winter tires MERCEDES-BENZ SLS AMG GT ROADSTER 2015 C197 Owner's Manual

Winter driving
Important safety notes .................. 252
Slippery road surfaces .................. .137
Snow chains .................................. 253
Winte rtires
M+S tires ....................................... 252
Wiper blades
Cleaning ......................................... 227
Important safety notes .................. 102
Replacing ....................................... 102
Wooden trim (cleaning instruc-
tions) ................................................. .230
Workshop see Qualified specialist workshop Index
17

Ensure that:
R To pT ethe rh ook 0087is hooke dinto Top
Tethe ranchorage 0044as shown.
R To pT ethe rb elt 0085 is not twisted.
When To pTethe rh ook 0087is connected ,the
child restraint syste mcan be secured.
X Install the child restraint system.
X Tension To pTethe rb elt 0085.C om plyw ith
the manufacturer's installatio ninstruc-
tions when doing so.
Th ec hild restraint syste mwithT op Tether
belt 0085hasb eenr emoved:
X Slide cover 0043onto To pTethe ra nchor-
age 0044. Driving safety systems
Overvie
wofdrivingsafety systems
In thi ssection, yo uwillf in di nformation about
the following driving safety systems:
R ABS ( Anti-lock Braking System)
R BAS ( Brake Assist Sys tem)
R ESP ®
(Ele ctronic Stability Program)
R EBD ( Electronic Brake force Distribution)
R ADAPTIVE BRAKE Important safety notes
If yo ufailtoa dapt your driving style or
become distracted ,the driving safety sys-
tems can neithe rreduce the risk of accident
nor override the laws of physics .Driving
safety systems ar emerel yaidsd esig nedto
assist driving. Yo uareresponsibl efor the dis-
tance to the vehicl einfront, for vehicl espeed
and for braking in good time. Alway sadapt
your driving style to suit the prevailing road
and weather conditions and maintain asafe
distance fro mthe vehicl einfront. Drive care-
fully.
Th ed riving safety systems describe donly
work as effectivel yaspossibl ew hent here is
adequate contact between the tires and the roa
dsurface. Please pa yspecial attentio nto
the note sontires,recommended minimum
tir et rea ddepths, etc. (Y page 250).
i In wintry driving conditions
,alway suse
winter tires (M+S tires )and if necessary,
sno wchains .Onlyint hisw aywill the driv-
ing safety systems describe dinthiss ection
work as effectivel yaspossible. ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
Important safety notes i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tio n(Ypage 54).
ABS regulate sbrake pressure in such away
tha tthe wheels do not lock when yo ubrake.
This allows yo utocontinue steering the vehi-
cle when braking. G
WARNING
If ABS is faulty, the wheels could lock when
braking .The steerability and braking charac-
teristics ma ybeseverel yimpaired. Addition-
ally ,fur the rdriving safety systems ar edeac-
tivated. There is an increase ddangerofs kid-
ding and accidents.
Drive on carefully. Have ABS checked imme-
diately at aquali fied specialis tworkshop.
When ABS is malfunctioning ,other systems,
including driving safety systems, will also
become inoperative. Observe the information on the ABS warning lamp (Y page 192)and
displa ymessage swhich ma ybeshown in the
instrument cluste r(Ypage 165).
ABS works fro maspeed of about
5m ph(8 km/h) upwards ,regardles sofroad-
surface conditions .ABS works on slippery
surfaces ,evenify ouonlybrake gently.
The 0025 warning lamp in the instrument
cluste rlight supw hent he ignition is switched
on. It goes ou twhent he engine is running. 54
Driving safet
ysystemsSafety

becomes trapped in snow. There is
arisk of
fatal injury.
If you leave the engin eorthe auxiliary heating
running, make sure the exhaust pipe and area
around the vehicle are clear of snow. To
ensure an adequate supply of fresh air, open a window on the side of the vehicle that is not
facin gintot he wind.
At the onset of winter ,have your vehicle win-
terized at aqualified specialist workshop, e.g.
at an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Driv eparticularly carefully on slippery road
surfaces. Avoid sudden acceleration, steering
and brakin gmaneuvers. Do not use cruise
control.
If the vehicle threatens to skid or cannot be
stopped when movin gatlow speed:
X Shift the transmission to position N.
The outside temperature indicator is not
designed to serve as an ice-warning device
and is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Changes in the outside temperature are dis-
played after ashort delay.
Indicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road sur-
face is free of ice. The road may still be icy,
especially in wooded areas or on bridges. You
should pay special attention to road condi-
tion swhen temperatures are around the
freezing point.
For more information on driving with snow
chains, see (Y page 253).
For more information on driving with summer tires, see (Y page 252).
Observe the notes in the "Winter operation"
section (Y page 252). Driving systems
Cruise control
Important safet ynotes Cruise contro
lmaintains aconstan troad
speed for you. It brakes automatically in order
to avoid exceeding the set speed.
On long and steep downhill gradients, espe-
cially if the vehicle is laden, you must select
shift range 1,2or 3in good time
(Y page 127). By doing so, you will make use
of the brakin geffec toft he engine. This
relieves the load on the brake system and
prevents the brakes from overheating and
wearing too quickly.
If you fail to adapt your driving style, cruise
contro lcan neither reduce the risk of an acci-
dent nor override the laws of physics. Cruise
contro lcannot take int oaccoun tthe road,
traffic and weather conditions. Cruise control
is only an aid. You are responsible for the dis-
tanc etot he vehicle in front, for vehicle speed,
for brakin gingood time and for staying in
your lane.
Use cruise contro lonly if road and traffic con-
dition smake it appropriate to maintain a
steady speed for aprolonge dperiod. You can
set any road speed above 20 mph (30 km/h).
Do not use cruise control:
R in road and traffic condition swhich do not
allow you to maintain aconstan tspeed e.g.
in heavy traffic or on winding roads
R on slippery road surfaces. Braking or accel-
eratin gcould cause the drive wheels to lose
traction and the vehicle could then skid
R when ther eispoor visibility, e.g. due to fog,
heavy rain or snow
If ther eisac hangeofd rivers, advise the new
driver of the speed stored. 138
Driving systemsDriving and parking

and reduc
ewipin gnoises caused by residue
on th ewindshield.
Washin gbyhand In som
ecountries ,washin gbyh andiso nly
allowed at specially equippe dwashin gbays.
Observ ethe legal requirements in each coun-
try.
X Do no tuse hot wate rand do no twash the
vehicle in direct sunlight.
X Use asofts ponge to clean.
X Use amild cleanin gagent, suc hasacar
shampoo approved by Mercedes-Benz.
X Thoroughl yhosed own th evehicle wit ha
gentle je tofwater.
X Do no tpoin tthe wate rjet directly towards
th ea ir inlet.
X Use plenty of wate rand rinse out the
sponge frequently.
X Rins ethe vehicle wit hclean wate rand dry
thoroughly wit hachamois.
X Do no tlet th ecleanin gagen tdry on the
paintwork.
Carefully remove all deposits of road salt as
soon as possible when driving in winter.
Power washers G
WARNING
The wate rjet from acircular je tnozzle (dirt
blasters )can caus einvisible exterior damage
to th etires or chassis components. Compo-
nent sdamaged in this way may fail unexpect-
edly. Ther eisariskofana ccident.
Do no tuse power washers wit hcircular jet
nozzles to clean th evehicle .Haved amaged
tires or chassis component sreplace dimme-
diately.
! Always maintain
adistanc eofatl east
11.8 in (30 cm)between thev ehicle and the
power washe rnozzle .Inf ormation about
th ec orrec tdistanc eisavailabl efromt he
equipmen tmanufacturer. Mov
ethe power washe rnozzle around
when cleanin gyour vehicle.
Do no taim directly at any of th efollowing:
R tires
R door gaps, roo fgaps, joints, etc.
R electrical components
R battery
R connectors
R lights
R seals
R trim
R ventilatio nslots
Damaged seals or electrical components
can lead to leak sorfailures.
Cleaning th ewheels !
Do no
tuse acidic wheel cleanin gproducts
to remove brak edust .This could damage
wheel bolt sand brak ecom ponents.
! Do no
tpark th evehicle for an extended
period straigh tafter cleanin git, particularly
after havin gcleane dthe wheels wit hwheel
cleaner. Whee lcleaners could cause
increased corrosio nofthebrak ediscsa nd
brak epads/linings. For this reason ,you
should driv efor afew minute safter clean-
ing .Brakin gh eat sthe brak ediscsa nd the
brak epads/linings, thus dryin gthem. The
vehicle can then be parked.
Cleaning th epaintwork Scratches, corrosiv
edeposits ,areas affected
by corrosio nand damag ecaused by inade-
quat ecarec anno talways be completely
repaired. In suc hcases, visit aqualified spe-
cialist workshop, e.g .anauthorized
Mercedes-Ben zCenter.
X Remove impurities immediately, where
possible, whils tavoiding rubbing to ohard.
X Soak insect remains wit hinsect remover
and rinse off th etreated areas afterwards.
X Soak bird droppings wit hwaterand rinse
off th etreated areas afterwards. Care
225Maintenance and care Z

Useful information
............................250
Importan tsafet ynotes .................... 250
Operation ........................................... 250
Winter operation ............................... 252
Tir ep ressure ..................................... 253
Loading the vehicle ..........................260
All about wheels and tires ...............263
Changing awheel ............................. 270
Wheel and tir ecombinations ...........275 249Wheels and tires

Bar indicator
0043for trea dwearisi ntegrated
into the tire tread.
Treadwear indicator s(TWI) are required by
law. Six indicator sare positioned on the tire
tread. The yare visible once the trea ddepth is
approximately 00CDin (1.6 mm). If this is the
case ,the tire is so worn that it mus tbe
replaced. Selecting, mounting and replacing
tires
R Only mount tire sand wheel softhe same
typ eand make.
R Only mount tire softhe correct size onto
the wheels.
R Brea kinn ew tire satmoderate speeds for
the firs t60miles (100 km) .The yo nly reach
thei rfullp erformance afte rthis distance.
R Do not drive with tire swhich have too little
trea ddepth, as this significantl yreduces
the traction on we troads (hydroplaning).
R Replace the tire saftersix years at the lat-
est, regardless of wear. Winter operation
General notes
Have your vehicle winterproofe dataqualified
specialist worksho patthe onse tofwinter.
Observe the notes in the "Changing awheel"
section (Y page 270). Drivin
gwiths ummer tires
At temperatures below 45 ‡(+7† ), summer
tires experience aconsiderable loss in elas-
ticity and therefore traction and braking
power. Change the tires on you rvehicle to
M+S tires. Using summe rtires at very cold
temperatures coul dcause cracks to form,
thereb ydamaging the tires permanently.
Mercedes-Benz cannot accep tresponsibility
for this type of damage. M+S tires
G
WARNING
M+S tires with atire tread depth of less than
00CF in (4 mm )are not suitabl efor use in winter
and do not provide sufficient traction. There is
ar isk of an accident.
M+S tires with atread depth of less than 00CFin
(4 mm) must be replaced immediately.
At temperatures below 45 ‡(+7† ), use win-
ter tires or all-season tires. Both type softire
are identified by the M+S marking.
Only winter tires bearing the 004Dsnowflake
symbol in addition to the M+S marking pro-
vide the best possibl egrip in wintry road con-
ditions. Only these tires will allow driving
safety systems such as ABS and ESP ®
to
function optimally in winter. Thi sisbecause
these tires were specifically developed for
driving in snow.
Use M+S tires of the same make and tread on
allw heels to maintain safe handling charac-
teristics.
Always observe the maximu mpermissible
spee dspecified for the M+S tires you have
mounted.
When you have mounted the M+S tires:
X Check the tire pressure s(Ypag e253).
X Restart the tire pressure monitor
(Y pag e259). 252
Winte
roperationWheels and tires

The safe speed on
awet, snow covered or icy
road is alway slower than on dry road surfa-
ces.
You should pay special attention to road con-
ditions when temperatures are around freez-
ing point.
Mercedes-Benz recommends aminimum
tread depth of 00CFin (4 mm )onall four winter
tires. Observe the legally required minimum
tire tread depth (Y page 251). Winter tires can
reduce the braking distanc eonsnow-covered
surfaces in comparison with summer tires.
The braking distanc eisstill much further than
on surfaces that are not icy or covered with
snow. Take appropriate care when driving.
Further information on winter tires (M+S
tires) (Y page 252).
Temperature G
WARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is estab-
lished for atire that is properly inflated and
not overloaded. Excessive speed, underinfla-
tion, or excessiv eloading, either separately or
in combination, can cause excessiv eheat
build-up and possible tire failure.
The temperature grades are A(the highest), B,
and C. They represent the tire's resistanc eto
the generation of heat and its ability to dissi- pate heat when tested under controlled con-
ditions on aspecified indoor laboratory test
wheel. Sustained high temperature can cause
the material of the tire to degenerate and
reduce tire life, and excessiv etemperature
can lead to sudden tire failure. The grade C
corresponds to alevel of performance which
all passenger car tires must meet under the
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No.
109. Grades BandArepresent higher levels
of performance on the laboratory test wheel
than the minimum required by law. Tire labeling
Overview The following markings are on the tire in addi-
tion to the tire name (sales designation) and
the manufacturer's name: 0043
Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standard
(Ypage 268)
0044 DOT, Tire Identification Number
(Ypage 267)
0087 Maximum tire load (Y page 267)
0085 Maximum tire pressure (Y page 256)
0083 Manufacturer
0084 Tire material (Y page 268)
006B Tire size designation, load-bearing capa-
city and speed rating (Y page 264)
006C Load index (Y page 266)
006D Tire name
i Tire data is vehicle-specific and may devi-
ate from the data in the example.
Tire size designation, load-bearing
capacity and speed rating G
WARNING
Exceeding the stated tire load-bearing capa-
city and the approved maximum speed could
lead to tire damage or the tire bursting. There is ar isk of accident. 264
All about wheelsa
nd tiresWheels and tires

Summer tires
Index Speed rating
S up to 112 mph (180 km/h)
T up to 118 mph (190 km/h)
H up to 130 mph (210 km/h)
V up to 149 mph (240 km/h)
W up to 168 mph (270 km/h)
Y up to 186 mph (300 km/h)
ZR...Y up to 186 mph (300 km/h)
ZR...(..Y) over 186 mph(300 km/h)
ZR over 149 mph (240 km/h)
R
Optionally, tires with amaximum speed of
over 149 mph (240 km/h) may have "ZR"in the size description depending on the man-
ufacturer (e.g. 245/40 ZR 18).
The service specification is made up of
load-bearing index 0083and speed rating 0084.
R If the size description of your tire includes
"ZR"a nd there are no service specifica-
tions, ask the tire manufacturer in order to find out the maximum speed.
If as ervice 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 exam-
ple, "97 Y" is the service specification. The
letter "Y" represents the speed index and
the maximum speed of the tire is limited to
186 mph (300 km/h).
R The size descriptio nfor all tires with maxi-
mum speedsofo ver 186 mph (300 km/h)
must include "ZR" andthe service specifi-
cation must be given in brackets. Example:
275/40 ZR 18 (99 Y) .The speed index "(Y)"
indicates that the maximum speed of the
tire is over 186 mph (300 km/h). Ask the
tire manufacturer aboutt he maximum
speed. All-weather tires and winter tires
Index Speed rating
QM
+S5 up to 100 mph (160 km/h)
TM
+S5 up to 118 mph (190 km/h)
HM
+S5 up to 130 mph (210 km/h)
VM
+S5 Up to 149 mph (240 km/h)
i
Not all tires with the M+S marking provide
the driving characteristics of winter tires. In
addition to the M+S marking, winter tires
also have the 004Dsnowflake symbolon
the tire wall. Tires with this marking fulfill
the requirements of the Rubber Manufac-
turers Association (RMA) and the Rubber
Association of Canada (RAC)r egarding
snow traction, and were specially devel-
oped for driving on snow.
The speed rating of tires mounted at the fac-
tory may be highert han the maximum speed
that the electronic speed limiter permits.
Make sure that yourt ires have the required
speed rating for yourv ehicle as specified in
the "Tires" section (Y page 275), e.g. if you
buy new tires.
Further information aboutr eading tire data
can be obtained from any qualified specialist
workshop.
Load index 5
Or M+S004D for winter tires.266
Alla
bout wheels and tiresWheelsa nd tires

i
Notes on the vehicle equipment –always
equipt he vehicle with:
R tires of the same size on agiven axle
(left/right)
R with the same type of tires on all wheels
at ag iven time (summer tires, winter
tires)
i The following pagesc
ontain information
on approved wheel rims and tire sizes for
equipping yourv ehicle with winter tires.
Winter tires are not available at the factory as standard equipment or optional extras.
If you wish to equipy ourv ehicle with
approved winter tires, you willa lso require,
in certain circumstances, wheel rims of an
appropriate size, as the sizes of approved
winter tires can deviate from those of
standard tires. This is dependent on the
model and the equipment installe datthe
factory.
The tires and wheel rims, as well as further information, can be obtained at aqualified
specialist workshop. 276
Wheel and tire combinationsWheelsa
nd tires

Tires
Summe rtires Front axle
Summe
rtires 265/3
5ZR19(98Y) XL Light alloy rim
9.5J
x19H2
Whee loffset: 2.36 in (60 mm)
or
9.5J x19H2
Whee loffset: 2.32 in (59 mm) Rea
raxle Summe
rtires 6 295/3
0ZR20(101Y) XL Light alloy rim
11J
x20H2
Whee loffset: 2.68 in (68 mm) Winter tires, variant 1
Front axle
Winter tires
265/3
5R1998W XL M+S Light alloy rim
9.5J
x19H2
Whee loffset: 2.36 in (60 mm)
or
9.5J x19H2
Whee loffset: 2.32 in (59 mm) Rea
raxle Winter tires
295/3
0R20101W XL M+S Light alloy rim
11J
x20H2
Whee loffset: 2.68 in (68 mm) Winter tires, variant 2
Front and rear axles
Winter tires
255/3
5R1996V XL M+S Light alloy rim
9.5J
x19H2
Whee loffset: 2.32 in (59 mm) 6
Snow chains not permitted. Wheel and tire combinations
277Wheelsand tires Z