winter tires MERCEDES-BENZ CLA 2014 User Guide

safety systems such as ABS and ESP®to
function optimally in winter. These tires have
been developed specifically for driving in
snow.
Use M+S tires of the same make and tread on
all wheels to maintain safe handling
characteristics.
Always observe the maximum permissible
speed specified for the M+S tires you have
mounted.
Once the winter tires are mounted:
XCheck the tire pressures (Ypage 319).
XRestart the tire pressure loss warning
system3(Ypage 319) or restart the tire
pressure monitor4(Ypage 322).
Snow chains
GWARNING
If snow chains are mounted on the rear
wheels, the snow chains could cause abrasion
to the vehicle body or to chassis components.
This could cause damage to the vehicle or the
tires. There is a risk of an accident.
To avoid hazardous situations:
Rnever mount snow chains on the rear
wheels
Ronly mount snow chains in pairs on the
front wheels.
!On some tire sizes there is not enough
space for snow chains. To avoid damage to
the vehicle or tires, observe the "Wheel and
tire combinations" section under "Tires and
wheels".
!Vehicles with steel wheels:if you
mount snow chains on steel wheels, you
may damage the hub caps. Remove the hub
caps from the relevant wheels before
mounting the snow chains.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz
recommends that you only use snow chains
that have been specially approved for your
vehicle by Mercedes-Benz, or are of a
corresponding standard of quality.
If you intend to mount snow chains, please
bear the following points in mind:
RSnow chains may not be mounted on all
wheel/tire combinations. Permissible
wheel-tire combinations (Ypage 340).
ROnly use snow chains when driving on
roads completely covered by snow.
Remove the snow chains as soon as
possible when you come toaroad that is
not snow-covered.
RLocal regulations may restrict the use of
snow chains. Observe the appropriate
regulations if you wish to mount snow
chains.
RDo not exceed the maximum permissible
speed of 30 mph (50 km/h).
RWhen snow chains are installed, never use
Active Parking Assist (Ypage 178).
iYou can deactivate ESP®(Ypage 65)
when pulling away with snow chains
installed. You can thereby allow the wheels
to spin in a controlled manner, achieving an
increased driving force (cutting action).
3Canada4USA, Canada
Winter operation315
Wheels and tires
Z

Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Standards
Overview of Tire Quality Grading
Standards
Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards are
U.S. government specifications. Their
purpose is to provide drivers with uniform
reliable information on tire performance data.
Tire manufacturers have to grade tires using
three performance factors: tread wear,
tire traction, and heat resistance".
These regulations do not apply to Canada.
Nevertheless, all tires sold in North America
are provided with the corresponding quality
grading markings on the sidewall of the tire.
All passenger car tires must conform to the
statutory safety requirements in addition to
these grades.
Where applicable, the tire grading
information can be found on the tire sidewall
between the tread shoulder and maximum
tire width.
iThe actual values for tires are vehicle-
specific and may deviate from the values in
the illustration.
For example:
TreadwearTractionTemperature
200AAA
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 climateconditions.
Traction
GWARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak traction
characteristics.
The traction grades, from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, B, and C. Those grades represent
the tire's ability to stop on a wet surface as
measured under controlled conditions on
specified government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete.Atire 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
conditions when temperatures are around
the freezing point.
Mercedes-Benz recommends a minimum
tread depth of\nin(4mm) for all four winter
tires (Ypage 314) to maintainnormal driving
characteristics in winter. Winter tires can
reduce the braking distance on snow-covered
surfaces in comparison with summer tires.
Stopping distance, however, is still
considerably greater than when the road is
328Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards
Wheels and tires

adapt your driving style to the traffic
conditions.
Summer tires
IndexSpeed rating
Qup to 100mph (160 km/h)
Rup to 106mph (170 km/h)
Sup to 112mph (180 km/h)
Tup to 118mph (190 km/h)
Hup to 130mph (210 km/h)
Vup to 149mph (240 km/h)
Wup to 168mph (270 km/h)
Yup to 186mph (300 km/h)
ZR...Yup to 186mph (300 km/h)
ZR...(..Y)over 186mph (300 km/h)
ZRover 149mph (240 km/h)
ROptionally, tires with a maximum speed of
over149 mph(240km/h) may have "ZR" in
the size description, depending on the
manufacturer (e.g. 245/40 ZR 18).
The service specifications consist of load
bearing indexand speed rating .
RIf the size description of yourtire includes
"ZR" and there are no service
specifications, ask the tire manufacturer in
order to find out the maximum speed.
If a service specification is available, the
maximum speed is limited according to the
speed rating in the service specification.
Example: 245/40 ZR 18 97 Y. In this
example, "97 Y" is the service specification.
The letter "Y" represents the speed rating
and the maximum speed of the tire is
limited to 186 mph (300km/h).
RThe size description for all tires with
maximum speeds of over 186mph
(300km/h) must include "ZR",andthe
service specification must be given in
brackets. Example: 275/40 ZR 18 (99 Y).
The speed rating "(Y)" indicates that the
maximum speed of the tire is over 186mph
(300km/h). Ask the tire manufacturer
about the maximum speed.
All-weather tires and winter tires
IndexSpeed rating
Q M+S5up to 100mph (160 km/h)
T M+S5up to 118mph (190 km/h)
H M+S5up to 130mph (210 km/h)
V M+S5up to 149mph (240 km/h)
iNot all tires with the M+S marking provide
the driving characteristics of winter tires.
Winter tires have, in additionto the M+S
identification, thesnow flake symbol
on the tire sidewall. Tires with this marking
fulfill the requirements of the Rubber
Manufacturers Association (RMA) and the
Rubber Association of Canada (RAC)
regarding the tire traction on snow. They
have been especially developed for driving
on snow.
An electronic speed limiter prevents your
vehicle from exceeding a speed of 130mph
(210km/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 (Ypage 340).
Further information about reading tire data
can be obtained from any qualified specialist
workshop.
5Or M+Sfor winter tires.
Tire labeling331
Wheels and tires
Z

vehicle noise emissions or fuel
consumption, may otherwise be adversely
affected. In addition, when driving with a
load, tire dimension variations could cause
the tires to come into contact with the
bodywork and axle components. This could
result in damage to the tires or the vehicle.
Mercedes-Benz accepts no liability for
damage resulting from the use of tires,
wheels or accessories other than those
tested and approved.
Information on tires, wheels and approved
combinations can be obtained from any
qualified specialist workshop.
!Retreaded tires are neither tested nor
recommended by Mercedes-Benz, since
previous damage cannot always be
detected on retreaded tires. As a result,
Mercedes-Benz cannot guarantee vehicle
safety if retreaded tires are mounted. Do
not mount used tires if you have no
information about their previous usage.
Overview of abbreviations usedinthe
following tire tables:
RBA: both axles
RFA: front axle
RRA: rear axle
The recommended pressures for various
operating conditions can be found:
Ron the Tire and Loading Information placard
with the recommended tire pressures on
the B-pillar on the driver's side
Rin the tire pressure table on the inside of
the fuel filler flap
Observe the notes on recommended tire
pressures under various operating conditions
(Ypage 316).
Check tire pressures regularly, and only when
the tires are cold. Comply with the
maintenance recommendations of the tire
manufacturer in the vehicle document wallet.
Notes on the vehicle equipment–always
equip the vehicle with:
Rtires of the same size on a given axle (left/
right)
Rthe same type of tires at a given time
(summer tires, winter tires, MOExtended
tires)
Exception: it is permissible to install a
differenttype or makeinthe event of a flat
tire. Observe the "MOExtended tires (tires
with run-flat characteristics" section
(Ypage 295).
Vehicles equipped with MOExtended tires are
not equipped with a TIREFIT kit at the factory.
It is therefore recommended that you
additionally equip your vehicle with a TIREFIT
kit if you mount tires that do not feature run-
flat properties, e.g. winter tires.ATIREFIT kit
may be obtained from a qualified specialist
workshop.
iThe following pages contain information
on approved wheel rim and tire sizes for
equipping yourvehicle with winter tires.
Winter tires are not available at the factory
as standard equipment or optional extras.
If you want to equip your vehicle with
approved winter tires, it may be necessary
to obtain wheel rims in the corresponding
size. The size of the approved winter tires
may differ from the standard tires. This is
dependentonthe model and the
equipment installed at the factory.
The tires and wheel rims, as well as further
information, can be obtained at a qualified
specialist workshop.
In the following table, the wheel/tire
combinations are assigned to the vehicle
models through variants, e.g. V1, V2 etc.:
V1CLA 250
V2CLA 45 AMG 4MATIC
iNot all wheel and tire combinations are
available at the factory for all countries.
Wheel and tire combinations341
Wheels and tires
Z

Tires
Summer tiresAlloywheelsV1V2
BA225/40 R18 92 W XL
MOExtended6, 7, 87.5 J x 18 H2
Wheel offset: 2.05 in (52 mm)
—
BA235/40 ZR18 95YXL68.0 J x 18 H2
Wheel offset: 1.89 in (48 mm)
—
BA235/35 ZR19 91YXL68.0 J x 19 H2
Wheel offset: 1.89 in (48 mm)
—
All-weather tiresAlloy wheelsV1V2
BA225/45 R17 91 H
M+SMOExtended6, 77.5 J x 17 H2
Wheel offset: 2.07 in
(52.5 mm)
—
Winter tiresAlloy wheelsV1V2
BA205/50 R17 93 H XL
M+SMOExtended76.5 J x 17 H2
Wheel offset: 1.93 in (49 mm)
—
BA215/45 R18 93 V XL M+S7.5 J x 18 H2
Wheel offset: 1.73 in (44 mm)
—
BA235/40 R18 95 V XL M+S68.0 J x 18 H2
Wheel offset: 1.89 in (48 mm)
—
6Use of snow chains is not permitted. Observe the notes in the "Snow chains" section.7MOExtended tires (tires with run-flatcharacteristics) only in conjunction with active tire pressure losswarning.8Observe information on "Large wheels" in the "Wheel/tire combination" section.
342Wheel and tire combinations
Wheels and tires