Page 276 of 426
276 OperationTires and wheelsOverinflated tires
Overinflated tires can:
adversely affect handling
characteristics
cause uneven tire wear
be more prone to damage from road
hazards
adversely affect ride comfort
increase stopping distance
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:1Uniform Quality Grading Standards
(
page 284)
2DOT, Tire Identification Number (TIN)
(page 281)
3Maximum tire load (
page 282)
4Maximum tire inflation pressure
(
page 283)
5Manufacturer
6Tire ply material (
page 286)
7Tire size designation, load and speed
rating (
page 277)
8Load identification (
page 280)
9Tire name
Warning!
G
Follow recommended tire inflation
pressures.
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.
i
For 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”
(
page 385).
Page 403 of 426
403 Technical terms
ABS
(A
nti-lock B
raking S
ystem)
Prevents the wheels from locking up
during braking so that the vehicle can
continue to be steered.
Accessory weight
(
page 286)
ACL
(Airbrake/C
entral L
ocking)
Controls the locking mechanism of the
Airbrake and the central locking
system.
Air pressure
(
page 286)
Aspect ratio
(page 286)
Bar
(page 286)BAS
(B
rake A
ssist S
ystem)
System for potentially reducing braking
distances in emergency braking situa-
tions. The system is activated when it
senses an emergency based on how
fast the brake is applied.
Bead
(
page 286)
Bi-Xenon headlamps
Headlamps which use an electric arc as
the light source and produce a more in-
tense light than filament headlamps.
Bi-Xenon headlamps produce low
beam and high beam.
CAC
(Customer A
ssistance C
enter)
Mercedes-Benz customer service cen-
ter, which can help you with any ques-
tions about your vehicle and provide
assistance in the event of a
breakdown.CAN system
(C
ontroller A
rea N
etwork)
Data bus network serving to control
vehicle functions such as door locking
or windshield wiping depending on
vehicle settings and/or ambient
conditions.
Cockpit
All instruments, switches, buttons and
indicator/warning lamps in the passen-
ger compartment needed for vehicle
operation and monitoring.
Cold tire inflation pressure
(
page 286)
Control system
The control system is used to call up
vehicle information and to change
component settings. Information and
messages appear in the multifunction
display. The driver uses the buttons on
the multifunction steering wheel to
navigate through the system and to
adjust settings.
Page 404 of 426
404 Technical termsCruise control
Driving convenience system for auto-
matically maintaining the vehicle speed
set by the driver.
Curb weight
(
page 286)
DOT
(Department o
f Transportation)
(
page 287)
Engine number
The number set by the manufacturer
and placed on the cylinder block to
uniquely identify each engine
produced.
Engine oil viscosity
Measure of the internal oil friction (vis-
cosity) at different temperatures. The
higher the temperature the oil can tol-
erate without thinning too much, or the
lower the temperature it can tolerate
without thickening too much, the bet-
ter the viscosity characteristics of the
oil.ESP
®(Eectronic S
tability P
rogram)
Improves vehicle handling and
directional stability.
ETD
(E
mergency T
ensioning D
evice)
Device which deploys in certain frontal
and rear collisions exceeding the sys-
tem’s threshold to tighten the seat
belts.
->SRS
GAWR
(G
ross A
xle W
eight R
ating)
(
page 287)
Gear range
Number of gears which are available to
the automatic transmission for shifting.
The automatic gear shifting process
can be adapted to specific operating
conditions using the gear selector lever
or the steering wheel gearshift control
buttons.GPS
(G
lobal P
ositioning S
ystem)
Satellite-based system for relaying
geographic location information to and
from vehicles equipped with special re-
ceivers. Employs CD digital maps for
navigation.
GVW
(G
ross V
ehicle W
eight)
(
page 287)
GVWR
(Gross V
ehicle W
eight R
ating)
(
page 287)
Head-thorax air bag
Installed in the doors, these air bags
protect occupants during side impact
collisions exceeding a preset thresh-
old. Unlike normal side air bags,
head-thorax air bags are also designed
to provide protection for the head area.