2016 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK-Class traction control

curbs, speed humps or similar elevations, try
to do so slowly and at an obtuse angle. Oth-
erwise, the tires, particularly the sidewalls,
may be damaged.
Regular checking of wheels and tires
GWARNING
Damaged tires can cause tire inflation pres-
sure loss. As a result, you could lose control of
your vehicle. There is a risk of accident.
Check the tires regularly for signs of damage
and replace any damaged tires immediately.
Regularly check the wheels and tires of your
vehicle for damage at least once a month, as
well as after driving off-road or on rough
roads. Damaged wheels can cause a loss of
tire pressure. Pay particular attention to dam-
age such as:
Rcuts in the tires
Rpunctures
Rtears in the tires
Rbulges on tires
Rdeformation or severe corrosion on wheels
Regularly check the tire tread depth and the
condition of the tread across the whole width
of the tire (
Ypage 309). If necessary, turn the
front wheels to full lock in order to inspect the
inner side of the tire surface.
All wheels must have a valve cap to protect
the valve against dirt and moisture. Do not
mount anything onto the valve other than the
standard valve cap or other valve caps
approved by Mercedes-Benz for your vehicle.
Do not use any other valve caps or systems,
e.g. tire pressure monitoring systems.
Regularly check the pressure of all the tires
particularly prior to long trips. Adjust the tire
pressure as necessary (
Ypage 311).
Observe the notes on the eme rgency sp
are
wheel (
Ypage 339). The service life of tires depends, among other
things, on the following factors:
RDriving style
RTire pressure
RDistance covered
Notes on tire tread
GWARNING
Insufficient tire tread will reduce tire traction.
The tire is no longer able to dissipate water.
This means that on wet road surfaces, the risk
of hydroplaning increases, in particular where speed is not adapted to suit the driving con-
ditions. There is a risk of accident.
If the tire pressure is too high or too low, tires
may exhibit different levels of wear at differ-
ent locations on the tire tread. Thus, you
should regularly check the tread depth and
the condition of the tread across the entire
width of all tires.
Minimum tire tread depth for:
RSummer tires: âin (3 mm)
RM+S tires: ãin (4 mm)
For safety reasons, replace the tires before
the legally prescribed limit for the minimum
tire tread depth is reached.
Marking :shows where the bar indicator for
tread wear (arrow) is integrated into the tire
tread.
Treadwear indicators (TWI) are required by
law. Six indicators are positioned on the tire
tread. They are visible once a tread depth of
Operation309
Wheels and tires
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approximatelyáin(1.6 mm )ha sbeen
re ached. If this is the case, the tire is so worn
that it must be replaced.
Selecting, mounting and replacing
tires
ROnly mount tires and wheels of the same
type and make.
Exception: it is permissible to install a dif-
ferent type or make in the event of a flat
tire. Observe the "MOExtended tires (tires
with run-flat characteristics" section
(
Ypage 291).
ROnly mount tires of the correct size onto
the wheels.
RBreak in new tires at moderate speeds for
the first 60 miles (100 km). They only reach
their full performance after this distance.
RDo not drive with tires which have too little
tread depth, as this significantly reduces
the traction on wet roads (hydroplaning).
RReplace the tires after six years at the lat-
est, regardless of wear.
MOExtended tires (tires with run-flat
properties)
With MOExtended tires (tires with run flat
characteristics), you can continue to drive
your vehicle even if there is a total loss of
pressure in one or more tires.
MOExtended tires may only be used in con-
junction with an active tire pressure loss
warning system or with an active tire pressure monitor and on wheels specifically tested by
Mercedes-Benz.
Notes on driving with MOExtended tires with
a flat tire (
Ypage 291).
iVehicles equipped with MOExtended tires
are not equipped with a TIREFIT kit at the
factory. It is therefore recommended that
you additionally equip your vehicle with a
TIREFIT kit if you mount tires that do not
feature run-flat properties, e.g. winter tires. A TIREFIT kit can be obtained from a quali-
fied specialist workshop.
Winter operation
General notes
Have your vehicle winter-proofed at a quali-
fied specialist workshop at the onset of win-
ter.
Observe the notes in the "Changing a wheel"
section (
Ypage 330).
Driving with summer tires
At temperatures below 45
‡(+7 †), summer
tires lose elasticity and therefore traction and
braking power. Change the tires on your vehi-
cle to M+S tires. Using summer tires at very
cold temperatures could cause cracks to
form, thereby damaging the tires perma-
nently. Mercedes-Benz cannot accept
responsibility for this type of damage.
GWARNING
Damaged tires can cause tire inflation pres-
sure loss. As a result, you could lose control of
your vehicle. There is a risk of accident.
Check the tires regularly for signs of damage
and replace any damaged tires immediately.
M+S tires
GWARNING
M+S tires with a tire tread depth of less than
ã in (4 mm) are not suitable for use in winter
and do not provide sufficient traction. There is
a risk of an accident.
M+S tires with a tread depth of less than ãin
(4 mm) must be replaced immediately.
At temperatures below 45 ‡(+7 †), use win-
ter tires or all-season tires. Both types of tire
are identified by the M+S marking.
Only winter tires bearing the isnowflake
symbol in addition to the M+S marking pro-
310Winter operation
Wheels and tires

vide the best possible grip in wintry road con-
ditions.
Only these tires will allow driving safety sys-
tems such as ABS and ESP
®to function opti-
mally in winter. These tires have been devel-
oped specifically for driving in snow.
Use M+S tires of the same make and tread on all wheels to maintain safe handling charac-
teristics.
Always observe the maximum permissible
speed specified for the M+S tires you have
mounted.
When you have mounted the M+S tires:
XCheck the tire pressures (Ypage 315).
XVehicles for Canada: restart the tire pres-
sure loss warning system (
Ypage 315).
XRestart the tire pressure monitor
(
Ypage 316).
Information about driving with an emergency
spare wheel (
Ypage 339).
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 a risk 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.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only use snow chains that
have been specially approved for your vehicle
by Mercedes-Benz, or are of a corresponding
standard of quality. For more information,
please contact a qualified specialist work-
shop. If you intend to mount snow chains, please
bear the following points in mind:
RSnow chains may not be mounted on all
wheel/tire combinations. Permissible
wheel-tire combinations (
Ypage 335).
ROnly use snow chains when driving on
roads completely covered by snow.
Remove the snow chains as soon as possi-
ble when you come to a road that is not
snow-covered.
RLocal regulations may restrict the use of
snow chains. Observe the appropriate reg-
ulations if you wish to install snow chains.
RDo not exceed the maximum permissible
speed of 30 mph (50 km/h).
You may wish to deactivate ESP
®when pull-
ing away with snow chains installed
(
Ypage 66). You can thereby allow the wheels
to spin in a controlled manner, achieving an
increased driving force (cutting action).
Information about driving with an emergency
spare wheel (
Ypage 339).
Tire pressure
Tire pressure specifications
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 a risk of an accident.
Tire pressure311
Wheels and tires
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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
GWARNING
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 a wet surface 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 ãin (4 mm) on all four winter
tires. Observe the legally required minimum
tire tread depth (
Ypage 309). Winter tires can
reduce the braking distance on snow-covered
surfaces in comparison with summer tires.
The braking distance is still much further than on surfaces that are not icy or covered with
snow. Take appropriate care when driving.
Further information on winter tire
s (
M+S
tires) (
Ypage 310).
Temperature
GWARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is estab-
lished for a tire that is properly inflated and
not overloaded. Excessive speed, underinfla-
tion, or excessive loading, either separately or
in combination, can cause excessive heat
build-up and possible tire failure.
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B,
and C. These represent the tire's resistance
to the generation of heat and its ability to dis-
sipate heat when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified indoor laboratory
test wheel. Sustained high temperature can
cause the material of the tire to degenerate
and reduce tire life, and excessive tempera-
ture can lead to sudden tire failure. The grade
C corresponds to a level of performance
which all passenger car tires must meet under
the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
No. 109. Grades B and A represent higher
levels of performance on the laboratory test
wheel than the minimum required by law.
All about wheels an d tires323
Wheels and tires
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