2008 MERCEDES-BENZ ML350 tire type

318 Operation
Driving instructions
Winter driving instructions
The most important rule for slippery or icy
roads is to drive sensibly and to avoid
abrupt acceleration, braking and steering
maneuvers. Do not use the cruise control
system under such conditions.
When the vehicle is in danger of skidding,
shift the automatic transmission to
positionN. Try to keep the vehicle under
control by corrective steering action.Road salts and chemicals can adversely af-
fect braking efficiency. Increased pedal
force may become necessary to produce
the normal brake effect.
Depressing the brake pedal periodically
when traveling at length on salt-strewn
roads can bring road-salt-impaired braking
efficiency back to normal.
If the vehicle is parked after being driven
on salt-treated roads, the braking efficien-
cy should be tested as soon as possible af-
ter driving is resumed.
iFor information on speed ratings for winter
tires, see “Winter tires” (
page 384).
For additional general information on tire speed
markings on the tire sidewall, see “Tire speed
rating” (
page 382).
iFor information on driving with snow chains,
see “Snow chains” (
page 385).
Warning!G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of control loss.
Warning!G
Make sure not to endanger any other road
users when carrying out these braking
maneuvers.
Warning!G
If the vehicle becomes stuck in snow, make
sure that snow is kept clear of the exhaust
pipe and from around the vehicle with the
engine running. Otherwise, deadly carbon
monoxide (CO) gases may enter vehicle in-
terior resulting in unconsciousness and
death.
To assure sufficient fresh air ventilation,
open a window slightly on the side of the ve-
hicle not facing the wind.

328 Operation
Driving instructions

Remove excessive dirt from tires,
wheels, wheel housings, and under-
body.
For instance, after driving in mud, clean
the radiator, chassis, engine, brakes,
and wheels from extreme dirt using a
strong jet of water.

Check tires for possible damage.

Inspect vehicle underbody, oil pan,
brake hoses, etc., as well as vehicle un-
derbody for possible damage.

Check for brush or branches caught in
the underbody.

After continued operation in mud,
sand, water or other dirty conditions
clean the brake discs, wheels, brake
pads and check and clean axle joints.

Conduct a brake test.
Trailer towing Trailer hitch*

Only install a trailer hitch receiver ap-
proved for your vehicle.
For information on availability and in-
stallation, contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.

The bumpers on your vehicle are not
designed for use with clamp-type hitch-
es.
Do not attach rental hitches or other
bumper-type hitches to them.

To reduce the possibility of damage, re-
move the hitch ball adaptor from the
receiver when not in use.
!Brush or branches could increase the possi-
bility of a fire, as well as cut fuel and/or brake
lines, puncture rubber bellows of the axles or
drive shafts.
Warning!G
Failure to use proper equipment and driving
technique can result in a loss of vehicle con-
trol when towing a trailer.
Improper towing or failure to follow the in-
structions in this manual can result in vehi-
cle damage and/or serious personal injury.
Follow the guidelines below carefully to as-
sure safe trailer operation.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center should you require an explana-
tion of information contained in this manual.

348 Operation
Tires and wheels
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center for information on test-
ed and recommended rims and tires for
summer and winter operation. They can
also offer advice concerning tire service
and purchase.Important guidelines

Only use sets of tires and rims of the
same type and make.

Tires must be of the correct size for the
rim.

Break in new tires for approximately
60 miles (100 km) at moderate
speeds.

Regularly check the tires and rims for
damage. Dented or bent rims can
cause tire inflation pressure loss or
damage to the tire beads.

If vehicle is heavily loaded, check tire
inflation pressure and correct as
required.

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).

When replacing individual tires, you
should mount new tires on the front
wheels first (on vehicles with
same-sized wheels all around).
Warning!G
Replace rims or tires with the same designa-
tion, manufacturer and type as shown on the
original part. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center for fur-
ther information. If incorrectly sized rims
and tires are mounted:

The wheel brakes or suspension
components can be damaged.

The operating clearance of the wheels
and the tires may no longer be correct.
Warning!G
Worn, old tires can cause accidents. If the
tire tread is badly worn, or if the tires have
sustained damage, replace them.
When replacing rims, only use genuine
Mercedes-Benz wheel bolts specified for the
particular rim type. Failure to do so can
result in the bolts loosening and possibly an
accident.
Retreaded tires are not tested or recom-
mended by Mercedes-Benz, since previous
damage cannot always be recognized on re-
treads. The operating safety of the vehicle
cannot be assured when such tires are used.

371 Operation
Tires and wheels
General:
Depending on the design standards used,
the tire size molded into the sidewall may
have no letter or a letter preceding the tire
size designation.
No letter preceding the size designation
(as illustrated above): Passenger car tire
based on European design standards.
Letter “P” preceding the size designation:
Passenger car tire based on U.S. design
standards.
Letter “LT” preceding the size designation:
Light Truck tire based on U.S. design
standards.
Letter “T” preceding the size designation:
Temporary spare tires which are high
pressure compact spares designed for
temporary emergency use only.Tire width
The tire width1 (
page 370) indicates
the nominal tire width in mm.
Aspect ratio
The aspect ratio2 (
page 370) is the
dimensional relationship between tire
section height and section width and is
expressed in percentage. The aspect ratio
is arrived at by dividing section height by
section width.
Tire code
The tire code3 (
page 370) indicates
the tire construction type. The “R” stands
for radial tire type. Letter “D” means diag-
onal or bias ply construction; letter “B”
means belted-bias ply construction.
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 example: 245/40 ZR 18).
For additional information, see “Tire speed
rating” (
page 372).Rim diameter
The rim diameter4 (
page 370) is the
diameter of the bead seat, not the
diameter of the rim edge. Rim diameter is
indicated in inches (in).
Tire load rating
The tire load rating5 (
page 370) is a
numerical code associated with the
maximum load a tire can support.
For example, a load rating of 91 corre-
sponds to a maximum load of 1 356 lbs
(615 kg) the tire is designed to support.
See also “Maximum tire load”
(
page 376) where the maximum load as-
sociated with the load index is indicated in
kilograms and lbs.

372 Operation
Tires and wheels
For additional information on tire load
rating, see “Load identification”
(
page 374).
Tire speed rating
The tire speed rating6 (
page 370)
indicates the approved maximum speed
for the tire.Summer tires
Warning!G
The tire load rating must always be at least
half of the GAWR (
page 380) of your
vehicle. Otherwise, tire failure may be the
result which may cause an accident and/or
serious personal injury to you or others.
Always replace rims and tires with the same
designation, manufacturer and type as
shown on the original part.
Warning!G
Do not overload the tires by exceeding the
specified load limit as indicated on the Tire
and Loading Information placard located 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.
iTire load rating5 (page 370) and Tire
speed rating6 (
page 370) 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 rating5 (page 370) and Tire
speed rating6 (
page 370) 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)

374 Operation
Tires and wheels
Load identification
1Load identificationIn addition to tire load rating, special load
identification1 may be molded into the
tire sidewall following the letter designat-
ing the tire speed rating (
page 370).
No specification given: absence of any text
(like in above example) indicates a
standard load (SL) tire.
XL or 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”.
iFor illustration purposes only. Actual data
on tires are specific to each vehicle and may vary
from data shown in above illustration.

375 Operation
Tires and wheels
1DOT
2Manufacturer’s identification mark
3Tire size
4Tire type code (at the option of the tire
manufacturer)
5Date of manufactureDOT (D
epartment of Transportation)
A tire branding symbol1 (
page 375)
which denotes the tire meets require-
ments of the U.S. Department of Transpor-
tation.
Manufacturer’s identification mark
The manufacturer’s identification mark2
(
page 375) 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, see (
page 348).
Tire size
The code3 (
page 375) indicates the
tire size.Tire type code
The code4 (
page 375) 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 375)
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.
iFor illustration purposes only. Actual data
on tires are specific to each vehicle and may vary
from data shown in above illustration.

379 Operation
Tires and wheels
Tire ply material
1Plies in sidewall
2Plies under tread
This marking tells you about the type of
cord and number of plies in the sidewall
and under the tread.Tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
The combined weight (in excess of those
standard items which may be replaced) of
automatic transmission, power steering,
power brakes, power windows, power
seats, radio, and heater, to the extent that
these items are available as
factory-installed equipment (whether
installed or not).
Air pressure
The amount of air inside the tire pressing
outward on each square inch of the tire.
Air pressure is expressed in pounds per
square inch (psi), or kilopascal (kPa) or
bars.
Aspect ratio
Dimensional relationship between tire
section height and section width
expressed in percentage.
Warning!G
The temperature grade for this tire is estab-
lished for a tire that is properly inflated and
not overloaded. Excessive speed, underin-
flation, or excessive loading, either sepa-
rately or in combination, can cause
excessive heat build-up and possible tire
failure.
iFor illustration purposes only. Actual data
on tires are specific to each vehicle and may vary
from data shown in above illustration.