Regular checking of wheels and tires
GWARNING
Damaged tires can cause tire inflation
pressure loss. As a result, you could lose
control of your vehicle. There is a risk of
accident.
Check the tires regularly for signs of dam- age and replace any damaged tires imme-
diately.
Regularly check the wheels and tires of your
vehicle for damage, at least once a month, as
well as after driving on rough roads. Damaged
wheels can cause a loss of tire pressure. Pay
particular attention to damage such as:
Rcuts in the tires
Rpunctures in the tires
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 178). 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 fit
anything onto the valve other than the stand-
ard valve cap or other valve caps approved for
your vehicle by smart. Do not use any other
valve caps or systems, e.g. tire pressure mon-
itoring systems.
Regularly check the pressure of all the tires
particularly prior to long trips. Adjust the
tire pressure as necessary (
Ypage 180).
The service life of tires depends, among
other things, on the following factors:
RDriving style
RTire pressure
RDistance covered
Notes on tire profile
GWARNING
Insufficient tire tread will reduce tire
traction. The tire is no longer able to dis-
sipate water. This means that on wet road
surfaces, the risk of hydroplaning increa-
ses, in particular where speed is not adap- ted to suit the driving conditions. There is
a risk of accident.
If the tire pressure is too high or too low,
tires may exhibit different levels of wear
at different 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: 00CEin (3 mm)
RM+S tires: 00CFin (4 mm)
For safety reasons, replace the tires before
the legally prescribed limit for the mini-
mum tire tread depth is reached.
Indicator 0043shows which position the bar
marking (arrow) for tread wear 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
approximately 00CDin (1.6 mm) has been
reached. 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 fit a dif-
ferent type or make in the event of a flat
tire.
ROnly mount tires of the correct size onto the
wheels.
178Operation
>> 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
Tire labeling
Overview of tire labeling
0043Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standard
(Ypage 194)
0044DOT, Tire Identification Number
(Ypage 193)
0087Maximum tire load (Ypage 193)
0085Maximum tire pressure (Ypage 182)
0083Manufacturer
0084Tire material (Ypage 194)
006BTire size designation, load-bearing
capacity and speed rating (Ypage 191)
006CLoad index (Ypage 193)
006DTire name
The markings described above are on the tire
in addition to the tire name (sales designa-
tion) and the manufacturer's name.
iTire data is vehicle-specific and may
deviate from the data in the example.
Tire size designation, load-bearing
capacity and speed rating
GWARNING
Exceeding the stated tire load-bearing
capacity and the approved maximum speed
could lead to tire damage or the tire burst- ing. There is a risk of accident.
Therefore, only use tire types and sizes
approved for your vehicle model. Observe
the tire load rating and speed rating
required for your vehicle.
0043Tire width
0044Nominal aspect ratio in %
0087Tire code
0085Rim diameter
0083Load bearing index
0084Speed rating
General: depending on the manufacturer's
standards, the size imprinted in the tire wall may not contain any letters or may contain one
letter that precedes the size description.
If there is no letter preceding the size
description (as shown above): these are
passenger vehicle tires according to Euro-
pean manufacturing standards.
If "P" precedes the size description: these
are passenger vehicle tires according to U.S.
manufacturing standards.
If "LT" precedes the size description: these
are light truck tires according to U.S. man-
ufacturing standards.
If "T" precedes the size description: compact
emergency wheels with high tire pressure
that are only designed for temporary use in an
emergency.
Tire width: tire width0043shows the nominal
tire width in millimeters.
Height-width ratio: aspect ratio0044is 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 code0087specifies the tire
type. "R" represents radial tires; "D" repre-
sents diagonal tires; "B" represents diago-
nal radial tires.
All about wheels and tires191
>> Wheels and tires.
Z
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
Vehicle data
General notes
Please note that for the specified vehicle
data:
RThe heights specified may vary as a result
of:
-Tires
-Load
-Condition of the suspension
-Optional equipment
ROptional equipment reduces the maximum
payload.
You can find the correct values for your model
with the help of the VIN on the vehicle iden-
tification plate (
Ypage 205).
Dimensions and weights
Model0043
Opening height
All models73.0 in
(1855 mm)
All models
Vehicle length106.1 in
(2695 mm)
Vehicle width
including exterior
mirrors74.5 in
(1893 mm)
Vehicle width with-
out exterior mir-
rors65.4 in
(1663 mm)
All models
Vehicle height61.2 in
(1555 mm)
Wheelbase73.7 in
(1873 mm)
Turning radius22.8 ft
(6.95 m)
Maximum trunk load165 lb
(75.0 kg)
Maximum tailgate
load220 lb
(100.0 kg)
Vehicle width excluding exterior mirrors for
vehicles equipped with wheel trims 65.8 in
(1672 mm).
212Vehicle data
>> Technical data.