2016 MERCEDES-BENZ C CLASS Owners Manual

tire load rating and speed rating required for
your vehicle.
C
Tire widthD
Nominal aspect ratio in %

the size description, depending on the man-
ufacturer (e.g. 245/40 ZR18).
The service specification is made up of load-
bearing index

Maximum tire load C is the maximum permis-
sible weight for which the tire is approved.
Do not overload the tires by exceeding the
specified load limit. The maximum permissible
load can be found on the vehicle's Tire and
Loading Information placard on the B-pillar on
the driver's side ( Y
page 370).
i The actual values for tires are vehicle-spe-
cific and may deviate from the values in the
illustration.
DOT, Tire Identification Number (TIN) US tire regulations stipulate that every tire man-
ufacturer 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 retreaders
to inform purchasers of recalls and other safety-
relevant matters. It makes it possible for the
purchaser to easily identify the affected tires.
The TIN is made up of manufacturer identifica-
tion code D , tire size

Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards A uniform standard to grade the quality of tires
with regards to tread quality, tire traction and
temperature characteristics. The quality grad-
ing assessment is made by the manufacturer
following specifications from the U.S. govern-
ment. The ratings are molded into the sidewall of
the tire.
Recommended tire pressures The recommended tire pressure applies to the
tires mounted at the factory.
The Tire and Loading Information placard con-
tains the recommended tire pressures for cold
tires on a fully loaded vehicle and for the maxi-
mum permissible vehicle speed.
The tire pressure table contains the recommen-
ded pressures for cold tires for various operat-
ing conditions, i.e. differing load and speed con-
ditions.
Increased vehicle weight due to optional
equipment The combined weight of all standard and
optional equipment available for the vehicle,
regardless of whether it is actually installed on
the vehicle or not.
Rim This is the part of the wheel on which the tire is
mounted.
GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating) The GAWR is the maximum gross axle weight
rating. The actual load on an axle must never
exceed the gross axle weight rating. The gross
axle weight rating can be found on the vehicle
identification plate on the B-pillar on the driver's
side.
Speed rating
The speed rating is part of the tire identification.
It specifies the speed range for which the tire is
approved.
GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight)
The gross vehicle weight includes the weight of
the vehicle including fuel, tools, the spare wheel,
accessories installed, occupants, luggage and
the drawbar noseweight, if applicable. The gross
vehicle weight must not exceed the gross vehi-
cle weight rating GVWR as specified on the vehi-
cle identification plate on the B-pillar on the
driver's side. GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) The GVWR is the maximum permissible gross
weight of a fully loaded vehicle (the weight of the
vehicle including all accessories, occupants,
fuel, luggage and the drawbar n oseweight, if
applicable). The gross vehicle weight rating is
specified on the vehicle identification plate on
the B-pillar on the driver's side.
Maximum loaded vehicle weight The maximum weight is the sum of: R
the curb weight of the vehicle R
the weight of the accessories R
the load limit R
the weight of the factory installed optional
equipment
Kilopascal (kPa) Metric unit for tire pressure. 6.9 kPa corre-
sponds to 1 psi. Another unit for tire pressure is
bar. 100 kilopascals (kPa) are the equivalent of
1 bar.
Load index In addition to the load-bearing index, the load
index may also be imprinted on the sidewall of
the tire. This specifies the load-bearing capacity
more precisely.
Curb weight The weight of a vehicle with standard equipment
including the maximum capacity of fuel, oil and
coolant. It also includes the air-conditioning sys-
tem and optional equipment if these are instal-
led in the vehicle, but does not include passen-
gers or luggage.
Maximum load rating
The maximum tire load is the maximum permis-
sible weight in kilograms or lbs for which a tire is
approved.
Maximum permissible tire pressure
Maximum permissible tire pressure for one tire.
Maximum load on one tire
Maximum load on one tire. This is calculated by
dividing the maximum axle load of one axle by
two.378
All about wheels and tires
Wheels and tires

PSI (pounds per square inch) A standard unit of measure for tire pressure.
Aspect ratio Relationship between tire height and tire width
in percent.
Tire pressure This is pressure inside the tire applying an out-
ward force to each square inch of the tire's sur-
face. The tire pressure is specified in pounds per
square inch (psi), in kilopascal (kPa) or in bar.
The tire pressure should only be corrected when
the tires are cold.
Cold tire pressure The tires are cold: R
if the vehicle has been parked with the tires
out of direct sunlight for at least three hours
and R
if the vehicle has not been driven further than
1 mile (1.6 km)
Tread The part of the tire that comes into contact with
the road.
Bead The tire bead ensures that the tire sits securely
on the wheel. There are several steel wires in the
bead to prevent the tire from coming loose from
the wheel rim.
Sidewall The part of the tire between the tread and the
bead.
Weight of optional extras
The combined weight of those optional extras
that weigh more than the replaced standard
parts and more than 5 lbs (2.3 kg). These
optional extras, such as high-performance
brakes, level control, a roof rack or a high-per-
formance battery, are not included in the curb
weight and the weight of the accessories.
TIN (Tire Identification Number)
This is a unique identifier which can be used by
a tire manufacturer to identify tires, for example
for a product recall, and thus identify the pur-
chasers. The TIN is made up of the manufactur-
er's identity code, tire size, tire type code and
the manufacturing date. Load bearing index The load bearing index (also load index) is a code
that contains the maximum load bearing capa-
city of a tire.
Traction Traction is the result of friction between the tires
and the road surface.
Treadwear indicators Narrow bars (tread wear bars) that are distrib-
uted over the tire tread. If the tire tread is level
with the bars, the wear limit of

Tire-mounting tools should not be used near
the valve. This could damage the electronic
components.
Only have tires changed at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Always observe the instructions and safety
notes in the "Mounting a wheel" section
( Y
page 380).
The wear patterns on the front and rear tires
differ, depending on the operating conditions.
Rotate the wheels before a clear wear pattern
has formed on the tires. Front tires typically
wear more on the shoulders and the rear tires in
the center.
On vehicles that have the same size front and
rear wheels, you can rotate the wheels accord-
ing to the intervals in the tire manufacturer's
warranty book in your vehicle documents. If no
warranty book is available, the tires should be
rotated every 3,000 to 6,000 miles (5,000 to
10,000 km). Earlier may be necessary, depend-
ing on the degree of tire wear. Do not change the
direction of wheel rotation.
Clean the contact surfaces of the wheel and the
brake disc thoroughly every time a wheel is rota-
ted. Check the tire pressure and, if necessary,
restart the tire pressure loss warning system
( Y
page 367) or the tire pressure monitor
( Y
page 369).
Direction of rotation Tires with a specified direction of rotation have
additional benefits, e.g. if there is a risk of hydro-
planing. These advantages can only be gained if
the tires are installed corresponding to the
direction of rotation.
An arrow on the sidewall of the tire indicates its
correct direction of rotation.
Storing wheels Store wheels that are not being used in a cool,
dry and preferably dark place. Protect the tires
from oil, grease, gasoline and diesel. Mounting a wheel
Preparing the vehicle X
Stop the vehicle on solid, non-slippery and
level ground. X
Apply the electric parking brake manually. X
Bring the front wheels into the straight-ahead
position. X
Shift the transmission to position P .X
Make sure that the vehicle level is set to "Nor-
mal" on vehicles with AIRMATIC ( Y
page 196).X
Switch off the engine. X
Vehicles without KEYLESS-GO: remove the
SmartKey from the ignition lock. X
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO start-function
or KEYLESS-GO: open the driver's door.
The on-board electronics now have status 0 .
This is the same as the SmartKey having been
removed. X
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO start-function
or KEYLESS-GO: remove the Start/Stop but-
ton from the ignition lock ( Y
page 146).X
Make sure that the engine cannot be started
via your smartphone ( Y
page 149).X
If included in the vehicle equipment, remove
the tire-change tool kit from the vehicle. X
Safeguard the vehicle against 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 343).
The folding wheel chock is an additional safety
measure to prevent the vehicle from rolling
away, for example when changing a wheel.380
Changing a wheel
Wheels and tires

X
Fold both plates upwards C .X
Fold out lower plate D .X
Guide the lugs on the lower plate fully into the
openings in base plate

Vehicles with aluminum hub cap: X
To remove: take socket D and lug wrench