Tread
The part of the tire thatcomesinto contact
with the road.
Bead
The tire bead ensures thatthe tire sits
securelyonthe wheel. There areseveralsteel
wires in the bead to prevent the tire from com-
ing loose from the wheelrim.
Sidewall
The part of the tire between the treadand the
bead.
Weight of optional extras
The combinedweightofthoseoptional extras
thatweigh morethanthe replaced standard
parts and morethan2.3 kg (5 lbs).These
optional extras, such as high-performance
brakes, level control, aroofrackorahigh-per-
formance battery,are not included in the curb
weight and the weight of the accessories.
TIN (Tire IdentificationNumber)
Thisisauniqueidentifierwhich can be used
by atire manufacturer to identify tires, for
examplefor aproduct recall,and thusidentify
the purchasers. The TIN is made up of the
manufacturer's identity code, tire size, tire
typecodeand the manufacturing date.
Load bearingindex
The load bearing index (alsoloadindex) is a
codethatcontains the maximumloadbearing
capacity of atire.
Traction
Tractionisthe resultoffrictionbetween the
tiresand the roadsurface.
Treadwear indicators
Narrowbars(tread wear bars) thatare distrib-
utedoverthe tire tread. If the tire treadislevel
with the bars, the wear limit of á in (1.6 mm)
hasbeenreached.
Occupant distribution
The distributionofoccupants in avehicleat
theirdesignated seating positions.
Total load limit
Nominalloadand luggage load plus 68 kg
(150lbs)multipliedbythe numberofseats in
the vehicle.
Changingawheel
Flat tire
The "Breakdown assistance" section
(Y page 253)contains informationand notes
on how to deal with aflattire.Informationon
driving with MOExtendedtiresinthe event of a
flattire can be found under "MOExtended tires
(tires with run-flatcharacteristics"
(Y page 254).
Rotating the wheels
G
WARNING
Rotating the frontand rearwheelsifthe
wheels or tireshavedifferent dimensions
mayseverely impairthe driving characteris-
tics.The servicebrake or wheelsuspension
components mayalsobedamaged.There is
ariskofanaccident.
Rotate frontand rearwheelsonlyifthe
wheels and tiresare of the same dimen-
sions.
!
On vehicles equipped with atire pressure
monitor, electronic components arelocated
in the wheel.
Tire-mounting toolsshouldnot be used near
the valve.Thiscould damage the electronic
components.
Onlyhavetireschangedataqualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Alwayspay attentiontothe instructions and
safety noteswhenchanging awheel
(Y page 290).
The wear patterns on the frontand reartires
differ, depending on the operating conditions.
Rotate the wheels before aclear wear pattern
hasformed on the tires. Front tirestypically
wear moreonthe shoulderand reartiresin
the center.
On vehicles thathavethe same size front and
rearwheels, youcan rotate the wheels accord-
ing to the intervals in the tire manufacturer's
warranty book in your vehicledocuments. If no
warranty book is available, the tiresshouldbe
rotated every 3,000 to 6,000 miles (5,000 to
10,000 km). Depending on tire wear,thismay
be required earlier. Do not change the direc-
tionofwheel rotation.
Changingawheel
289
Wheelsand tires
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