
Interchanging the front and rear wheels of
differing dimensions can render the general
operating permit invalid.
Always pay attention to the instructions and
safety notes when changing a wheel
(Y page 361).
The wear patterns on the front and rear tyres differ, depending on the operating conditions. Interchange the wheels before a clear wear
pattern has formed on the tyres. Front tyres
typically wear more on the shoulders and the
rear tyres in the centre.
On vehicles that have the same size front and rear wheels, you can interchange the wheels
every 5,000 to 10,000 km depending on the
degree of tyre wear. Ensure that the direction
of rotation is maintained.
Clean the contact surfaces of the wheel and
the brake disc thoroughly every time a wheel
is interchanged. Check the tyre pressure and, if necessary, restart the tyre pressure loss
warning system or the tyre pressure monitor. Direction of rotation
Tyres with a specified direction of rotation
have additional benefits, e.g. if there is a risk of aquaplaning. You will only gain these ben-
efits if the correct direction of rotation is
observed.
An arrow on the sidewall of the tyre indicates
its correct direction of rotation. Storing wheels
Store wheels that are not being used in a cool, dry and preferably dark place. Protect the
tyres against oil, grease, petrol and diesel. Cleaning the wheels
G
WARNING
The water jet of circular-jet nozzles (dirt grind- ers) can cause damage not visible from the
outside to tyres or chassis components. Com- ponents damaged in this way can unexpect-
edly fail. There is a risk of an accident.
Do not use high-pressure cleaners with circu- lar-jet nozzles to clean the vehicle. Have dam-aged tyres or chassis components replaced
immediately. Fitting a wheel
Preparing the vehicle X
Stop the vehicle on solid, non-slippery and
level ground.
X Apply the electric parking brake manually
(Y page 180).
X Move the front wheels to the straight-
ahead position.
X Vehicles with manual transmission:
depress the clutch pedal fully and engage
first or reverse gear.
X Vehicles with automatic transmission:
move the DIRECT SELECT lever to P.
X Switch off the engine.
X Remove the key from the ignition lock.
X If a trailer is coupled to the vehicle, uncou-
ple it.
X If included in the vehicle equipment,
remove the tyre-change tool kit from the
vehicle.
X Secure the vehicle to prevent it from rolling
away.
i Apart from certain country-specific varia-
tions, vehicles are not equipped with a tyre-
change tool kit. For information on which
tools are required to perform a wheel
change on your vehicle, consult a
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre.
Necessary wheel-changing tools may
include, for example:
R jack
R wheel chock
R wheel wrench 362
Changing a wheelWheels and tyres

Securing the vehicle against rolling
away
If your vehicle is equipped with a wheel chock,
it can be found in the tyre-change tool kit
(Y page 333).
The folding wheel chock is an additional
securing measure to prevent the vehicle from
rolling away, for example when changing a
wheel.
X Fold both plates upwards :.
X Fold out lower plate ;.
X Guide the lugs on the lower plate fully into
the openings in base plate =.Securing the vehicle on level ground
X On level ground: place chocks or other
suitable items under the front and rear of
the wheel that is diagonally opposite the
wheel you wish to change. Securing the vehicle on slight downhill gradients
X On light downhill gradients: place
chocks or other suitable items in front of
the wheels of the front and rear axle.
Raising the vehicle G
WARNING
If you do not position the jack correctly at the appropriate jacking point of the vehicle, the
jack could tip over with the vehicle raised.
There is a risk of injury.
Only position the jack at the appropriate jack-
ing point of the vehicle. The base of the jack
must be positioned vertically, directly under
the jacking point of the vehicle.
Observe the following when raising the
vehicle: R to raise the vehicle, only use the vehicle-
specific jack that has been tested and
approved by Mercedes-Benz. If the jack is
used incorrectly, it could tip over while the vehicle is raised.
R the jack is designed only to raise and hold
the vehicle for a short time while a wheel
is being changed. It is not suitable for per-
forming maintenance work under the vehi- cle.
R avoid changing the wheel on uphill and
downhill slopes.
R before raising the vehicle, secure it from
rolling away by applying the parking brake
and positioning wheel chocks. Never Changing a wheel
363Wheels and tyres Z

release the parking brake while the vehicle
is raised.
R the jack must be placed on a firm, flat and
non-slip surface. On a loose surface, a
large, flat load-bearing underlay must be
used. On a slippery surface, a non-slip
underlay must be used, e.g. rubber mats.
R do not use wooden blocks or similar
objects as a jack underlay. Otherwise, the
jack will not be able to achieve its load-
bearing capacity due to the restricted
height.
R make sure that the distance between the
underside of the tyres and the ground does
not exceed 3 cm.
R never place your hands or feet under the
raised vehicle.
R do not lie under the vehicle.
R do not start the engine when the vehicle is
raised.
R do not open or close a door or the tailgate
while the vehicle is raised.
R make sure that no persons are present in
the vehicle when the vehicle is raised. Steel wheel with wheel trim
X
Vehicles with steel wheels: carefully
reach into two wheel trim openings and
remove the wheel trim. X
Using wheel wrench :, loosen the bolts on
the wheel you wish to change by about one full turn. Do not unscrew the bolts com-
pletely. The jacking points are located just behind the
front wheel arches and just in front of the rear wheel arches (arrows).
X Take the ratchet ring spanner out of the
tyre-changing tool kit and place it on the
hexagon nut of the jack so that the letters
AUF are visible. X
Position jack =at jacking point ;.364
Changing a wheelWheels and tyres

Example
X Make sure that the base of the jack is posi-
tioned vertically under the jacking point.
X Turn ratchet ring spanner ?until jack =
sits completely on jacking point ;and the
base of the jack lies evenly on the ground.
X Turn ratchet ring spanner ?until the tyre
is raised a maximum of 3 cm from the
ground.
Removing a wheel !
Do not place wheel bolts in sand or dirt.
The threads of the wheel bolts and wheel
hubs could otherwise be damaged when
the bolts are tightened.
X Unscrew the wheel bolts.
X Remove the wheel.
Fitting a new wheel G
WARNING
Oiled or greased wheel bolts or damaged
wheel bolts/hub threads can cause the wheel bolts to come loose. As a result, you could
lose a wheel while driving. There is a risk of
accident.
Never oil or grease wheel bolts. In the event ofdamage to the threads, contact a qualified
specialist workshop immediately. Have the
damaged wheel bolts or hub threads
replaced/renewed. Do not continue driving. G
WARNING
If you tighten the wheel bolts or wheel nuts
when the vehicle is raised, the jack could tip
over. There is a risk of injury.
Only tighten the wheel bolts or wheel nuts
when the vehicle is on the ground.
Always pay attention to the instructions and
safety notices in "Changing a wheel"
(Y page 361).
Only use wheel bolts that have been designed
for the wheel and the vehicle. For safety rea-
sons, Mercedes-Benz recommends that you
only use wheel bolts which have been
approved for Mercedes-Benz vehicles and the
respective wheel. X
Clean the wheel and wheel hub contact
surfaces.
X Place the new wheel on the wheel hub and
push it on.
X Tighten the wheel bolts until they are fin-
ger-tight.
Lowering the vehicle G
WARNING
The wheels could work loose if the wheel nuts and bolts are not tightened to the specified
tightening torque. There is a risk of accident.
Have the tightening torque immediately
checked at a qualified specialist workshop
after a wheel is changed. Changing a wheel
365Wheels and tyres Z

Missing values for maximum water depth
:
were unavailable at the time of going to print.
Loaded and ready to drive means: a full tank,
all fluids topped up and the driver is in the
vehicle.
Further information about driving on flooded
roads (Y page 184). Approach/departure angle
Missing values for the approach/departure
angles at front
:and rear ;were not avail-
able at the time of going to print.
For further information about approach/
departure angles, see (Y page 187).Maximum gradient-climbing capabil-
ity
Note that the vehicle's gradient-climbing
capability depends on the off-road conditions
and the road surface conditions.
Missing values for the maximum gradient-
climbing capability were not available at the
time of going to print.
Carefully depress the accelerator pedal and
make sure that the wheels do not spin when
driving on steep terrain.
i If the load on the front axle is reduced
when pulling away on a steep uphill slope,
the front wheels have a tendency to spin.
4ETS recognises this and brakes the
wheels accordingly. The rear wheel torque
is increased and it is easier to pull away. For further information about the maximum
gradient climbing ability, see (Y
page 188). Trailer tow hitch
Mounting dimensions
! If you have a trailer tow hitch retrofitted,
changes to the engine cooling system may
be necessary, depending on the vehicle
type.
If you have a trailer tow hitch retrofitted,
observe the anchorage points on the chas- sis.
The GLA 45 AMG 4MATIC model cannot be
used to tow a trailer. Example: anchorage points for the trailer tow hitch
: Anchorage points
; Overhang dimension
= Rear axle centre line
For trailer tow hitches fitted at the factory, the
overhang dimension including protective cov- ering is 911 mm. Trailer tow hitch
393Technical data Z