2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class wheel

Load
ingthevehicle Inst
ruction labels fortires and loads G
WAR
NING Do
not over load thetir es by exc eedin gth e
spec ified loadlimit asindi catedon theTire
and Loadin gIn for mat ionplacar don the
driv er'sdoor B-pillar .Overloa dingthetires
can overhea tthem, possibly causinga
blowou t.Overloading thetires canalso result
in handling orsteering problems, orbrake
failure.
Two instruct ionlabel son your vehicle show
the maximum possibleload.
(1) TheTire andLoading Informationplacard
on the B-pillar onthe driver's side.The
Tire andLoading Informationplacard
shows themaximum permissible number
of occupants andthemaximum
permissible vehicleload.Italso contains
details ofthe tire sizes and
corresponding pressuresfortires
mounted atthe factory.
(2) The vehicle identification plateison the
B-pillar onthe driver's side.Thevehicle
identification plateinforms youofthe
gross vehicle weightrating.Itis made up
of the vehicle weight, allvehicle
occupants, thefuel andthecargo. You
can also findinformation aboutthe
maximum grossaxleweight ratingonthe
front andrear axle.
The maximum grossaxleweight ratingis
the maximum weightthatcanbecarried
by one axle (front orrear axle). Never
exceed themaximum loadorthe
maximum grossaxleweight ratingforthe
front orrear axle. :
B-pillar, driver'sside Maximum
permissible grossvehicle
weig htrat ing i
The
specifications shownonthe Tire and
Loading Informationplacard inthe
illu stration areexamples. Themaximum
permissible grossvehicle weightratingis
vehicle-specific andmay differ fromthatin
the illustration .You can find thevalid
maximum permissible grossvehicle weight
rating foryour vehicle onthe Tire and
Loading Information placard. X
The Tire andLoading Information placard
gives youdetails onmaximum permissible
gross vehicle weightrating::"Thegross
weight ofoccupant sand luggage must
never exceed XXXkilograms orXXX
pounds." 362
Loading
thevehicleWheels and tires

The
gross weight ofall vehicle occupant s,
cargo, luggage andtrailer load/noseweight (if
applicable) mustnotexceed thespecified
value. Num
berofseats i
The
specification sshown onthe Tire and
Loading Information placard inthe
illustration areexamples. Thenumber of
seats isvehicle-spec ificand candiffer from
the details shown. Thenumber ofseats in
your vehicle canbefound onthe Tire and
Loading Information placard. Maximum
numberofseats :determin esthe
maximum numberofoccupant sallowed to
travel inthe vehicle. Thisinform ationcanbe
found onthe Tire andLoading Information
placard. Determining
thecorrect loadlimit
Step- by-step instructions The
following stepshavebeen developed as
required ofall manufact urersunder Title49,
Code ofU.S .Federal Regulations, Part575
pursuant tothe "National TrafficandMotor
Vehicle SafetyAc tof 196 6".
X Step 1:Locat ethe statement "The
combin edweight ofoccupan tsand cargo
should neverexceed XXX kgorXXX lbs." on your
vehicle’s TireandLoading Informat ion
placard.
X Step 2:Det ermine thecombin edweight of
the driver andpassengers thatwillberiding
in your vehicle.
X Step 3:Subtr actthe combin edweight of
the driver andpassengers fromXXX
kilograms orXXX lbs.
X Step 4:The resultin gfigure equals the
available amountofcargo andluggage load
capacity. Forexample, ifthe "XXX" amount
equals 1400lbs and therewill befive
150 lbspassenger sin your vehicle, the
amount ofavailable cargoandluggage load
capacit yis6 50 lbs (1400 -750 (5x150) =
650 lbs).
X Step 5:Determine thecombi nedweight of
lu gga geand cargo being loaded onthe
vehi cle. Thatweight maynotsafely exceed
the available cargoandluggage load
capacity calculated instep 4.
X Step 6(if app licable): Ifyour vehicle will
be towing atrailer, loadfrom yourtrailer
will betran sferr edtoyour vehicle. Consult
this manual todeterm inehow thisreduces
the available cargoandluggage load
capacity ofyour vehicle (Y page 365). Loading
thevehicle
363Wheels and tires Z

Exam
ple:step 1to 3 The
followin gtab leshow sexam plesonhow tocalc ulate total and cargoload capac ities with
var ying seatingcon figur ationsand num berand sizeof occ upant s.The followin gexam plesuse
a load limit of15 00 lbs. Thisis for illus trat ion purposes only. Makesure youareusin gthe
actual loadlimit foryour vehicle statedonthe vehicle’s TireandLoading Informationplacard
(Y page 363). Example
1 Example
2 Example
3 Step
1 Combined
maximum
weig htofoccupants
and cargo (datafrom
the Tire andLoading
Informat ionplacard ) 1500
lbs
(680 kg) 1500
lbs
(680 kg) 1500
lbs
(680 kg) Example
1 Example
2 Example
3 Step
2 Num
berofpeople in
the vehicle (driver
and occupants) 5 3 1
Distribution
ofthe
occupants Front
:2
Rear: 3 Front
:1
Rear: 2 Front
:1 Weight
ofthe
occupants Occupant
1:
150 lbs(68 kg)
Occupant 2:
180 lbs(82 kg)
Occupant 3:
160 lbs(73 kg)
Occupant 4:
140 lbs(63 kg)
Occupant 5:
120 lbs(54 kg) Occupant
1:
200 lbs(91 kg)
Occupant 2:
190 lbs(86 kg)
Occupant 3:
150 lbs(68 kg) Occupant
1:
150 lbs(68 kg) Gross
weightofall
occupants 750
lbs(340 kg) 540
lbs(245 kg) 150
lbs(68 kg) 364
Loading
thevehicl eWheels and tires

Exam
ple1 Exam
ple2 Exam
ple3 St
ep 3 Per
mis sible cargo
and trailer load/
noseweigh t
(ma ximum gros s
vehi cleweight ratin g
fr om theTir eand
Load ingInfor mation
pla car dmin usthe
gros sweight ofall
occup ants) 15
00 lbs
(68 0kg )-
75 0lbs (340kg )
= 75 0lbs
(34 0kg ) 15
00 lbs
(68 0kg )-
54 0lbs (245kg )
= 96 0lbs
(43 5kg ) 15
00 lbs
(68 0kg )-
15 0lbs (68 kg)=
135 0lbs
(612 kg) The
higher theweight ofall the occupants, thesmaller themaximum loadforluggage.
Furt herinfor mation canbefound under "Towing atrail er" (Ypag e365). Vehic
leidenti ficationplate
Even ifyou have calculated thetotal load
carefu lly,you shou ldstill make surethatthe
gross vehiclewei ght rating andthegross axle
wei ght rating arenot exceede d.Detail scan
be found onthe vehicl eide ntification plateon
the B-pill aron the drive r'sside (Ypag e362).
Gross vehiclewe ight: thegross weight of
the vehicl e,all pas sengers, cargoandtrailer
loa d/nosew eight(ifapplicable) mustnot
exc eed theperm issible grossvehic leweight .
Gr oss axle weight rating: themaxim um
perm issible loadthatcanbecarr iedbyone
axle (frontor rear axle).
To ens ure that your vehic ledoes notexceed
the maxim umperm issible values (gross
vehic leweight andmaxim umgros saxle
weight rating), have yourloaded vehicle
(inc luding driver,occ upant s,carg o,and full
tr ailer loadifapplicable) weighedona
suitable vehicleweighbr idge. Tr
ailer load/noseweight
The trailer load/n oseweigh taffects thegross
wei ght ofthe vehi cle. Ifatrail erisattached ,
the trail erloa d/nosew eightisinclu dedinthe
loa dalong with occupa ntsand lugga ge. The
trail erloa d/nosew eightisusu ally app
roxima tely8%ofthe gross weight ofthe
trail erand itsload. Maximum
loadrating G
WARNING Do
not overl oadthetires byexceedi ngthe
speci fiedloadlimi tasindicated onthe Tire
and Loading Information placardonthe
driver's doorB-pillar. Overloading thetires
can overheat them,possibly causinga
blowou t.Overloading thetires canalso result
in handling orsteering problems, orbrake
failu re. i
The
actual valuesfor tires arespecific to
each vehicle andmay deviate fromthe
value sin the illustration. Maximum
loadrating
365Wheels and tires Z

Maximum
tireload :isthe maximum
permitted weightforwhich thetire is
approved.
Further information ontire loads
(Y page 367). Uniform
TireQuality Grading
Stand ards Overview
ofTire Quality Grading
Stand ards The
Uniform TireQuality Grading isaU.S.
Government requirement. Theirpurpose isto
provide driverswithconsist entand reliabl e
information regardingtireperformance. Tire
manufacturers arerequired tograde tires
using threeperformance factors:tread
wear :,tire tract ion;, and temperature
resistance =.Although notaGover nment of
Canada requirement,all tires made forsale in
Nort hAm eric ahave thesegrades brandedon
the sidewall. i
The
actual values fortires are vehic le-
spec ificand may deviat efro mt hevalues in
the illustration .
Where applicable, thetire grading
information canbefound onthe tire sidewa ll
between thetread shoulder andmaximum
tire width.
For example: Tread
wear Tra
ction Temp
erature 200 AA A All
passenger cartires must confor mto the
statutory safetyrequirements inaddition to
these grades. Tread
wear
The tread weargrade isac omparative rating
based onthe wear rateofthe tire when tested
under controlled conditionsonaspecified
U.S. governm entcourse. Forexample, atire
graded 150would wearoneandone-half
times aswell onthe governm entcourse asa
tire graded 100.
The relative performanc eof tires depends
upon theactual conditionsoftheir use,
however, andmay depart significant lyfrom
the norm, duetovariations indriving habits,
service practices anddifferenc esinroad
charact eristics andclimate conditions. Tr
action G
WARNIN
G The
tract iongrade assigned tothis tireis
based onstraight- aheadbraking traction
test s,and does notinclude acceleration,
corn ering, hydroplaning, orpeak traction
character istics.
The tract iongrades, fromhighest tolowest,
are AA, A,B,and C.Those grades represent
the tire's ability tostop onawet surface as
measured undercontrolled conditionson
specified governmenttest surfaces ofasphalt
and conc rete. Atire mark edCmay have poor
tr act ion perf ormance. G
WARN
ING If
ice has formed onthe road, tiretract ion will
be subst antially reduc ed.Und ersuch weathe r
con ditio ns,drive ,ste erand brak ewith
ext reme caution.
The safe speed onawet, snowcov ered oricy
road isalways lowerthanondry road
surf aces. 366
Unifor
mTir eQua lityGrad ing Stand ardsWheels and tires

You
should payspec ialattent ion toroad
con dition swhen temperat uresarearound
the free zingpoint .
Merc edes- Benzrecomm endsaminimum tire
tread depth of1
/ 6in
(4 mm) forallfour winter
tires (Ypage 352)tom aint ainnorm aldriv ing
ch arac teris tic sin wint er.Win tertir es can
reduc eth ebrak ingdist anceonsnow cove red
su rfa ces incomp arison tosumme rtires.
St oppin gdist ance,howeve r,is still
con siderably greaterthan when theroad is
not covered withiceorsno w.Take
appropr iatecare when driving.
! Avoid wheelspin .This can lead todamage
to the drive train. Temp
erature G
WARNING The
temperature gradeforthis tireis
established foratire that isproperly inflated
and notoverloaded. Excessive speed,
underinflation, orexcessive loading,either
separately orincombination, cancause
excessive heatbuild-upand possible tire
failure.
The temperature gradesareA(the high est),
B, and C.Theserep resent thetire's
res istanc eto the genera tiono fheat and its
ability todissipate heatwhen testedunder
con trolled conditions onaspecified indoor
laboratory testwheel. Sustain edhigh
temper aturecancause thematerial ofthe tire
to degenerat eand reduce tirelife, and
exc essive temper aturecanlead tosudden
tire failure. Thegrade Ccorresponds toalevel
of performanc ewhich allpassenger cartires
must meet under theFederal MotorVehicle
Safety Standard No.109. Grades Band A
represent higherlevelsofperformanc eon the
laboratory testwheel thantheminimum
required bylaw. Tire
labeling Tire
labeling overview
The following markings areonthe tire in
addition tothe tire name (sales designation)
and themanufacturer 'sname: :
Uniform tireQuality Grading Standard
(Y page 371)
; DOT, TireIdent ification Number
(Y page 370)
= Maximum tireload (Ypage 365)
? Maximum tirepressure (Ypage 356)
A Manufacturer
B Tire material (Ypage 371)
C Tire size designation, load-bearing
capacity andspeed rating(Ypage 368)
D Load index (Ypage 370)
E Tire name i
Tire
data isvehicle-specif icand may
deviate fromthedata inthe example. Tir
elabeling
367Wheels and tires Z

Tire
size des ignati on,load -bea ring
cap acit yand speed ratin g :
Tire width
; Nom inalaspec tratio in%
= Tire code
? Rim diame ter
A Load bearingindex
B Spe edrating i
Tire
datais veh icle-spec ificand may
devi atefrom thedat ain theex ample .
Gener al:depen dingon theman ufacturer's
st and ards ,th esiz eimpr inted inthetir ewall
may notco ntain any letters or may contain
on elet tert hat precedes thesize description.
If there isno letter preceding thesize
description (asshown above): theseare
passenger vehicletiresaccording to
European manufacturing standards.
If "P" precedes thesize description: theseare
passenger vehicletiresaccording toU.S.
manufacturing standards.
If "LT" precedes thesize description: these
are light truck tiresaccording toU.S.
manufacturing standards.
If "T" precedes thesize description: theseare
compact emergency sparewheels athigh tire
pressure, tobe used onlytemporarily inan
emergency.
Tire width: tirewidth :shows thenominal
tire width inmillimeters.
Nominal aspectratio: aspect ratio;isthe
size ratio between thetire height andthetire
width andisshown inpercent .The aspect ratio
iscalculated bydividing thetire width by
the tire height.
Tire code: tirecode =specifies thetire type.
"R" represents radialtires."D"represents
diagonal tires,"B"represents diagonalradial
tires.
Optionally, tireswithamaximum speedof
over 149mph(240 km/h)mayhave "ZR"in
the size description dependingonthe
manufacturer (e.g.245/ 40ZR18).
Rim diamet er:rim diameter ?isthe
diameter ofthe bead seat,notthediameter
of the rim flange. Therimdiameter is
specified ininches (in).
Load bearing index:loadbearing indexA
is anumerical codewhich specifies the
maximum load-bearing capacityofatire. G
WARNING The
tireload rating mustalwaysbe atleast
half ofthe GAWR ofyour vehicle. Otherwise,
sudden tirefailure maybethe result which
could cause anaccident and/orserious injury
to you orothers.
Always replace rimsandtires withrims and
tires having thesame specifications
(designation, manufacturer andtype) as
shown onthe original part. G
WARNING Do
not overload thetires byexceeding the
specified loadlimit asindicated onthe Tire
and Loading Informationplacard onthe
driver's doorB-pillar. Overloading thetires
can overheat them,possibly causinga
blowou t.Overloading thetires canalso result
in handling orsteering problems, orbrake
failure.
Example:
The load bearing index91isequiva lenttoa
maximum loadof1356 lbs(615 kg)that the
tire can carry. Forfurther information onthe
maximum tireload inkilograms andpounds,
see (Ypage 365). 368
Tire
labeli ngWheels and tires

For
furth erinfor mationonthe loadbea ring
inde x,see Loadinde x(Ypage 370).
Speed rating: speed ratingB specifies the
approved maximum speedofthe tire. G
WARN
ING Even
when permit tedbylaw, never operate a
vehicle atspeeds greater thanthemaximum
speed ratingof the tires .
Ex ceedin gthe maximum speedforwhich tires
are rated canlead tosudden tirefailure,
causing lossofvehicle controland possibly
resultin gin an acciden tand/o rserious
personal injuryandpossible death,foryou
and forother s.
Regardless ofthe speed ratingalways
obser vethe speed limits.Dr ive care fully and
adapt yourdrivin gst yle tothe traffic
con ditio ns. Sum
mer tires Index Speed
rating Q Up
to100 mph (160km /h) R Up
to106 mph (170km /h) S Up
to112 mph (180km /h) T Up
to118 mph (190km /h) H Up
to130 mph (210km /h) V Up
to149 mph (240km /h) W Up
to168 mph (270km /h) Y Up
to186 mph (300km /h) ZR..
.Y Up
to186 mph (300km /h) ZR..
.(..Y) Abov
e186 mph (300km /h) ZR Abov
e149 mph (240km /h) R
Opt ionally, tires with amaxim umspeed of
over 149mph (240km /h) may have "ZR"
in the size desc ription depen dingonthe
manuf acturer (e.g.245 /40ZR 18). The
servicespec ification scon sist ofload
bearin gindex Aand speed rating B.
R Ifthe size desc ription ofyour tireinc ludes
"ZR" andthereare noserv ice
spec ification s,ask thetiremanuf acturer in
order tofindout themaxim umspeed.
If aserv icespec ification isavailable, the
maxim umspeed islimit edacc ordin gto the
speed rating inthe serv icespec ification .
Ex ample: 245/40ZR 18 97Y.Inthis
exam ple,"97Y"isthe serv icespec ification .
The letter"Y" repr esen tsthe speed rating
and themaxim umspeed ofthe tireis
limit edto186 mph (300km /h).
R Ev ery tirethat hasamaxim umspeed above
186 mph (300km /h) must have"ZR"inthe
size desc ription and theserv ice
spec ification mustbegiven inbrac kets.
Ex ample: 275/40ZR 18 (99 Y).The speed
rat ing "(Y)" shows thatthemaxim umspeed
of the tireis above 186mph (300km /h).
Ask thetiremanuf acturer tofindout the
maxim umspeed. All-weat
hertires and winter tires Index Speed
rating Q
M+S 29 Up
to100 mph (160km /h) T
M+S 29 Up
to118 mph (190km /h) H
M+S 29 Up
to130 mph (210km /h) V
M+S 29 Up
to149 mph (240km /h) i
Not
alltires that have theM+S
ident ification offerthe drivin g
char acterist icsofwint ertires. Wint ertires
have, inadditio ntothe M+S identificat ion,
the i snow flakesymbol onthe tire
sidewal l.Tires withthisidentificat ionfulfill
the requirements ofthe Rubber
Manufacturers Association (RMA) andthe
Rubber Association ofCanada (RAC)
regarding thetire tract iononsnow and
29 Or M+Si forwinter tires. Tir
elabeling
369Wheels and tires Z