RDo not drive with tireswhich have too little
trea ddepth,ast hissignificantl yreduce sthe
tractio nonw etroads (hydroplaning).
RReplace the tire safter 6y ears at the latest,
regardless of wear .Thisa lsoa pplies to the
spar ewheel .
Operatio ninwinter
General notes
Hav eyourv ehicl ewinterproofed at aquali fied
specialis tworkshop at the onse tofwinter.
Onlyu sewheels with tire sizes approved by
Mercedes-Benz.
Prior to the onse tofwinter, ensur ethats now
chains ar estowed in the vehicl e(
Ypage 270).
Snow chains canno tbem ounted on al lwheel /
tire combinations. Observe the restrictions on
the us eofsnow chains under "Wheel/tir ecom-
binations" (
Ypage 291).
Als oo bserve the note sinthe "Changing a
wheel" sectio n(
Ypage 286).
Driving with summe rtires
At temperatures belo w45‡(+7 †),summer
tire slos ee last icity and therefore tractio nand
braking power. Chang ethe tire sonyourvehicle
to M+S tire s. Usingsumme rtires at very cold
temperatures could cause tears to form,
thereby damaging the tires permanently.
Mercedes-Benz cannot accept responsibility for
this type of damage.
M+S tires
GWARNING
Wheel and tire dimensions as wel lasthe type
of tire can vary betwee nthe spare whee land
the whee ltobereplaced. When the spare
whee lismounted, driving characteristics may
be severelya ffected. There is arisk of an acci-
dent.
In order to reduce risks:
Ryou should therefore adapt you rdriving
style and drive carefully.
Rnever mount more than one spare wheel
that differs from the whee ltobereplaced.
Ronly use aspare whee lthat differs from the
whee ltober eplaced for ashort time.
Rhave aspare whee lthat differs from the
whee lthat has been changed replaced at
the nearest qualified specialist workshop.
You must observe the correct whee land
tire dimensions as wel lasthe whee ltype.
GWARNING
M+S tires with atire tread depth of less than
ã in (4 mm) are not suitable for use in winter
and do not provid esufficient traction. There is
ar isk of an accident.
M+S tires with atread depth of less than ãin
(4 mm) must be replaced immediately.
Use winter tires or all-season tires at tempera-
tures below4 5‡(+7 †). Both types of tire are
identified by the M+S marking.
Only winter tires bearing the isnowflake
symbo linaddition to the M+S marking provide
the best possible grip in wintry road conditions.
Only these tires wil lallow driving safety systems
such as ABS and ESP
®to function optimally in
winter. These tires have been developed specif-
ically for driving in snow.
For safe driving, use M+S tires of the same make
and tread pattern on all wheels.
Always observe the maximu mpermissible
speed specified for the M+S tires you have
mounted.
If you mount M+S tires that have alower maxi-
mum permissibl espeed than the maximum
design speed of the vehicle, affix acorrespond-
ing warning label in the driver' sfieldofv ision.
You can obtai nthis at aqualified specialist work-
shop.
Once you have mounted the winter tires:
XCheck the tire pressure (Ypage 270).
XRestart the tire pressure monitor
(Ypage 277).
Operation in winter269
Wheel sand tires
Z
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 arisk of an accident.
To avoid hazardous situations:
Rnever install snow chains to the front
wheels
Ralways install snow chains in pairs to the
rear wheels.
GWARNING
If you drive too fast with snow chains moun-
ted, they may snap. As aresult, you could
injure others and damage the vehicle. There is
ar isk of an accident.
Observe the maximum permissible speed for
operation with snow chains.
Observe the country-specific laws and regula-
tions for operation with snow chains.
!Check the snow chains for damage before
mounting them. Damaged or worn snow
chains may snap and damage the following
components:
Rwheel
Rwheel housing
Rwheel suspension
For this reason, you must use only snow
chains that are free of defects. Observe the
manufacturer's mounting instructions.
!Vehicles with steel wheels: if you mount
snow chains on steel wheels, you may dam-
age the hub caps. Remove the hub caps from
the relevant wheels before mounting the
snow chains.
Snow chains increase traction on roads in wintry conditions.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only use snow chains or traction
aids which have been approved for Mercedes-
Benz vehicles. The snow chains or traction aids
must be of class Uormeet the SAE type U
specification. Information about snow chains can be obtained
from any Mercedes-Benz Commercial Van Cen-
ter.
When mounting snow chains, please bear the
following points in mind:
RSnow chains cannot be mounted on all
wheel/tire combinations
.When mounting the
snow chains, note the permissible tire and
snow chain dimensions. Observe the restric-
tions on the use of snow chains under
"Wheel/tire combinations "(
Ypage 291).
RMount snow chains only in pairs and only to
the rear wheels. Observe the manufacturer's
mounting instructions.
ROnly use snow chains when the road is cov-
ered byalaye rofs now. Remove the snow
chains as soon as possible when you come to
ar oad that is not snow-covered.
RThe use of snow chains may be restricted by
local regulations. Observe the appropriate
regulations before mounting snow chains.
RWhen driving with snow chains installed, do
not exceed the maximum permissible speed
of 30 mph (50 km/h).
RCheck the tension of the chains after adis-
tance of approximately 0.5 miles (1.0 km).
You may wish to deactivate ESP
®when pulling
away with snow chains installed (Ypage 64).
This allowst he wheels to spin in acontrolled
manner, achieving an increased driving force
(cut tinga ction).
Tire pressure
Tire pressures pecifications
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Underinflated or overinflated tires pose the
following risks:
Rthe tires may burst, especially as the load
and vehicle speed increase.
Rthe tires may wear excessively and/or
unevenly, which may greatly impair tire
traction.
Rthe driving characteristics, as well as steer-
ing and braking, may be greatly impaired.
There is arisk of an accident.
270Tire pressure
Wheels and tires
Follow recommendedtire inflation pressures
and check the pressure of al lthe tires includ-
ing the spare wheel:
Rmonthly, at least
Rif the loa dchanges
Rbefore beginning along journey
Runder different operating conditions, e.g.
off-roadd riving
If necessary ,correct the tire pressure.
GWARNING
If yo ufit unsuitable accessories onto tire
valves, the tire valves may be overloaded and
malfunction, which can cause tire pressure
loss. Due to thei rdesign, retrofitted tire pres-
sur em onitors 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 cap sapproved by Mercedes-Benz for
your vehicle onto the tire valve.
!The pressure difference between tires on
any one axl emustb enog reater than 10 kPa
(0.1 bar/1.5 psi).
iThe specifications shownont he sample Tire
and Loading Information placard and tire
pressure tabl eare examples. Tir epressure
data are vehicle-specific and may deviate
from the data illustrate dhere .The tire pres-
sur especifications that are valid for your vehi-
cle can be found on the Tir eand Loading
Information placard and the tire pressure
tabl eont he vehicle.
HEnvironmental note
Check the tire pressure regularly ,atleast
ever y14d ays.
General notes
You will find information on tire pressure for the
vehicle' sfactory-mounted tires on the plates
described here.
The recommende dtire pressure for various
operating conditions can be found on the Tire
and Loading Information placard on the B-pillar
on the driver's sid eofthe vehicle or on the tire
pressure tabl einside the fue lfiller flap. Furthe
rinformation on tire pressure can be
obtained at aquali fied specialist workshop.
Tire and Loading Informatio nplacard
Example: Tir eand Loading Information placard
The Tir eand Loading Information placard is on
the B-pilla ronthe driver's sid eofthe vehicle.
The Tir eand Loading Information placard con-
tains recommende dtire pressures :for cold
tires .Recommended tire pressures :are valid
for the maximum permissibl eloa da nd up to the
maximum permissibl espeed of the vehicle.
Tire pressure271
Wheels and tires
Z
Important notes on tire pressure
GWARNING
If th etirep ressur edrops repeatedly, th e
wheel, valv eortirem ay be damaged. Tir e
pressur ethatist oolow may result in atire
blow-out .Ther eisar iskofana ccident.
RCheckthe tire for foreign objects .
RCheckwhether th ewhee lislosing air or th e
valv eisl eaking .
If you are unable to rectify th edamage, con-
tac taq ualified specialist workshop.
Use asuitable pressur egage to chec kthe tire
pressure. The outer appearanc eofatired oes
no tp ermit any reliable conclusio nabout th etire
pressure. On vehicles equipped wit hthe elec -
tronic tire pressur emonitor, th etirep ressur e
can be checke dusingthe on-board computer.
The tire temperature and pressur eincreas e
when th evehicl eisinm otion.This is dependen t
on th edriving spee dand th eload.
Therefore, you should only correc ttirep ressur e
when th etires are cold.
The tires are cold:
Rif th evehicl ehas been parked for at least
three hour swithout direct sunligh tonthe
tires ,and
Rif th evehicl ehas no tbeen driven further than
1m ile(1.6 km )
Tire temper aturechanges dependingont he
ambient temperature, driving speeda nd tire
load. If th etiret em peratur echanges by 18 ‡
(10 †), th etirep ressure changes by approx-
imately 10 kP a(0.
1b ar/1.5 psi). Taket hisi n
to
accountw hen checking th epressure of warm
tires. Only correc tthe tirep ressure if it is to olow
for th ecurren toperatin gconditions. If you
check th etirep ressure when th etires are warm,
it results in ahigher value than when th etires
are cold. This is normal. Do no tunde rany cir-
cumstances release th eair in orde rtoadjustthe
pressure to th eprescribed value for col dtires.
The tir epressure would otherwise be to olow.
Observ ethe recommended tir epressure for
col dtires on th etirep ressure table in th efuel
fille rflap. Drivin
gwith tir epressure that is to ohigh or too
low can:
Rshorte nthe servic elife of th etires
Rcaus eincreased tir edamage
Rhave anegativ eeffect on handlingc haracter-
istics and thus th edriving safety (e.g. hydro-
planing)
Underinflated or overinflated tires
Underinflated tires:
GWARNING
Tire swith pressure that is to olow can over-
heat and burs tasaconsequence. In addition,
they also suffer from excessive and/or irreg-
ular wear, whichc an severelyimpair thebrak-
ing properties and th edriving characteristics.
Thereisar isk of an accident.
Avoid tir epressurest hata re to olow in all the
tires, includingt hesparew heel.
Underinflate dtires can:
Rfail from beingo verheated
Radversely affect handling
Rwear excessively and/or unevenly
Rhave an adverse effect on fuel consumption
Overinflated tires
GWARNING
Tire swith excessively high pressure can burst
because they are damage dmoree asily by
road debris, potholes etc. In addition,t hey
also suffer from irregular wear, whichc an
severelyi mpair thebraking properties and the
driving characteristics .Thereisar isk of an
accident.
Avoid tir epressurest hatare to ohigh in all the
tires, includingt hesparew heel.
Overinflated tires can:
Rincreas ethe braking distance
Radversely affect handling
Rwear excessively and/or unevenly
Radversely affect ride comfort
Rbe mores usceptible to damage
Tirep ressure273
Wheels and tires
Z
For further information on displaying the current
tire pressures, referto"Checking the tire pres-
sur eelectronically" (
Ypage 276).
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Each tire, including the spare (ifp rovided),
should be checked at least once amonth
whe ncold and inflated to the pressure rec-
ommended by the vehicle manufacturer on
the Tir eand Loading Information placard on
the driver's doo rB-pilla rort he tire pressure
label on the inside of the fue lfiller flap. If your
vehicle has tires of adifferent size than the
size indicated on the Tir eand Loading Infor-
mation placard or the tire pressure label ,you
should determine the proper tire pressure for
those tires.
As an added safety feature ,you rv ehicle has
bee nequipped with atire pressure monitoring
system (TPMS) that illuminates alow tire pres-
sur etelltal ewheno ne or more of your tires
are significantly underinflated. Accordingly,
whe nthe low tire pressure telltal eillumi nates,
yo us hould stop and check your tires as soon
as possible, and inflate them to the proper
pressure. Driving on asignificantly underin-
flated tire causes the tire to overheata nd can
lea dtot ire failure. Underinflation also
reduce sfue lefficiency and tire treadl ife, and
may affect the vehicle' shandling and stop-
ping ability.
Please note that the TPMSisn otas ubstitute
for proper tire maintenance, and it is the driv-
er's responsibility to maintain correct tire
pressure, even if underinflation has not
reached the level to trigger illumination of the
TPMSl ow tire pressure telltale.
USA only:
You rvehicle has also bee
nequipped with a
TPM
Sm alfunction indicator to indicate if the
system is not operating properly. The TPMS
malfunction indicator is combined with the
low tire pressure telltale. Whe nthe system
detects amalfunction, the warning lamp will
flash for approximately aminute and then
remain continuously illuminated. This
sequence will be repeated ever ytime the vehi-
cle is starte daslong as the malfunction
exists.
Whe nthe malfunction indicator is illuminated,
the system may not be able to detect or signal
low tire pressure as intended. TPMSm alfunc-
tions may occur for avariety of reasons,
including the mounting of incompatible
replacement or alternate tires or wheels on
the vehicle that prevent the TPMSf rom func-
tioning properly. Alway scheck the TPMSm al-
function telltal eafterreplacing one or more
tires or wheels on your vehicle to ensure that the replacement or alternate tires and wheels
allow the TPMStoc ontinuetofunction prop-
erly.
It is the driver's responsibility to set the tire
pressure to the recommende dcold tire pressure
suitabl efor the operating conditions
(
Ypage 270).
Note that the correct tire pressure for the cur-
rent operating conditions mus tfirs tb ep ro-
gramed into the tire pressure monitor. If there is
as ubstantial los sofpressure, the warning
threshol dfor the warning messag eisaligne dto
the reference value sprograme din. Restart the
tire pressure monito rafte radjusting the cold
tire pressure (
Ypage 277). The current pres-
sures are saved as new reference values. This
will ensure that awarning messag ewillo nly
appea rifthe tire pressure drop ssignificantly.
The tire pressure monito rdoesn ot warn yo uifa
tire pressure is incorrect. Observe the notes on
the
recommende dtire pressure (Ypage 270).
The tire pressure monito risnot able to warn you
of as udden los sofpressure, e.g. following pen-
etration by aforeign object. In this event, brake
the vehicle until it comes to astandstill. Avoid
sudden steering movements.
The tire pressure monito rhas ayello wh
warning lamp in the instrument cluster for indi-
cating pressure loss/malfunctions (USA) or
pressure los s(Ca nada). Depending on how the
warning lamp flashesorl ights up ,anunderin-
flated tire or amalfunction in the tire pressure
monito risdisplayed:
Rif the h warning lamp is li tcontinuously,
the tire pressure on one or more tires is sig-
Tire pressure275
Wheels and tires
Z
Tire pressure tables
Vehicle swithag ross vehicle weight of 6,724 lb s(3.05 t)
!The pressure differenc ebetween tire sonany one axl emustbenog reaterthan1 0kPa (0.1 ba r/
1.5 psi).
The following tire pressure values apply to vehicles with:
Rag ross vehicle weight of 6,724 lbs (3.05 t)
Ragross axle weight rating of 3,418 lbs(1,550 kg)on the rear axle and
Rthe tires referredtounder"Wheel and tire combinations" (Ypag e291).
Always observe the notes unde r"Information on tire pressures "(
Ypage270).
The tire pressure for the spare wheelis 340 kPa (3.4 bar/49 psi).
Partiallyladen vehicleFully laden vehicle
Tire sizeFron taxleRear axleFron taxleRear axle
225/55 R17RF270 kPa
(2.7 bar/ 39 psi)270 kPa
(2.7 bar/ 39 psi)300 kPa
(3.0 bar/ 44 psi)310 kPa
(3.1 bar/45 psi)
Loading the vehicle
Instruction labels for tires and loads
GWARNING
Overloaded tires can overheat, causing a
blowout. Overloaded tires can also impair the steering and driving characteristics and lead
to brake failure. There is arisk of accident.
Observe the loa drating of the tires. The load
rating must be at least hal fofthe GAWR of
you rvehicle. Never overload the tires by
exceeding the maximu mload.
Example: Tire and Loading Information placard on
the B-pillar, driver's side
Two instructio nlab elsony ourvehicle show the
maximu mpossibl eload.
(1) Tire and Loading Information placard :is
on the B-pillar on the driver's side .Tire and
Loading Information placard :showst he
permissible numbe rofoccupants and the
maximu mpermissible loa dofthe vehicle. It
also contains details of the tire sizes and
corresponding pressures for tires mounted
at the factory.
(2) The vehicle identification plate is on the B-pillar on the driver's side .The vehicle
identification plate informs you of the per-
missible gross weight. It is made up of the
vehicle weight, al lvehicle occupants, the
fuel and the cargo .You can also find infor-
matio nabout the maximu mGrossAxle
Weight Rating on the front and rear axle.
The maximu mgross axle weight rating is
the maximu mweight that can be carrie dby
one axle (front or rear axle). Do not exceed the permissible gross weight or the maxi-
mum gross axle weight rating for the front
or rear axle.
278Loading the vehicle
Wheels and tires
tire load rating and speedrating required for
your vehicle.
:Tire width
;Nomina laspec trationin%
=Tire code
?Ri md iame ter
ALoadbeari ng index
BSpeed index
Tire width: tire width:shows the nominal tire
width in millimeters.
Aspec tratio: aspect ratio ;is the size ratio
between the tire height and tire width and is
shown in percent. The aspect ratio is calculated
by dividing the tire width by the tire height.
Tire code: tire code=specifie sthe tire type.
"R "r epresents radial tires. "D" represents diag-
ona ltires, "B" represents diagona lradial tires.
Rim diameter: rim diameter?is the diameter
of the bead seat, not the diamete rofthe rim
flange .The rim diamete risspecifie din
inches (in).
Load-bearing index: load-bearing indexAis a
numerical cod ethats pecifie sthe maximum
load-bearing capacity of atire.
Do not overload the tire sbyexceeding the
specifie dloa dlimit .The maximum permissible
load can be found on the vehicle' sTirea nd
Loading Informatio nplacard on the B-pillar on
the driver's side (
Ypage 278).
Example:
The load-bearing index 101 indicates amaxi-
muml oado f1819 lb (825 kg )for the tire .Iftwo
load-bearing indice sarespecified, the first num-
be rspe cifie sthe lo ad-b
earing capacity for single
ti
res, the second the load-bearing capacity for
twi ntires. For furthe rinformation on the maxi-
mumt ire load in kilograms and pounds, see
(
Ypage 283). For furthe
rinformation on the load-bearing
index, see" Loadindex" (
Ypage 283).
Speed rating: speedrating Bspecifie sthe
approved maximum spee dofthe tire.
Regardles softhe spee dindex always observe
the spee dlimit s. Drive carefull yand adap tyou r
drivin gstyle to the trafficc onditions.
iTire data is vehicle-specific and mayd eviate
fromt he data in the example.
IndexSpeed rating
Qup to 100 mph (16 0km/h)
Rup to 106 mph (17 0km/h)
Sup to 112 mph (18 0km/h)
Tup to 118 mph (19 0km/h)
Hup to 130 mph (21 0km/h)
Vup to 149 mph (24 0km/h)
Wup to 168 mph (27 0km/h)
Yup to 186 mph (30 0km/h)
iNot al ltire sthath avet he M+S identification
offer the drivin gcharacteristics of winter
tires. In additio ntothe M+S marking, winter
tire salsoh avet he i snowflake symbo lon
the tire wall .Tires with thism arking fulfill the
requirements of the Rubber Manufacturers
Associatio n(RM A) and the Rubber Associa-
tio nofC anad a( RA C) regarding the tire trac-
tio nons now. They have been especially
developed for drivin gonsnow.
Furtheri nformation on the reading of tire infor-
matio ncan be obtained at any qualified special-
is tw orkshop.
282What yous hould knowabout wheels an dtires
Wheel sand tires
the year of manufacture. For example,atire that
is marked with "3208" wa smanufactured in
week 32 in 2008.
iTire data is vehicle-specific and mayd eviate
fromt he data in the example.
Tire characteristics
Thisinformation describe sthe typ eoftire cord
and the numbe roflayersins idewall :and
under tire tread ;.
iTire data is vehicle-specific and mayd eviate
fromt he data in the example.
Definition sfor tire sand loading
Tire structure and characteristics
Describe sthe numbe roflayer sort he numbe rof
rubber-coated belts in the tire trea dand the tire
wall .These consis tofsteel,nylon, polyester,
and othe rmaterials.
Bar
Metric uni tfor tire pressure. 14.5038 pounds
pe rs quare inch (psi)a nd 100 kilopascal s(kPa)
ar et he equivalent of 1bar.
DO T(De partmen tofTransportation)
DOT marked tire sfulfill the requirements of the
United State sDepartment of Transportation.
Averag eweigh tofv ehicle occupants
The numbe rofoccupants for which the vehicle
is designe dmultiplie dby68k ilograms (15 0lbs).
Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards
Au nifor mstandard to grade the quality of tires
with regar dtotreadquali ty,t ractio nand tem-
peratur echaracteristics .The qualit ygrading
assessment is made by the manufacturer fol-
lowing specifications fromt he U.S government.
The quality grade of atire is imprinted on the
sidewall of the tire.
Recommende dtire pressure
The recommended tire pressures ar ethe pres-
sures specifie dfor the tire smounted on the
vehicl eatthe factory.
The tire and load information table
1contains the
recommende dtire pressures for col dtires, the
maximum permissibl eloa da nd the maximum
permis sibleve
hiclespeed.
The tire pressure table contains the recommen-
de dt ire pressure for col dtiresu nder various
operating conditions ,i.e .loadi ng and/or speed
of the vehicle.
Increase dvehicle weight due to optional
equipment
The combine dweigh tofa llstandard and
optional equipment availabl efor the vehicle,
regardles sofwhether it is actually installe don
the vehicl eornot.
Wheel rim
The part of the whee lonwhich the tire is moun-
ted.
GAWR (Gros sAxleW eight Rating)
GAWRisthe maximum gross axl eweigh trating.
The actual load on an axl emustn eve rexceed
the gross axl eweigh trating .You can fin dthe
maximum gross axl eweigh trating on the B-pillar
on the driver's side (
Ypage 294).
Speed index
The spee dindex is part of the tire identification.
It specifie sthe spee drange for which the tire is
approved.
GTW (Gros sTrailer Weight)
GTWist he tota lofweightofat railer and the
weight of the load ,accessorie setc. on the
trailer.
1Onl yfor vehicles with agross weight of less tha n10,000 lb s(4536 kg).
284What yous hould knowabout wheels an dtires
Wheel sand tires