Mercedes-Benz 380 SL 1984, Owner'S Manual

Page: 61 / 89

Practical Hints
Wheels Tires Changing Wheels
The jack (
6
) and tool kit are located
behind cover (4).
Caution:
Use the jack only to lift the vehicle
during a tire change. Never get
beneath the vehicle while it is
supported only by the jack. Use
jack stands to work under the car.
Wheels, Tires
In case of replacement we recom­
mend you use tires and rims of
identical design, version and brand.
See any MERCEDES-BENZ service
station for information on tested and
recommended wheels and tires for
summer and winter operation. They
will also offer more advice con­
cerning tire service and purchase.
Front tires should be replaced in
sets. If possible, the spare tire
should be used on the rear wheels.
We recommend that you break in
new tires for approx.
100
km/
60 miles at moderate speed.
After a wheel change it is impera­
tive that the wheel mounting bolts
be retightened after approx.
800 km/500 miles. On new vehicles
retightening is carried out in the
course of the
1
st inspection.
Retightening is also necessary
when new wheels are fitted at a
later date, e. g. when the spare
wheel is used for the first time or
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
wear while retaining the same
sense of rotation. Rotating, how­
ever, should be carried out before
the characteristic tire wear pattern
(shoulder wear on front wheels and
tread center wear on rear wheels)
becomes visible at a mileage of
5000-10 000 km/3000-6000 miles
as otherwise the driving properties
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.
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