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 use
a 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 (
Ypage 298).
The greater the combined weight of the occupants, the lower the maximum luggage load.
Step 1
Example 1Example 2Example 3
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)
Step 2
Example 1Example 2Example 3
Number of people in
the vehicle (driver
and occupants)531
Distribution of the
occupantsFront: 2
Rear: 3Front: 1
Rear: 2Front: 1
Weight of the occu-
pantsOccupant 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
occupants750 lbs (340 kg)540 lbs (245 kg)150 lbs (68 kg)
300Loading the vehicle
Wheels and tires
Step 3
Example 1Example 2Example 3
Permissible load
(maximum gross vehi-
cle weight rating from
the Tire and Loading
Information placard
minus the gross
weight of all occu-
pants)1500 lbs (680 kg)Ò
750 lbs (340 kg) =
750 lbs (340 kg)1500 lbs (680 kg) Ò
540 lbs (245 kg)
=960 lbs (435 kg)1500 lbs (680 kg) Ò
150 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
(
Ypage 298).
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.
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: :tread wear grade, ;
traction grade and =temperature 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 tread shoul-
der and maximum section width.
All about wheels and tires301
Wheels and tires
Z
IndexSpeed rating
H M+S1up to 130 mph (210 km/h)
V M+S1up 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 isnowflake 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 the
tire traction on snow. They have been espe-
cially developed for driving on snow.
An electronic speed limiter prevents your
vehicle from exceeding the following speeds:
Rall vehicles (except AMG vehicles):
130 mph (210 km/h)
RAMG vehicles: 155 mph (250 km/h)
RAMG vehicles with Performance Package
(Wagon): 174 mph (280km/ h)
RAMG vehicles with Performance Package
(Sedan): 186 mph (300 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, e.g. when buying new tires. The
required speed rating for your vehicle can be found in the "Tires" section (
Ypage 314).
Further information about reading tire data
can be obtained from any qualified specialist
workshop.
Load index
In addition to the load bearing index, load
index :may be imprinted after the letters
that identify speed index Bon the sidewall of
the tire (
Ypage 303).
RIf no specification is given: no text (as in the
example above), represents a standard
load (SL) tire
RXL or Extra Load: represents a reinforced
tire
RLight Load: represents a light load tire
RC, D, E: represents a load range that
depends on the maximum load that the tire
can carry at a certain pressure
iTire data is vehicle-specific and may devi-
ate from the data in the example.
Maximum load rating
Maximum tire load :is 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-
1Or M+S ifor winter tires.
All about wheels and tires305
Wheels and tires
Z
DOT (Department of Transportation)
DOT-markedtires fulfill th erequirements of
th e U S Departmen tof Transportation .
Normal occupant weigh t
The number of occupant sfo rwhic hth evehi-
cle is designed multiplie dby 68 kilograms
(15 0lbs) .
Unifor mTire Qualit yGrading Standards
A uniform standard to grade th equalit yof
tires wit hregards to tread quality, tire traction
and temperature characteristics .The qualit y
gradin gassessmen tis made by th emanufac -
turer following specification sfrom th eU.S.
government. The ratings are molded into th e
sidewall of th etire.
Recommended tire pressure s
The recommended tire pressur eapplies to
th etires mounted at th efactory.
The Tir eand Loadin gInformation placard con-
tains th erecommended tire pressures fo r
cold tires on afull yloade dvehicl eand fo rth e
maximum permissibl evehicl espeed.
The tire pressur etable contain sth erecom-
mended pressures fo rcold tires fo rvarious
operating conditions, i.e. differin gload and
speed conditions.
Increased vehicle weigh tdu eto optiona l
equipment
The combine dweight of all standard and
optional equipmen tavailable fo rth evehicle,
regardless of whether it is a
ctually installed
on th evehicl eor not.
Ri m
This is th epart of th ewhee lon whic hth etire
is mounted.
GAW R(Gross Axle Weight Rating)
The GAW Ris th emaximum gross axl eweight
rating. The actual load on an axl emus tnever
exceed th egross axl eweight rating. The
gross axl eweight ratin gcan be found on th e
vehicl eidentification plat eon th eB-pillar on
th edriver's side . Speed rating
The speed ratin
gis part of th etire identifica-
tion .It specifies th espeed range fo rwhic hth e
tire is approved.
GV W(Gross Vehicle Weight )
The gross vehicl eweight includes th eweight
of th evehicl eincludin gfuel ,tools ,th espar e
wheel, accessories installed ,occupants, lug-
gage and th edrawbar noseweight ,if applica-
ble. The gross vehicl eweight mus tno texceed
th egross vehicl eweight ratin gGVWR as
specified on th evehicl eidentification plat eon
th eB-pillar on th edriver's side .
GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating)
The GVWR is th emaximum permissibl egross
weight of afull yloade dvehicl e(the weight of
th evehicl eincludin gall accessories, occu-
pants ,fuel, luggage and th edrawbar nose-
weight ,if applicable). The gross vehicl e
weight ratin gis specified on th
eve
hicl eiden -
tification plat eon th eB-pillar on th edriver's
side .
Maximum loaded vehicle weigh t
The maximum weight is th esum of :
Rthecur bweight of th evehicl e
Rtheweight of th eaccessories
Rth eload limi t
Rtheweight of th efactory installed optional
equipmen t
Kilopascal (kPa)
Metric uni tfo rtire pressure. 6. 9kP acorre-
spond sto 1psi .Another uni tfo rtire pressur e
is bar. 10 0kilopascal s(kPa) are th eequiva-
len tof 1bar.
Load index
In addition to th eload-bearin gindex ,th eload
index may also be imprinte don th esidewall of
th etire. This specifies th eload-bearin gcapa-
cit ymor eprecisely.
All about wheels and tires30 7
Wheels and tires
Z
Curb weight
The weight of a vehicle with standard equip-
ment including the maximum capacity of fuel,
oil and coolant. It also includes the air-condi-
tioning system and optional equipment if
these are installed in the vehicle, but does not
include passengers or luggage.
Maximum load rating
The maximum load rating is the maximum
permissible 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.
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
Pressure inside the tire applying an outward
force to every 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 correc-
ted when the tires are cold.
Cold tire pressure
The tires are cold:
Rif the vehicle has been parked without
direct sunlight on the tires for at least three
hours and
Rif 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 t
he 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 2.3 kg (5 lbs). These
optional extras, such as high-performance
brakes, level control, a roof rack or a high-
performance battery, are not included in the
curb weight and the weight of the accesso-
ries.
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 purchasers. The TIN is made up of the
manufacturer'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
capacity of a tire.
Traction
Traction is the result of friction between the
tires and the road surface.
Tread wear indicators
Narrow bars (tread wear bars) that are dis-
tributed over the tire tread. If the tire tread is
level with the bars, the wear limit of áin
(1.6 mm) has been reached.
308All about wheels and tires
Wheels and tires
Dimensions andweights
Missin gvalues wer eno tavailable at time of
going to print .
Model, Sedan:
Openingheight
AMG vehicles68.7 in -69.4 in
(1744 mm -
1764 mm)
E 550 4MATIC
All other model s69.4 in
(1763 mm )
Missing values were not available at time of
going to print.
Model, Wagon:
Max.
headroom
;
Opening height
AMG vehicles82.1 in -82.9 in
(2086 mm - 2106 mm)
All other mod-
els75.8 in
(1925 mm)80.6 in
(2048 mm)
Missing values were not available at time of
going to print.
All models (except
AMG vehicles)
Vehicle length,
Sedan192.1 in (4879 mm)
Vehicle length,
Wagon193.1 in (4905 mm)
Vehicle width
including exterior
mirrors81.5 in (2071 mm)
Wheelbase113.1 in (2874 mm)
Maximum roof load220 lbs (100 kg)
Maximum trunk
load, Sedan220 lbs (100 kg)
Maximum trunk
load, Wagon
Model, Sedan
(except AMG vehi-
cles)Vehicle height
E 550 4MATIC
All other models58.1 in (1477 mm)
Vehicle data345
Technical data
Z