2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class 4 way

corner
ingcharacte ristics caused bythe
di ffere nttire characte ristics. Adaptyour styl e
of dri ving acco rdingly .
Have thesparewhe elrep laced byanorma l
whe elwith an M+S tireatthe nearest
Merce des-Benz Center. Sno
wchai ns
For safety reasons, Merce des-Benz
recom mends thatyouonly usesnow chains
that have bee nspecially approved foryour
vehicle byMercede s-Benz ,or are ofa
corr espondin gstan dard ofquality.
! Vehicles withtheAdapt iveDampin g
Syst em(ADS):donot drive inAD SSPORT
mode ifsnow chains havebeen mount ed.
The vehicle mayother wisebedamaged.
! There isnot enough spaceforsnow
chains onsome wheel sizes.Observ ethe
infor mation under"Tiresandwheels" inthe
"Techn icalData"sect iontoavoid damage
to the vehicle orthe wheels.
R only usesnow chains whendrivingon roads
complet elycover edbysnow. Donot
exc eed themaximum permissible speedof
30 mph (50km/ h).Remove thesnow
chains assoon aspossible whenyouareno
longer drivingon snow- coveredroads.
R local regulation smay restrict theuse of
snow chains .Applicable regulation smust
be observed ifyou wish tomount snow
chains .
R snow chains mustnotbemount edon
emergen cyspare wheels.
If you intend tomount snowchains ,please
bear thefollowing pointsin mind:
R you may notattach snow chains toall
wheel-t irecombin ations;see the
infor mation under"Wheel andtire combin
ations"in the "Wheels andtires "
sect ion.
R mount snowchains onlyinpairs andonly
on the rear wheels. Observethe
manufacturer's installationinstructions.
! Ifsnow chains aremounted onthe front
wheels, thesnow chains couldgrind
against thebodyw orkorcomponen tsof the
chassis. Thiscould result indamage tothe
vehicle orthe tires.
! Vehicles withsteel wheels :if you wish
to mount snowchains onsteel wheels,
make surethatyouremove therespective
wheels' hubcaps first.Thehubcaps may
otherwise bedamaged. i
You
may wish todeactivate
ESP ®
(Y page 63)when pullingaway with
snow chains mounted. Thiswayyoucan
allow thewheels tospin inacont rolled
manner, achieving anincreased driving
force (cuttin gaction). Tire
pressur e Tire
pressur especific ations G
WARNING Follow
recommen dedtireinflation pressures.
Do not underinflate tires.Underinflated tires
wear excessively and/orunevenly, adversely
affect handling andfuel economy, andare
more likelytofail from being overheated.
Do not overinflate tires.Overinflated tirescan
adversely affecthandling andride comfort ,
wear unevenly, increasestopping distance,
and result insudden deflation (blowout)
because theyaremore likelytobecome
punctured ordamaged byroad debris,
potholes etc.
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 Tire
pressure
353Wheels and tires
Z

Observe
therecommended tirepressures for
cold tires
R on the Tire andLoading Information placard
on the B-pillar onthe driver's side,
R in the tire pressure tableonthe inside of
the fuel filler flap,
R printed inyell ow onthe rim ofthe
emergency/collapsib lespare wheel
(depending onvehicle equipment). Underinflated
oroverinflated tires
Underinflated tires G
WARNING Follow
recommended tireinflation pressures.
Do not underinflate tires.Underinflated tires
wear excessively and/orunevenly, adversely
affect handling andfuel economy, andare
more likelytofail from being overheated.
Underinflated tirescan:
R wear excessively and/orunevenly
R adversely affectfueleconomy
R fail from being overheated
R adversely affecthandling
Overinflated tires G
WARNING Follow
recommended tireinflation pressures.
Do not overinflate tires.Overinflated tirescan
adversely affecthandling andride comfort ,
wear unevenly, increasestopping distance,
and result insudden deflation (blowout)
because theyaremore likelytobecome
punctured ordamaged byroad debris,
potholes etc.
Overinflated tirescan:
R adversely affecthandling
R wear excessively and/orunevenly
R be more likelytobecome damaged R
adversely affectridecomfort
R increase stopping distance
Maximum tirepressure G
WARNING Never
exceed themaximum tireinflation
pressure. Followrecommended tireinflation
pressures.
Do not underinflate tires.Underinflated tires
wear excessively and/orunevenly, adversely
affect handling andfuel economy, andare
more likelytofail from being overheated.
Do not overinflate tires.Overinflated tirescan
adversely affecthandling andride comfort ,
wear unevenly, increasestopping distance,
and result insudden deflation (blowout)
because theyaremore likelytobecome
punctured ordamaged byroad debris,
potholes etc. :
Maximum permittedtirepressure
(example) i
The
actual valuesfor tires arespecific to
each vehicle andmay deviate fromthe
value sin the illustration.
When adjusting thetire pressures always
observe therecommended tirepressure for
your vehicle (Ypage 353). 356
Tire
pressur eWheels and tires

If
you wish tocancel theres tart:
X Pre ssthe% button.
or
X Ifth e Tir
ePre ssureNow OK? mes
sage
appear s,pre ss9 or: tosele ct Can
cel .
X Pre ssthea button.
The tirepre ssur evalues store dat thelast
res tartw illcon tinue tobe mon itored. Tir
epr essur emonit or
Imp ortant safety notes If
atir epress uremon itorsyst emisinst alled,
the vehic le'swheels havesensors that
mon itorthetirepress uresinall four tires. The
tir epress uremon itorwarns youifthe
press uredrops inone ormor eof the tires. The
tir epress uremon itoronly functionsif the
cor rectwheel electronic sunits areinstalled
on allwheels.
The tirepressure monitorhasayell ow
warning lampinthe instrumen tcluster for
indicating pressureloss/malfunction s(USA)
or pressure loss(Canada ).Whether the
warning lampflashes orlights upindicates
whether atire pressure istoo low orthe tire
pressure monitorin gsystem is
malfunctionin g:
R ifthe warning lampislit cont inuously ,the
tire pressure onone ormore tiresis
significantly toolow. Thetirepressure
monitor isnot malfunctionin g.
R USA only: ifthe warning lampflashes for
60 seconds andthen remains litconst antly,
the tire pressure monitorismalfunctionin g. G
WARNING Each
tire,including thespare (ifprovided),
should becheck edatleast once amont h
when coldandinflated tothe pressure
recommen dedbythe vehicle manufacturer
on the Tire andLoading Informationplacard
on the driver's doorB-pillar orthe tire
pressure labelonthe inside ofthe fuel filler flap.
Ifyour vehicle hastires ofadifferent size
than thesize indicated onthe Tire andLoading
Inform ationplacard orthe tire pressure label,
you should determine theproper tirepressure
for those tires.
As anadded safetyfeature, yourvehicle has
been equipp edwith atire pressure monitorin g
system (TPMS)thatilluminates alow tire
pressure telltalewhenoneormore ofyour
tires aresignificantly underinflated.
Acc ordingly, whenthelow tirepressure
telltale illuminates, youshould stopandcheck
your tires assoon aspossible, andinflate
them tothe proper pressure. Drivingona
significantly underinflated tirecauses thetire
to overheat andcanlead totire failure.
Underinflation alsoreduces fuelefficiency
and tiretread life,and may affect thevehicle's
handling andstopping ability.
Please notethattheTPMS isnot asubstitute
for proper tiremaintenanc e,and itis the
driver's responsibility tomaintain correcttire
pressure, evenifunderinflation hasnot
reached thelevel totrigger illumination ofthe
TPMS lowtirepressure telltale.
USA only:
Your vehicle hasalso been equipp edwith a
TPMS malfunction indicatortoindicate when
the system isnot operating properly.The
TPMS malfunction indicatoriscombined with
the low tirepressure telltale.Whenthe
system detects amalfunction, thetelltale will
flash forapproximately oneminute andthen
remain continuously illuminated. This
sequence willberepeated everytimethe
vehicle isstarted aslong asthe malfunction
exists.
When themalfunction indicatorisillu minated,
the system maynotbeable todetect orsignal
low tirepressure asintended. TPMS
malfunctions mayoccur foravariety of
reasons, including theinstallation of
incompatible replacementoralternate tires
or wheels onthe vehicle thatprevent the
TPMS fromfunctioning properly. Always
check theTPMS malfunction telltaleafter Tire
pressure
359Wheels and tires
Z

repla
cingoneormore tiresorwhee lson you r
vehicl eto ensure thattherepla cement or
alterna tetires andwhee lsall ow the TPMS to
continue tofunction properly. i
USA
only:
If the tire pressu remonitor is
malfu nctioning, itmay take more than
10 minutes forthe tire pressu rewarni ng
lamp toinform youofthe malfu nction by
flas hing for60seconds andthen remai ning
lit.
When themalfu nction hasbeen rectified ,
the tire pressu rewarni nglamp goesout
after drivingfor afew minutes.
Information ontire pressu resisdisp layed in
the multi function display.After afew minutes
of drivi ng,the current tirepress ureofeach
tire isshow nint he multifunction display. i
The
tirepressure valuesindicated bythe
on-board computer maydiffer fromthose
measured atagas station withapressure
gauge. Thetirepressures shownbythe on-
board computer refertothose measured at
sea level. Athigh altitudes, thetire pressure
values indicated byapressure gaugeare
higher thanthose shown bythe on-board
computer. Inthis case, donot reduce the
tire pressures. i
The
operation ofthe tire pressure monitor
can beaffected byinterfer encefromradio
transmit tingequipment (e.g.radio
headphones, two-wayradios)thatmay be
being operated inor near thevehicle. i
USA
only:
This device complies withPart15ofthe
FCC Rules. Operation issubject tothe
following twocondition s:
1. This device maynotcause interfer ence,
and
2. this device mustaccept anyinterfer ence
received, includinginterferencethatmay
cause undesired operation. Any
unauthorized modificationtothis
device couldvoidtheuser’s authority to
operate theequipment. i
Canada
only:
This device complies withRSS-2 10of
Industry Canada.Operation issubjec tto
the followi ng two cond itions :
1. Thisde vice ma ynot causeinte rferenc e,
and
2. thi sde vice mu stacc eptany inte rference
rece ived,incl uding inte rference thatm ay
caus eunde sired oper ationofthe device.
Any unauthorized modificationtothis
device couldvoidtheuser’s authority to
operate theequipment.
Checking tirepressur eelec tronically X
Make surethattheSmartK eyisin position
2 (Y page 139)inthe ignition lock.
X Press the= or; button onthe
steering wheeltoselect the Serv. menu.
X Press the9 or: button toselect Tire
Pressure .
X Press thea button.
The current tirepressure foreach wheel will
be displa yedinthe multifunction display.
If the vehicle hasbeen parked forlonger than
20 minutes, the Tire
pressure willbe displayed
afterdriving afew minutes message
appearsinthe displa y.
Aft erateach-in period,thetire pressure
monitor automatically recognizesnew wheels
or new sensors. Ifac lear allocat ionofthe tire
press urevalues tothe indiv idual wheels isnot
possible ,the Tire
Pressure Monitor Acti
ve mess
ageisshown instead ofthe tire
press uredisplay. Thetirepress uresare
already beingmonitored. i
If
aspare wheel/ emergencyspare wheel
is moun ted,thesyst emmay continue to
show thetirepress ureofthe wheel thathas
been removedforafew minutes .If this
occ urs, notethat thevalue displayed for
the posit ionwhere thespare tireis 360
Tir
epr essur eWheels and tires

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

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

Trac
tion
Tra ctio nis the resultof frictio nbe twe enthe
tire sand theroadsu rfa ce. TWR
(Tongue We ight Ratin g)
The TWRsp eci fiesthe maxim um permi ssible
we ight tha tthe ball coupling ofthe trailer tow
hitch cansupport. Tread
wearindicators
Narrow bars(tread wearbars) thatare
distributed overthetire tread. Ifthe tire tread
is level withthebars, thewear limitof1
/ 16 in
(1.6 mm) hasbeen reached. Occupant
distribution
The distribution ofoccupants inavehicle at
their designated seatingpositions. Total
loadlimit
Rated cargoandlugga geload plus
68 kilograms (150lbs)times thevehicle's
designated seatingcapacity. Changing
awhee l Fl
at tire
The "Brea kdown assistance" section
(Y pag e329) contains informationandnotes
on how todea lwith afla ttire. Italso provides
inst ruct ions onchan gingawheel ormoun ting
the spare wheel/ emergencyspare wheel. Inter
chang ingthewheels G
WARN
ING Rotat
efro ntand rear wheels onlyifthe tires
are ofthe same dimen sion. If
your vehic leisequipped withmixed-s ize
tir es (diff eren ttire dimen sionsfro ntvs. rear),
tir erot ation isnot possible . G
WARN
ING Have
thetightening torque chec kedafter
chan gingawheel. Thewheels couldcome
loose ifthe yare not tightenedtoator que of
110 lb-ft(150 Nm).
Only usegenuin eMerc edes- Benzwheel bolts
specified foryour vehicle's rims.
The wear pattern son the front andrear tires
differ, depending onthe operating conditions.
Rotate thewheels beforeaclear wearpattern
has formed onthe tires. Front tirestypically
wear more onthe shoulders andtherear tires
in the cent er.
If your vehicle's tireconfiguration allows,you
can rotate thewheels according tothe
intervals inthe tire manufacturer's warranty
book inyour vehicle documents. Ifthis isnot
availa ble,thetires should thenbereplaced
every 3000to6000 miles
(5000 to10,000 km),orearl ierifthe tire wea r
requ iresthis. Donot change thedirection of
whee lrotation.
Cle anthe contact surfacesofthe whee land
the brake discthoroug hlyevery timeawhee l
is interchanged .Check thetire pressures.
Inform ationonchanging awheel and
mounting thespare wheel (Ypage 333).
! Onvehicles equippedwith atire pressure
monitor, electronic componentsare
located inthe wheel.
Tire-mountin gtools should notbeused
near thevalve. Thiscould damage the
electronic components.
Always havethetires changed ataqual ified
specialist workshop, e.g.anauthorized
Mercedes-Ben zCent er. 374
Changing
awhee lWheels and tires