other obstacles. If it is necessary to drive over
kerbs, speed humps or similar elevations, try
to do so slowly and at an obtuse angle .Oth-
erwise ,the tyres, particularly the sidewalls,
ma ybed amaged. Regular checking of wheels and tyres
G
WARNING
Damaged tyres can cause tyre inflation pres-
sure loss .Asaresult,you coul dlose control
of your vehicle. There is arisk of accident.
Check the tyres regularly for signs of damage
and replace any damaged tyres immediately.
Regularly check the wheels and tyres of your
vehicle for damage at least once amonth, as
well as after drivin goff-road or on rough
roads .Damaged wheels can cause aloss of
tyr ep ressure. Pa yparticular attention to
damage such as:
R cuts in the tyres
R punctures
R tears in the tyres
R bulges on tyres
R deformation or severe corrosion on wheels
Regularly check the tyre tread depth and the
condition of the tread across the whole width
of the tyre (Y page 397). If necessary, turn
the front wheelst ofull lock in order to inspect
the inner side of the tyre surface.
All wheel smust have avalve cap to protect
the valve against dirt and moisture. Do not fit
anything onto the valve other than the stand-
ard valve cap or other valve caps approved by
Mercedes-Benz for your vehicle. Do not fit any
other valve caps or systems, e.g. tyre pres-
sure monitoring systems.
Regularly check the pressure of all the tyres,
particularly prior to long trips. Adjust the tyre
pressure as necessary (Y page 399).
Observe the notes on the emergenc yspare
wheel (Y page 414). The service life of tyres depends on various
factors, including the following:
R
driving style
R tyr ep ressure
R tyre mileage Tyre tread
G
WARNING
Insufficient tyre trea dwill reduce tyre trac-
tion. The tyre is no longer able to dissipate
water. This means that on wet road surfaces,
the risk of aquaplaning increases, in particular
where speed is not adapted to suit the driving
conditions. There is arisk of accident.
If the tyre pressure is too high or too low, tyres
may exhibit different levels of wear at differ-
ent locations on the tyre tread. Thus, you
should regularly check the tread depth and
the condition of the tread across the entire
width of all tyres.
Minimum tyre tread depth for:
R summer tyres: 3mm
R M+S tyres: 4mm
For safety reasons ,replace the tyres before
the legally prescribed limi tfor the minimum
tyr etrea ddepth is reached.. Selecting, fitting and replacing ty
res
R Only fi ttyres and wheels of the same type
and make.
R Only fit tyres of the correc tsize ont othe
wheels.
R Run in new tyres at moderate speeds for
the first 10 0km. They onl yreach their full
performanc eafter this distance.
R Do not drive wit htyres which have too little
tread depth .This otherwise significantly
reduce sthe traction on wet roads (aqua-
planing).
R Replace the tyres after six year satthe lat-
est, regardless of wear. Operation
397Wheels and ty res Z
Snow chains
G
WARNING
If you hav efitted snow chains to the front
wheels, they may scrape against the vehicle
body or chassis components. This could
cause damage to the vehicle or the tyres.
There is arisk of an accident.
To avoid hazardous situations:
R never fit snow chains on the fron twheels
R fit snow chains to the rea rwheels in pairs.
! You must driv eatraised vehicle level if
snow chains have been fitted. The vehicle
could otherwise be damaged. Observe the
information in the "AIRMATIC package"
section.
! Do not use the Adaptive Damping System
(ADS )sports mode if you have fit teds now
chains .The vehicle could otherwise be
damaged.
! On some tyr esizes there is not enough
space for snow chains. In order to prevent
damage to the vehicle or the tyres, observe
the "Tyre and wheel combinations" section
under "Tyres and wheels".
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only use snow chains that
have been specially approved for your vehicle
by Mercedes-Benz, or that are of acorre-
spondin gstandard of quality.
If you intend to fit snow chains ,please bear
the following points in mind:
R only use snow chains when the road sur-
face is completely snow-covered. Remove
the snow chains as soon as possible when
you come to aroad that is not snow- cov-
ered.
R do not exceed the maximu mpermissible
speed of 50 km /h. R
local regulations may restric tthe use of
snow chains. Observ ethe appropriate reg-
ulations if you wish to fit snow chains.
R snow chains cannot be fitted to all wheel-
tyr ec ombinations. Permissible wheel-tyre
combination s(Ypage 409).
i You may wish to deactivat eESP®
when
pull inga way with snow chains fitted
(Y page 67). This way you can allow the
wheels to spin in acontrolled manner ,ach-
ieving an increased driving force (cutting
action).
For more information on driving with the
emergency spare wheel, se e(Ypage 414). Ty
re pr essure Tyr
epressure specifications G
WARNING
Tyres with too low or too high tyre pressure
contain the following hazards:
R they can burst, in particular if the vehicle is
heavily laden or when driven at high
speeds.
R the tyres can wear excessively and/or
unevenly, which can severely impair tyre
traction.
R the driving, steering and braking character-
istics may be severely impaired.
There is arisk of accident.
Follow recommended tyre inflation pressures
and check the pressure of all the tyres includ-
ing the spare wheel:
R at least every two weeks
R if the load changes
R before beginning along journey
R for changed operatin gconditions, e.g. off-
road driving
If necessary ,correct the tyr epressure. G
WARNING
If you fit unsuitabl eaccessories onto tyre
valves ,the tyr evalves may be overloaded and Tyr
epressure
399Wheels and ty res
Z
