It is also
strongly recommended that you ha ve
th e brakepads checked at a qualified specialist
wo rkshop, not only at everyservice displa yedby
th e maintenance inter val displa y,but also prior to
long journe ysand when ever the wheels are
re mo ved.
Ne w brake discs and brakepads
New brakepads and brake discs on lyreach their
optimal braking ef fect af ter appro ximately
10 0 miles (100 kilome ters).
Unti lth en, compensate forth ere duced braking
ef fect by applying greater pressure tothe brake
pedal. For saf etyre asons, Mercedes-Benz recom‐
mends that you only ha vebrakepads and brake
discs which are appr ovedby Mercedes-Benz
ins talled on your vehicle.
Other brake discs or brakepads may compromise
th e saf ety of your vehicle.
Alw aysre place all brake discs and brakepads on
an axle at the same time. Alw ays ins tall new
brakepads when replacing brake discs.
Pa rking brake &
WARNING Risk of skidding or an acci‐
dent bybraking with the parking brake
If yo u ha vetobrake your vehicle with the
parking brake, the braking dis tance is consid‐
erab lylonger and the wheels may loc k.There
is an increased risk of skidding and/or acci‐
dent. #
Only brake theve hicle with the parking
brake if the service brake has failed. #
Inthis case, do not apply the parking
brake with too much forc e. #
Ifth e wheels loc k,immediately release
th e parking brake as much as required
fo rth e wheels toturn again. Ve
hicles with a manual parking brake
When driving on wetro ads or dirt-co vered sur fa‐
ces, road salt or dirt may getinto the parking
brake. This causes cor rosion and a reduction of
braking forc e.
In order topreve ntthis, drive with the parking
brake lightly applied from time totime.
When doing so, drive for a dis tance of appr ox‐
imately 300 ftat a maximum speed of 13mph
(20 km/h).
The brake lights do not light up when you brake
th eve hicle with the parking brake. Information about driving on
wetroads
Hydroplaning &
WARNING Risk of aquaplaning because
tire tread is too low
Depending on the dep thofthewate r onthe
ro adw ay, aquaplaning can occur despite suf fi‐
cient tire tread dep thand low speed. #
Avoid tire ruts and brake carefully. The
refore , in heavy rain or other conditions in
which hydroplaning can occur, drive as follo ws:
R Reduce your speed
R Avoid tire ruts
R Brake carefully
Driving on flooded roads
Bear in mind that vehicles tr aveling in front or in
th e opposite direction create waves. This may
cause the maximum permissible dep thofwater
to be exc eeded. These no tes must be obser ved
under all circum stances. Otherwise, you can
damage the engine, electrics and transmission.
If yo u ha vetodrive on stre tches of road on which
wate r has collected, please bear in mind thefo l‐
lowing:
R The wate r level of standing water may not be
abo vethe lo wer edge of the front bumper.
R You may drive no fasterthan walking pace.
Obser vethe no tes on ford ing while off- road for
all-wheel drive vehicles (/ page116).
Infor mation about driving in winter &
DANG ER Risk of fata l injury due topoi‐
sonous exhaust gases
If th eta ilpipe is bloc ked or suf ficient ventila‐
tion is not possible, poisonous exhaust gases
such as carbon monoxide may enter theve hi‐
cle. This is the case when theve hicle
becomes stuck in sn ow,fo rex ample. #
Keep theta ilpipe and the area around
th eve hicle free from snow when the
engine or thest ationary heater are run‐
ning. #
Open a window on the side of theve hi‐
cle facing away from the wind toensure
an adequate supply of fresh air. Driving and parking
11 5
Information on noise or unusual driving
ch aracteristics
While driving, pay attention tovibrations, noises
and unusual driving characteristics, e.g. pulling to
one side. This may indicate damage tothe wheels
or tires. If you suspect that a tire is defective,
re duce your speed. Stop theve hicle as soon as
possible tocheck if wheels and tires ha vebeen
damaged or are no longer functioning properly.
Hidden tire damage could also be causing the
unusual driving characteristics. If no signs of
damage can be de tected, ha vethe tires and
wheels checked at a qualified specialist work‐
shop. Note
s onregular lyinspecting wheels and
tires &
WARNING Risk of accident from dam‐
aged tires
Dama ged tires can cause tire pressure loss.
As a result, you could lose control of your
ve hicle. #
Check the tires regularly for signs of
dama geand replace any damaged tires
immediatel y. Check
the wheels and tires of your vehicle for
damage regular ly, i.e. at least every two weeks,
as well as af ter driving off-road or on rough
ro ads. Damaged wheels can lead toa loss of tire
pressure.
Look out forth efo llowing types of damage, for
ex ample:
R Cuts in the tires
R Punctures in the tires
R Tears in the tires
R Bulges on tires
R Deformation or se vere cor rosion on wheels &
WARNING Risk ofhydroplaning because
tire tread is too low
Insuf ficient tire tread will result in reduced
tire traction. The tire tread will no longer be
able todissipate water.
This increases therisk of hydroplaning on wet
ro ad sur faces, pa rticularly when tra veling at
an inappropriate speed. If
th e tire pressure is too high or too lo w,tires
may exhibit dif fere nt le vels of wear at dif fer‐
ent locations on the tire tread. #
Regular lych eck the tire tread dep thand
th e condition of the tire tread across
th e entire width of all tires.
Minimum tread dep thfor use:
R In summer: 00CEin (3 mm)
R In winter: 00CFin (4 mm) #
For saf etyre asons, ha vethe tires
re placed before the legally prescribed
limit forth e minimum tire tread dep this
re ached. Conduct
thefo llowing checks regular lyon all
wheels, at least once a month or as requ ired, e.g.
before a long journey or when driving off- road:
R Check the tire pressure (/ page310)
R Che cktheva lve caps
Va lves must be pr otected from moisture and
dirt with valve caps specifically appr ovedby
Mercedes-Benz foryo ur vehicle.
R Visually inspect the tread dep thand the tire
tread across the whole tire width
Fo r use in summer, the minimum tread dep th
is 00CE in (3 mm) and for use in winter 00CFin
(4 mm). Markings
1show in which places the bar indica‐
to rs (ar row ) are integ rated into the tire tread.
They are visible as soon as the tread dep this
appr oximately 00CDin (1.6 mm). Information on driving with summer tires
At temp eratures below 50 °F (10 °C) Summer
tires lose elasticity and therefore traction and
braking po wer.Chan gethe tires on your vehicle
to M+S tires. Using summer tires at very cold
te mp eratures could cause tears toform ,th ereby
damaging the tires permanentl y.Mercedes-Benz 308
Wheels and tires
cannot acce
ptresponsibility forth is type of dam‐
age.
Alw ays obser vethe maximum permissible speed
specified forth e summer tires you ha veinstalled
(/ page 321).
Once you ha veinstalled the summer tires:
R Check the tire pressure (/ page310)
R Restart the tire pressure monitor
(/ page 316) Infor
mation on M+S tires
At temp eratures below 50 °F (10 °C) use winter
tires or all-season tires – bo thare mar ked with
M+S.
Only winter tires bearing the004D snowflake
symbol in addition tothe M+S marking pr ovide
th e best possible grip in wintry road conditions.
On lythese tires will allow driving saf ety sy stems
such as ABS and ESP ®
to also function optimally
in winter. These tires ha vebeen de veloped specif‐
ically for driving in sno w.
Use M+S tires of the same make and tread on all
wheels tomaintain safe handling characteristics.
Alw ays obser vethe maximum permissible speed
specified forth e M+S tires you ha veinstalled
(/ page 321).
If yo u ins tall M+S tires that ha vea lo wer maxi‐
mum permissible speed than the maximum
design speed of theve hicle, af fix an appropria te
wa rning sign in the driver's field of vision. Yo u
can obtain this at a qualified specialist workshop.
Once you ha veinstalled the winter tires, take the
fo llowing measures:
R Check the tire pressure (/ page310)
R Restart the tire pressure monitor
(/ page 316) Note
s on snow chains &
WARNING Risk of accident due toincor‐
re ct ins tallation of snow chains
Ve hicles with rear-wheel drive: ifyo u ha ve
ins talled snow chains tothe front wheels,
th ey may drag against theve hicle body or
ch assis components.
This could cause damage totheve hicle or the
tires. #
Never ins tall snow chains on the front
wheels. #
Only ins tall snow chains on there ar
wheels in pairs. #
Vehicles with twin tires: installthe
snow chains tothe outer wheels. &
WARNING Risk of accident due to
unsuitable sn ow chains
Ve hicles with all-wheel drive do not ha vesuf‐
fi cient clea rance on the front axle for com‐
mercial lyavailable sn ow chains.
When you ins tall commercially available sn ow
ch ains, the snow chains may come loose and
damage chassis components or brake hoses. #
Only ins tall snow chains appr ovedby
Mercedes-Benz forth ese tires. Fo
r saf etyre asons, Mercedes-Benz recommends
th at you only use sn owchains that ha vebeen
ch ecked and appr oved.You can obtain informa‐
tion about sn ow chains from any qualified spe‐
cialist workshop.
* NO
TEDama getothe wheel trim from
mounted snow chains If sn
ow ch ains are moun tedto steel wheels,
th e wheel trims can be damaged. #
Remo vethe wheel trims of steel wheels
before mounting snow chains. Obse
rveth efo llowing no tes when using snow
ch ains:
R Snow ch ains are only permissible for cer tain
wheel/tire combinations. You can obtain
information on them at a qualified specialist
wo rkshop.
R For saf etyre asons, only use sn owchains that
ha ve been specifically appr ovedfo ryo ur vehi‐
cle byMercedes-Benz, or snow chains with
th e same quality standard.
R The sn owchains must be retightened af ter
driving appr oximately 0.6 miles (1 km). This is
th e only wayto ensure the snow chains are
optimally seated with clearance toadjacent
components.
R Vehicles with all-wheel drive: install snow
ch ains tothe wheels on there ar axle. On
ve hicles with twin tires, ins tallth e snow
ch ains tothe outer wheels. Obser vethe man‐
ufacturer's ins tallation instructions. Wheels and tires
309
Ad
ditional related subjects:
R Determ ining the maximum load
(/ page 318).
R Notes on tire pressure (/ page310). St
eps todeterm ining the cor rect critical load The
following steps ha vebeen de veloped as
requ ired of all manufacturers under Title 49,
Code of U.S. Federal Regulations, Part57 5 in
accordance with the "National Traf fic and Mo tor
Ve hicle Saf etyAc t of 1966". #
Step 1: locatethest atement, "The combined
we ight of occupants and cargo should ne ver
exc eed XXX kgor XXX lbs." on theTire and
Loading In form ation placard of your vehicle. #
Step 2: determ ine the combined weight of
th e driver and passengers that will be tra vel‐
ing in your vehicle. #
Step 3: subtract the combined weight of the
driver and passengers from XXX kgor
XXX lbs. #
Step 4: there sulting figure equals the per‐
missible amount of cargo and luggage load
capacity. Forex ample, if the "XXX" amount
equals 1,400 lbs and there will be five 150 lb
passengers in your vehicle, the amount of
av ailable cargo and luggage load capacity is
650 lbs (1,400 – 750 (5 x 150) = 650 lbs). #
Step 5: determ ine the combined weight of
luggage and cargo being loaded on theve hi‐
cle. For saf etyre asons, this we ight must not
exc eed the cargo and luggage load capacity
calculated in step 4. #
Step 6: Even if
you ha vecalculated thetot al load care‐
full y,yo u should still make sure that the maxi‐
mum permissible gross weight and the maximum
gross axle weight rating of your vehicle are not
exc eeded. Information forth is can be found on
th eve hicle identification plate. #
Weigh the laden vehicle, including driver, pas‐
sengers and load, on a suitable vehicle weigh‐
bridge.
The measured values must not exceed the
maximum permitted values lis ted on theve hi‐
cle identification plate.
Ad ditional related subjects:
R Sample calculation for de term ining the maxi‐
mum load (/ page318)
R Tire and Loading In form ation placard
(/ page 317)
R Tire pressure table
R Vehicle identification plate Sample calculation
for de term ining the maxi‐
mum load The
following table has examples of how tocalcu‐
la te tota l and cargo load capacities with varying
seating con figurations and dif fere nt numbers and
sizes of occupants. The following examples use a
maximum load of 1,500 lbs (680 kg).This value
is for illustrative purposes on ly.Make sure you
are using the actual load limit foryo ur vehicle
st ated on your vehicle's Tire and Loading In for‐
mation placard (/ page317).
The higher thewe ight of all the occupants, the
smaller the maximum load for lugga ge.
Ste p 1 Example
1E xamp le 2
Combined maximum weight of
occupants and load (data from
th eTire and Loading In form a‐
tion placard) 15
00 lbs (680 kg)1 500 lbs (680kg) 318
Wheels and tires
*
NO
TEVehicle and tire damage thro ugh
tire types and sizes that ha venot been
appr oved Fo
r saf etyre asons, only use tires, wheels and
accesso ries which ha vebeen specially
appr ovedby Mercedes-Benz foryo ur vehicle.
These tires ha vebeen specially adap tedfor
use with the cont rol sy stems, such as ABS or
ESP ®
.
Otherwise, cer tain properties, such as han‐
dling characteristics, vehicle noise and con‐
sum ption could be adversely af fected. Fur‐
th ermore, other tire size could result in the
tires rubbing against the body and axle com‐
ponents when loaded. This could result in
damage tothe tire or theve hicle. #
Only use tires, wheels and accessories
th at ha vebeen checked and recommen‐
ded byMercedes-Benz. *
NO
TEDriving sa fety put at risk by retrea‐
ded tires Re
treaded tires are not checked or recom‐
mended byMercedes-Benz, as pr evious dam‐
age is not alw ays de tected du ring there tread
process.
Driving sa fety cannot, therefore, be guaran‐
te ed. #
Do not use used tires when their pr evi‐
ous usage is unknown. *
NO
TEDama getoelectronic component
parts thro ugh the use of tire-ins talling
to ols Ve
hicles with a tire pressure monitoring
sy stem: there are electronic component
parts in the wheel. Tire -ins talling tools should
not be applied in the area of theva lve.
Otherwise, the electronic component parts
could be damaged. #
Always ha vetires changed at a qualified
specialist workshop. Ac
cessories that are not appr ovedfo ryo ur vehi‐
cle byMercedes-Benz, or are not being used cor‐
re ctly, can impair ope rating sa fety. Before pu
rchasing and using non-appr oved
accesso ries, visit a qualified specialist workshop
and inquire about:
R Suitability
R Legal stipulations
R Factory recommendations
Obser vethefo llowing points when selecting,
ins talling and replacing tires:
R Use only tires and wheels of the same type,
design (winter tires, all-season tire) and
make.
R Only ins tall wheels of the same size and tread
design on one axle (left and right).
It is only permissible toins tall a dif fere nt
wheel size tothis in theeve nt of a flat tire in
order todrive tothe specialist workshop.
R Only ins tall tires of the cor rect size onto the
wheels.
R Ve
hicles with a tire pressure monitoring
sy stem: all ins talled wheels must be equip‐
ped with functioning sensors forth e tire pres‐
sure monitoring sy stem.
R Attemp eratures below 50 °F (10 °C), use
winter tires or all-season tires mar ked M+S
fo r all wheels.
Wi nter tires bearing the004D snowflake sym‐
bol in addition tothe M+S marking pr ovide
th e best possible grip in wintry road condi‐
tions.
R Only use tires with the same tread.
R Obser vethe maximum permissible speed for
th e ins talled tires.
If th is is below theve hicle's maximum per‐
missible speed, this must be indicated in an
appropriate label in the driver's field of vision.
R Break in new tires at moderate speeds forthe
fi rs t 60 miles (100 km).
R Replace the tires af ter six years at the latest,
re ga rdless of wear.
Fo r more information on wheels and tires, con‐
ta ct a qualified specialist workshop.
% Ve
hicles with twin tires: Wheels and tires
325
yo
ur driving style accordingly and drive
carefully. #
Do not switch off ESP ®
. #
Snow chains must not be ins talled on
th e emer gency spa rewheel. #
Replace the emer gency spa rewheel
af te r a maximum of six years, rega rd‐
less of wear. R
When using an emer gency spa rewheel
(which is dif fere nt from the wheel tobe
re placed) a top speed of 50 mph (80 km/h)
must not be exceeded.
R The tire pressure of the emer gency spa re
wheel must be checked before starting a jour‐
ney (/ page314).
R Have the emer gency spa rewheel replaced by
a qu alified specialist workshop. &
WARNING Risk of accident from dam‐
aged spa rewheel with Super Sin gle tires
Ve hicles with Super Single tires
The tire of the spare wheel exposed toabo ve-
ave rage loads af ter being ins talled on there ar
axle. If youexc eed the maximum speed or the
maximum dis tance, or ins tallth e spare wheel
again, the tire of the spare wheel may be
damaged. The tire damage may not be visible
and not de tectable.
A damaged tire may cause a loss of tire pres‐
sure. This could cause youto lose control of
th eve hicle. #
Only use the spare wheel if it has not
ye t been ins talled on there ar axle with
th e cur rent tires. #
Ifth e spare wheel had been ins talled on
th ere ar axle, ha vethe tire of the spare
wheel replaced af terch anging the
wheel again, ir respective of the dis‐
ta nce. #
For saf etyre asons, when changing a tire
ensure that only the tire valve type
appr ovedfo rth e tires is used. *
NO
TEDama getothe transmission Ve
hicles with Super Single tires: whenyou
ins tallth e spare wheel on there ar axle, the
transmission may be dama gedby the dif fer‐
ent rotational speeds of the wheels. #
When the spare wheel is ins talled on
th ere ar axle, obse rveth e maximum
speed of 34 mph (55 km/h) and the
maximum driving dis tance of 62 miles
(100 km). %
It is possible, wi
thout restrictions, touse the
spare wheel only on the front axle of a vehi‐
cle with Super Single tires.
The following should be checkedre gular ly, partic‐
ularly prior tolong journe ys:
R The secure positioning of the spare wheel
R The tire pressure of the spare wheel (adjust
th e tire pressure if necessary) (/ page311)
R The fastenings of the spare wheel brac ket
Re place the tires af ter six years at the latest,
re ga rdless of wear. This also applies tothe spare
wheel.
% If
yo u ha veinstalled an emer gency spa re
wheel or spare wheel, the tire pressure moni‐
to r will not function forth is wheel. The emer‐
ge ncy spa rewheel or spare wheel is not
equipped with a sensor for monitoring tire
pressu re. Installing/removing
the spa rewheel Ve
hicles with rear wheel drive: removing the
spare wheel (Cargo Van/Passenger Van) Bolt co
vers forth e saf ety hoo ks(exa mp le: Cargo
Va n) Wheels and tires
333