Regular checking of wheels and tires
G
WARNING
Damaged tires can cause tire inflation pres-
sure loss. As a result, you could lose control of
your vehicle. There is a risk of accident.
Check the tires regularly for signs of damage
and replace any damaged tires immediately.
Check wheels and tires for damage at least once
a month. Check wheels and tires after driving
off-road or on rough roads. Damaged wheels
can cause a loss of tire pressure. Pay particular
attention to damage such as:
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cuts in the tires
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punctures
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tears in the tires
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bulges on tires
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deformation or severe corrosion on wheels
Regularly check the tire tread depth and the
condition of the tread across the whole width of
the tire (
Y
page 322). If necessary, turn the
front wheels to full lock in order to inspect the
inner side of the tire surface.
All wheels must have a valve cap to protect the
valve against dirt and moisture. Do not mount
anything onto the valve other than the standard
valve cap or other valve caps approved by
Mercedes-Benz for your vehicle. Do not use any
other valve caps or systems, e.g. tire pressure
monitoring systems.
Regularly check the pressure of all the tires par-
ticularly prior to long trips. Adjust the tire pres-
sure as necessary (
Y
page 324).
The service life of tires depends, among other
things, on the following factors:
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driving style
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tire pressure
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distance covered
Notes on tire tread
G
WARNING
Insufficient tire tread will reduce tire traction.
The tire is no longer able to dissipate water.
This means that on wet road surfaces, the risk
of hydroplaning increases, in particular where
speed is not adapted to suit the driving con-
ditions. There is a risk of accident.
If the tire pressure is too high or too low, tires
may exhibit different levels of wear at differ-
ent locations on the tire tread. Thus, you
should regularly check the tread depth and
the condition of the tread across the entire
width of all tires.
Minimum tire tread depth for:
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Summer tires:
â
in (3 mm)
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M+S tires:
ã
in (4 mm)
For safety reasons, replace the tires before
the legally prescribed limit for the minimum
tire tread depth is reached.
Marking
:
shows where the bar indicator
(arrow) for tread wear is integrated into the tire
tread.
Treadwear indicators (TWI) are required by law.
Six indicators are positioned on the tire tread.
They are visible once a tread depth of approx-
imately
á
in (1.6 mm) has been reached. If this
is the case, the tire is so worn that it must be
replaced.
Selecting, mounting and replacing
tires
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Only mount tires and wheels of the same type
and make.
Exception: it is permissible to install a differ-
ent type or make in the event of a flat tire.
Observe the "MOExtended tires (tires with
run-flat characteristics" section (
Y
page 306).
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Only mount tires of the correct size onto the
wheels.
322
Operation
Whee
ls
an
d
tire
s
