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Rear axle tire pressure values:
the following tire pressure values only apply to vehicles with
a permissible rear axle load of 5360 lb s(2431 kg), 7060 lbs (3202 kg) or 7720 lbs (3502 kg). Tires/disc wheel Rear axle load
5360 lbs
(2431 kg) 7060 lbs
(3202 kg) 7720 lbs
(3502 kg) LT 215/85 R 16 115/112N
5.5Jx16
Half distance between centers:
4.94 in (125.5 mm) — 380 kPa
(3.8 bar/55 psi) 420 kPa
(4.2 bar/61 psi) LT 215/85 R 16 115/112Q
5.5Jx16
Half distance between centers:
4.94 in (125.5 mm) — 380 kPa
(3.8 bar/55 psi) 420 kPa
(4.2 bar/61 psi) LT 245/75 R 16 120/116N
6.5J x 16
Wheel offset: 2.13 in (54 mm) 480 kPa
(4.8 bar/ 70 psi) — —
285/65 R 16 C 128/126N (121 R)
285/65 R 16 C 128/126 N (123
R)
8
8.5J x 16 ET 63 — 450 kPa
(4.5 bar/65 psi) —
235/65 R 16 C 121N (118R)
6,5Jx16
Spare wheel, Vehicles with
Super Single tires. — 520 kPa
(5.2 bar/75 psi) —
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 a risk 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. The Tire and Loading Information placard on the
driver’s door B-pillar
8 Super Single tires. Loading the vehicle
295Wheels and tires Z
Page 298 of 334

Two instruction labels on your vehicle show
the maximum possible load.
(1) Only for vehicles with a gross weight of less than 10,000 lbs (4,536 kg):
Tire and Loading Information placard 0043
is on the B-pillar on the driver's side. Tire
and Loading Information placard 0043
shows the permissible number of occu-
pants and the maximum permissible load
of the vehicle. It also contains details of
the tire sizes and corresponding pres-
sures for tires mounted at the factory.
(2) The vehicle identification plate is located on the base of the driver's seat. The vehi-cle identification plate informs you of the
gross vehicle weight rating. It is made up
of the vehicle weight, all vehicle occu-
pants, 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). Do not
exceed the maximum gross vehicle
weight or the maximum gross axle weight
rating for the front or rear axle. Tire and Loading Information placard
General notes Only vehicles with a gross weight of less than
10,000 lbs (4,536 kg) have a Tire and Loading Information placard on the B-pillar on the
driver's side. Maximum permissible gross vehicle
weight rating 0043
Maximum number of seats
0044 Maximum permissible gross vehicle
weight rating
X Specification for maximum gross vehicle
weight 0044is listed in the Tire and Loading
Information placard: "The gross weight of
occupants and luggage must not exceed
XXX kilograms or XXX lbs."
The gross weight of all vehicle occupants,
cargo, luggage and trailer load/noseweight (if
applicable) must not exceed the specified
value.
i The details on the Tire and Loading Infor-
mation placard illustration are only an
example. The maximum permissible gross
vehicle weight rating is vehicle-specific and
may differ from that which is illustrated.
You can find the valid maximum permissi-
ble gross vehicle weight rating for your
vehicle on the Tire and Loading Information
placard. 296
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Number of seats
0043
Maximum number of seats
0044 Maximum permissible gross vehicle
weight rating
Maximum number of seats 0043determines 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 details on the Tire and Loading Infor-
mation placard illustration are only an
example. 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 Infor-
mation placard.
Determining the maximum load Individual steps
The following steps have been developed as
required of all manufacturers under Title 49,
Code of U.S. Federal Regulations, Part 575 in accordance with the "National Traffic and
Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966".
X Step 1: Locate the statement "The com-
bined 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 trav-
eling in your vehicle. X
Step 3: Subtract the combined weight of
the driver and passengers from XXX kilo-
grams or XXX lbs.
X Step 4: The resulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and luggage load
capacity. For example, if the "XXX" amount
equals 1400 lbs and there will be five
150 pound passengers in your vehicle, the
amount of available cargo and luggage load capacity is 650 lb s(1400 00F8750 (5 x 150) =
650 lbs).
X Step 5: Determine the combined weight of
luggage and cargo being loaded on the
vehicle. For reasons of safety, that weight
must not exceed the available cargo and
luggage cargo capacity calculated in step
4.
X Step 6 (if applicable): If you intend to tow
a trailer behind your vehicle, the load on the
trailer is transferred to your vehicle. Please
consult the Tire and Loading Information
placard, to determine how this reduces the available cargo and luggage load capacity
of your vehicle. Loading the vehicle
297Wheels and tires Z
Page 300 of 334

Example: Steps 1 to 3
The following table shows examples of how to calculate total load and cargo capacities with
varying seating configurations and number and size of occupants. The following examples use a maximum load 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 Infor- mation placard . Example 1 Example 2 Example 3
Step 1 Combined maximum
weight of occupants
and cargo (data from
the Tire and Loading
Information placard) 1500 lbs
(680 kg) 1500 lbs
(680 kg) 1500 lbs
(680 kg)
Example 1 Example 2 Example 3
Step 2 Number of people in
the vehicle (driver
and occupants)
5 3 1
Distribution of the
occupants
Front: 2
Rear: 3 Front: 1
Rear: 2 Front: 1
Weight of the occu-
pants
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)298
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Example 1 Example 2 Example 3
Step 3 Permissible cargo
and trailer load/
noseweight (maxi-
mum gross vehicle
weight rating from
the Tire and Loading
Information placard
minus the gross
weight of all occu-
pants)
1500 lbs
(680 kg)
00F8750 lbs
(340 kg) =
750 lbs (340 kg) 1500 lbs
(680 kg)
00F8540 lbs
(245 kg) =
960 lbs (435 kg) 1500 lbs
(680 kg)
00F8150 lbs (68 kg)
= 1350 lbs
(612 kg) The greater the combined weight of the occupants, the lower the maximum luggage load.
Further information can be found under "Towing a trailer" (Y page 177).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 about
this can be found on the vehicle identification plate on the driver seat frame of your vehicle
(Y page 316).
Gross vehicle weight: the gross weight of
the vehicle, all passengers, cargo and trailer
load/noseweight (if applicable) must not
exceed the permissible gross vehicle weight.
Gross axle weight rating: the maximum per-
missible load that can be carried 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. Trailer load/noseweight
The trailer load/noseweight affects the gross
weight of the vehicle. If a trailer is attached,
the trailer load/noseweight is included in the
load along with occupants and luggage. The trailer load/noseweight is usually approx-
imately 10% of the gross weight of the trailer
and its load. What you should know about wheels
and tires Tire labeling
Overview 0043
DOT, Tire Identification Number
(Ypage 302)
0044 Maximum tire load (Y page 301) What you should know about wheels and tires
299Wheels and tires Z
Page 302 of 334

0087
Maximum tire pressure (Y page 290)
0085 Manufacturer
0083 Tire material (Y page 302)
0084 Tire size designation, load-bearing capa-
city and speed index (Y page 300)
006B Tire name
The markings described above are on the tire in addition to the tire name (sales designa-
tion) and the manufacturer's name.
i Tire data is vehicle-specific and may devi-
ate from the data in the example.
Tire size designation, load bearing index and speed index G
WARNING
Exceeding the stated tire load-bearing capa-
city and the approved maximum speed could
lead to tire damage or the tire bursting. There is a risk of accident.
Therefore, only use tire types and sizes
approved for your vehicle model. Observe the
tire load rating and speed rating required for
your vehicle. 0043
Design standard
0044 Tire width
0087 Nominal aspect ratio in %
0085 Tire code
0083 Rim diameter
0084 Load bearing index
006B Speed index
General: depending on the manufacturer's
standards, the size imprinted in the tire wall may not contain any letters or may contain
one letter
0043that precedes the size descrip-
tion
If "LT" precedes the size description (as
shown above): these are light truck tires
according to U.S. manufacturing standards.
If "C" precedes the size description: these are
commercial motor vehicle tires according to
European manufacturing standards.
Tire width: tire width0044shows the nominal
tire width in millimeters.
Aspect ratio: aspect ratio0087is the size ratio
between the tire height and tire width and is
shown in percent. The aspect ratio is calcu-
lated by dividing the tire width by the tire
height.
Tire code: tire code0085specifies the tire type.
"R" represents radial tires. "D" represents
diagonal tires, "B" represents diagonal radial
tires.
Rim diameter: rim diameter0083is the diam-
eter of the bead seat, not the diameter of the rim flange. The rim diameter is specified in
inches (in).
Load-bearing index: load-bearing index0084
is a numerical code that specifies the maxi-
mum load-bearing capacity of a tire.
Do not overload the tires by exceeding the
specified load limit. The maximum permissi-
ble load can be found on the vehicle's Tire and
Loading Information placard on the B-pillar on the driver's side (Y page 295).
Example:
The load-bearing index 120 indicates a max-
imum load of 3,042 lb (1,380 kg) for the tire.
If two load-bearing capacity indices are speci- fied (as shown above), the first number states
the load-bearing capacity for single tires, the second number the load-bearing capacity for
twin tires. For further information on the max- imum tire load in kilograms and pounds, see
(Y page 301).
For further information on the load-bearing
index, see "Load index" (Y page 301).300
What you should know about wheels and tiresWheels and tires
Page 303 of 334

Speed rating:
speed rating006Bspecifies the
approved maximum speed of the tire.
Regardless of the speed index always observe the speed limits. Drive carefully and adapt
your driving style to the traffic conditions.
i Tire data is vehicle-specific and may devi-
ate from the data in the example. Index Speed rating
F up to 50 mph (80 km/h)
G up to 56 mph (90 km/h)
J up to 62 mph (100 km/h)
K up to 68 mph (110 km/h)
L up to 74 mph (120 km/h)
M up to 80 mph (130 km/h)
N up to 87 mph (140 km/h)
P up to 93 mph (150 km/h)
Q up to 100 mph (160 km/h)
R over 106 mph (170 km/h)
i
Not all tires that have the M+S identifica-
tion offer the driving characteristics of win-
ter tires. In addition to the M+S marking,
winter tires also have the 004Dsnowflake
symbol on the tire wall. Tires with this mark- ing fulfill the requirements of the Rubber
Manufacturers Association (RMA) and the
Rubber Association of Canada (RAC)
regarding the tire traction on snow. They
have been especially developed for driving
on snow.
Further information on the reading of tire
information can be obtained at any qualified
specialist workshop. Load index In addition to the load-bearing index, load rat-
ing 0043may be imprinted after the letters that
identify speed rating on the sidewall of the tire (Y page 300).
R If no specification is given: no text (as in the
example above), represents a standard
load (SL) tire
R XL or Extra Load: represents a reinforced
tire
R Light Load: represents a light load tire
R C, D, E: represents a load range that
depends on the maximum load that the tire
can carry at a certain pressure
i Tire data is vehicle-specific and may devi-
ate from the data in the example.
Maximum tire load Maximum tire load
0043is the maximum per-
missible weight for which the tire is approved.
Do not overload the tires by exceeding the
specified load limit. The maximum permissi-
ble load can be found on the vehicle's Tire and What you should know about wheels and tires
301Wheels and tires Z
Page 304 of 334

Loading Information placard on the B-pilla
ron
the driver's side (Y page 295).
i The actual values for tires are specific to
each vehicle and may deviate from the val-
ues in the illustration.
DOT, Tire Identification Number (TIN) U.S. tire regulations stipulate that every tire
manufacturer or retreader must imprint a TIN
in or on the sidewall of each tire produced. The TIN is a unique identification number. The
TIN enables the tire manufacturers or retread- ers to inform purchasers of recalls and other
safety-relevant matters. It makes it possible
for the purchaser to easily identify the affec-
ted tires.
The TIN is made up of manufacturer identifi-
cation code 0044, tire size0087, tire type code 0085
and manufacturing date 0083.
DOT (Department of Transportation): tire
symbol 0043indicates that the tire complies
with the requirements of the U.S. Department
of Transportation.
Manufacturer identification code: manu-
facturer identification code 0044provides
details on the tire manufacturer. New tires
have a code with two symbols. Retreaded
tires have a code with four symbols.
Further information about retreaded tires
(Y page 284).
Tire size: identifier0087describes the tire size.
Tire type code: tire type code0085can be used
by the manufacturer as a code to describe
specific characteristics of the tire. Date of manufacture:
date of manufacture
0083 provides information about the age of a
tire. The first and second positions represent the week of manufacture, starting with "01"
for the first calendar week. Positions three
and four represent the year of manufacture.
For example, a tire that is marked with
"3208", was manufactured in week 32 in
2008.
i Tire data is vehicle-specific and may devi-
ate from the data in the example.
Tire characteristics This information describes the type of tire
cord and the number of layers in sidewall
0043
and under tire tread 0044.
i Tire data is vehicle-specific and may devi-
ate from the data in the example.
Definitions for tires and loading Tire structure and characteristics
Describes the number of layers or the number
of rubber-coated belts in the tire tread and
the tire wall. These consist of steel, nylon,
polyester, and other materials.
Bar
Metric unit for tire pressure. 14.5038 pounds per square inch (psi) and 100 kilopascals
(kPa) are the equivalent of 1 bar. 302
What you should kno
w about wheels andtiresWheels and tires