Emer
gency Re
moving the saf etyve st The saf
etyve sts are located in stowage spaces
in the front door. #
Take the saf etyve st bag out of stowage
space 1. #
Open the saf etyve st bag and pull out the
saf etyve st.
% Safetyve sts can also be stored in there ar
door stowage spaces. 1
Maximum number of washes
2 Maximum wash temp erature
3 Do not bleach
4 Do not iron
5 Do not tumble dry
6 Do not dry clean
7 This is a class 2 vest
The requ irements defined bythe legal standard
are on ly fulfilled in thefo llowing cases:
R ifth e saf etyve st isthe cor rect size
R the saf etyve st is fully closed whilst being
wo rn Re
place the saf etyve st inthefo llowing cases:
R there flective strips are damaged or dirt on
th ere flective strips can no longer be
re mo ved
R the maximum number of washes is exceeded
R thefluorescence has faded Flat tire
Note
s on flat tires &
WARNING Risk of accident due toaflat
tire
A flat tire se verely affects the driving charac‐
te rist ics as well as thesteering and braking
of theve hicle.
Ti re s without run-flat characteristics: #
Do not drive on with a flat tire. #
Chan getheflat tire immediately with an
emer gency spa rewheel or spare wheel.
Alternativel y,consult a qualified spe‐
cialist workshop. 356
Breakdown assis tance
R
The tires may wearexc essively and/or
une venly, which may greatlyimpair tire
traction.
R The driving characteristics, as well as
st eering and braking, may be greatly
impaired. #
Comply with there commended tire
pressure and check the tire pressure of
all tires including the spare wheel regu‐
larly:
R at least once a month
R when the load changes
R before embarking on a lon ger journey
R if operating conditions change, e.g. off-
ro ad driving #
Adjust the tire pressure as necessar y.Driving wi
thtire pressu rethat is too high or too
low can:
R Sho rten the service life of the tires.
R Cause increased tire damage. R
Adversely af fect driving characteristics and
th us driving saf ety, e.g. due to hydroplaning. &
WARNING Risk of an accident due to
insuf ficient tire pressure
Ti re s with pressure that is too low can over‐
heat and bur stas a result.
In addition, they also suf fer from excessive
and/or ir regular wear, which can significantly
impair the braking properties and the han‐
dling characteristics. #
Avoid excessively low tire pressures in
all the tires, including the spare wheel. Ti
re pressure which is too low can cause:
R Tire defects as a result of overheating
R Impaired handling characteristics
R Irre gular wear
R Increased fuel consum ption &
WARNING Risk of accident from exces‐
sive tire pressure
Ti re s with excessively high pressure can
bu rst because they are damaged more easily
by highw ayfill, pot holes etc.
In addition, they also suf fer from ir regular
we ar, which can significantly impair the brak‐
ing properties and the handling characteris‐
tics. #
Avoid excessively high tire pressures in
all the tires, including the spare wheel. Excessively high tire pressure can
result in:
R Increased braking dis tance
R Impaired handling characteristics
R Irre gular wear
R Impaired driving com fort
R Susceptibility todamage 378
Wheels and tires
Fu
rther related subjects:
R Notes on tire pressure (→ page377)
R Tire pressure table (→ page379)
R Tire and Loading In form ation placard
(→ page 384) Ti
re pressure moni toring sy stem Fu
nction of the tire pressure moni toring sys‐
tem &
DANG ER Risk of accident due toincor‐
re ct tire pressure
Every tire, including the spare (if pr ovided),
should be checked when cold at least once a
month and inflated tothe pressure recom‐
mended bytheve hicle manufacturer (see
Ti re and Loading In form ation placard on the
B-pillar on the driver ’sside or the tire pres‐
sure label on the inside of the fuel filler flap
of your vehicle). If your vehicle has tires of a
dif fere nt size than the size indicated on the
Ti re and Loading In form ation placard or the tire pressu
retable, you need todeterm ine
th e proper tire pressure forth ose tires.
As an added saf etyfe ature, your vehicle has
been equipped with a tire pressure monitor‐
ing sy stem (TPMS) that illuminates a low tire
pressure indicator lamp when one or more of
yo ur tires are significantly underinflated.
Ac cording ly, if the low tire pressure indicator
lamp lights up, you should stop and check
yo ur tires as soon as possible, and inflate
th em tothe proper pressure. Driving on a
significant lyunderinflated tire causes the tire
to ov erheat and can lead totire failure.
Un derinflation also increases fuel consump‐
tion and reduces tire tread life, and may
af fect theve hicle's handling and braking abil‐
ity. Please no tethat the TPMS is not a substi‐
tute for proper tire maintenance, and it is the
driver's responsibility tomaintain cor rect tire
pressure, even if underinflation has not
re ached the le velto trig ger illumination of
th e TPMS low tire pressure indicator lamp.
Yo ur vehicle has also been equipped with a
TPMS malfunction indicator toindicate when th
e sy stem is not operating proper ly. The
TPMS malfunction indica tor is combined with
th e low tire pressure indicator lamp. When
th e sy stem de tects a malfunction, the indica‐
to r lamp will flash for appro ximately a minute
and then remain continuously illumina ted.
This sequence will continue upon subsequent
ve hicle start-ups as long as the malfunction
ex ists.
When the malfunction indicator is illumina‐
te d, the sy stem may not be able todetect or
signal low tire pressure as intended. TPMS
malfunctions may occur for a variet y of rea‐
sons, including the ins tallation of incompati‐
ble replacement or alternate tires or wheels
on theve hicle that pr eventthe TPMS from
functioning properly.
Alw aysch eck the TPMS malfunction warning
lamp af terre placing one or more tires or
wheels on your vehicle toensure that the
re placement or alternate tires and wheels
allow the TPMS tocontinue tofunction prop‐
erly. Wheels and tires
381
and one-half times as
well on the go vernment
te st track as a tire graded 100.
The relative per form ance of tires depends upon
th e actual conditions of their use, ho wever,and
may depart significantly from the norm due to
va riations in driving habits, service practices and
dif fere nces in road characteristics and climate
conditions.
Tr action grade &
DANG ER Risk of accident due toinade‐
qu ate traction
The traction grade assigned tothis tire is
based on stra ight-ahead braking traction
te sts, and does not include either accelera‐
tion, cornering, hydroplaning or peak traction
ch aracteristics. #
Alw ays adapt your driving style and
drive at a speed tosuit the pr evailing
traf fic and weather conditions. *
NO
TEDama getothe driv etra in from
wheelspin #
Avoid wheelspin. The traction grades – from highest
tolowest –
are AA, A,B and C. Those grades represent the
tire's ability tostop on wet pa vement as meas‐
ured under controlled conditions on specified
go vernment test sur faces made of asphalt and
concr ete.
Te mp erature grade &
WARNING Risk of accident from tire
ove rheating and tire failure
The temp erature grade forth is tire is es tab‐
lished for a tire that is proper ly inflated and
not overloaded. Excessive speed, underinfla‐
tion, or excessive loading, either separately
or in combination, can cause excessive heat
build-up and possible tire failure. #
Obser vethere commended tire pres‐
su res and regularly check the tire pres‐ sure of all tires including
the spare
wheel. #
Adjust the tire pressure as necessar y. The
temp erature grades are A (the highest), B
and C. They represent the tire's resis tance tothe
ge neration of heat and its ability todissipate
heat when tested under controlled conditions on
a specified indoor laboratory test wheel. Sus‐
ta ined high temp erature can cause the material
of the tire todegenerate and reduce tire life, and
exc essive temp erature can lead tosudden tire
fa ilure. Grade C cor responds toa le vel of per‐
fo rm ance which all passenger car tires must
meet under therequ irements of the US Depart‐
ment of Transpor tation. DO
T,Tire Identification Number (TIN) US tire
regulations stipulate that eve rytire man‐
ufactu rer or retreader mu stimprint a TIN in or
on the side wall of each tire produced. Wheels and tires
389
Un
iform Tire Quality Grading Standards: a
uniform standard tograde thequ ality of tires
with rega rd totread qualit y,tire traction and
te mp erature characteristics. The quality grading
assessment is made bythe manufacturer follow‐
ing specifications from theU. S. go vernment. The
qu ality grade of a tire is imprinted on the side
wa ll of the tire.
Re commended tire pressu re:there commen‐
ded tire pressure is the tire pressure specified
fo rth e tires mounted totheve hicle at thefa c‐
to ry.
The tire and information table con tains there c‐
ommended tire pressures for cold tires, the max‐
imum permissible load and the maximum per‐
missible vehicle speed.
The tire pressure table con tains there commen‐
ded tire pressures for cold tires under various
operating conditions, i.e. loading and/or speed
of theve hicle.
Increased vehicle weight due tooptional
equipment: the combined weight of all standard
and optional equipment available forth eve hicle, re
ga rdless of whe ther it is actually ins talled on
th eve hicle or not.
Rim: the part of the wheel on which the tire is
ins talled.
GA WR (Gross Axle Weight Rating): the GAWR
is the maximum permissible axle load. The
actual load on an axle must ne verexc eed the
gross axleweight rating. The gross axle weight
ra ting can be found on theve hicle identification
plate on the B‑pillar on the driver's side.
Speed rating: the speed rating is pa rtof the tire
identification. It specifies the speed range for
which a tire is appr oved.
GV W (Gross Vehicle Weight): the gross vehicle
we ight comprises thewe ight of theve hicle
including fuel, tools, the spare wheel, accesso‐
ri es ins talled, occupants, luggage and the trailer
dr aw bar nose weight, if applicable. The gross
ve hicle weight must not exceed the gross vehicle
we ight rating GVWR as specified on theve hicle
identification plate on the B‑pillar on the driver's
side.
GV WR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating): the
GV WR is the maximum permitted gross weight of
the fully laden vehicle (weight of theve hicle
including all accessories, occupants, fuel, lug‐
ga ge and the trailer dr awbar nose weight if appli‐
cable). The grossvehicle weight rating is speci‐
fi ed on theve hicle identification plate on the
B‑pillar on the driver's side.
Maximum weight of the laden vehicle: the
maximum weight is the sum of the curb weight
of theve hicle, thewe ight of the accessories, the
maximum load and thewe ight of optional equip‐
ment ins talled at thefa ctor y.
Kilopascal (kPa): metric unitfor tire pressu re.
6.9 kPa cor responds to1 psi. Ano ther unit for
tire pressu reis bar. 100 kilopascal (kPa) equals
1 bar.
Load index: in additiontothe load-bearing
index, the load index may also be imprinted on
th e side wall of the tire. This specifies the load-
bearing capacity of the tire more precisel y.
Curb weight: thewe ight of a vehicle with stand‐
ard equipment including the maximum capacity
of fuel, oil and coolant. It also includes the air
conditioning sy stem and optional equipment if 394
Wheels and tires