2008 MERCEDES-BENZ G55AMG service

278 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 pressure”
(
page 286).Tire inspection
Every time you check your tire inflation
pressure, you should also inspect your
tires for the following:

excessive treadwear (page 279)

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 become worn over
time even if never used, and thus should be
inspected 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 ti
res 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.
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297
Operation
Tires and wheels
For additional information on tire load
rating, see “Load identification”
(
page 298).
Tire speed rating
The tire speed rating 6 (
page 295)
indicates the approv ed maximum speed
for the tire. Summer tires

At the tire manufacturer’s option, any
tire with a speed capability above
149 mph (240 km/h) can include a
“ZR” in the size designation (for exam-
ple: 245/40 ZR18). To determine the
maximum speed capability of the tire,
the service description for the tire must
be referred to. The service description
is comprised of the tire load rating
5
(
page 295) and the tire speed
rating 6 (
page 295).
If your tire includes “ZR” in the size
designation and no service
description 5 and 6 (
page 295) is
given, the tire manufacturer must be
consulted for the maximum speed
capability.
iTire load rating 5 (page 295) and tire
speed rating 6 (
page 295) are also referred
to as “service description”.
Warning!G
Even when permitted by law, never operate
a vehicle at speeds greater than the
maximum speed rating of the tires.
Exceeding the maximum speed for which
tires are rated can lead to sudden tire
failure, causing loss of vehicle control and
possibly resulting in an accident and/or
personal injury and possible death, for you
and for others.
iTire load rating 5 (page 295) and tire
speed rating 6 (
page 295) are also referred
to as “service description”.
IndexSpeed rating
Qup to 100 mph (160 km/h)
Rup to 106 mph (170 km/h)
Sup to 112 mph (180 km/h)
Tup to 118 mph (190 km/h)
Hup to 130 mph (210 km/h)
Vup to 149 mph (240 km/h)
Wup to 168 mph (270 km/h)
Yup to 186 mph (300 km/h)
(Y)above 186 mph (300 km/h)
ZRabove 149 mph (240 km/h)
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298 Operation
Tires and wheels
If a service description5 and 6
(
page 295) is given, the speed
capability is limited by the speed
symbol in the service description.
Example: 245/40 ZR18 97Y.
In this example, “97Y” is the service
description. The letter “Y” designates
the speed rating and the speed
capability of the tire is limited to
186 mph (300 km/h).

Any tire with a speed capability above
186 mph (300 km/h) must include a
“ZR” in the size designation AND the
service description must be placed in
parenthesis.
Example: 275/40 ZR18 (99Y).
The “(Y)” speed rating in parenthesis
designates the maximum speed
capability of the tire as being above
186 mph (300 km/h). Consult the tire
manufacturer for the actual maximum
permissible speed of the tire. All-season and winter tires
Load identification
1 Load identification
IndexSpeed rating
QM+S1
1or M+S .for winter tires
up to 100 mph (160 km/h)
TM+S1up to 118 mph (190 km/h)
HM+S1up to 130 mph (210 km/h)
VM+S1up to 149 mph (240 km/h)
iNot all M+S rated tires provide special
winter performance. Make sure the tires you use
show M+S and the mountain/snowflake
marking . on the tire sidewall. These tires
meet specific snow traction performance
requirements of the Rubber Manufacturers
Association (RMA) and the Rubber Association
of Canada (RAC) and have been designed
specifically for use in snow conditions.
iFor illustration purposes only. Actual data
on tires are specific to each vehicle and may vary
from data shown in above illustration.
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302 Operation
Tires and wheels
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.1 Treadwear
2 Traction
3 Temperature resistance Quality grades can be found, where
applicable, 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
example, 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 condit ions of their use,
however, and may depart significantly
from the norm due to variations in driving
habits, service practices and differences in
road characteristics and climate.
iFor illustration purposes only. Actual data
on tires are specific to each vehicle and may vary
from data shown in above illustration.
TreadwearTractionTemperature
200AAA
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309
Operation
Winter driving
 Winter driving
Before the onset of winter, have your
vehicle winterized at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center. This
service includes:

Check of anticorrosion and antifreeze
concentration.

Addition of cleaning concentrate to the
water of the windshield and headlamp
cleaning system. Add MB Concentrate
“MB SummerFit” to a premixed wind-
shield washer so lvent/antifreeze
which is formulated for below freezing
temperatures (
page 428).

Battery test. Battery capacity drops
with decreasing ambient temperature.
A well charged battery helps to make
sure that the engine can be started,
even at low ambient temperatures.

Tire change. Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends M+S rated radial-ply tires with a
minimum tread depth of approximately
1/6in (4 mm) on all four wheels for the
winter season.
Winter tires
Always use winter tires at temperatures
below 45°F (7°C) and whenever wintry
road conditions prevail. Not all M+S rated
tires provide special winter performance.
Make sure the tires you use show M+S and
the mountain/snowflake marking . on
the tire sidewall. These tires meet specific
snow traction performance requirements
of the Rubber Manufacturers Association
(RMA) and the Rubber Association of
Canada (RAC) and have been designed
specifically for use in snow conditions.
Using winter tires is the only way to
achieve the maximum effectiveness of the
ABS, ESP
® and 4-ETS in winter operation.
For safe handling, make sure all mounted
winter tires are of the same make and have
the same tread design. Always observe the speed rating of the
winter tires installed on your vehicle. If the
maximum speed for which your tires are
rated is below the speed rating of your
vehicle, you must place a notice to this
effect where it will be seen by the driver.
Such notices are available from your tire
dealer or from any authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
Warning!G
Winter tires with a tread depth of less than 1/6in (4 mm) must be replaced. They are no
longer suitable fo r winter operation.
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311
Operation
Maintenance
 Maintenance
We strongly recommend that you have
your vehicle serviced at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center, in
accordance with the Maintenance Booklet
at the times called for by the maintenance
service indicator. Maintenance service indicator
message
The maintenance service indicator
message will notify you when the next
maintenance service is due.
Starting approximately 1 month before the
next maintenance service is due, one of
the following messages will appear in the
multifunction display while you are driving
or when you switch on the ignition
(example service A):
Service A in XX Days
Service A in XX miles
(km)
Service A due now
The type of maintenance service due is
indicated in the multifunction display:
9
Basic service (A)
½ Extended service (B)
!Failure to have the vehicle maintained in
accordance with the Maintenance Booklet and
maintenance service indicator at the designated
times/mileage may result in vehicle damage not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
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312 Operation
Maintenance
Clearing the maintenance service
indicator message
The maintenance service indicator
message is automatically cleared

after approximately 10 seconds when
you switch on the ignition or when
reaching the maintenance service
threshold while driving

after approximately 30 seconds, once
the suggested maintenance service
term has passedYou can also clear maintenance service
indicator message yourself.
1 Reset button
Press reset button 1 on the instru-
ment cluster.
The maintenance service indicator
message is cleared and the standard
display appears in the multifunction
display (
page 140).
iVehicles equipped with Maintenance
System (U.S. vehicles) only:
The Maintenance System in your vehicle tracks
distance driven and the time elapsed since the
last maintenance service and calculates other
maintenance service work required.
iVehicles equipped with FSS (Flexible Service
S
ystem) (Canada vehicles) only:

FSS evaluates engine temperature, oil level,
vehicle speed, engine speed, distance driven
and the time elapsed since the last
maintenance service and calculates other
maintenance service work required.

The interval between maintenance services
depends on your driving habits. A gentle
driving style, moderate engine speeds and
the avoidance of short-distance trips will
lengthen the interval between services.
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313
Operation
Maintenance
Maintenance service term exceeded
If you have exceeded the suggested
maintenance service term, you will see the
following message in the multifunction
display:
Service A exceeded by XX Days
Service A exceeded by XX miles (km)
In addition, a signal sounds when the
message appears.
Any authorized Merced
es-Benz Light Truck
Center will reset the maintenance service
indicator following a completed mainte-
nance service.
Calling up the maintenance service
indicator display
You can call up the maintenance service
indicator display at any time to check
when the next maintenance service is due.
Switch on the ignition (page 39).
Press button è orÿ on the mul-
tifunction steering wheel repeatedly
until the standard display appears in
the multifunction display (
page 140).
Press button k orj on the
multifunction steering wheel until the
maintenance service indicator display
with the maintenance service
symbol 9 or´ and the service
deadline appears in the multifunction
display. Resetting the maintenance service
indicator
In the event that the maintenance service
on your vehicle is not carried out at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center, you can have the maintenance
service indicator reset. The automotive
maintenance facility carrying out the main-
tenance service will find the information
for resetting the maintenance service indi-
cator in the maintenance-relevant informa-
tion for your vehicle. Such information is
available from any authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center or
directly from Mercedes-Benz.
iIf the battery is disconnected, the days of
disconnection will not be included in the count
shown by the maintenance service indicator. To
arrive at the true maintenance service deadline,
you will need to subtract these days from the
days shown in the maintenance service indicator
message or maintenance service indicator
display.
Do not confuse the maintenance service indica-
tor with the engine oil level indicator :.
!If the maintenance service indicator was
inadvertently reset, have an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center correct it.
Only reset if the proper maintenance service has
been performed. Resetting the system without
performing the proper maintenance service as
called for by the maintenance service indicator
will result in engine damage and/or other vehicle
damage not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
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