Page 335 of 386

tics, e.g. pulling to one side. This may indi-
cate that the wheels or tires are damaged.If you suspect that a tire is defective,
reduce your speed immediately. Stop the
vehicle as soon as possible to check the
wheels and tires for damage. Hidden tire
damage could also be causing the unusual
handling characteristics. If you find no
signs of damage, have the tires and wheels
checked at a qualified specialist workshop.
R When parking your vehicle, make sure that
the tires do not get deformed by the curb or other obstacles. If it is necessary to drive
over curbs, speed humps or similar eleva-
tions, try to do so slowly and at an obtuse
angle. Otherwise, the tires, particularly the
sidewalls, may be damaged. Regular checking of wheels and tires
G
WARNING
Damaged tires can cause tire inflation pres-
sure loss. As a result, you could lose control of your vehicle. There is a risk of accident.
Check the tires regularly for signs of damage
and replace any damaged tires immediately.
R Regularly check the wheels and tires of
your vehicle for damage at least once a
month, as well as after driving off-road or
on rough roads. Damaged wheels can
cause a loss of tire pressure. Pay particular
attention to damage such as:
- cuts in the tires
- punctures
- tears in the tires
- bulges on tires
- deformation or severe corrosion on
wheels
R Regularly check the tire tread depth and
the condition of the tread across the whole width of the tire (Y page 333). If necessary,
turn the front wheels to full lock in order to inspect the inner side of the tire surface. R
All wheels must have a valve cap to protect
the valve against dirt and moisture. Do notmount anything onto the valve other than
the standard valve cap or other valve caps
approved by Mercedes-Benz for your vehi-
cle. Do not use any other valve caps or sys-tems, e.g. tire pressure monitoring sys-
tems.
R Regularly check the pressure of all the tires
including the emergency spare wheel or the
spare wheel, particularly prior to long trips, and correct the pressure as necessary
(Y page 336).
Observe the notes on the emergency spare
wheel (Y page 366).
The service life of tires depends, among other things, on the following factors:
R Driving style
R Tire pressure
R Distance covered Important safety notes on the tire
tread
G
WARNING
Insufficient tire tread will reduce tire traction.
The tire is no longer able to dissipate water.
This means that on wet road surfaces, the risk of hydroplaning increases, in particular where speed is not adapted to suit the driving con-
ditions. There is a risk of accident.
If the tire pressure is too high or too low, tires
may exhibit different levels of wear at differ-
ent locations on the tire tread. Thus, you
should regularly check the tread depth and
the condition of the tread across the entire
width of all tires.
Minimum tire tread depth for:
R Summer tires: 00CEin (3 mm)
R M+S tires: 00CFin (4 mm)
For safety reasons, replace the tires before
the legally prescribed limit for the minimum
tire tread depth is reached. Operation
333Wheels and tires Z
Page 358 of 386

Cleaning the wheels
G
WARNING
The water jet from a circular jet nozzle (dirt
blasters) can cause invisible exterior damage to the tires or chassis components. Compo-
nents damaged in this way may fail unexpect-edly. There is a risk of an accident.
Do not use power washers with circular jet
nozzles to clean the vehicle. Have damaged
tires or chassis components replaced imme-
diately. Mounting a wheel
Preparing the vehicle
X Stop the vehicle on solid, non-slippery and
level ground.
X Apply the parking brake.
X Bring the front wheels into the straight-
ahead position.
X Move the selector lever to position P.
X Switch off the engine.
X Vehicles without KEYLESS-GO: remove
the SmartKey from the ignition lock.
X Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO: open the
driver's door.
The on-board electronics have status 0,
which is the same as the SmartKey having
been removed.
X Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO: remove the
Start/Stop button from the ignition lock
(Y page 149).
X If included in the vehicle equipment,
remove the tire-change tool kit from the
vehicle.
X Secure the vehicle to prevent it from rolling
away. Securing the vehicle to prevent it
from rolling away
If your vehicle is equipped with a wheel chock,
it can be found in the tire-change tool kit
(Y page 314).
The folding wheel chock is an additional
safety measure to prevent the vehicle from
rolling away, for example when changing a
wheel.
X Fold both plates upwards 0043.
X Fold out lower plate 0044.
X Guide the lugs on the lower plate fully into
the openings in base plate 0087. 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. 356
Mounting a wheelWheels and tires
Page 359 of 386

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 vehi-
cle:
R To raise the vehicle, only use the vehicle-
specific jack that has been tested and
approved by Mercedes-Benz. If used incor- rectly, the jack could tip over with the vehi-
cle 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 suited 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 inserting wheel chocks. Do not disen- gage 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 tires and the ground does
not exceed 1.2 in (3 cm).
R Never place your hands and feet under the
raised vehicle.
R Do not lie under the vehicle.
R Do not start the engine when the vehicle is
raised.
R Never open or close a door or the tailgate
when the vehicle is raised.
R Make sure that no persons are present in
the vehicle when the vehicle is raised.
! The jack is designed exclusively for jack-
ing up the vehicle at the jacking points.
Otherwise, your vehicle could be damaged. X
Using lug wrench 0043, loosen the bolts on
the wheel you wish to change by about one full turn. Do not unscrew the bolts com-
pletely. Mounting a wheel
357Wheels and tires Z