XStart the engine.
XBefore disconnecting the jumper cables, let the engine run for several minutes.
XFirst disconnect the jump lead from negative terminal0085and negative terminal 0087and then
from positive terminal 0043and positive terminal 0044. Begin each time at the contacts on your
own vehicle first.
XAttach the protective cover to positive terminal 0043.
XHave the battery checked at a qualified specialist workshop.
iJump-starting is not considered to be a normal operating condition.
iJumper cables and further information regarding jump starting can be obtained at any
qualified specialist workshop.
Towing and tow-starting
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Functions relevant to safety are restricted or no longer available if:
Rthe engine is not running
Rthe brake system or the power steering is
malfunctioning
Rthere is a malfunction in the power sup-
ply or the vehicle's electrical system
When your vehicle is towed away or towed
started, you may require considerably more
effort to steer and brake. There is a risk of
an accident.
In such cases, use a tow bar. Before being
towed away or tow started, make sure the
steering moves freely.
GWARNING
You can no longer steer the vehicle if the
steering wheel lock has been engaged.
There is a risk of an accident.
Always switch off the ignition when towing the vehicle with a tow cable or a tow bar.
GWARNING
When towing or tow-starting another vehi-
cle and its weight is greater than the per-
missible gross weight of your vehicle, the:
Rthe towing eye could detach itself
Rthe vehicle/trailer combination could
rollover.
There is a risk of an accident.
When towing or tow-starting another vehi-
cle, its weight should not be greater than
the permissible gross weight of your vehi-
cle.
Information on your vehicle's gross vehicle
weight rating can be found on the vehicle
identification plate (
Ypage 205).
!Do not use the towing eyes for recovery
purposes as this could damage the vehicle.
If in doubt, recover the vehicle with a
crane.
!Drive slowly and smoothly when towing.
Excessive tractive power could otherwise
damage the vehicles.
!Do not tow with sling-type equipment.
This could damage the vehicle.
!The vehicle can be towed a maximum of
30 miles (50km). The towing speed of 30 mph (50 km/h) must not be exceeded.
If the vehicle has to be towed more than
30 miles (50km), the entire vehicle must be
raised and transported.
!Vehicles with automatic transmission
must not be started by tow-starting. This
could otherwise damage the transmission.
170Towing and tow-starting
>> Breakdown assistance.
tains details of the tire sizes and corre-
sponding 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 gross vehicle weight rating. It is
made up of the vehicle weight, all vehicle
occupants, 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). Never
exceed the maximum load or the maximum gross axle weight rating for the front or
rear axle.
0043B-pillar, driver's side
Maximum permissible gross vehicle
weight rating
XSpecification for maximum gross vehicle
weight 0043is listed in the Tire and Loading
Information placard: "The combined
weight of occupants and cargo should never
exceed XXX kilograms or XXX lbs." The gross weight of all vehicle occupants,
load and luggage must not exceed the speci-
fied value.
iThe specifications shown on the Tire and
Loading Information placard in the illus-
tration are examples. The maximum per-
missible gross vehicle weight rating is
vehicle-specific and may differ from that
in the illustration. You can find the valid
maximum permissible gross vehicle weight
rating for your vehicle on the Tire and
Loading Information placard.
Number of seats
Maximum number of seats 0043indicates the
maximum number of occupants allowed to
travel in the vehicle. This information can be
found on the Tire and Loading Information
placard.
iThe specifications shown on the Tire and
Loading Information placard in the illus-
tration are examples. 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 Load-
ing Information placard.
Determining the correct load limit
Step-by-step instructions
The following steps have been developed as
required of all manufacturers under Title 49,
Code of U.S. Federal Regulations, Part 575
pursuant to the "National Traffic and Motor
Vehicle Safety Act of 1966".
XStep 1: Locate the statement "The combined
weight of occupants and cargo should never
186Loading the vehicle
>> Wheels and tires.
exceed XXX kg or XXX lbs." on your vehicle’s
Tire and Loading Information placard.
XStep 2:Determine the combined weight of
the driver and passengers that will be rid-
ing in your vehicle.
XStep 3: Subtract the combined weight of the
driver and passengers from XXX kilograms
or XXX lbs.
XStep 4: The resulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and luggage load capacity. For example: at a sum “XXX” of
1400 lbs and five occupants each weighing
150 lbs, the amount of available cargo and
luggage load capacity is 650 lbs (1400 - 750
(5 x 150) = 650 lbs).
XStep 5: Determine the combined weight of
luggage and cargo being loaded on the
vehicle. That weight may not safely exceed
the available cargo and luggage load capa-
city calculated in step 4.
Loading the vehicle187
>> Wheels and tires.
Z
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 185).
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 Infor-
mation 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 occupantsOccupant 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)
188Loading the vehicle
>> Wheels and tires.
Step 3
Example 1Example 2Example 3
Permissible load (max-
imum gross vehicle
weight rating from the
Tire and Loading Infor-
mation placard minus
the gross weight of all
occupants)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)
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 185).
Permissible gross vehicle weight: the gross
weight of the vehicle, all passengers, load
and trailer load/noseweight (if applicable)
must not exceed the permissible gross vehi-
cle weight.
Gross axle weight rating: the maximum per-
missible weight 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.
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 reli-
able information on tire performance data.
Tire manufacturers have to grade tires using
three performance factors: 0043tread wear
grade, 0044traction grade and 0087temperature
grade. These regulations do not apply to Can-
ada. 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 the tread
shoulder and maximum tire width.
Example:
RTreadwear grade: 200
RTraction grade:AA
RTemperature grade: A
All about wheels and tires189
>> Wheels and tires.
Z
Rubber Association of Canada (RAC)
regarding the tire traction on snow. They
have been especially developed for driving
on snow.
An electronic speed limiter prevents your
vehicle from exceeding a speed of 130 mph
(210 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 200).
Further information about reading tire data
can be obtained from any qualified special-
ist workshop.
Load index
In addition to the load-bearing index, load
rating 0043may also be imprinted on the side-
wall of the tire. This is located after the let-
ters that identify the speed rating
(
Ypage 191).
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
deviate from the data in the example.
Maximum load rating
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 permis-
sible load can be found on the vehicle's Tire
and Loading Information placard on the
B-pillar on the driver's side (
Ypage 185).
iThe actual values for tires are vehicle-
specific and may deviate from the values in
the illustration.
DOT, Tire Identification Number (TIN)
U.S tire regulations prescribe that every tire
manufacturer or retreader must imprint a TIN
in or on the sidewall of every 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 identi-
fication code 0044, tire size0087, tire type
code 0085and manufacturing date 0083.
All about wheels and tires193
>> Wheels and tires.
Z
DOT (Department of Transportation):tire
symbol 0043indicates that the tire complies
with the requirements of the U.S. Department
of Transportation.
Manufacturer identification code: manufac-
turer identification code 0044provides
details on the tire manufacturer. New tires
have a code with two symbols. Retreaded tires
have a code with four symbols.
For further information about retreaded
tires, see (
Ypage 200).
Tire size: identifier 0087describes 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 manufacture0083
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.
iTire data is vehicle-specific and may
deviate 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.
iTire data is vehicle-specific and may
deviate from the data in the example.
Definition of terms for tires and loading
Tire ply composition and material used
Describes the number of plies or the number
of layers of rubber-coated fabric in the tire
tread and sidewall. These are made 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.
DOT (Department of Transportation)
DOT marked tires fulfill the requirements of
the United States Department of Transporta-
tion.
Normal occupant weight
The number of occupants for which the vehicle
is designed multiplied by 68 kilograms
(150 lbs).
Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards
A uniform standard to grade the quality of
tires with regards to tread quality, tire trac-
tion and temperature characteristics. The
quality grading assessment is made by the
manufacturer following specifications from
the U.S. government. 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
contains the recommended tire pressures for
cold tires on a fully loaded vehicle and for
the maximum permissible vehicle speed.
The tire pressure table contains the recom-
mended pressures for cold tires for various
operating conditions, i.e. differing load and
speed conditions.
Increased vehicle weight due to optional
equipment
The combined weight of all standard and
optional equipment available for the vehi-
cle, regardless of whether it is actually
installed on the vehicle or not.
194All about wheels and tires
>> Wheels and tires.
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 identi-
fication. 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, lug-
gage and the drawbar noseweight, if appli-
cable. The gross vehicle weight must not
exceed the gross vehicle weight rating GVWR
as specified on the vehicle 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, occu-
pants, fuel, luggage and the drawbar nose-
weight, 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:
Rthe curb weight of the vehicle
Rthe weight of the accessories
Rthe load limit
Rthe 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 equiva-
lent of 1 bar.
Load index
In addition to the load-bearing index, the
load index may also be imprinted on the side-
wall of the tire. This specifies the load-
bearing capacity more precisely.
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-con-
ditioning 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 per-
missible weight in kilograms or pounds 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
This is pressure inside the tire applying an
outward force to each square inch of the tire'ssurface. 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:
Rif the vehicle has been parked with the
tires out of direct sunlight for at least
three hours and
Rif the vehicle has not been driven further
than 1 mile (1.6 km)
All about wheels and tires195
>> Wheels and tires.
Z