Mercedes-Benz 420 SEL 1988, Owner'S Manual

Page: 19 / 121

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
('/e 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 3mm
('/
b
in) of tread, the adhesion prop­
erties on a wet road are sharply re­
duced.
Depending upon the weather and/
or road surface (conditions), the
traction varies widely.
Specified tire pressures must be
maintained. This applies particularly if
the tires are subjected to high loads
(e. g. high speeds, heavy loads, high
ambient temperatures).
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.
Tire traction
The safe speed on a wet, snow co­
vered 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!
If ice has formed on the road, tire
traction will be substantially re­
duced. Under such weather condi­
tions, 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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