Page 25 of 306

Protecting the environment
General notes
HEnvironmental note
Daimler's declared policy is one of compre-
hensive environmental protection.
The objectives are for the natural resources
that form the basis of our existence on this
planet to be used sparingly and in a manner
that takes the requirements of both nature
and humanity into account.
You too can help to protect the environment
by operating your vehicle in an environmen-
tally responsible manner.
Fuel consumption and the rate of engine,
transmission, brake and tire wear are affec-
ted by these factors:
Roperating conditions of your vehicle
Ryour personal driving style
You can influence both factors. You should
bear the following in mind:
Operating conditions:
Ravoid short trips as these increase fuel
consumption.
Ralways make sure that the tire pressures
are correct.
Rdo not carry any unnecessary weight.
Rremove roof racks once you no longer
need them.
Ra regularly serviced vehicle will contribute
to environmental protection. You should
therefore adhere to the service intervals.
Ralways have service work carried out at a
qualified specialist workshop.
Personal driving style:
Rdo not depress the accelerator pedal
when starting the engine.
Rdo not warm up the engine when the vehi-
cle is stationary.
Rdrive carefully and maintain a safe dis-
tance from the vehicle in front.
Ravoid frequent, sudden acceleration and
braking.
Rchange gear in good time and use each
gear only up to
Page 271 of 306

RDo not drive with tires which have too littletread depth. This significantly reduces thetraction on wet roads (hydroplaning).
RReplace the tires after six years at the lat-est, regardless of wear.
MOExtended tires (tires with run-flat
properties)
With MOExtended tires (tires with run flatcharacteristics), you can continue to drive yourvehicle even if there is a total loss of pressurein one or more tires.
MOExtended tires may only be used in con-junction with an active tire pressure loss warn-ing system or with an active tire pressure mon-itor and on wheels specifically tested byMercedes-Benz.
Notes on driving with MOExtended tires with aflat tire (Ypage 253).
Vehicles equipped with MOExtended tires arenot equipped with a TIREFIT kit at the factory.It is therefore recommended that you addition-ally equip your vehicle with a TIREFIT kit if youmount tires that do not feature run-flat charac-teristics, e.g. winter tires. A TIREFIT kit can beobtained from a qualified specialist workshop.
Winter operation
General notes
Have your vehicle winter-proofed at a qualifiedspecialist workshop at the onset of winter.
Observe the notes in the "Changing a wheel"section (Ypage 288).
Driving with summer tires
At temperatures below 45 ‡ (+7 †), summertires lose elasticity and therefore traction andbraking power. Change the tires on your vehi-cle to M+S tires. Using summer tires at verycold temperatures could cause cracks to form,thereby damaging the tires permanently.Mercedes-Benz cannot accept responsibilityfor this type of damage.
GWARNING
Damaged tires can cause tire inflation pres-
sure 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 immedi-
ately.
M+S tires
GWARNING
M+S tires with a tire tread depth of less than
Page 290 of 306

Tread
The part of the tire that comes into contactwith the road.
Bead
The tire bead ensures that the tire sitssecurely on the wheel. There are several steelwires in the bead to prevent the tire from com-ing loose from the wheel rim.
Sidewall
The part of the tire between the tread and thebead.
Weight of optional extras
The combined weight of those optional extrasthat weigh more than the replaced standardparts and more than 2.3 kg (5 lbs). Theseoptional extras, such as high-performancebrakes, level control, a roof rack or a high-per-formance battery, are not included in the curbweight and the weight of the accessories.
TIN (Tire Identification Number)
This is a unique identifier which can be usedby a tire manufacturer to identify tires, forexample for a product recall, and thus identifythe purchasers. The TIN is made up of themanufacturer's identity code, tire size, tiretype code and the manufacturing date.
Load bearing index
The load bearing index (also load index) is acode that contains the maximum load bearingcapacity of a tire.
Traction
Traction is the result of friction between thetires and the road surface.
Treadwear indicators
Narrow bars (tread wear bars) that are distrib-uted over the tire tread. If the tire tread is levelwith the bars, the wear limit of