Some tire pressure tables show only the rim
diameters instead of the full tire size, e.g.
R18 . The rim diameter is part of the tire size
and can be found on the tire sidewall
(Y page 371).
If the tire pressures have been set to the
lower values for lighter loads and/or lower
road speeds, the pressures should be reset to the higher values:
R if you want to drive with an increased load
and/or
R if you want to drive at higher road speeds
i The tire pressures for increased loads
and/or higher road speeds, shown in the
tire pressure table, may have a negative
effect on driving comfort.
If the tire pressure is not set correctly, this
can lead to an excessive build up of heat and
a sudden loss of pressure.
For more information, contact a qualified spe- cialist workshop. Important notes on tire pressure
G
WARNING
If the tire pressure drops repeatedly, the
wheel, valve or tire may be damaged. Tire
pressure that is too low may result in a tire
blow-out. There is a risk of an accident. R Check the tire for foreign objects.
R Check whether the wheel is losing air or the
valve is leaking.
If you are unable to rectify the damage, con-
tact a qualified specialist workshop. G
WARNING
If you fit unsuitable accessories onto tire
valves, the tire valves may be overloaded and malfunction, which can cause tire pressure
loss. Due to their design, retrofitted tire pres- sure monitors keep the tire valve open. This
can also result in tire pressure loss. There is a
risk of an accident. Only screw the standard valve cap or other
valve caps approved by Mercedes-Benz for
your vehicle onto the tire valve.
Use a suitable pressure gauge to check the
tire pressure. The outer appearance of a tire
does not permit any reliable conclusion about
the tire pressure. On vehicles equipped with
the electronic tire pressure monitor, the tire
pressure can be checked in the on-board
computer.
The tire temperature and pressure increase
when the vehicle is in motion. This is depend- ent on the driving speed and the load.
Therefore, you should only correct tire pres-
sures when the tires are cold.
The tires are cold:
R if the vehicle has been parked without
direct sunlight on the tires for at least three
hours and
R if the vehicle has not been driven further
than 1 mile (1.6 km)
The tire temperature changes depending on
the outside temperature, the vehicle speed
and the tire load. If the tire temperature
changes by 18 ‡ (10 †), the tire pressure
changes by approximately 10 kPa (0.1 bar/
1.5 psi). Take this into account when check-
ing the pressure of warm tires. Only correct
the tire pressure if it is too low for the current
operating conditions. If you check the tire
pressure when the tires are warm, the result- ing value will be higher than if the tires were
cold. This is normal. Do not reduce the tire
pressure to the value specified for cold tires.
The tire pressure would otherwise be too low.
Observe the recommended tire pressures for
cold tires:
R on the Tire and Loading Information placard
on the B-pillar on the driver's side
R in the tire pressure table on the inside of the
fuel filler flap Tire pressure
361Wheels and tires Z
Underinflated or overinflated tires
Underinflated tires G
WARNING
Tires with pressure that is too low can over-
heat and burst as a consequence. In addition, they also suffer from excessive and/or irreg-
ular wear, which can severely impair the brak- ing properties and the driving characteristics.There is a risk of an accident.
Avoid tire pressures that are too low in all the
tires, including the spare wheel.
Underinflated tires may:
R overheat, leading to tire defects
R adversely affect handling
R wear excessively and/or unevenly
R have an adverse effect on fuel consumption
Overinflated tires G
WARNING
Tires with excessively high pressure can burst
because they are damaged more easily by
road debris, potholes etc. In addition, they
also suffer from irregular wear, which can
severely impair the braking properties and the driving characteristics. There is a risk of an
accident.
Avoid tire pressures that are too high in all the
tires, including the spare wheel.
Overinflated tires may: R increase the braking distance
R adversely affect handling
R wear excessively and/or unevenly
R have an adverse effect on ride comfort
R be more susceptible to damage Maximum tire pressures 0043
Example: maximum permissible tire pres-
sure
Never exceed the maximum permissible tire
inflation pressure. Always observe the rec-
ommended tire pressure for your vehicle
when adjusting the tire pressure
(Y page 359).
i The actual values for tires are vehicle-
specific and may deviate from the values in
the illustration. Checking the tire pressures
Important safety notes Observe the notes on tire pressure
(Y
page 359).
Information on air pressure for the tires on
your vehicle can be found:
R on the vehicle's Tire and Loading Informa-
tion placard on the B-pillar
R on the tire pressure label on the fuel filler
flap
R in the "Tire pressure" section
Checking tire pressures manually To determine and set the correct tire pres-
sure, proceed as follows:
X Remove the valve cap of the tire that is to
be checked.
X Press the tire pressure gauge securely onto
the valve. 362
Tire pressureWheels and tires
X
Read the tire pressure and compare it with
the recommended value on the Tire and
Loading Information placard (Y page 359).
X If the tire pressure is too low, increase it to
the recommended value.
X If the tire pressure is too high, release air by
pressing down the metal pin in the valve.
Use the tip of a pen, for example. Then,
check the tire pressure again using the tire
pressure gauge.
X Screw the valve cap onto the valve.
X Repeat these steps for the other tires. Tire pressure monitor
General notes If a tire pressure monitor is installed, the vehi-
cle's wheels have sensors that monitor the
tire pressures in all four tires. The tire pres-
sure monitor warns you if the pressure drops
in one or more of the tires. The tire pressure
monitor only functions if the corresponding
sensors are installed in all wheels.
Information on tire pressures is displayed in
the multifunction display. After a few minutes of driving, the current tire pressure of each
tire is shown in the Service
Service menu of the mul-
tifunction display; see illustration (example). For information on the message display, refer
to the "Checking the tire pressure electroni-
cally" section (Y page 364). Important safety notes G
WARNING
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
should be checked at least once every two
weeks when cold and inflated to the pressure recommended by the vehicle manufacturer
on the Tire and Loading Information placard
on the driver's door B-pillar or the tire pres-
sure label on the inside of the fuel filler flap. If
your vehicle has tires of a different size than
the size indicated on the Tire and Loading
Information placard or, if available, the tire
pressure label, you should determine the
proper tire pressure for those tires.
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has
been equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) that illuminates a low tire pres-
sure 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. Driving on a significantly underin-
flated 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 a substitute for proper tire
maintenance, and it is the driver's responsi-
bility to maintain correct tire pressure, even if
underinflation has not reached the level to
trigger illumination of the TPMS low tire pres-
sure 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 sys-
tem detects a malfunction, the warning lamp
will flash for approximately a minute and then remain continuously illuminated. This
sequence will be repeated every time the vehi- cle is started as long as the malfunction
exists. When the malfunction indicator is illu- Ti
re pressure
363Wheels and tires
Z
minated, the system may not be able to detect
or signal low tire pressure as intended.
TPMS malfunctions may occur for a variety of reasons, including the installation of incom-
patible 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 359). Note that the correct tire pres-
sure for the current operating situation must
first be taught-in to the tire pressure monitor. If there is a substantial loss of pressure, the
warning threshold for the warning message isaligned to the reference values taught-in.
Restart the tire pressure monitor after adjust-
ing the pressure of the cold tires
(Y page 365). The current pressures are
saved as new reference values. As a result, a warning message will appear if the tire pres-
sure 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 359).
The tire pressure monitor is not able to warn
you of a sudden loss of pressure, e.g. if the
tire is penetrated by a foreign object. In the
event of a sudden loss of pressure, bring the
vehicle to a halt by braking carefully. Avoid
abrupt steering maneuvers.
The tire pressure monitor has a yellow warn-
ing lamp in the instrument cluster for indicat-
ing a pressure loss or malfunction. Whether
the warning lamp flashes or lights up indi-
cates whether a tire 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 signif- icantly 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.
i In addition to the warning lamp, a mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
You can find further information under:
(Y page 273).
If the tire pressure monitor is malfunctioning, it may take up to 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 mal- function has been rectified, the tire pressure
warning lamp goes out after a few minutes of
driving.
The tire pressure values indicated by the on-
board computer may differ from those meas-
ured at a gas station with a pressure gauge.
The tire pressures shown by the on-board
computer refer to those measured at sea
level. At high altitudes, the tire pressure val-
ues indicated by a pressure gauge are higher than those shown by the on-board computer.
In this case, do not reduce the tire pressures.
The operation of the tire pressure monitor can be affected by interference from radio trans-
mitting equipment (e.g. radio headphones,
two-way radios) that may be being operated
in or near the vehicle.
Checking the tire pressure electroni-
cally X
Make sure that the SmartKey is in position
2 in the ignition lock (Y page 147).
X Use 00E2 on the steering wheel to call up
the list of menus.
X Press the 0063or0064 button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Service Servicemenu.
X Press the 0076button. 364
Tire pressureWheels and tires
X
Press the 0063or0064 button to select
Tire Pressure
Tire Pressure.
X Press the 0076button.
The current tire pressure of each tire is
shown in the multifunction display.
If the vehicle has been parked for over
20 minutes, the Tire pressure will be Tire pressure will be
displayed after driving a few
displayed after driving a few
minutes minutes message appears.
After a teach-in process, the tire pressure
monitor automatically detects new wheels or
new sensors. As long as a clear allocation of
the tire pressure value to the individual
wheels is not possible, the Tire Pressure Tire Pressure
Monitor Active
Monitor Active display message is shown
instead of the tire pressure display. The tire
pressures are already being monitored.
Tire pressure monitor warning mes-
sages If the tire pressure monitor detects a pressure
loss in one or more tires, a warning message is shown in the multifunction display and theyellow tire pressure monitor warning lamp
comes on.
R If the Please Correct Tire Pressure
Please Correct Tire Pressure
message appears in the multifunction dis-
play, the tire pressure in at least one tire is
too low and must be corrected at the next
opportunity.
R If the Check Check Tires
Tiresmessage 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 Warning Tire Malfunction
Warning Tire Malfunction
appears in the multifunction display, the
tire pressure in one or more tires has drop-
ped suddenly and the tires must be
checked.
Observe the instructions and safety notes in
the display messages in the "Tires" section
(Y page 273).
i If the wheel positions on the vehicle are
rotated, the tire pressures may be dis-
played for the wrong positions for a short time. This is rectified after a few minutes of
driving, and the tire pressures are displayed
for the correct positions.
Restarting the tire pressure monitor When you restart the tire pressure monitor, all
existing warning messages are deleted and
the warning lamps go out. The monitor uses
the currently set tire pressures as the refer-
ence 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 recom-
mended for the corresponding driving sit-
uation on the Tire and Loading Information
placard on the driver's side
B-pillar (Y page 359).
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 359).
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 Use 00E2 on the steering wheel to call up
the list of menus.
X Press the 0063or0064 button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Service Servicemenu.
X Press the 0076button.
X Press the 0063or0064 button to select
Tire Pressure
Tire Pressure.
X Press the 0076button.
The multifunction display shows the cur-
rent tire pressure for the individual tires or
the Tire Tire pressure
pressure will
willbe
bedisplayed
displayed Tire pressure
365Wheels and tires Z
Example: steps 1 to 3
The following table shows examples on how to calculate total and cargo load capacities with varying seating configurations and number and size of occupants. The following examples usea load limit of 1500 lbs (680 kg). This is for illustration 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 366).
The greater the combined weight of the occupants, the lower the maximum luggage load.
Example 1
Step 1
R Combined maximum weight of occupants and load (data from the Tire and Loading Infor-
mation placard): 1500 lbs (680 kg)
Step 2
R Number of people in the vehicle (driver and occupants): 5
R Distribution of the occupants
- Front: 2
- Rear: 3
R 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)
R Tota l weight of all occupants: 750 lbs (340 kg)
Step 3
R Perm issible load (maximum gross vehicle weight rating from the Tire and Loading Informa-
tion placard minus the gross weight of all occupants):
1500 lbs (680 kg) 00F8750 lbs (340 kg) = 750 lbs (340 kg)
Example 2
Step 1
R Combined maximum weight of occupants and load (data from the Tire and Loading Infor-
mation placard): 1500 lbs (680 kg)
Step 2
R Number of peop le in the vehicle (driver and occupants): 3
R Distribution of the occupants
- Front: 1
- Rear: 2 368
Loading the vehicleWheels and tires
R
Weight of the occupants
- Occupant 1: 200 lbs (91 kg)
- Occupant 2: 190 lbs (86 kg)
- Occupant 3: 150 lbs (68 kg)
R Total weight of all occupants: 540 lbs (245 kg)
Step 3
R Permissible load (maximum gross vehicle weight rating from the Tire and Loading Informa-
tion placard minus the gross weight of all occupants):
1500 lbs (680 kg) 00F8540 lbs (245 kg) =960 lbs (435 kg)
Example 3
Step 1
R Combined maximum weight of occupants and load (data from the Tire and Loading Infor-
mation placard): 1500 lbs (680 kg)
Step 2
R Number of people in the vehicle (driver and occupants): 2
R Distribution of the occupants:
- Front: 1
R Weight of the occupants
- Occupant 1: 150 lbs (68 kg)
R Total weight of all occupants: 150 lbs (68 kg)
Step 3
R Permissible load (maximum gross vehicle weight rating from the Tire and Loading Informa-
tion placard minus the gross weight of all occupants):
1500 lbs (680 kg) 00F8150 lbs (68 kg) = 1350 lbs (612 kg) Vehicle identification plate
Even if you have calculated the total cargo
carefully, you should still make sure that the
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 366).
Permissible Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
(GVWR): the gross weight of the vehicle, all
passengers, load and trailer load/noseweight (if applicable) must not exceed the permissi-
ble gross vehicle weight.
Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR): the
maximum permissible weight that can be car- ried by one axle (front or rear axle). To ensure that your vehicle does not exceed
the maximum permissible values (gross vehi-
cle 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. Loading the vehicle
369Wheels and tires Z
All about wheels and tires
Uniform Tire Quality Grading Stand-
ards
Overview of Tire Quality Grading Stand- ards 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. Tire
manufacturers have to grade tires using three
performance factors: 0043tread wear grade, 0044
traction grade and 0087temperature grade.
These regulations do not apply to Canada.
Nevertheless, all tires sold in North America
are provided with the corresponding quality
grading markings on the sidewall of the tire.
Quality grades can be found, where applica-
ble, on the tire sidewall between the tread
shoulder and maximum tire width.
Example:
R Treadwear grade: 200
R Traction grade: AA
R Temperature grade: A
All passenger car tires must conform to the
statutory safety requirements in addition to
these grades.
i The actual values for tires are vehicle-
specific and may deviate from the values in
the illustration. 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 G
WARNING
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.
! 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 wet pavement 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 freez-
ing point.
Mercedes-Benz recommends a minimum
tread depth of 00CFin (4 mm) on all four winter
tires. Observe the legally required minimum
tire tread depth (Y page 357). Winter tires can
reduce the braking distance on snow-covered surfaces in comparison with summer tires.
The braking distance is still much further than 370
All about wheels and tiresWheels and ti
res