Winter driving
Points to remember
Have your vehicle winterproofed at a qualified
specialist workshop, e.g. at a Mercedes-Benz
Service Centre, at the onset of winter.
Winter tyres
In temperatures below +7 °C, always use all-
weather tyres or winter tyres and always use
winter tyres in wintry road conditions.
Only winter tyres displaying the snowflake
symbol in addition to the M+S marking pro-
vide optimum grip in wintry road conditions.
Only these tyres will allow the ABS and ESP
driving systems to function optimally in win-
ter, as these tyres have been designed spe-
cifically for driving on snow.
Use winter tyres of the same make and tread
on all wheels to maintain safe handling char-
acteristics.
G
Risk of accident
Winter tyres with a tread depth of less than
4 mm must be replaced immediately. They are
no longer suitable for winter use and can no
longer provide sufficient grip. This could
cause you to lose control of your vehicle and
cause an accident.
Always observe the maximum permissible
speed specified for the winter tyres you have
fitted. If you fit winter tyres which have a
lower maximum permissible speed than that
of the vehicle, affix an appropriate warning
sign in the driver's field of vision. This can be
obtained at a qualified specialist workshop,
e.g. from a Mercedes-Benz Service Centre.
Under these circumstances, you should also
restrict the maximum speed of the vehicle
using permanent Speedtronic*
26
to the max-
imum permissible speed for the winter tyres
(
Y
page 110).
Once you have fitted the winter tyres:
X
Check the tyre pressures (
Y
page 152).
X
Restart the tyre pressure loss warning sys-
tem (
Y
page 153).
G
Risk of accident
If you fit the spare wheel* when driving with
winter tyres, bear in mind that driving stability
will be impaired owing to unstable cornering
characteristics caused by the different tyres.
You should therefore adapt your driving style
and drive carefully.
Have the spare wheel* replaced at the near-
est qualified specialist workshop which has
the necessary specialist knowledge and tools
to carry out the work required. Mercedes-
Benz recommends that you use a Mercedes-
Benz Service Centre for this purpose. In par-
ticular, work relevant to safety or on safety-
related systems must be carried out at a quali-
fied specialist workshop.
Snow chains
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only use snow chains which
have been specially approved for your vehicle
by Mercedes-Benz, or are of a corresponding
standard of quality.
If you intend to fit snow chains, please bear
the following points in mind:
R
snow chains cannot be fitted to all wheel/
tyre combinations.
R
snow chains must not be fitted to emer-
gency wheels, e.g. a collapsible emergency
spare wheel.
R
Fit snow chains only in pairs and only to the
rear wheels. Comply with the manufactur-
er's installation instructions.
Do not exceed the maximum permissible
speed of 50 km/h.
i
You may wish to deactivate ESP
®
when
pulling away with snow chains fitted
(
Y
page 52). This way, you can allow the
26
Only available for certain countries.
Winter driving
155
Operation
* optional
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