Page 345 of 382

Example: current tire pressure display
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Each tire ,including the spare (i fprovided),
should be checked at least once every two
weeks when cold and inflated to the pressure
recommended by the vehicl emanufacturer
on the Tire and Loading Information placard
on the driver' sdoor B-pillar or the tire
pressure label on the inside of the fuel filler
flap .Ify our vehicle has tires of adifferent size
than the size indicated on the Tire and Loading
Information placard or, if available, the tire
pressure label, you should determin ethe
proper tire pressure for those tires.
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has
been equipped with atire pressure monitoring
system (TPMS) that illuminates alow tire
pressure telltale when one or more of your
tires are significantly underinflated.
Accordingly, when the low tire pressure
telltale lights up, you should stop and check
your tires as soon as possible, and inflate
them to the proper pressure. Drivin gona
significantly underinflated tire causes the tire
to overheat and can lead to tire failure.
Underinflation also reduces fuel efficiency
and tire tread life, and may affect the vehicle's
handling and stopping ability. Please note that
the TPMS is not asubstitute for proper tire
maintenance, and it is the driver's
responsibility to maintain correc ttire
pressure, even if underinflation has not
reached the level to trigger illumination of the
TPMS low tire pressure telltale.
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a
TPMS malfunction indicator to indicate when
the system is not operating properly. The TPMS malfunction indicator is combined with
the low tire pressure telltale. When the
system detect
samalfunction, the warning
lamp will flash for approximately aminute and
then remain continuously illuminated. This
sequence will be repeated every time the
vehicle is started as long as the malfunction
exists. When the malfunction indicator is
illuminated, the system may not be able to
detect or signal low tire pressure as intended.
TPMS malfunctions may occur for avariety of
reasons, including the installation of
incompatible replacement or alternate tires
or wheels on the vehicle that prevent the
TPMS from functioning properly. Always
check the TPMS malfunction telltale after
replacing one or more tires or wheels on your
vehicle to ensure that the replacement or
alternate Tires and wheels allow the TPMS to
continue to function properly.
It is the driver's responsibility to set the tire
pressure to that recommended for cold tires
which is suitable for the operating situation
(Y page 338). Note that the correc ttire
pressure for the current operating situation
must first be taught-in to the tire pressure
monitor. If there is asubstantial loss of
pressure, the warning threshold for the
warning message is aligned to the reference
values taught-in .Restart the tire pressure
monitor after adjustin gthe pressure of the
cold tires (Y page 345). The current
pressures are saved as new reference values.
As aresult, awarning message will appear if
the tire pressure drops significantly.
The tire pressure monitor does not warn you
of an incorrectly set tire pressure. Observe
the notes on the recommended tire pressure
(Y page 338).
The tire pressure monitor is not able to warn
you of asudden loss of pressure, e.g. if the
tire is penetrated by aforeign object. In the
event of asudden loss of pressure, bring the
vehicle to ahalt by brakin gcarefully. Avoid
sudden steering movements Check
343Wheels and tires Z
Page 346 of 382

The tire pressure monitor has
ayellow
warning lamp in the instrument cluster for
indicatin gapressure loss or malfunction.
Whether the warning lamp flashes or lights up
indicates whether atire pressure is too low or
the tire pressure monitor is malfunctioning:
R if the warning lamp is lit continuously, the
tire pressure on one or more tires is
significantly too low. The tire pressure
monitor is not malfunctioning.
R if the warning lamp flashes for around a
minute and then remains lit constantly, the
tire pressure monitor is malfunctioning.
If the tire pressure monitor is malfunctioning,
it may take more than ten minutes for the tire
pressure warning lamp to inform you of the
malfunction by flashing for approximately one
minute and then remaining lit. When the
malfunction has been rectified, the tire
pressure warning lamp goes out after afew
minutes of driving.
The tire pressure values indicated by the on-
board computer may differ from those
measured at agas station with apressure
gauge. The tire pressures shown by the on-
board computer refer to those measured at
sea level. At high altitudes, the tire pressure
values indicated by apressure gauge are
higher than those shown by the on-board
computer .Inthis case, do not reduce the tire
pressures.
The operation of the tire pressure monitor can
be affected by interference from radio
transmitting equipment (e.g. radio
headphones, two-way radios) that may be
being operated in or near the vehicle.
Checking the tire pressure
electronically X
Make sure that the SmartKey is in position
2(Y page 147) in the ignition lock .
X Press the 000Aor0004 button on the
steering wheel to select the Serv. menu.X
Press the 0006or0005 button to select
Tire Pressure .
X Press the 000Cbutton.
The current tire pressure of each tire is
shown in the multifunction display.
If the vehicle was parked for longer than
20 minutes ,the Tire pressures will be
displayed after driving
afew minutes message is shown.
After ateach-in process, the tire pressure
monitor automatically detects new wheels or
new sensors. As long as aclear allocation of
the tire pressure value to the individual
wheels is not possible, the Tire Pressure Monitor Active displaym
essage is shown
instead of the tire pressure display. The tire
pressures are already being monitored.
i If an emergency spare wheel is mounted,
the system may continue to show the tire
pressure of the wheel that has been
removed for afew minutes. If this occurs,
note that the value displayed for the
position where the spare wheel is mounted
is not the same as the current tire pressure
of the emergency spare wheel.
Tire pressurem onitor warning
messages If the tire pressure monitor detects
apressure
loss in one or more tires, awarning message
is shown in the multifunction displaya nd the
yellow tire pressure monitor warning lamp
comes on.
R If the Correct Tire Pressure message
appears in the multifunction display, the
tire pressure in at least one tire is too low
and must be corrected at the next
opportunity.
R If the Check Tire Pressure message
appears in the multifunction display, the
tire pressure in one or more tires has
dropped significantly and the tires must be
checked.
R If the Tire Malfunction appears in the
multifunction display, the tire pressure in 344
CheckWheels and tires
Page 347 of 382

one or more tires has dropped suddenly
and the tires must be checked.
Observe the instructions and safety notes in
the display messages in the "Tires" section
(Y page 258).
i If the wheel positions on the vehicle are
rotated, the tire pressures may be
displayed for the wrong positions for a
short time. This is rectified after afew
minutes of driving, and the tire pressures
are displayed for the correc tpositions.
Restarting the tire pressur emonitor When you restart the tire pressure monitor,
all existin gwarning messages are deleted and
the warning lamps go out. The monitor uses
the currently set tire pressures as the
reference values for monitoring. In most
cases, the tire pressure monitor will
automatically detect the new reference
values after you have changed the tire
pressure. However, you can also define
reference values manually as described here.
The tire pressure monitor then monitors the
new tire pressure values.
X Set the tire pressure to the value
recommended for the corresponding
driving situation on the Tire and Loading
Information placard on the B-pillar on the
driver's side (Y page 338).
Additional tire pressure values for different
loads can also be found on the tire pressure
table on the inside of the fuel filler flap
(Y page 338).
X Make sure that the tire pressure is correct
on all four wheels.
X Make sure that the SmartKey is in position
2 in the ignition lock.
X Press the 000Aor0004 button on the
steerin gwheel to select the Serv. menu.
X Press the 0006or0005 button to select
Tire Pressure .
X Press the 000Cbutton.
The multifunction display shows the
current tire pressure for each tire or the Tire pressures will be displayed after driving
afew minutes message.
X Press the 0005button.
The multifunction display shows the Use Current Pressures as New Reference
Values message.
If you wish to confirm the restart:
X Press the 000Cbutton.
The Tire Press. Monitor Restarted message appears in the multifunction
display.
After driving for
afew minutes, the system
checksw hether the current tire pressures
are within the specified range. The new tire
pressures are then accepted as reference
values and monitored.
If you wish to cancel the restart:
X Press the 0002button.
The tire pressure values stored at the last
restart will continue to be monitored. Loading the vehicle
Instruction labels for tires and loads
G
WARNING
Overloaded tires can overheat, causing a
blowout. Overloaded tires can also impair the
steering and driving characteristics and lead
to brake failure. There is arisk of accident.
Observe the load rating of the tires. The load
rating must be at least half of the GAWR of
your vehicle. Never overload the tires by
exceeding the maximum load.
Two instruction labels on your vehicle show
the maximum possible load.
(1) The Tire and Loading Information placard is on the B-pillar on the driver's side. The
Tire and Loading Information placard
shows the maximum permissible number
of occupant sand the maximum
permissible vehicle load. It also contains Loading the vehicle
345Wheels and tires Z
Page 348 of 382

details of the tire sizes and
correspondin
gpressures for tires
mounted at the factory.
(2) The vehicle identification plate is on the B-pillar on the driver' sside. The vehicle
identification plate inform syou of the
gross vehicle weight rating. It is made up
of the vehicle weight, all vehicle
occupants, the fuel and the cargo. You
can also find information about the
maximum gross axle weight rating on the
front and rear axle.
The maximum gross axle weight rating is
the maximum weight that can be carried
by one axle (front or rear axle). Never
exceed the maximum load or the
maximum gross axle weight rating for the
front or rear axle. 001A
B-pillar, driver's side Maximu
mpermissible gros svehicle
weight rating X
Specification for maximum gross vehicle
weight 001Ais listed in th eTire and Loading
Information placard: "The combine dweight
of occupant sand cargo should never
exceed XXX kilogram sorXXX lbs."
The gross weight of all vehicle occupants,
load and luggage must no texcee dthe
specified value.
i The specifications shown on the Tire and
Loading Informatio nplacard in the
illustratio nare examples. The maximum
permissible gross vehicl eweight rating is
vehicle-specific and may differ from that in
the illustration. You can find the valid
maximu mpermissible gross vehicle weight
ratin gfor your vehicle on the Tire and
Loading Information placard. Number of seats
Maximum number of seats
001Aindicates the
maximum number of occupants allowed to
travel in the vehicle. This information can be
found on the Tire and Loading Information
placard.
i The specifications shown on the Tire and
Loading Information placard in the
illustration are examples. The number of
seats is vehicle-specific and can differ from
the details shown. The number of seats in
your vehicle can be found on the Tire and
Loading Information placard. 346
Loading thev
ehicleWheels and tires
Page 349 of 382

Determining th
ecorrect loa dlimit
Step-by-step instructions The followin
gsteps have been develope das
required of all manufacturers under Title 49,
Code of U.S .Federal Regulations, Part 575
pursuant to the "National Traffic and Motor
Vehicle Safet yActof 1966".
X Step 1: Locatethe statement "The
combined weight of occupants and cargo
should never exceed XXX kg or XXX lbs." on
your vehicle’s Tire and Loading Information
placard.
X Step 2: Determine the combined weight of
the driver and passengers that will be riding
in your vehicle.
X Step 3: Subtract the combined weight of
the driver and passengers from XXX
kilograms or XXX lbs.
X Step 4: The resultin gfigure equals the
available amount of cargo and luggage load
capacity. For example, if the "XXX" amount
equals 1400l bs and therewill be five
150 lbs passenger sinyour vehicle, the
amount of available cargo and luggage load
capacit yis6 50 lbs (1400 -750 (5 x150) =
650 lbs).
X Step 5: Determine the combined weight of
luggage and cargo being loaded on the
vehicle. Tha tweight may not safely exceed
the available cargo and luggage load
capacity calculated in step 4. Loading thev
ehicle
347Wheels and tires Z
Page 350 of 382

Example: steps
1to3
The followin gtable show sexamples on how to calculate total and cargo load capacities with
varying seating configurations and number and siz eofoccupants. The followin gexamples use
am aximum load of 1500 lbs (68 0kg). This is fo rillustration purposes only. Make sure you
are using the actual load limit for your vehicle stated on your vehicle's Tire and Loading
Information placard (Y page 345).
The greater the combined weight of the occupants, the lower the maximum luggage load.
Step 1 Example 1 Example 2 Example 3
Combined maximum
weight of occupants
and carg
o(dat afrom
th eT irea nd Loading
Information placard) 150
0lbs (680 kg) 150
0lbs (680 kg) 150
0lbs (680 kg) Step 2
Example 1 Example 2 Example 3
Number of people in
th
ev ehicle (driver
and occupants) 5 3 1
Distribution of the
occupants
Front
:2
Rear: 3 Front
:1
Rear: 2 Front
:1 Weight of the
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 weight of all
occupants
750 lbs (340 kg) 540 lbs (245 kg) 150 lbs (68 kg)348
Loading thev
ehicleWheels and tires
Page 351 of 382

Step 3
Example 1 Example 2 Example 3
Permissible load
(maximumg
ross
vehicle weight rating
fro mt he Tire and
Loading Information
placard minus the
gross weight of all
occupants) 1500 lb
s(68 0k g)
0022 750 lb s(34 0k g) =
750 lb s(34 0k g) 1500 lb
s(68 0k g)
0022 540 lb s(24 5k g)
=960 lb s(43 5k g) 1500 lb
s(68 0k g)
0022 150 lb s(68 kg) =
1350 lb s(61 2k g) Vehicle identificatio
nplate
Even if yo uhavec alculate dthe tota lcargo
carefully, yo ushoul dstill make sure tha tthe
gross vehicle weight rating and the gross axle
weight rating are not exceeded. Details can
be found on the vehicle identification plate on
the B-pillar on the driver's side of the vehicle
(Y page 345).
Permissible gross vehicle weight: the
gross weight of the vehicle, all passengers,
load and trailer load/noseweight (if
applicable) must not exceed the permissible
gross vehicle weight.
Gross axle weight rating: the maximum
permissible weight that can be carried by one
axle (front or rear axle).
To ensure that your vehicle does not exceed
the maximum permissible values (gross
vehicle weight and maximum gross axle
weight rating), have your loaded vehicle
(including driver, occupants, cargo, and full
trailer load if applicable) weighed on a
suitable vehicle weighbridge. All about wheelsa
nd tires Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Standards
Overview of Tire Quality Grading
Standards Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards are
U.S. governments
pecifications. Their
purpose is to provide drivers with uniform
reliablei nformation on tire performance data.
Tire manufacturers have to grade tires using
three performance factors: 001Atread wear
grade, 0010traction grade and 0024temperature
grade. These regulations do not apply to
Canada.N evertheless, all tires sold in North
America are provided with the corresponding
quality grading markings on the sidewall of
the tire.
Where applicable, the tire grading
information can be found on the tire sidewall
between the tread shoulder and maximum
tire width. All about wheels and tires
349Wheels and tires Z
Page 352 of 382

Example:
R
Treadwea rgrade: 200
R Tractio ngrade: AA
R Temperature grade: A
All passenge rcar tires must conform to the
statutory safety requirements in additio nto
these grades.
i Thea ctual values for tires ar evehicle-
specifi cand ma ydeviate from the values in
the illustration.
Treadwear The treadwea
rgrade is acomparative rating
based on the wearr ate of thetirew hen tested
unde rcontrolled conditions on aspecified
U.S. government course. For example, atire
graded 150 would wear one and one-half
times as well on the government course as a
tire graded 100.
The relative performanc eoftires depends
upon the actual conditions of their use,
however, and may depart significantly from
the norm, due to variations in driving habits,
service practices and differences in road
characteristics and climate conditions.
Traction G
WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak traction
characteristics.
! Avoid wheelspin. This can lead to damage
to the drive train.
The traction grades, from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, B, and C. Those grades represent
the tire's ability to stop on awet surface as
measured under controlled conditions on
specified government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete. Atire marked Cmay have poor
traction performance. The safe speed on
awet, sno wcovered or icy
road is always lower than on dry road
surfaces.
You should pay special attention to road
conditions when temperatures are around
freezin gpoint.
Mercedes-Ben zrecommends aminimum
tread dept hof001Fin(4 mm )ona ll four winter
tires. Observe the legally required minimum
tire tread depth (Y page335). Winter tires can
reduce the braking distance on snow-covered
surfaces in comparison with summer tires.
The braking distance is still much further than
on surfaces that are not icy or covered with
snow. Take appropriate care when driving.
Further informatio nonwinter tires (M+S
tires) (Y page336).
Temperature G
WARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is
established for atire that is properly inflated
and not overloaded. Excessive speed,
underinflation, or excessive loading, either
separately or in combination, can cause
excessive heat build-up and possible tire
failure.
The temperature grades are A(the highest),
B, and C. Thes erepresent the tire's
resistanc etothe generatio nofheat and its
ability to dissipate heat when tested under
controlled conditions on aspecified indoor
laboratory test wheel. Sustained high
temperature can cause the material of the tire
to degenerat eand reduce tire life, and
excessive temperature can lead to sudden
tire failure. The grade Ccorresponds to alevel
of performanc ewhich all passenger car tires
must meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard No. 109. Grades Band A
represent higher levels of performanc eonthe
laboratory test wheel than the minimum
required by law. 350
All about wheelsa
nd tiresWheels and tires