The service life of tyres depends on various
factors, including the following:
R driving style
R tyre pressure
R tyre mileage Winter operation
Points to remember
Have your vehicle winterproofed at a qualified
specialist workshop at the onset of winter.
Observe the notes in the "Changing a wheel"
section (Y page 356). Driving with summer tyres
At temperatures below +7 †, summer tyres
lose elasticity significantly, and therefore
traction and braking power as well. Change
the tyres on your vehicle to M+S tyres. Using
summer tyres at very cold temperatures
could cause tears to form, thereby damaging
the tyres permanently. Mercedes-Benz can-
not accept responsibility for this type of dam-
age. M+S tyres
G
WARNING
M+S tyres with a tyre tread depth of less than
4 mm are not suitable for use in winter as they
do not provide sufficient traction. There is a
risk of accident.
M+S tyres with a tread depth of less than
4 mm must be replaced. G
WARNING
The wheel/tyre dimensions and the tyre type
of the spare wheel/emergency spare wheel
and the wheel to be replaced may differ. Fit-
ting a spare wheel/emergency spare wheel
may severely impair the driving characteris-
tics. There is a risk of accident. To prevent hazardous situations:
R
Adapt your driving style accordingly and
drive carefully.
R Never fit more than one spare wheel/emer-
gency spare wheel if the dimesions are dif-
ferent to those of the wheel being replaced.
R Only use a spare wheel/emergency spare
wheel briefly if the dimesions are different
to those of the wheel being replaced.
R Do not switch off ESP ®
.
R Have the spare wheel/emergency spare
wheel in question replaced at the nearest
qualified specialist workshop. Make sure
that the wheel/tyre dimensions and tyre
type are correct.
At temperatures below +7 †, use winter tyres
or all-weather tyres. Both types of tyre are
identified by the M+S marking.
Only winter tyres bearing the isnowflake
symbol in addition to the M+S marking pro-
vide the best possible grip in wintry road con-
ditions. Only these tyres will allow driving
safety systems such as ABS and ESP ®
to
function optimally in winter. These tyres have
been developed specifically for driving in
snow.
Use M+S tyres of the same make and tread
on all wheels to maintain safe handling char-
acteristics.
Always observe the maximum permissible
speed specified for the M+S tyres you have
fitted.
If you fit M+S tyres that have a lower maxi-
mum permissible speed than that of the vehi-
cle, affix an appropriate warning sign in the
driver's field of vision. This can be obtained
at a qualified specialist workshop.
Under these circumstances, you should also
use permanent SPEEDTRONIC to restrict the
maximum speed of the vehicle so that it is not
possible to exceed the maximum permissible
speed for the M+S tyres(Y page 178).352
Winter operationWheels and tyres
