Mercedes-Benz 300 SD Turbo Diesel 1982, Owner'S Manual

Page: 67 / 97

Wheels Tires Changing Wheels
Wheels, Tires
In case of replacem ent we re co m ­
mend to use tires of identical design,
version and brand.
See any MERCEDES-BENZ service
station fo r inform ation on te ste d and
recom m ended wheels and tires fo r
sum m er and w inter operation. They
will also offer more advice concerning
tire service and purchase.
M ount single newly acquired tire s on
the fro n t wheels. If any tire s are
replaced and the spare tire is new and
of the same make and version, m ount
the spare wheel on the vehicle as
road wheel. We recom m end that you
break in new tires fo r approx. 100 km /
60 miles at moderate speed.
On new rims, it is im perative that the
wheel securing bolts be retightened
after approx. 800 km /500 miles. On
new vehicles retightening is carried
out in the course of the 1 st inspec­
tion. Retightening is also necessary
when new wheels are fitte d at a later
date, e.g. when the spare wheel is
used fo r the firs t time o r when a new
set of wheels with M + S tires is
fitted.
For tire specifications, refer to
“ Technical Data” .
Rotating wheels:
The wheels can be rotated according
to the degree of tire w ear while
retaining the same sense o f rotation.
Rotating, however, should be carried
out before the characteristic tire wear
pattern (shoulder wear on fro n t
wheels and tread ce n te r w ear on rear
wheels) becom es visible at a mileage
of 5000— 10 000 km /3000— 6000
miles as otherw ise the driving p ro p e r­
ties deteriorate.
Slowly leaking air (e.g. due to a nail in
the tire) may cause damage to the tire
such as tread separation. Regular tire
pressure checks at intervals of no
more than 14 days are therefore
essential. For the tire pressure
checks, keep in mind that hot tires
show higher pressure than cold tires.
See tire pressure chart on last page.
Should the tire pressure decrease
constantly, check w he th e r foreign
ob je cts have penetrated the tire or if
rim or valve allow the air to leak.
Thoroughly clean the inner side of the
wheels any time you rotate the w heels
or wash vehicle underside.
Dented or bent rims cause tire
pressure loss and damage to the tire
beads. For this reason, check rims for
damage at regular intervals. The rim
flanges m ust be checked fo r wear
before a tire is m ounted. Remove
burrs, if there are any.
Observe wheel bolts!
1 For forged light alloy rims only
2 For steel rims only
Caution:
Do not use the long wheel bolts (1)
intended fo r light alloy w heels to
m ount steel rims. Use only the
sh o rte r bolts (2) fo r the steel rims.
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