motor oil MERCEDES-BENZ S550 2007 W221 Owner's Manual

502 OperationTires and wheelsTread depth
Do not allow your tires to wear down too
far. Adhesion properties on wet roads are
sharply reduced at tread depths under 1/8in (3 mm).
Treadwear indicators (TWI) are required by
law. These indicators are located in six
places on the tread circumference and
become visible at a tread depth of approx-
imately
1/16
in (1.6 mm), at which point
the tire is considered worn and should be
replaced.
Recommended minimum tire tread depth:


Summer tires
1/8in (3 mm)


Winter tires
1/6in (4 mm)
1TWI (T
readW
ear I
ndicator)
The treadwear indicator appears as a solid
band across the tread.Storing tires
Cleaning tires
Warning!
G
Although the applicable federal motor safety
laws consider a tire to be worn when the
treadwear indicators (TWI) become visible at
approximately
1/16in (1.6 mm), we recom-
mend that you do not allow your tires
to wear down to that level. As tread depth
approaches
1/8in (3 mm), the adhesion
properties on a wet road are sharply re-
duced.
Depending upon the weather and/or road
surface (conditions), the tire traction varies
widely.
!
Keep unmounted tires in a cool, dry place
with as little exposure to light as possible. Pro-
tect tires from contact with oil, grease and gaso-
line.
!
Never use a round nozzle to power wash
tires. The intense jet of water can result in dam-
age to the tire.
Always replace a damaged tire.

526 OperationTires and wheelsTire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
The combined weight (in excess of those
standard items which may be replaced) of
automatic transmission, power steering,
power brakes, power windows, power
seats, radio, and heater, to the extent that
these items are available as
factory-installed equipment (whether
installed or not).
Air pressure
The amount of air inside the tire pressing
outward on each square inch of the tire.
Air pressure is expressed in pounds per
square inch (psi), or kilopascal (kPa) or
bars.
Aspect ratio
Dimensional relationship between tire
section height and section width
expressed in percentage.Bar
Another metric unit for air pressure. There
are 14.5038 pounds per square inch (psi)
to 1 bar; there are 100 kilopascals (kPa)
to 1 bar.
Bead
The tire bead contains steel wires wrapped
by steel cords that hold the tire onto the
rim.
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire inflation pressure when your vehicle
has been sitting for at least 3 hours or driv-
en no more than 1 mile (1.6 km).
Curb weight
The weight of a motor vehicle with stan-
dard equipment including the maximum
capacity of fuel, oil, and coolant, and, if so
equipped, air conditioning and additional
optional equipment, but without passen-
gers and cargo.DOT (D
epartment o
f T
ransportation)
A tire branding symbol which denotes the
tire meets requirements of the
U.S. Department of Transportation.
GAWR (G
ross A
xle W
eight R
ating)
The GAWR is the maximum permissible
axle weight. The gross vehicle weight on
each axle must never exceed the GAWR for
the front and rear axle indicated on the
Certification label located on the driver’s
door B-pillar.
GVW (G
ross V
ehicle W
eight)
The GVW comprises the weight of the
vehicle including fuel, tools, spare wheel,
installed accessories, passengers and
cargo and, if applicable, trailer tongue
load. The GVW must never exceed the
GVWR indicated on the Certification label
located on the driver’s door B-pillar.

664 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.Premium unleaded gasoline
Fuel requirements
Use only premium unleaded fuel:

The octane number (posted at the
pump) must be 91 min. It is an average
of both the Research (R) octane num-
ber and the Motor (M) octane number:
(R+M)/2). This is also known as the
ANTI-KNOCK INDEX.
Unleaded gasoline containing oxygenates
such as ethanol, IPA, IBA and TBA can be
used provided the ratio of any one of these
oxygenates to gasoline does not exceed
10%; MTBE must not exceed 15%.
The ratio of methanol to gasoline must not
exceed 3% plus additional co-solvents.
Using mixtures of ethanol and methanol is
not allowed. Gasohol, which contains
10% ethanol and 90% unleaded gasoline,
can be used.
These blends must also meet all other fuel
requirements, such as resistance to spark
knock, boiling range, vapor pressure, etc.
Warning!
G
Gasoline is highly flammable and poisonous.
It burns violently and can cause serious
injury. Whenever you are around gasoline,
avoid inhaling fumes and skin contact, extin-
guish all smoking materials. Never allow
sparks, flame or smoking materials near
gasoline!
Switch off the engine before refueling.Warning!
G
Do not allow fuel to come into contact with
skin or clothing.
Direct skin contact with fuels and the inha-
lation of fuel vapors are damaging to health.
!
To maintain the engine’s durability and per-
formance, premium unleaded gasoline must be
used. If premium unleaded gasoline is not avail-
able and low octane fuel is used, follow these
precautions:


Have the fuel tank only partially filled with
unleaded regular and fill up with premium
unleaded as soon as possible.


Avoid full throttle driving and abrupt acceler-
ation.


Do not exceed an engine speed of 3000 rpm
if the vehicle is loaded with a light load such
as two persons and no luggage.


Do not exceed
2/3 of maximum accelerator
pedal position if the vehicle is fully loaded or
operating in mountainous terrain.

666 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.The coolant solution must be used
year-round to provide the necessary corro-
sion protection and increase boil-over pro-
tection. Refer to Maintenance Booklet for
replacement interval.
Coolant system design and coolant used
determine the replacement interval. The
replacement interval published in the
Maintenance Booklet is only applicable if
MB 325.0 anticorrosion/antifreeze solu-
tion or other Mercedes-Benz approved
products of equal specification (see
Factory Approved Service Products pam-
phlet) are used to renew the coolant con-
centration or bring it back up to the proper
level.
To provide important corrosion protection,
the solution must be at least 45% anticor-
rosion/antifreeze [equivalent to freeze
protection to approximately –22°F
(–30°C)]. If you use a solution that is more
than 55% anticorrosion/antifreeze [freeze
protection to approximately –49°F
(–45°C)], the engine temperature will in-
crease due to the lower heat transfer capa-bility of the solution. Therefore, do not use
more than this amount of anticorrosion/
antifreeze.
If the coolant level is low, water and
MB 325.0 Anticorrosion/Antifreeze
should be used to bring it up to the proper
level (have cooling system checked for
signs of leakage).
The water in the cooling system must meet
minimum requirements, which are usually
satisfied by normal drinking water. If you
are not sure about the water quality, con-
sult an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.Anticorrosion/antifreeze
Your vehicle contains a number of alumi-
num parts. The use of aluminum compo-
nents in motor vehicle engines
necessitates that anticorrosion/antifreeze
coolant used in such engines be specifical-
ly formulated to protect the aluminum
parts. (Failure to use such anticorrosion/
antifreeze coolant will result in a signifi-
cantly shortened service life.)
Therefore, the following product is strongly
recommended for use in your vehicle:
Mercedes-Benz 325.0 anticorrosion/
antifreeze agent.
Before the start of the winter season (or
once a year in hot southern regions), you
should have the anticorrosion/antifreeze
concentration checked. The coolant is also
regularly checked each time you bring your
vehicle to an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center for service.