Quality grades can be found,where applicable,
on the tire sidewall between tread shoulde rand
maximum sectio nwidth.
Example:
RTreadwear grade: 200
RTractiongrade: AA
RTemperature grade: A
All passengerc ar tires must conform to the stat-
utory safety requirements in additio ntothese
grades.
iThe actua lvalues for tires are vehicle-spe-
cific and may deviate from the values in the
illustration.
Treadwear
The treadwea rgrad eisac omparativ erating
based on the wea rrate of the tire whe ntested
unde rcontrolled conditions on aspecified U.S.
government course. For example, atire graded
150 would wea rone and one-half times as well
on the government test track as atire graded
100.
The relative performance of tires depends upon
the actua lconditions of their use ,however, and
may depart significantly from the norm duet o
variations in driving habits, service practices
and differences in road characteristics and cli-
mate.
Traction
GWARNING
The tractio ngrad eassigne dtothis tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and doesn ot include acceleration, cor-
nering, hydroplaning ,orpeaktractio nchar-
acteristics.
!Avoid wheelspin. Thisc an leadtodamage to
the driv etrain.
The tractio ngrades –from highest to lowest –
are AA, A, Band C. Thoseg rades represent the
tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as meas-
ure dunde rcontrolled conditions on specified
government test surfaces of asphal tand con-
crete. Atire marked Cmay have poort raction
performance.
The safe speedonaw et, snow coveredoricy
road is always lower than on dry road surfaces. You should pay speciala
ttentiontoroadc ondi-
tions whe ntemperatures are around freezing
point.
Mercedes-Benz recommends aminimum tread
depth of ãin (4 mm )onallfour winter tires.
Observe the legally required minimum tire tread
depth (
Ypag e256). Winter tires can reduce the
braking distance on snow-covered surfaces in
compariso nwiths ummer tires. The braking dis-
tance is stil lmuch furthe rthan on surfaces that
are not icy or coveredw iths now. Take appro-
priate care whe ndriving.
Temperature
GWARNING
The temperature grad efor this tire is estab-
lished for atire that is properly inflated and
not overloaded. Excessiv espeed, underinfla-
tion, or excessive loading ,eithe rseparately or
in combination, can cause excessive heat
build-up and possibl etire failure.
The temperature grades are A(the highest),B ,
and C, representing the tire's resistance to the
generation of heata nd its ability to dissipate
heatw hent ested unde rcontrolled conditions
on aspecified indoor laboratory test wheel. Sus-
taine dhight emperature can cause the material
of the tire to degenerate and reduce tire life, and
excessive temperature can lea dtosudden tire
failure. The grad eCcorresponds to aleve lof
performance which al lpassengerc ar tires must
meet unde rthe Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard No. 109. Grades BandArepresent
higher levels of performance on the laboratory
test wheel than the minimum required by law.
268Al la bout wheelsa nd tires
Wheels and tires
