Useful information............................332
Important safety notes .....................332
Operation ........................................... 332
Winter operation ............................... 334
Tire pressure ..................................... 336
Loading the vehicle ..........................343
Maximum load rating .......................346
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Standards .......................................... 347
Tire labeling ....................................... 348
Definition of terms for tires and
loading ............................................... 352
Changing a wheel .............................. 355
Mounting a wheel ............................. 356
Wheel and tire combinations ...........360
Emergency spare wheel ...................366
331
Wheels and tires
Marking : shows where the bar indicator
(arrow) for tread wear is integrated into the
tire tread.
Treadwear indicators (TWI) are required by
law. Six indicators are positioned on the tire
tread. They are visible once a tread depth of
approximately á in (1.6 mm) has been
reached. If this is the case, the tire is so worn that it must be replaced.
Selecting, mounting and replacing
tires
R Only mount tires and wheels of the same
type and make.
Exception: it is permissible to install a dif-
ferent type or make in the event of a flat
tire. Observe the "MOExtended tires (tires
with run-flat characteristics)" section
(Y page 315).
R Only mount tires of the correct size onto
the wheels.
R Break in new tires at moderate speeds for
the first 60 miles (100 km). They only reach
their full performance after this distance.
R Do not drive with tires which have too little
tread depth, as this significantly reduces
the traction on wet roads (hydroplaning).
R Replace the tires after six years at the lat-
est, regardless of wear.
Observe the notes on the emergency spare
wheel ( Y page 366).
MOExtended tires (tires with run-flat
properties)
With MOExtended tires (tires with run flat
characteristics), you can continue to drive
your vehicle even if there is a total loss of
pressure in one or more tires.
MOExtended tires may only be used in con-
junction with an active tire pressure monitor
and only on wheels specifically tested by
Mercedes-Benz.
Notes on driving with MOExtended tires in the
event of a flat tire can be found in the "Break-
down assistance" section ( Y page 315).
iVehicles equipped with MOExtended tires
are not equipped with a TIREFIT kit at the
factory. It is therefore recommended that
you additionally equip your vehicle with a
TIREFIT kit if you mount tires that do not
feature run-flat properties, e.g. winter tires. A TIREFIT kit may be obtained from a quali- fied specialist workshop.
Winter operation
Points to remember
Have your vehicle winterproofed at a qualifiedspecialist workshop at the onset of winter.
Observe the notes in the "Changing a wheel"
section ( Y page 355).
Driving with summer tires
At temperatures below 45 ‡ (+7 †), summer
tires lose elasticity and therefore traction and
braking power. Change the tires on your vehi-cle to M+S tires. Using summer tires at very
cold temperatures could cause cracks to
form, thereby damaging the tires perma-
nently. Mercedes-Benz cannot accept
responsibility for this type of damage.
GWARNING
Damaged tires can cause tire inflation pres-
sure loss. As a result, you could lose control ofyour vehicle. There is a risk of accident.
334Winter operation
Wheels and tires
Check the tires regularly for signs of damage
and replace any damaged tires immediately.
M+S tires
GWARNING
M+S tires with a tire tread depth of less than ã in (4 mm) are not suitable for use in winter
and do not provide sufficient traction. There is
a risk of an accident.
M+S tires with a tread depth of less than ã in
(4 mm) must be replaced immediately.
At temperatures below 45 ‡ (+7 †), use win-
ter tires or all-season tires. Both types of tire are identified by the M+S marking.
Only winter tires bearing the i snowflake
symbol in addition to the M+S marking pro-
vide the best possible grip in wintry road con-
ditions. Only these tires will allow driving
safety systems such as ABS and ESP ®
to
function optimally in winter. These tires have
been developed specifically for driving in
snow.
Use M+S tires of the same make and tread on all wheels to maintain safe handling charac-
teristics.
Always observe the maximum permissible
speed specified for the M+S tires you have
mounted.
When you have mounted M+S tires:
X Check the tire pressures ( Y page 339).
X Restart the tire pressure monitor
(Y page 339).
For more information on driving with the
emergency spare wheel, see ( Y page 366).
Snow chains
GWARNING
If snow chains are installed to the front
wheels, they may drag against the vehicle
body or chassis components. This could
cause damage to the vehicle or the tires.
There is a risk of an accident.
To avoid hazardous situations:
R never install snow chains to the front
wheels
R always install snow chains in pairs to the
rear wheels.
! On some tire sizes there is not enough
space for snow chains. To avoid damage to
the vehicle or tires, observe the "Wheel and tire combinations" section under "Tires and
wheels".
! Vehicles with steel wheels: if you
mount snow chains on steel wheels, you
may damage the hub caps. Remove the hub caps from the relevant wheels before
mounting the snow chains.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only use snow chains that
have been specially approved for your vehicle
by Mercedes-Benz, or are of a corresponding standard of quality. For more information,
please contact a qualified specialist work-
shop.
If you intend to mount snow chains, please
bear the following points in mind:
R Snow chains may not be mounted on all
wheel/tire combinations. Permissible
wheel-tire combinations ( Y page 360).
R Only use snow chains when driving on
roads completely covered by snow.
Remove the snow chains as soon as possi-
ble when you come to a road that is not
snow-covered.
R Local regulations may restrict the use of
snow chains. Observe the appropriate reg-
ulations if you wish to mount snow chains.
R Do not exceed the maximum permissible
speed of 30 mph (50 km/h).
iYou may wish to deactivate ESP ®
( Y page 71) when pulling away with snow
chains installed. You can thereby allow the wheels to spin in a controlled manner, ach-
Winter operation335
Wheels and tires
Z
Uniform Tire Quality Grading Stand-
ards
Overview of Tire Quality Grading
Standards
Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards are
U.S. government specifications. Their pur-
pose is to provide drivers with uniform relia-
ble information on tire performance data. tiremanufacturers have to grade tires using three
performance factors: tread wear :, tire trac-
tion ; and heat resistance =. All tires sold
in North America are provided with the cor-
responding quality class mark on the sidewall of the tire, even though these regulations do
not apply to Canada.
iThe actual values for tires are vehicle-
specific and may deviate from the values in
the illustration.
Where applicable, the tire grading informa-
tion can be found on the tire sidewall between
the tread shoulder and maximum tire width.
For example:
TreadwearTractionTemperature
200AAA
All passenger car tires must conform to the
statutory safety requirements in addition to
these grades.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested under controlled conditions on a specified
U.S. government course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one and one-half
times as well on the government course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of their use, how-
ever, and may depart significantly from the
norm, due to variations in driving habits, ser-
vice practices and differences in road char-
acteristics and climate conditions.
Traction
GWARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration, cor- nering, hydroplaning, or peak traction char-
acteristics.
The traction grades, from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, B, and C. Those grades represent
the tire's ability to stop on a wet surface as
measured under controlled conditions on
specified government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete. A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance.
The safe speed on a wet, snow covered or icy road is always lower than on dry road surfa-
ces.
You should pay special attention to road con-
ditions when temperatures are around the
freezing point.
Mercedes-Benz recommends a minimum
tread depth of ã in (4 mm) for all four winter
tires ( Y page 335) to maintain normal driving
characteristics in winter. Winter tires can
reduce the braking distance on snow-covered surfaces in comparison with summer tires.
Stopping distance, however, is still consider-
ably greater than when the road is not cov-
Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards347
Wheels and tires
Z
adapt your driving style to the traffic condi-
tions.
Summer tires
IndexSpeed rating
Qup to 100 mph (160 km/h)
Rup to 106 mph (170 km/h)
Sup to 112 mph (180 km/h)
Tup to 118 mph (190 km/h)
Hup to 130 mph (210 km/h)
Vup to 149 mph (240 km/h)
Wup to 168 mph (270 km/h)
Yup to 186 mph (300 km/h)
ZR...Yup to 186 mph (300 km/h)
ZR...(..Y)over 186 mph (300 km/h)
ZRover 149 mph (240 km/h)
ROptionally, tires with a maximum speed of
over 149 mph (240 km/h) may have "ZR" in
the size description, depending on the
manufacturer (e.g. 245/40 ZR18).
The service specification is made up of
load-bearing index A and speed rating B.
R If the size description of your tire includes
"ZR" and there are no service specifica-
tions, ask the tire manufacturer in order to
find out the maximum speed.
If a service specification is available, the
maximum speed is limited according to the
speed rating in the service specification.
Example: 245/40 ZR18 97 Y. In this exam- ple, "97 Y" is the service specification. The letter "Y" represents the speed rating. The
maximum speed of the tire is limited to
186 mph (300 km/h).
R The size description for all tires with maxi-
mum speeds of over 186 mph (300 km/h)
must include "ZR", and the service specifi-
cation must be given in parentheses. Exam- ple: 275/40 ZR 18 (99 Y). Speed rating
"(Y)" indicates that the maximum speed of
the tire is over 186 mph (300 km/h). Ask
the tire manufacturer about the maximum
speed.
All-weather tires and winter tires
IndexSpeed rating
Q M+S
13up to 100 mph (160 km/h)
T M+S13up to 118 mph (190 km/h)
H M+S
13up to 130 mph (210 km/h)
V M+S13up to 149 mph (240 km/h)
iNot all tires with the M+S marking provide
the driving characteristics of winter tires. In
addition to the M+S marking, winter tires
also have the i snowflake symbol on
the tire wall. Tires with this marking fulfill
the requirements of the Rubber Manufac-
turers Association (RMA) and the Rubber
Association of Canada (RAC) regarding
snow traction, and were specially devel-
oped for driving on snow.
An electronic speed limiter prevents your
vehicle from exceeding a speed of 130 mph
(210 km/h).
The speed rating of tires mounted at the fac-
tory may be higher than the maximum speed that the electronic speed limiter permits.
Make sure that your tires have the required
speed rating for your vehicle as specified in
the "Tires" section ( Y page 360), e.g. if you
buy new tires.
Further information about reading tire data
can be obtained from any qualified specialist
workshop.
13 Or M+S i for winter tires.
350Tire labeling
Wheels and tires
Wheel and tire combinations
General notes
!
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz rec-
ommends that you only use tires and
wheels which have been approved by
Mercedes-Benz specifically for your vehi-
cle.
These tires have been specially adapted for use with the control systems, such as ABS
or ESP ®
, and are marked as follows:
R MO = Mercedes-Benz Original
R MOE = Mercedes-Benz Original Extended
(tires featuring run-flat characteristics)
R MO1 = Mercedes-Benz Original (only cer-
tain AMG tires)
Mercedes-Benz Original Extended tires
may only be used on wheels that have been
specifically approved by Mercedes-Benz.
Only use tires, wheels or accessories tes-
ted and approved by Mercedes-Benz. Cer-
tain characteristics, e.g. handling, vehicle
noise emissions or fuel consumption, may
otherwise be adversely affected. In addi-
tion, when driving with a load, tire dimen-
sion variations could cause the tires to
come into contact with the bodywork and
axle components. This could result in dam- age to the tires or the vehicle.
Mercedes-Benz accepts no liability for
damage resulting from the use of tires,
wheels or accessories other than those tes-
ted and approved.
Information on tires, wheels and approved
combinations can be obtained from any
qualified specialist workshop.
Overview of abbreviations used in the follow- ing tire tables: R BA: both axles
R FA: front axle
R RA: rear axle The recommended pressures for various
operating conditions can be found:
R on the Tire and Loading Information placard
with the recommended tire pressures on
the B-pillar on the driver's side
R in the tire pressure table on the inside of the
fuel filler flap
Observe the notes on recommended tire
pressures under various operating conditions ( Y page 336).
Check tire pressures regularly, and only when the tires are cold. Comply with the mainte-
nance recommendations of the tire manufac-
turer in the vehicle document wallet.
Notes on the vehicle equipment – always
equip the vehicle with:
R tires of the same size on a given axle (left/
right)
R the same type of tires at a given time (sum-
mer tires, winter tires, MOExtended tires)
Exception: it is permissible to install a dif-
ferent type or make in the event of a flat
tire. Observe the "MOExtended tires (tires
with run-flat characteristics" section
( Y page 315).
Vehicles equipped with MOExtended tires are
not equipped with a TIREFIT kit at the factory.
It is therefore recommended that you addi-
tionally equip your vehicle with a TIREFIT kit if you mount tires that do not feature run-flat
properties, e.g. winter tires. A TIREFIT kit may
be obtained from a qualified specialist work-
shop.
iNot all wheel and tire combinations are
available at the factory for all countries.
iThe following pages contain information
on approved wheel rims and tire sizes for
equipping your vehicle with winter tires.
Winter tires are not available at the factory as standard equipment or optional extras.
If you want to equip your vehicle with
approved winter tires, it may be necessary
to obtain wheel rims in the corresponding
size. The size of the approved winter tires
may differ from the standard tires. This is
360Wheel and tire combinations
Wheels and tires
Winter tires
R17
TiresAlloy wheels
BA: 235/60 R17 102 H M+SiBA: 7.5 J x 17 H2
Wheel offset: 1.87 in (47.5 mm)
R19
TiresAlloy wheels
BA: 235/50 R19 99 H M+SiBA: 7.5 J x 19 H2
Wheel offset: 1.85 in (47 mm)
GLK 350
Summer tires
R19
TiresAlloy wheels
FA: 235/50 R19 99 V
RA: 255/45 R19 100 V14FA: 7.5 J x 19 H2
Wheel offset: 1.85 in (47 mm)
RA: 8.5 J x 19 H2
Wheel offset: 2.05 in (52 mm)
All-weather tires
R17
TiresAlloy wheels
BA: 235/60 R17 102 V M+SBA: 7.5 J x 17 H2
Wheel offset: 1.87 in (47.5 mm)
R19
TiresAlloy wheels
BA: 235/50 R19 99 H M+S 15BA: 7.5 J x 19 H2
Wheel offset: 1.85 in (47 mm)
14
Use of snow chains not permitted. Observe the notes in the "Snow chains" sect ion.
15 Available as MOExtended tires.
Wheel and tire combinations363
Wheels and tires
Z
R20
TiresAlloy wheels
BA: 235/45 R20 100 H XL M+SBA: 8.0 J x 20 H2
Wheel offset: 1.65 in (42 mm)
All-terrain tires
R17
TiresAlloy wheels
BA: 235/60 R17 102 H M+SBA: 7.5 J x 17 H2
Wheel offset: 1.87 in (47.5 mm)
Winter tires
R17
TiresAlloy wheels
BA: 235/60 R17 102 H M+SiBA: 7.5 J x 17 H2
Wheel offset: 1.87 in (47.5 mm)
R19
TiresAlloy wheels
BA: 235/50 R19 99 H M+SiBA: 7.5 J x 19 H2
Wheel offset: 1.85 in (47 mm)
GLK 350 4MATIC
Summer tires
R19
TiresAlloy wheels
FA: 235/50 R19 99 V
RA: 255/45 R19 100 V14FA: 7.5 J x 19 H2
Wheel offset: 1.85 in (47 mm)
RA: 8.5 J x 19 H2
Wheel offset: 2.05 in (52 mm)
14
Use of snow chains not permitted. Observe the notes in the "Snow chains" sect ion.
364Wheel and tire combinations
Wheels and tires