Whee ls and tires, Winter operation – Mercedes-Benz G-Class 2015 User Manual
Page 310

Selecting, mounting and replacing
tires
R
Only mount tires and wheels of the same
type and make.
R
Only mount approved tires of the correct
size onto the wheels.
R
Tires are supplied with a protective layer
from the factory. Break in new tires at mod-
erate speeds for the first 60 miles
(100 km). They only reach their full per-
formance after this distance.
R
Do not drive with tires which have too little
tread depth, as this significantly reduces
the traction on wet roads (hydroplaning).
R
Replace the tires after six years at the lat-
est, regardless of wear. This also applies to
the spare wheel.
Winter operation
General notes
Have your vehicle winterproofed at a qualified
specialist workshop at the onset of winter.
Observe the notes in the "Changing a wheel"
section (
Y
page 327).
Driving with summer tires
At temperatures below 45 ‡ (+7 †), summer
tires lose elasticity and therefore traction and
braking power. Change the tires on your vehi-
cle to M+S tires. Using summer tires at very
cold temperatures could cause cracks to
form, thereby damaging the tires perma-
nently. Mercedes-Benz cannot accept
responsibility for this type of damage.
M+S tires
G
WARNING
M+S tires with a tire tread depth of less than
ã in (4 mm) are not suitable for use in winter
and do not provide sufficient traction. There is
a risk of an accident.
M+S tires with a tread depth of less than ã in
(4 mm) must be replaced immediately.
G
WARNING
Wheel and tire dimensions as well as the type
of tire can vary between the spare wheel and
the wheel to be replaced. When the spare
wheel is mounted, driving characteristics may
be severely affected. There is a risk of an acci-
dent.
In order to reduce risks:
R
you should therefore adapt your driving
style and drive carefully.
R
never mount more than one spare wheel
that differs from the wheel to be replaced.
R
only use a spare wheel that differs from the
wheel to be replaced for a short time.
R
do not deactivate ESP
®
.
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have a spare wheel that differs from the
wheel that has been changed replaced at
the nearest qualified specialist workshop.
You must observe the correct wheel and
tire dimensions as well as the wheel type.
Do not exceed a maximum speed of 50 mph
(80 km/h) if a spare wheel of a different size
is installed.
At temperatures below 45 ‡ (+7 †), use all-
season tires or winter tires. Both types of tire
are identified by the M+S marking.
Not all tires with the M+S marking provide the
driving characteristics of winter tires. In addi-
tion to the M+S marking, winter tires also
have the i snowflake symbol on the tire
wall. Tires with this marking fulfill the require-
ments of the Rubber Manufacturers Associa-
tion (RMA) and the Rubber Association of
Canada (RAC) regarding snow traction, and
were specially developed for driving on snow.
Only these tires will allow driving safety sys-
tems such as ABS and ESP
®
to function opti-
mally in winter, since these tires have been
designed specifically for driving on snow.
Use M+S tires of the same make and tread on
all wheels to maintain safe handling charac-
teristics.
308
Winter operation
Whee
ls
and
tires