weight MERCEDES-BENZ S63AMG 2008 W221 User Guide

60 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
The infant or child restraint must be properly
secured with the vehicle’s seat belt, the seat
belt and top tether strap, or lower anchors
and top tether strap, fully in accordance
with the child seat manufacturer’s
instructions.
Occupants, especially children, should al-
ways sit as upright as possible, properly use
the seat belts and use an appropriately sized
infant restraint, toddler restraint, or booster
seat recommended for the
Children can be killed or seriously injured by
an inflating air bag. Note the following im-
portant information when circumstances
require you to place a child in the front
passenger seat:

Your vehicle is equipped with air bag
technology designed to turn off the front
passenger front air bag in your vehicle
when the OCS senses the weight of a
typical 12-month-old child or less along
with the weight of a standard
appropriate child restraint on the front
passenger seat.

A child in a rear-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat will be serious-
ly injured or even killed if the front
passenger front air bag inflates in a
collision which could occur under some
circumstances, even with the air bag
technology installed in your vehicle. The
only means to completely eliminate this
risk is to never place a child in a rear-fac-
ing child restraint in the front seat. We
therefore strongly recommend that you
always place a child in a rear-facing
child restraint in the back seat.

If you must install a rear-facing child
restraint on the front passenger seat be-
cause circumstances require you to do
so, make sure that the 59
indicator lamp is illuminated, indicating
that the front passenger front air bag is
deactivated. Should the
59indicator lamp not illu-
minate or go out while the restraint is in-
stalled, please check installation.
Periodically check the 59
indicator lamp while driving to make
sure the lamp is illuminated. If the
59indicator lamp goes out
or remains out, do not transport a child
on the front passenger seat until the
system has been repaired.
A child in a rear-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat will be serious-
ly injured or even killed if the front pas-
senger front air bag inflates.

If you have to place a child in a for-
ward-facing child restraint on the front
passenger seat, move the seat as far
back as possible, use the proper child
restraint recommended for the age, size
and weight of the child, and secure child
restraint with the vehicle’s seat belt ac-
cording to the child seat manufacturer’s
instructions. For children larger than the
typical 12-month-old child, the front
passenger front air bag may or may not
be activated (
page 48).


348 Controls in detail
Seats
You can adjust the lumbar support, multi-
contour seats* for driver and front passen-
ger, as well as drive-dynamic multicontour
seats* using COMAND (
page 259).Front power seat adjustment
Example driver’s door
1Head restraint height (page 353)
2Seat height
3Seat cushion tilt
4Seat cushion depth
5Seat fore and aft
6Seat backrest tilt
Switch on the ignition (page 344).
or
Open the respective door.
Seat height: Press the switch up or
down in the direction of arrow2.
Seat cushion tilt: Press the switch up
or down in the direction of
arrow3until your upper legs are
lightly supported.
Seat cushion depth: Press the switch
forward or backward in the direction of
arrow4 until your legs are supported
comfortably.
Warning!G
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing position. Thus, we strongly recommend
that children be placed in the rear seats
whenever possible. Regardless of seating
position, children 12 years old and under
must be seated and properly secured in an
appropriately sized infant restraint, toddler
restraint, or booster seat recommended for
the size and weight of the child. For addi-
tional information, see “Children in the vehi-
cle” (
page 57).
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle and
the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint.
iIf PRE-SAFE® has been activated, the front
passenger’s seat and/or electrically adjustable
rear seats* will be moved to a more favorable
seat position.
iThe memory function (page 365) lets you
store the settings for the seat positions together
with the settings for the steering wheel and the
exterior rear view mirrors.
!When moving the seats, make sure there are
no items in the footwell or behind the seats; oth-
erwise, you could damage the seats.

368 Controls in detail
Fastening the seat belts
Warning!G
Always fasten your seat belt before driving
off. Always make sure all of your passengers
are properly restrained.
Failure to wear and properly fasten and
position your seat belt greatly increases
your risk of injuries and their likely severity
in an accident. You and your passengers
should always wear seat belts.
If you are ever in an accident, your injuries
can be considerably more severe without
your seat belt properly buckled. Without
your seat belt buckled, you are much more
likely to hit the interior of the vehicle or be
ejected from it. You can be seriously injured
or killed.
In the same crash, the possibility of injury or
death is lessened if you are wearing your
seat belt. The air bags can only provide the
protection they were designed to afford if
the occupants are using their seat belts
(
page 42).
Warning!G
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing position. Thus, we strongly recommend
that children be placed in the rear seats
whenever possible. Regardless of seating
position, children 12 years old and under
must be seated and properly secured in an
appropriately sized infant restraint, toddler
restraint, or booster seat recommended for
the size and weight of the child. For addi-
tional information, see “Children in the vehi-
cle” (
page 57).
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle and
the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint.
Warning!G
Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are seat belts available. Be sure
everyone riding in the vehicle is correctly re-
strained with a separate seat belt. Never use
a seat belt for more than one person at a
time.
Warning!G
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
backrest in an excessively reclined position
as this can be dangerous. You could slide
under the seat belt in a collision. If you slide
under it, the seat belt would apply force at
the abdomen or neck. That could cause se-
rious or even fatal injuries. The seat back-
rest and seat belt provide the best restraint
when the wearer is in a nearly upright posi-
tion and the seat belt is properly positioned
on the body.

493 Controls in detail
Loading and storing
Loading and storing
Roof rack*
Flip the covers upward.
Only attach the roof-rack system to the
anchorage points under the covers.
Observe manufacturer’s instructions
for installation.
Loading instructions
The total load weight including vehicle oc-
cupants and luggage/cargo should not
exceed the load limit as indicated on the
corresponding placard located on the driv-
er’s door B-pillar (
page 553).
Warning!G
Only use roof racks approved by
Mercedes-Benz for your vehicle model to
avoid damage to the vehicle.
Follow the manufacturer’s installation
instructions. Otherwise, an improperly
attached roof rack system or its load could
become detached from the vehicle.
Do not exceed the maximum roof load of
220 lb (100 kg).
Take into consideration that when the roof
rack is loaded, the handling characteristics
are different from those when operating the
vehicles without the roof rack loaded.
!Load the roof rack in such a way that the ve-
hicle cannot be damaged while driving.
Make sure

you can fully raise tilt/sliding sunroof or the
panorama roof with tilt/sliding panel*

you can fully open the trunk
Warning!G
Always fasten items being carried as secure-
ly as possible using cargo tie-down hooks
and fastening materials appropriate for the
weight and size of the load.
In an accident, during hard braking or sud-
den maneuvers, loose items will be thrown
around inside the vehicle and can cause in-
jury to vehicle occupants unless the items
are securely fastened in the vehicle.


496 Controls in detail
Loading and storing
Parcel net in front passenger footwellA small convenience parcel net is located
in the front passenger footwell. It is for
small and light items, such as road maps,
mail, etc.Storage compartments in rear passen-
ger compartment
Armrest with integrated storage
compartment
Vehicles without control panel* in rear arm-
rest
Opening: Pull release catch1 and
swing the cover upward.
Warning!G
The parcel net is intended for storing
light-weight items only.
Heavy objects, objects with sharp edges or
fragile objects may not be transported in the
parcel net. In an accident, during hard brak-
ing, or sudden maneuvers, they could be in-
jury to vehicle occupants.
The parcel net cannot protect transported
goods in the event of an accident.
!Before storing the armrest in the backrest,
close the storage compartment cover.
!Do not sit on or lean your body weight
against the armrest when it is folded down, as
you could otherwise damage it.

497 Controls in detail
Loading and storing
Vehicles with control panel* in rear armrest
Opening: Press button1 and swing
the cover upward.Storage compartment between rear
seatsVehicles without rear center seat*
Opening: Pull handle1 backward in
the direction of arrow. Rear storage box
Fold down rear center armrest.
Pull handle1 upward in the direction
of arrow.
Swing down cover2.
!Do not sit on or lean your body weight
against the armrest when it is folded down, as
you could otherwise damage it.
iWhen the rear seats are in their basic posi-
tion, you can open the cover more easily.

498 Controls in detail
Loading and storing
Ruffled storage pockets
Ruffled storage pockets 1 are located on
the back of the front seats.Cup holders
Warning!G
Do not place objects with a combined
weight of more than 4.4 lbs (2 kg) into the
ruffled storage pocket. Otherwise, the Occu-
pant Classification System OCS (
page 47)
may not be able to properly approximate the
occupant weight category.
The ruffled storage pocket is intended for
storing light-weight items only.
Heavy objects, objects with sharp edges or
fragile objects may not be transported in the
ruffled storage pocket. In an accident, dur-
ing hard braking, or sudden maneuvers, they
could be thrown around inside the vehicle
and cause injury to vehicle occupants.
The ruffled storage pocket cannot protect
transported goods in the event of an acci-
dent.
Warning!G
In order to help prevent spilling liquids on
vehicle occupants and/or vehicle equip-
ment, only use containers that fit into the
cup holder. Use lids on open containers and
do not fill containers to a height where the
contents, especially hot liquids, could spill
during braking, vehicle maneuvers, or in an
accident. Liquids spilled on vehicle occu-
pants may cause serious personal injury.
Liquids spilled on vehicle equipment may
cause damage not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
When not in use, keep the cup holders
closed. An open cup holder may cause injury
to you or others when contacted during
braking, vehicle maneuvers, or in an acci-
dent.

553 Operation
Tires and wheels
Direction of rotation
Unidirectional tires offer added advan-
tages, such as better hydroplaning perfor-
mance. To benefit, however, you must
make sure the tires rotate in the direction
specified.
An arrow on the sidewall indicates the
intended direction of rotation (spinning) of
the tire.Loading the vehicle
Two labels on your vehicle show how much
weight it may properly carry.
1) The Tire and Loading Information
placard can be found on the driver’s
door B-pillar. This placard tells you im-
portant information about the number
of people that can be in the vehicle and
the total weight that can be carried in
the vehicle. It also contains information
on the proper size and recommended
tire inflation pressures for the original
equipment tires on your vehicle.
2) The certification label, also found on
the driver’s door B-pillar tells you about
the gross weight capacity of your vehi-
cle, called the Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating (GVWR). The GVWR includes the
weight of the vehicle, all occupants,
fuel and cargo. The certification label
also tells you about the front and rear
axle weight capacity, called the Gross
Axle Weight Rating (GAWR). The GAWR
is the total allowable weight that can be carried by a single axle (front or rear).
Never exceed the GVWR or GAWR for
either the front axle or rear axle.
1Driver’s door B-pillar
Following is a discussion on how to work
with the information contained on the Tire
and Loading Information placard with re-
gards to loading your vehicle.
iSpare wheels may be mounted against the
direction of rotation (spinning) even with a unidi-
rectional tire for temporary use only until the reg-
ular drive wheel has been repaired or replaced.
Always observe and follow applicable temporary
use restrictions and speed limitations indicated
on the spare wheel.

554 Operation
Tires and wheels
Tire and Loading InformationTire and Loading Information placard
1Load limit information on the Tire and
Loading Information placard
The Tire and Loading Information placard
showing the load limit information is locat-
ed on the driver’s door B-pillar.
Locate the statement “The combined
weight of occupants and cargo should
never exceed XXX kilograms or XXX
lbs.” on the Tire and Loading Informa-
tion placard.
The combined weight of all occupants,
cargo/luggage and trailer tongue load
(if applicable) should never exceed the
weight referenced in that statement.Seating capacity
The seating capacity gives you important
information on the number of occupants
that can be in the vehicle. Observe front
and rear seating capacity. The Tire and
Loading Information placard showing the
seating capacity is located on the driver’s
door B-pillar (
page 553).
Warning!G
Do not overload the tires by exceeding the
specified load limit or total load limit as indi-
cated on the Tire and Loading Information
placard on the driver’s door B-pillar. Over-
loading the tires can overheat them, possi-
bly causing a blowout. Overloading the tires
can also result in handling or steering prob-
lems, or brake failure.
iData shown on Tire and Loading Information
placard example are for illustration purposes
only. Load limit data are specific to each vehicle
and may vary from data shown in the illustration
below. Refer to Tire and Loading Information
placard on vehicle for actual data specific to your
vehicle.
iData shown on Tire and Loading Information
placard example are for illustration purposes
only. Seating capacity data are specific to each
vehicle and may vary from data shown in the il-
lustration below. Refer to Tire and Loading Infor-
mation placard on vehicle for actual data specific
to your vehicle.

555 Operation
Tires and wheels
1Seating capacity information on the
Tire and Loading Information placard
Steps for determining correct load limit
The following steps have been developed
as required of all manufacturers under
Title 49, Code of U.S. Federal Regulations,
Part 575 pursuant to the “National Traffic
and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966”.
Step 1
Locate the statement “The combined
weight of occupants and cargo should
never exceed XXX kg or XXX lbs.” on
your vehicle’s Tire and Loading Infor-
mation placard.Step 2
Determine the combined weight of the
driver and passengers that will be
riding in your vehicle.
Step 3
Subtract the combined weight of the
driver and passengers from XXX kilo-
grams or XXX lbs.
Step 4
The resulting figure equals the avail-
able amount of cargo and luggage load
capacity. For example, if the “XXX”
amount equals 1400 lbs and there will
be five 150 lbs passengers in your
vehicle, the amount of available cargo
and luggage load capacity is 650 lbs
(1 400 – 750 (5 x 150) = 650 lbs).
Step 5
Determine the combined weight of
luggage and cargo being loaded on the
vehicle. That weight may not safely
exceed the available cargo and luggage
load capacity calculated in step 4.Step 6 (if applicable)
If your vehicle will be towing a trailer,
load from your trailer will be trans-
ferred to your vehicle. Consult this
manual to determine how this reduces
the available cargo and luggage load
capacity of your vehicle (
page 557).
The following table shows examples on
how to calculate total and cargo load
capacities with varying seating configura-
tions and number and size of occupants.
The following examples use a load limit
of 1 500 lbs. This is for illustration
purposes only. Make sure you are using
the actual load limit for your vehicle stated
on the vehicle’s Tire and Loading
Information placard (
page 554).