MERCEDES-BENZ GLS 2017 Owners Manual

Step 3
Example 1 Example 2 Example 3
Permissible load (maxi-
mum gross vehicle
weight rating from the
Tire and Loading Infor-
mation placard minus
the gross weight of all
occupants) 1500 lbs (680 kg)

All passenger car tires must conform to the stat-
utory safety requirements in addition to these
grades.
i The actual values for tires are vehicle-spe-
cific and may deviate from the values in the
illustration.
Treadwear The treadwear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a specified U.S.
government course. For example, a tire graded
150 would wear one and one-half times as well
on the government course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends upon
the actual conditions of their use, however, and
may depart significantly from the norm due to
variations in driving habits, service practices
and differences in road characteristics and cli-
mate.
Traction
G WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration, cor-
nering, hydroplaning, or peak traction char-
acteristics.
! Avoid wheelspin. This can lead to damage to
the drive train.
The traction grades – from highest to lowest –
are AA, A, B and C. Those grades represent the
tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as meas-
ured under controlled conditions on specified
government test surfaces of asphalt and con-
crete. A tire marked C may have poor traction
performance.
The safe speed on a wet, snow covered or icy
road is always lower than on dry road surfaces.
You should pay special attention to road condi-
tions when temperatures are around freezing
point.
Mercedes-Benz recommends a minimum tread
depth of

Tire labeling
Overview
C
Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards
( Y
page 364)D
Department of Transportation, Tire Identifi-
cation Number ( Y
page 363)

description, depending on the manufacturer
(e.g. 245/40 ZR 18).
Rim diameter: rim diameter

An electronic speed limiter prevents your vehi-
cle from exceeding the following speeds: R
All vehicles (except Mercedes-AMG GLS 63):
130 mph (210 km/h) R
Mercedes-AMG GLS 63: 155 mph (250 km/h) R
Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 with increased top
speed: 174 mph (280 km/h)
The speed rating of tires mounted at the factory
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 371).
Further information about reading tire data can
be obtained from any qualified specialist work-
shop.
Load index
In addition to the load bearing index, load
index C may be imprinted after the letters that
identify speed index

requirements of the U.S. Department of Trans-
portation.
Manufacturer identification code: manufac-
turer identification code D provides details on
the tire manufacturer. New tires have a code
with two symbols. Retreaded tires have a code
with four symbols.
For further information about retreaded tires,
see ( Y
page 371).
Tire size: identifier

Speed rating The speed rating is part of the tire identification.
It specifies the speed range for which the tire is
approved.
GTW (Gross Trailer Weight) The GTW is the weight of a trailer including the
weight of the load, luggage, accessories etc. on
the trailer.
GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight) The gross vehicle weight includes the weight of
the vehicle including fuel, tools, the spare wheel,
accessories installed, occupants, luggage and
the drawbar noseweight, if applicable. The gross
vehicle weight must not exceed the gross vehi-
cle weight rating GVWR as specified on the vehi-
cle identification plate on the B-pillar on the
driver's side.
GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) The GVWR is the maximum permissible gross
weight of a fully loaded vehicle (the weight of the
vehicle including all accessories, occupants,
fuel, luggage and the drawbar noseweight, if
applicable). The gross vehicle weight rating is
specified on the vehicle identification plate on
the B-pillar on the driver's side.
Maximum loaded vehicle weight The maximum weight is the sum of: R
the curb weight of the vehicle R
the weight of the accessories R
the load limit R
the weight of the factory installed optional
equipment
Kilopascal (kPa)
Metric unit for tire pressure. 6.9 kPa corre-
sponds to 1 psi. Another unit for tire pressure is
bar. 100 kilopascals (kPa) are the equivalent of
1 bar.
Load index
In addition to the load-bearing index, the load
index may also be imprinted on the sidewall of
the tire. This specifies the load-bearing capacity
more precisely.
Curb weight
The weight of a vehicle with standard equipment
including the maximum capacity of fuel, oil and
coolant. It also includes the air-conditioning sys- tem and optional equipment if these are instal-
led in the vehicle, but does not include passen-
gers or luggage.
Maximum load rating The maximum tire load is the maximum permis-
sible weight in kilograms or lbs for which a tire is
approved.
Maximum permissible tire pressure Maximum permissible tire pressure for one tire.
Maximum load on one tire Maximum load on one tire. This is calculated by
dividing the maximum axle load of one axle by
two.
PSI (pounds per square inch) A standard unit of measure for tire pressure.
Aspect ratio Relationship between tire height and tire width
in percent.
Tire pressure This is pressure inside the tire applying an out-
ward force to each square inch of the tire's sur-
face. The tire pressure is specified in pounds per
square inch (psi), in kilopascal (kPa) or in bar.
The tire pressure should only be corrected when
the tires are cold.
Cold tire pressure The tires are cold: R
if the vehicle has been parked with the tires
out of direct sunlight for at least three hours
and R
if the vehicle has not been driven further than
1 mile (1.6 km)
Tread
The part of the tire that comes into contact with
the road.
Bead
The tire bead ensures that the tire sits securely
on the wheel. There are several steel wires in the
bead to prevent the tire from coming loose from
the wheel rim.All about wheels and tires 365
Wheels and tires Z

Sidewall The part of the tire between the tread and the
bead.
Weight of optional extras The combined weight of those optional extras
that weigh more than the replaced standard
parts and more than 2.3 kg (5 lbs). These
optional extras, such as high-performance
brakes, level control, a roof rack or a high-per-
formance battery, are not included in the curb
weight and the weight of the accessories.
TIN (Tire Identification Number) This is a unique identifier which can be used by
a tire manufacturer to identify tires, for example
for a product recall, and thus identify the pur-
chasers. The TIN is made up of the manufactur-
er's identity code, tire size, tire type code and
the manufacturing date.
Load bearing index The load bearing index (also load index) is a code
that contains the maximum load bearing capa-
city of a tire.
Traction Traction is the result of friction between the tires
and the road surface.
TWR (Tongue Weight Rating) The TWR specifies the maximum permissible
weight that the ball coupling of the trailer tow
hitch can support.
Treadwear indicators Narrow bars (tread wear bars) that are distrib-
uted over the tire tread. If the tire tread is level
with the bars, the wear limit of

be required earlier. Do not change the direction
of wheel rotation.
Clean the contact surfaces of the wheel and the
brake disc thoroughly every time a wheel is rota-
ted. Check the tire pressure and, if necessary,
restart the tire pressure loss warning system or
the tire pressure monitor ( Y
page 353).
Direction of rotation Tires with a specified direction of rotation have
additional benefits, e.g. if there is a risk of hydro-
planing. These advantages can only be gained if
the tires are installed corresponding to the
direction of rotation.
An arrow on the sidewall of the tire indicates its
correct direction of rotation.
Storing wheels Store wheels that are not being used in a cool,
dry and preferably dark place. Protect the tires
from oil, grease, gasoline and diesel.
Mounting a wheel
Preparing the vehicle X
Vehicle with emergency spare wheel:
when mounting the emergency spare wheel in
the event of a flat tire, follow the additional
notes on vehicle preparation under "Flat tire"
( Y
page 331). X
Stop the vehicle on solid, non-slippery and
level ground. X
Apply the electric parking brake manually. X
Bring the front wheels into the straight-ahead
position. X
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shift the automatic transmission to position
P . X
Vehicles with the AIRMATIC package:
make sure that the normal vehicle level is
selected ( Y
page 188).X
Vehicles with the Off-Road Engineering
package: make sure that the normal level is
selected ( Y
page 182).X
Switch off the engine. X
Vehicles without KEYLESS-GO: remove the
SmartKey from the ignition lock. X
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO: open the driv-
er's door.
The on-board electronics now have status 0 .
This is the same as the SmartKey having been
removed. X
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO: remove the
Start/Stop button from the ignition lock
( Y
page 138). X
If included in the vehicle equipment, remove
the tire-change tool kit from the vehicle. X
Safeguard the vehicle against rolling away.
i Apart from certain country-specific varia-
tions, vehicles are not equipped with a tire-
change tool kit. For information on which
tools are required to perform a wheel change
on your vehicle, consult an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Necessary tire-changing tools can include, for
example: R
Jack R
Wheel chock R
Lug wrench
Securing the vehicle to prevent it from
rolling away
If your vehicle is equipped with a wheel chock, it
can be found in the tire-change tool kit
( Y
page 331).
The folding wheel chock is an additional safety
measure to prevent the vehicle from rolling
away, for example when changing a wheel. X
Fold both plates upwards C .X
Fold out lower plate D .X
Guide the lugs on the lower plate fully into the
openings in base plate

X
Place chocks or other suitable items under
the front and rear of the wheel that is diago-
nally opposite the wheel you wish to change.
Raising the vehicle
G WARNING
If you do not position the jack correctly at the
appropriate jacking point of the vehicle, the
jack could tip over with the vehicle raised.
There is a risk of injury.
Only position the jack at the appropriate jack-
ing point of the vehicle. The base of the jack
must be positioned vertically, directly under
the jacking point of the vehicle.
! Mercedes-AMG vehicles with
"Minispare" emergency spare wheel: only
use the "Minispare" emergency spare wheel
on the rear axle . If you mount the
"Minispare" emergency spare wheel on the
front axle, this could result in damage to the
brake system.
If a tire on the front axle is defective, an intact
wheel from the rear axle must first be
replaced with the "Minispare" emergency
spare wheel. The damaged wheel on the front
axle can then be replaced by the undamaged
wheel from the rear axle.
Make sure to note the placard on the
"Minispare" emergency spare wheel.
! The jack is designed exclusively for jacking
up the vehicle at the jacking points. Other-
wise, your vehicle could be damaged.
Observe the following when raising the vehi-
cle: R
To raise the vehicle, only use the vehicle-spe-
cific jack that has been tested and approved by Mercedes-Benz. If used incorrectly, the
jack could tip over with the vehicle raised. R
The jack is designed only to raise and hold the
vehicle for a short time while a wheel is being
changed. It must not be used for performing
maintenance work under the vehicle. R
Avoid changing the wheel on uphill and down-
hill slopes. R
Before raising the vehicle, secure it from roll-
ing away by applying the parking brake and
inserting wheel chocks. Do not disengage the
parking brake while the vehicle is raised. R
The jack must be placed on a firm, flat and
non-slip surface. On a loose surface, a large,
flat, load-bearing underlay must be used. On a
slippery surface, a non-slip underlay must be
used, e.g. rubber mats. R
Do not use wooden blocks or similar objects
as a jack underlay. Otherwise, the jack will not
be able to achieve its load-bearing capacity
due to the restricted height.R
Make sure that the distance between the
underside of the tires and the ground does not
exceed 1.2 in (3 cm). R
Do not place your hands or feet under the
raised vehicle. R
Do not lie under the vehicle. R
Do not start the engine when the vehicle is
raised. R
Never open or close a door or the tailgate
when the vehicle is raised. R
Make sure that no persons are present in the
vehicle when the vehicle is raised.
X
Using lug wrench C , loosen the bolts on the
wheel you wish to change by about one full
turn. Do not unscrew the bolts completely.368
Changing a wheel
Wheels and tires