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to the tire manufacturer’s recommended
intervals in the tire manufacturer’s warranty
pamphlet located in your vehicle literature
portfolio. If none is available, tires should be
rotated every 3 000 to 6 000 miles (5 000 to
10 000 km), or sooner if necessary, according
to the degree of tire wear. The same rotation
(spinning) direction must be maintained.
Rotate tires before the characteristic tire
wear pattern becomes visible (shoulder wear
on front tires and tread center wear on rear
tires).
Thoroughly clean the mounting face of wheels
and brake disks, i.e. the inner side of the
wheels/tires, during each rotation. Check for
and ensure proper tire inflation pressure.
For information on wheel change, see “Flat
tire” (Y page 232).
Tire labeling
Besides tire name (sales designation) and
manufacturer name, a number of markings
can be found on a tire.
Following are some explanations for the
markings on your vehicle’s tires:
:Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards
(Y page 166)
;DOT, Tire Identification Number
(Y page 171)
=Maximum tire load (Y page 164)?Maximum tire inflation pressure
(Y page 160)
AManufacturerBTire ply material (Y page 172)CTire size designation, load and speed
rating (Y page 168)
DLoad identification (Y page 171)ETire name
iFor illustration purposes only. Actual data
on tires are specific to each vehicle and
may vary from data shown in above
illustration.
For more information, see “Rims and tires”
(Y page 250).
Tire size designation, load and speed
rating
:Tire width;Aspect ratio in %=Radial tire code?Rim diameterATire load ratingBTire speed rating
iFor illustration purposes only. Actual data
on tires are specific to each vehicle and
may vary from data shown in above
illustration.
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.
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any authorized Mercedes-Benz Center will be
glad to assist you.
Load identification
iFor illustration purposes only. Actual data
on tires are specific to each vehicle and
may vary from data shown in above
illustration.
In addition to tire load rating, special load
identification : may be molded into the tire
sidewall following the letter designating the
tire speed rating B (Y page 168).
RNo specification given: absence of any text
(like in above example) indicates a
standard load (SL) tire.
RXL or Extra Load: designates an extra load
(or reinforced) tire.
RLight Load: designates a light load tire.
RC, 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 facilitates
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”
A.
iFor illustration purposes only. Actual data
on tires are specific to each vehicle and
may vary from data shown in above
illustration.
DOT (Department of Transportation)
Tire branding symbol : denotes that the tire
meets requirements of the U.S. Department
of Transportation.
Manufacturer’s identification mark
Manufacturer’s identification mark ;
denotes the tire manufacturer.
New tires have a mark with two symbols.
Retreaded tires have a mark with four
symbols. For more information on retreaded
tires, see (Y page 154).
Tire size
Code = indicates the tire size.
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Tire type code
Tire type code ? 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 manufacture A identifies the
week and year of manufacture.
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.
Tire ply material
iFor illustration purposes only. Actual data
on tires are specific to each vehicle and
may vary from data shown in above
illustration.
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 bar.
Aspect ratio
Dimensional relationship between tire
section height and section width expressed
in percentage.
Bar
Another metric unit for air pressure. There are
14.5038 pounds per square inch (psi) to
1 bar; there are 100 kilopascals (kPa) to 1 bar.
Bead
The tire bead contains steel wires wrapped by
steel cords that hold the tire onto the rim.
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire inflation pressure when your vehicle has
been sitting for at least 3 hours or driven no
more than 1 mile (1.6 km).
Curb weight
The weight of a motor vehicle with standard
equipment including the maximum capacity
of fuel, oil, and coolant, and, if so equipped,
air conditioning and additional optional
equipment, but without passengers and
cargo.
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