You can find further information under:
R"M+S tires" (Ypage 279)
R"Snow chains" (Ypage 280)
R"Driving with summer tires" (Ypage 279)
Also observe the notes under "Winter operation"
(
Ypage 279).
Driving off-road
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If you drive on a steep incline at an angle or
turn when driving on an incline, the vehicle
could slip sideways, tip and rollover. There is a risk of an accident.
Always drive on a steep incline in the line of
fall (straight up or down) and do not turn the
vehicle.
GWARNING
When driving off-road, your body is subject to
forces from all directions, due to the uneven
surface. You could be thrown from your seat,
for instance. There is a risk of injury.
Always wear a seat belt, even when driving off-
road.
GWARNING
If you drive over obstacles or in ruts, the steer-
ing wheel may jerk out of your grip, causing
injury to your hands.
Always hold the steering wheel firmly with
both hands. When driving over obstacles, you
must expect steering forces to increase
briefly and suddenly.
GWARNING
Flammable material such as leaves, grass or
twigs may ignite if they come into contact with
hot parts of the exhaust system. There is a risk of fire.
When driving off road or on unpaved roads,
check the vehicle's underside regularly. In
particular, remove parts of plants or other
flammable materials which have become
trapped. In the case of damage, contact a
qualified specialist workshop.
!When driving off-road or on unpaved surfa-
ces, check the underside of the vehicle and
the wheels and tires at regular intervals. In
particular, remove any trapped foreign
objects, e.g. stones and branches.
Such foreign objects may:
Rdamage the chassis, the fuel tank or the
brake system
Rcause imbalances and thus vibrations
Rbe flung out when you continue driving
If there is any damage, inform a qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
When driving off-road and on construction sites,
sand, mud and water mixed with oil, for exam-
ple, may get into the brakes. This may lead to a
reduction in braking performance or total brake
failure, also as a result of increased wear. The
braking characteristics will vary depending on
the material that has got into the system. Clean
the brakes after driving off-road. If you then
notice reduced braking performance or hear
scraping noises, have the brake system checked
at a qualified specialist workshop. Adjust your
driving style to the changed braking character-
istics.
Driving off-road or on construction sites increa-
ses the possibility of vehicle damage which may
in turn lead to the failure of certain assemblies
and systems. Adapt your driving style to the off- road driving conditions. Drive carefully. Have
any vehicle damage rectified at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop as soon as possible.
When loading your vehicle for driving off-road or
on a construction site, keep the vehicle's centerof gravity as low as possible.
Rules for driving off-road
!Always bear the vehicle's ground clearance
in mind and avoid obstacles, e.g. deep ruts.
Obstacles may damage the following parts of the vehicle:
Rthe chassis
Rthe drive train
Rthe fuel and supply tanks
For this reason, you should always drive
slowly when driving off-road. If you have to
140Driving tips
Driving and parking
used cleaning productsinan environmentally
responsible manner.
HEnvironmental note
Dispose of empty packaging and cleaning
cloths inan environmentally responsible man-
ner.
Regular care of your veh icle isa condition for
retaining the qualityin the long term.
Use care products and cleaning agents recom-
mended and approved byMercedes-Benz.
Washing the vehicle and cleaning the
paintwork
Automatic car wash
GWAR NING
Braking eff iciency isreduced after washing
the veh icle. There isa risk of an acc ident.
After the veh iclehas been washed, brake
carefully whilepaying attention to the traff ic
conditions unt ilfull braking power isrestored.
!Make sure that the automat iccar wash is
suitable for the size of the veh icle.
Before washing the veh icle inan automat ic
car wash, fold inthe exterior mirrors and
remove any additional antennas. Otherwise,
the exterior mirror, antenna or the veh icle
itself could bedamaged.
Make sure that the exterior mirrors are fully
folded out again and that any additional
antennas are re-installed when you leave the
automat iccar wash.
!Make sure that:
Rthe side wind ows and the roof are com-
plet ely closed
Rthe clim ate control blower is swit ched off
Rthewind shield wiper swit chisat position 0
The veh iclecould otherwise be damaged.
You can wash the veh icle inan automat iccar
wash from the very start.
Wash off excess dirtbefore cleaning the veh icle
in an automat iccar wash. After putting the vehicle through an automat
ic
car wash, wipeoff wax from:
Rthe windshield
Rthewind shield wiperblades
This will prevent smears and reduce wiping
noises caused byresidue on the windshield.
Ron vehicles with rear doors, from the rear view
c
amera lens inthe top of the license plate
molding (
Ypage 267)
Washing by hand
In some countries, washing by hand is only
allowed at specially equipped washing bays.
Observe the legal requirements of the country
you are currently in when washing by hand.
XDo not use hot water and donot wash the
vehicle in direct sunlight.
XUse a soft car sponge.
XUse a mildcleaning agent, e.g. a Mercedes-
Benz approved car shampoo.
XThoroughly hose down the vehicle with a gen-
tle jet of water.
XDo not point the water jet directly towards the
air inlet grilles.
XUse plenty of water and rinse out the sponge
frequently.
XRinse the vehicle with clean water and dry
thoroughly with a chamois.
XDo not let the cleaning agents dry on the
paintwork.
When using the vehicle inwinter, remove all
traces of road salt deposits carefully and as
soon as possible.
Power washers
GWARNING
The water jet from a circular jet nozz le(dirt
blasters) can cause invisible exterior damage
to the tires or chassis components. Compo-
nents damaged in this way may fail unexpect-
edly. There is a risk of an accident.
Do not use power washers with circular jet
nozzles to clean the vehicle. Have damaged
tires or chassis components replaced imme-
diat ely.
!Under no circumstances use power washers
in the vehicle interior. The pressurized water
264Care
Maintenance and care
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 latest,
regardless of wear. This also applies to the
spare wheel.
Operation in winter
General notes
Have your vehicle winterproofed at a qualified
specialist workshop at the onset of winter.
Only use wheels with tire sizes approved by
Mercedes-Benz.
Prior to the onset of winter, ensure that snow
chains are stowed in the vehicle (
Ypage 280).
Snow chains cannot be mounted on all wheel/
tire combinations. Observe the restrictions on
the use of snow chains under "Wheel/tire com-
binations" (
Ypage 300).
Also observe the notes in the "Changing a
wheel" section (
Ypage 296).
Driving with summer tires
At temperatures below 45 ‡ (+7 †), summer
tires lose elasticity and therefore traction and
braking power. Change the tires on your vehicle
to M+S tire s. Usingsu mmer tires 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 well as the type of tire can vary between the spare wheel and
the wheel to be replaced. When the spare
wheel is mounted, driving characteristics may be severely affected. There is a risk of an acci-
dent.
In order to reduce risks:
Ryou should therefore adapt your driving
style and drive carefully.
Rnever mount more than one spare wheel
that differs from the wheel to be replaced.
Ronly use a spare wheel that differs from the
wheel to be replaced for a short time.
Rhave a spare wheel that differs from the
wheel that has been changed replaced at
the nearest qualified specialist workshop.
You must observe the correct wheel and
tire dimensions as well as the wheel type.
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.
Use winter tires or all-season tires at tempera-
tures below 45 ‡ (+7 †). 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 provide
the best possible grip in wintry road conditions.
Only these tires will allow 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 maximum permissible
speed specified for the M+S tires you have
mounted.
If you mount M+S tires that have a lower maxi-
mum permissible speed than the maximum
design speed of the vehicle, affix a correspond- ing warning label in the driver's field of vision.
You can obtain this at a qualified specialist work-
shop.
Once you have mounted the winter tires:
XCheck the tire pressure (Ypage 280).
XRestart the tire pressure monitor
(Ypage 287).
Operation in winter279
Wheels and tires
Z
tire load rating and speed rating required for
your vehicle.
:Tire width
;Nominal aspect ration in %
=Tire code
?Rim diameter
ALoad bearing index
BSpeed index
Tire width: tire width:shows the nominal tire
width in millimeters.
Aspect ratio: 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=specifies the tire type.
"R" represents radial tires. "D" represents diag-
onal tires, "B" represents diagonal radial tires.
Rim diameter: rim diameter?is the diameter
of the bead seat, not the diameter of the rim
flange. The rim diameter is specified in
inches (in).
Load-bearing index: load-bearing indexAis a
numerical code that specifies the maximum
load-bearing capacity of a tire.
Do not overload the tires by exceeding the
specified load limit. The maximum permissible
load can be found on the vehicle's Tire and
Loading Information placard on the B-pillar on
the driver's side (
Ypage 288).
Example:
The load-bearing index 101 indicates a maxi-
mum load of 1819 lb (825 kg) for the tire. If two load-bearing indices are specified, the first num-
ber specifie s th
e load-bearing capacity for single
tires, the second the load-bearing capacity for
twin tires. For further information on the maxi-
mum tire load in kilograms and pounds, see
(
Ypage 293). For further information on the load-bearing
index, see "Load index" (
Ypage 293).
Speed rating: speed ratingBspecifies the
approved maximum speed of the tire.
Regardless of the speed index always observe
the speed limits. Drive carefully and adapt your
driving style to the traffic conditions.
iTire data is vehicle-specific and may deviate
from the data in the example.
IndexSpeed rating
Qup to 100 mph (160 km/h)
Rup to 106 mph (170 km/h)
Sup to 112 mph (180 km/h)
Tup to 118 mph (190 km/h)
Hup to 130 mph (210 km/h)
Vup to 149 mph (240 km/h)
Wup to 168 mph (270 km/h)
Yup to 186 mph (300 km/h)
iNot all tires that have the M+S identification
offer 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 Manufacturers
Association (RMA) and the Rubber Associa-
tion of Canada (RAC) regarding the tire trac-
tion on snow. They have been especially
developed for driving on snow.
Further information on the reading of tire infor-
mation can be obtained at any qualified special-
ist workshop.
292What you should know about wheels and tires
Wheels and tires
When using a wheel/spare wheel with a new or
newly painted wheel rim, have the wheel bolts/
nuts retightened again after approximately 600
to 3,000 miles (1,000 to 5,000 km). Observe the
specified tightening torque.
Wheel and tire combination
General notes
!
Retreaded tires are neither tested nor rec-
ommended by Mercedes-Benz, since previ-
ous damage cannot always be detected on
retreaded tires. As a result, Mercedes-Benz
cannot guarantee vehicle safety if retreaded
tires are mounted. Do not mount used tires if you have no information about their previous
usage.
!For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only use tires, wheels and
accessories which have been specially
approved by Mercedes-Benz for your vehicle.
These tires have been specially adapted for
use with the driving safety systems, such as
ABS or ESP
®.
Only use tires, wheels or accessories tested
and approved by Mercedes-Benz. Certain
characteristics, e.g. handling, vehicle noise
emissions or fuel consumption, may other-
wise be adversely affected. In addition, when
driving with a load, tire dimension variations
could cause the tires to come into contact
with the bodywork and axle components. This could result in damage to the tires or the vehi-
cle.
Mercedes-Benz accepts no liability for dam-
age resulting from the use of tires, wheels or
accessories other than those tested and
approved.
Further information on wheels, tires and
approved combinations can be obtained from
any qualified specialist workshop.
!Large wheels: the lower the section width
for a certain wheel size, the lower the ride
comfort is on poor road surfaces. Roll comfort and suspension comfort are reduced and the
risk of damage to the wheels and tires as a
result of driving over obstacles increases.
You will find a table with the recommended tire
pressures for various vehicle loads on the inside
of your vehicle's fuel filler flap or under "Tire
pressure tables" (
Ypage 288). You can find fur-
ther information under "Tire pressure"
(
Ypage 280).
Check tire pressures regularly and only when
the tires are cold.
Notes on the vehicle equipment – always equip
the vehicle:
Rwith tires of the same size across an axle
(left/right)
Rwith the same type of tires on all wheels at a
given time (summer tires, winter tires)
iNot all wheel/tire combinations can be
installed at the factory in all countries.
Tires
R 17
TiresSteel wheels
225/55 R17 RF (XL) 101V6.5 J x 17 H2 ET 50
225/55 R17 RF (XL) 101H6.5 J x 17 H2 ET 50
R 17
TiresAlloy wheels
225/55 R17 RF (XL) 101V7 J x 17 H2 ET 51
225/55 R17 RF (XL) 101H7 J x 17 H2 ET 51
300Wheel and tire combination
Wheels and tires