width MERCEDES-BENZ S63AMG 2008 W221 Owner's Manual

54 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Enhanced seat belt reminder system
When the engine is started, the seat belt
telltale< will always illuminate for
6 seconds to remind you and your passen-
gers to fasten your seat belts.
If the driver’s seat belt is not fastened
when the engine is started, an additional
warning chime will also sound for a maxi-
mum of 6 seconds or until the driver’ s
seat belt is fastened.
If after these 6 seconds the driver’s or the
front passenger’s seat belt (with the front
passenger seat occupied) is not fastened
with front doors closed,

the seat belt telltale< remains illu-
minated for as long as either the driv-
er’s or front passenger’s seat belt is not
fastened.

and if the vehicle speed once exceeds
15 mph (25 km/h), the seat belt
telltale< starts flashing and a
warning chime sounds with increasing
intensity for a maximum of 60 seconds
or until the driver’s and the front pas-
senger’s seat belt are fastened.
If the driver’s or the front passenger’s
seat belt remains unfastened after
60 seconds, the warning chime stops
sounding, the seat belt telltale<
stops flashing but continues to be illu-
minated.
The seat belt telltale< will only go out
if both the driver’s and the front passen-
ger’s seat belt (with the front passenger
seat occupied) are fastened, or the vehicle
is standing still and a front door is opened.
For more information, see “Practical hints”
(
page 605).

Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips and not across the abdo-
men. If the seat belt is positioned across
your abdomen, it could cause serious in-
juries in a crash.

Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at time. Do not fasten a seat belt
around a person and another person or
other objects.

Seat belts should not be worn twisted.
In a crash, you wouldn’t have the full
width of the seat belt to distribute im-
pact forces. The twisted seat belt
against your body could cause injuries.

Pregnant women should also always use
a lap-shoulder belt. The lap belt portion
should be positioned as low as possible
on the hips to avoid any possible pres-
sure on the abdomen.

Never place your feet on the instrument
panel, dashboard or on the seat. Always
keep both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.

When using a seat belt to secure infant
restraint, toddler restraint, or booster
seat, always follow the child seat manu-
facturer’s instructions.

357 Controls in detail
Seats
Selecting a seat: Press rocker
switch1 or7 forward or backward.
The indicator lamp on the selected but-
ton lights up for a short while.
Gentle massage
Switching on: Press rocker switch2
forward.
Switching off: Pull rocker switch2
backward.
Vigorous massage
Switching on: Press rocker switch3
forward.
Switching off: Pull rocker switch3
backward.
Position of backrest curvature
Moving upward: Press rocker
switch4 forward.
Moving downward: Pull rocker
switch4 backward.Lumbar region support
Selecting greater curvature: Press
rocker switch5 forward.
Selecting less curvature: Pull rocker
switch5 backward.
Side bolster adjustment
Reducing width: Press rocker
switch6 forward.
Increasing width: Pull rocker
switch6 backward.
Easy-entry/exit feature
This feature allows for easier entry into and
exit from the vehicle. When entering and
exiting the vehicle, the driver’s seat is in its
maximum rearward position and the steer-
ing wheel is in its uppermost position.
The easy-entry/exit feature can be activat-
ed or deactivated in the “Vehicle” menu of
the COMAND system (
page 246).
Warning!G
You must make sure no one can become
trapped or injured by the moving steering
wheel and driver’s seat when the easy-en-
try/exit feature is activated.
To stop seat/steering wheel movement, do
one of the following:

Press seat adjustment switch
(
page 348).

Move steering wheel adjustment stalk
(
page 359).

Press one of the memory position but-
tons or the memory buttonM
(
page 366).
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could open the driver’s door and
unintentionally activate the easy-entry/exit
feature, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.

457 Controls in detail
Driving systems
1Yellow and blue guide lines for vehicle
width
2Yellow 13 ft (4 m) guide line
3Yellow 39 in (1 m) guide line
4Red 10 in (0.25 m) guide line
The red 10 in (0.25 m) guide line4, the
yellow 39 in (1 m) guide line3 and the
yellow 13 ft (4 m) guide line2 correspond
to the relevant distance from the rear of
the vehicle. The yellow and blue guide lines
for vehicle width1 show the required
width for the vehicle.5Blue guide lines for straight driving
6Symbol for “reverse parking”
7Yellow and red guide lines for cornering
When you turn the steering wheel out of
the straight-ahead position, the positions
of the yellow and red guide lines7
change depending on the steering wheel’s
position. The space required by the vehicle
for reverse cornering is indicated by yellow
and red guide lines7.
Warning!G
Please note that objects which do not touch
the ground, such as the bumper of a vehicle
parked behind you, a trailer hitch, or the
back of a truck, may appear to be further
away than they actually are. In this case, you
should not use the guide lines to judge dis-
tance as the use of the guide lines to judge
distance increases the risk of impacting the
objects.
Even when the object you approach is di-
rectly on the ground (and nothing on the ob-
ject extends above the ground beyond the
object’s contours directly touching the
ground) and no objects that do not touch
the ground, such as the bumper of a vehicle
parked behind you, a trailer hitch, or the
back of a truck are in the path, do not ap-
proach the object on the ground any closer
than red guide line4.

568 Operation
Tires and wheels
1Uniform Quality Grading Standards
(
page 574)
2DOT, Tire Identification Number (TIN)
(
page 572)
3Maximum tire load (
page 573)
4Maximum tire inflation pressure
(
page 573)
5Manufacturer
6Tire ply material (
page 575)
7Tire size designation, load and speed
rating (
page 568)
8Load identification (
page 571)
9Tire nameTire size designation, load and speed
rating
1Tire width
2Aspect ratio in %
3Radial tire code
4Rim diameter
5Tire load rating
6Tire speed ratingGeneral:
Depending on the design standards used,
the tire size molded into the sidewall may
have no letter or a letter preceding the tire
size designation.
No letter preceding the size designation
(as illustrated above): Passenger car tire
based on European design standards.
Letter “P” preceding the size designation:
Passenger car tire based on U.S. design
standards.
Letter “LT” preceding the size designation:
Light Truck tire based on U.S. design
standards.
Letter “T” preceding the size designation:
Temporary spare tires which are high
pressure compact spares designed for
temporary emergency use only.
iFor illustration purposes only. Actual data
on tires are specific to each vehicle and may vary
from data shown in above illustration.
For more information, see “Rims and tires”
(
page 718).
iFor illustration purposes only. Actual data
on tires are specific to each vehicle and may vary
from data shown in above illustration.

569 Operation
Tires and wheels
Tire width
The tire width1 (
page 568) indicates
the nominal tire width in mm.
Aspect ratio
The aspect ratio2 (
page 568) is the
dimensional relationship between tire
section height and section width and is
expressed in percentage. The aspect ratio
is arrived at by dividing section height by
section width.
Tire code
The tire code3 (
page 568) indicates
the tire construction type. The “R” stands
for radial tire type. Letter “D” means diag-
onal or bias ply construction; letter “B”
means belted-bias ply construction.
At the tire manufacturer’s option, any tire
with a speed capability above 149 mph
(240 km/h) can include a “ZR” in the size
designation (for example: 245/40 ZR 18).
For additional information, see “Tire speed
rating” (
page 570).Rim diameter
The rim diameter4 (
page 568) is the
diameter of the bead seat, not the
diameter of the rim edge. Rim diameter is
indicated in inches (in).
Tire load rating
The tire load rating5 (
page 568) is a
numerical code associated with the
maximum load a tire can support.
For example, a load rating of 91 corre-
sponds to a maximum load of 1 356 lbs
(615 kg) the tire is designed to support.
See also “Maximum tire load”
(
page 573) where the maximum load as-
sociated with the load index is indicated in
kilograms and lbs.
Warning!G
The tire load rating must always be at least
half of the GAWR (
page 576) of your vehi-
cle. Otherwise, tire failure may be the result
which may cause an accident and/or seri-
ous personal injury to you or others.
Always replace rims and tires with the same
designation, manufacturer and type as
shown on the original part.
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 located on the driver’s door B-pillar
(
page 553). Overloading the tires can
overheat them, possibly causing a blowout.
Overloading the tires can also result in han-
dling or steering problems, or brake failure.

574 Operation
Tires and wheels
Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards
(U.S. vehicles)
Tire manufacturers are required to grade
tires based on three performance
factors: treadwear, traction and
temperature resistance.1Treadwear
2Traction
3Temperature resistance
Quality grades can be found, where appli-
cable, on the tire sidewall between tread
shoulder and maximum section width. For
example:All passenger car tires must conform to
federal safety requirements in addition to
these grades.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rat-
ing based on the wear rate of the tire when
tested under controlled conditions on a
specified government test course. For ex-
ample, a tire graded 150 would wear one
and one-half (1
1/2) 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 climate.
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to low-
est, are AA, A, B, and C. Those grades rep-
resent the tire’s ability to stop on wet
pavement as measured under controlled
conditions on specified government test
Warning!G
Never exceed the max. tire inflation
pressure. Follow recommended tire inflation
pressures.
Do not underinflate tires. Underinflated tires
wear excessively and/or unevenly, adverse-
ly affect handling and fuel economy, and are
more likely to fail from being overheated.
Do not overinflate tires. Overinflated tires
can adversely affect handling and ride com-
fort, wear unevenly, increase stopping dis-
tance, and result in sudden deflation
(blowout) because they are more likely to
become punctured or damaged by road de-
bris, potholes etc.
iFor illustration purposes only. Actual data
on tires are specific to each vehicle and may vary
from data shown in above illustration.
TreadwearTractionTemperature
200AAA

576 Operation
Tires and wheels
Tire 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 (Department of Transportation)
A tire branding symbol which denotes the
tire meets requirements of the
U.S. Department of Transportation.
GAWR (G
ross Axle Weight Rating)
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 Vehicle Weight)
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.

587 Operation
Vehicle care
Engine cleaning
Prior to cleaning the engine compartment,
make sure to protect electrical compo-
nents and connectors from contact with
water and cleaning agents.
Corrosion protection, such as
MB Anticorrosion Wax, should be applied
to the engine compartment after every
engine cleaning. Before applying, all
control linkage bushings and joints should
be lubricated. The poly-V-belt and all pul-
leys should be protected from any wax.
Vehicle washing
In the winter, thoroughly remove all traces
of road salt as soon as possible.
When washing the vehicle underbody, do
not forget to clean the inner sides of the
wheels.Hand-wash
Do not use hot water or wash your vehicle
in direct sunlight.
Only use a mild car wash detergent,
such as Mercedes-Benz approved Car
Shampoo.
Thoroughly spray the vehicle with a dif-
fused jet of water.
Direct only a very weak spray towards
the ventilation intake.
Use plenty of water and rinse the
sponge and chamois frequently.
Rinse with clean water and thoroughly
dry with a chamois.
Do not allow cleaning agents to dry on
the finish.Automatic car wash
You can have your car washed in an auto-
matic car wash from the start. Automatic
car washes without brushes are prefera-
ble.
To protect the filter system, switch the
automatic climate control to air recir-
culation mode (
page 474).
If the vehicle is very dirty, prewash it be-
fore running it through the automatic car
wash.
iVehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
If a door handle is hit by a strong jet of water, and
a SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* is in close prox-
imity, i.e. within approximately 3 ft (approxi-
mately 1 m), the vehicle could be inadvertently
locked or unlocked.
!Do not use scouring agents on these parts.
Never apply strong force and only use a soft,
non-scratching cloth when cleaning the vehicle.
Do not attempt to wipe the surface with a dry
cloth or sponge.
Otherwise you may scratch or damage the paint.
!Do not clean your vehicle in an automatic
touchless car wash which uses caustic spray.
Otherwise the caustic spray will damage the
paint or ornamental moldings.
!Make sure that the windshield wiper switch
is set to0 (
page 381). Otherwise, e.g. the rain
sensor could activate and cause the wipers to
move unintentionally. This may lead to vehicle
damage.
Due to the width of the vehicle, fold in exterior
rear view mirrors prior to running the vehicle
through an automatic car wash to prevent dam-
age to the mirrors.

723 Technical data
Main dimensions and weights
Main dimensions and weights
Main dimensions
Weights
ModelS 550 (221.171)
S 550 4MATIC (221.186)
S 600 (221.176)
S 63 AMG (221.077)
S 65 AMG (221.179)
Overall vehicle length205.0 in (5 210 mm)
Overall vehicle width (exterior rear view mirrors folded out)83.2 in (2 113 mm)
Overall vehicle width (exterior rear view mirrors folded in)73.7 in (1 871 mm)
Overall vehicle height58.0 in (1 473 mm)
Wheelbase124.6 in (3 165 mm)
Track, front63.2 in (1 604 mm)
Track, rear63.3 in (1 606 mm)
Max. roof load 220 lb (100 kg)
Max. trunk load220 lb (100 kg)