tire and Loading Information
placard with the recommended tire inflation
pressures is located on the driver’s door B-pillar.
Some vehicles may have supplemental tire
inflation pressure information for driving at high
speeds (
page 287) or for vehicle loads less
than the maximum loaded vehicle condition
(
page 287). If such information is provided, it
can be found on the tire inflation pressure label
located on the inside of the fuel filler flap.The tire inflation pressure should be checked
regularly and should only be adjusted on cold
tires. Follow tire manufacturer’s maintenance
recommendation included with vehicle.
iThe following pages also list the approved
wheel rim and tire sizes for equipping your
vehicles with winter tires. Winter tires are not
available as standard or optional factory equip-
ment, but can be purchased from an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
Depending on vehicle model and the standard or
optional factory-equipped wheel rim/tire
configuration on your vehicle, equipping your
vehicle with winter tires approved for your
vehicle model may also require the purchase of
two or four wheel rims of the recommended size
for use with these winter tires. See an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center for more
information.
417 Technical data
Rims and tires
Same size tires
ModelG500
Rims (light alloy)7.5Jx18H2
Wheel offset1.69 in (43 mm)
All season tires1
1Radial-ply tires
265/60 R18 110V M+S
ModelG55AMGG55AMG
Rims (light alloy)7.5Jx18H29.5Jx18EH2
Wheel offset1.69 in (43 mm)1.97 in (50 mm)
Summer tires1,2
1Radial-ply tires2Must not be used with snow chains.
-285/55 R18 113V
Winter tires1265/60 R18 109H M+S. -
or-
265/60 R18 110V M+S. -