All-weather tires and winter tires
Index
Speed rating
Q M+S
1
up to 100 mph (160 km/h)
T M+S
1
up to 118 mph (190 km/h)
H M+S
1
up to 130 mph (210 km/h)
V M+S
1
up to 149 mph (240 km/h)
i
Not all tires with the M+S marking provide
the driving characteristics of winter tires. In
addition to the M+S marking, winter tires
also have the
i
snowflake symbol on the
tire wall. Tires with this marking fulfill the
requirements of the Rubber Manufacturers
Association (RMA) and the Rubber Associa-
tion of Canada (RAC) regarding the tire trac-
tion on snow. They have been especially
developed for driving on snow.
An electronic speed limiter prevents your vehi-
cle from exceeding a speed of 130 mph
(210 km/h).
The speed rating of tires mounted at the fac-
tory may be higher than the maximum speed
that the electronic speed limiter permits.
Make sure that your tires have the required
speed rating, e.g. when buying new tires. The
required speed rating for your vehicle can be
found in the "Tires" section (
Y
page 329).
Further information about reading tire data
can be obtained from any qualified specialist
workshop.
Load index
In addition to the load-bearing index, load
index
:
may be imprinted after the letters
that identify speed rating on the sidewall of
the tire. Speed rating (
Y
page 320).
R
If no specification is given: no text (as in the
example above), represents a standard load
(SL) tire
R
XL or Extra Load: represents a reinforced
tire
R
Light Load: represents a light load tire
R
C, D, E: represents a load range that
depends on the maximum load that the tire
can carry at a certain pressure
i
Tire data is vehicle-specific and may devi-
ate from the data in the example.
Maximum load rating
Maximum tire load
:
is the maximum permis-
sible weight for which the tire is approved.
Do not overload the tires by exceeding the
specified load limit. The maximum permissible
load can be found on the vehicle's Tire and
Loading Information placard on the B-pillar on
the driver's side (
Y
page 316).
i
The actual values for tires are vehicle-spe-
cific and may deviate from the values in the
illustration.
DOT, Tire Identification Number (TIN)
US tire regulations stipulate that every tire
manufacturer or retreader must imprint a TIN
in or on the sidewall of each tire produced.
1
Or M+S
i
for winter tires.
322
All about wheels and tires
Wh
eels
and
tires