Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3 1991, Owner'S Manual

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1801
Tires
Tread wear indicators (TWI) are
required by law. These indicators are
located in six places on the tread cir­
cumference and become visible at a
depth of approx. 2 mm (1/i6 in), at
which point the tire is considered worn
and should be replaced.
The tread wear indicator appears as a
solid band across the tread.
Warning!
Do not allow your tires to wear
down too far. With less than 3 mm
(Vs in) of tread, the adhesion
properties on a wet road fall off
sharply.
Depending upon the weather and/
or road surface (conditions), the
traction varies widely.
Specified tire pressure must be main­
tained. This applies particularly if the
tires are subjected to high loads
(e.g. high speeds, heavy loads, high
ambient temperatures).
Tire traction
The safe speed on a wet, snow cov­
ered or icy road is always lower than
on a dry road.
You should pay particular attention to
the condition of the road as soon as
the prevailing temperatures fall close
to the freezing point.
Warning!
Do not drive with a flat tire. A flat
tire affects the ability to steer or
brake the vehicle. You may lose
control of the car. Continued
driving with a flat tire or driving at
high speed with a flat tire will
cause excessive heat build-up
and possibly a fire, or tire blow­
out.
Aquaplaning
Depending on the depth of the water
layer on the road, aquaplaning may
occur, even at low speeds and with
new tires. Avoid track grooves in the
road and apply brakes cautiously in
the rain.
Warning!
If ice has formed on the road, tire
traction will be substantially
reduced. Under such weather
conditions, drive, steer and brake
with extreme caution.
We recommend M + S radial-ply
tires for the winter season for all four
wheels to insure normal balanced
handling characteristics. On packed
snow, they can reduce your stopping
distance as compared with summer
tires. Stopping distance, however, is
still considerably greater than when
the road is wet or dry.
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