Mercedes-Benz 450 SL 1980, Owner'S Manual

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Wheels Tires Changing Wheels
Wheels and Tires
In case of replacem ent we recom ­
mend you use tires of identical
design, version and brand.
See any MERCEDES-BENZ service
station fo r inform ation on tested and
recomm ended wheels and tires for
summ er and w inter operation. They
w ill also offer more advice con­
cerning tire service and purchase.
Mount single newly acquired tires
on the fron t wheels. If any tires are
replaced and the spare tire is new
and of the same make and version,
mount the spare wheel on the
vehicle as road wheel. We recom ­
mend that you break in new tires for
approx. 100 km /60 miles at
moderate speed.
For tire specifications, refer to
“ Technical Data".
Rotating wheels:
The wheels can be rotated a ccord ­
ing to the degree of tire wear while
retaining the same sense of rota­
tion. Rotating, however, should be
carried out before the characteristic
tire wear pattern (shoulder w ear on
fron t wheels and tread center wear
on rear wheels) becomes visible
at a mileage of 5000-10 000 km /
3000-6000 miles as otherw ise 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.
Should the tire pressure decrease
constantly, check w hether foreign
objects have penetrated the tire or
if rim or valve allow the a ir to leak.
Thoroughly clean the inner side of
the wheels any tim e you rotate the
wheels or wash vehicle underside.
Dented or bent rims cause tire
pressure loss and damage to the
tire beads. For this reason, check
rims fo r damage at regular intervals.
The rim flanges must be checked
fo r wear before a tire is mounted.
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 wheels only
when m ounting steel rims. Use only
the shorter bolts ( 2 ) for the steel
rims.