
1, 2,3...
4ETS (Electronic Traction System)
see ETS/4ETS (Electronic Trac-
tion System)
4MATIC
Display message ............................ 215
4MATIC (permanent four-wheel
drive) .................................................. 160
A
ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
Display message ............................ 192
Function/notes ................................ 61
Important safety notes .................... 61
Warnin glamp ................................ .220
Accident
Automatic measure safter an acci-
dent ................................................. 54
Activatingm edia mode
General notes ................................ 235
Activating/deactivating cooling
with air dehumidification ................. 115
Active Brake Assist
Activating or deactivating .............. 185
Display message ............................ 197
Function/notes ................................ 62
ADAPTIVE BRAKE ................................. 68
Adaptive Dampin gSystem
Function/notes .............................1 60
Adaptive Highbeam Assist
Display message ............................ 204
Function/notes .............................1 02
Switching on/off ........................... 103
Additional speedometer ................... 187
Additives (engine oil) ........................ 318
Address book
see also Digita lOperator's Man-
ua l..................................................2 29
Adjustin gthe volume
Multimedias ystem ........................ 230
Ai rb ags
Deployment ..................................... 52
Display message ............................ 200
Front ai rbag (driver, front
passenger). ...................................... 46
Important safety notes .................... 45 Introduction ..................................... 45
Knee bag .......................................... 46
Occupant Classification System
(OCS) ............................................... 47
PASSENGER AIR BAG indicator
lamps ............................................... 41
Side impact ai
rbag .......................... 47
Windowc urtainairbag .................... 47
Ai rv ents
Important safety notes .............. .... 120
R
ea r............................................... 120
Setting the center ai rvents ........... 120
Setting the sidea irvents ...............1 20
Air-conditionings ystem
see Climate control
Alarm
ATA (Anti-Theft Alarm system) ......... 68
Switching off (ATA) .......................... 68
Switching the function on/off
(ATA) ................................................ 68
Alarm system
see ATA (Anti-Theft Alarm system)
AMG
Adaptive sport suspension sys-
tem ................................................ 159
Performance Seat ............................ 94
AMG adaptive sport suspension
system
General Information ....................... 159
AMG menu (on-board computer) ..... 188
AMG Performance exhaus tsys-
tem ..................................................... 127
Anti-loc kbraking system
see ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
Anti-skid chains
see Snow chains
Anti-Theft Alarm system
see ATA (Anti-Theft Alarm system)
Ashtray ............................................... 244
Assistanced isplay (on-board com-
puter) ..................................................1 85
Assistancem enu (on-board com-
puter) ..................................................1 84
ASSYST PLUS
Displaying aservice message ........2 61
Driving abroad ............................... 262
Hiding aservice message .............. 261
4Index

Permissible Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
(GVWR):the gross weight of the vehicle, all pas-
sengers, load and trailer load/noseweight (if
applicable) must not exceed the permissible
gross vehicle weight.
Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR): the maxi-
mum permissible 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 vehicle
weight and maximum gross axle weight rating),
have your loaded vehicle (including driver, occu-
pants, cargo, and full trailer load if applicable)
weighed on asuitable vehicle weighbridge.
All about wheelsa nd tires
Uniform Tire Quality Grading Stand-
ards
Overview of Tire Quality Grading Stand-
ards
Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards are U.S. governments pecifications. Their purpose is to
provide drivers with uniform reliable information
on tire performance data. Tire manufacturers
have to grade tires using three performance fac-
tors: :tread wear grade, ;traction grade and
= temperature grade. These regulations do not
apply to Canada. Nevertheless, all tires sold in
North America are provided with the corre-
sponding quality grading markings on the side-
wall of the tire.
Quality grades can be found, where applicable,
on the tire sidewallb etween tread shoulder and
maximum section width. Example:
RTreadwear grade:
200
RTraction grade:AA
RTemperaturegrade:A
All passenger car tires must conformtot he stat-
utory safety requirements in addition to these
grades.
iThe actual values for tires are vehicle-spe-
cific and may deviate from the values in the
illustration.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is acomparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditionsonas pecified U.S.
governmentc ourse. For example, atire graded
150 would wear one and one-half times as well
on the governmentc ourse asatire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends upon the actual conditionsoft heir use, however, and
may depart significantly from the norm due to
variations in driving habits, service practices
and differences in road characteristics and cli-
mate.
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, Band C. Those grades represent the
tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as meas-
ured under controlled conditionsons pecified
governmentt est surfaces of asphalt and con-
crete. Atire marked Cmay have poor traction
performance.
The safe speed on awet, snow covered or icy
road is always lower than on dry road surfaces.
You should pay special attention to road condi-
tions when temperatures are around freezing
point.
Mercedes-Benzr ecommendsaminimum tread
depth of ãin (4 mm) on all four winter tires.
All about wheels and tires301
Wheels and tires
Z

Maximum tire load:is the maximum permis-
sible weight for which the tire is approved.
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 298).
iThe actual values for tires are vehicle-spe-
cific and may deviate from the values in the
illustration.
DOT, Tire Identification Number (TIN)
US tire regulations stipulate that every tire man-
ufacturer or retreader must imprint aTIN in or on
the sidewall of each tire produced.
The TIN is aunique 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 identifica-
tion code ;,tire size =,tire type code ?and
manufacturing date A.
DOT (Department of Transportation): tire
symbol :marks that the tire complies with the
requirements of the U.S. DepartmentofT rans-
portation.
Manufacturer identification code: manufac-
turer identification code ;provides details on
the tire manufacturer. New tires have acode
with two symbols. Retreaded tires have acode
with four symbols.
For further information about retreaded tires,
see (
Ypage 312).
Tire size: identifier=describes the tire size.
Tire type code: tire type code?can be used by
the manufacturer as acode to describe specific
characteristics of the tire. Date of manufacture:
date of manufactureA
provides information about the age of atire. The
first and second positions represent the week of
manufacture, startin gwith "01" for the first cal-
endar week. Positions three and four represent
the year of manufacture. For example, atire 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 :and
under tire tread ;.
iTire data is vehicle-specific and may deviate
from the data in the example.
Definition of termsf or 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 of1bar.
DOT (Department of Transportation)
DOT-marked tires fulfill the requirements of the
USD epartmen tofTransportation.
Normal occupant weight
The number of occupants for which the vehicle
is designed multiplied by 68 kilograms (150 lbs).
All about wheels and tires305
Wheels and tires
Z