Get Wheels and tires -> Definition of terms for tires and loading Guide for Mercedes CLA 4 Door Third Generation (2025-2026)

"C", "D", "E": load range depends on the maxi-

mum load that the tire can carry at a certain

pressure

Denition of terms for tires and loading

Tire structure and characteristics: describes the

number of layers or the number of rubber-coated

belts in the tire contact surface and the tire wall.

These are made of steel, nylon, polyester and

other materials.

Bar: metric unit for tire pressure. 14.5038

pounds per square inch (psi) and 100 kilopascal

(kPa) is the equivalent of one bar.

DOT (Department of Transportation): DOT-marked

tires fulll the requirements of the

US Department of Transportation.

Average weight of the vehicle occupants: the

number of vehicle occupants for which the vehicle

is designed, multiplied by 150 lb (68 kg).

Uniform tire quality grading standards: a uniform

standard to grade the quality of tires with regard

to tread quality, tire traction and temperature

characteristics. The quality grading assessment is

made by the manufacturer following specications

from the U.S. government. The quality grade of a

tire is imprinted on the side wall of the tire.

Recommended tire pressure: the recommended

tire pressure is the tire pressure specied for the

tires tted to the vehicle at the factory.

The tire and load information table contains the

recommended tire pressure for cold tires, the

maximum permissible load and the maximum per-

missible vehicle speed.

The tire pressure table contains the recommen-

ded tire pressure for cold tires under various oper-

ating conditions, i.e. loading and/or speed of the

vehicle.

Increased vehicle weight due to optional equip-

ment: the combined weight of all standard and

optional equipment available for the vehicle,

regardless of whether it is actually installed on the

vehicle or not.

Rim: the part of the wheel on which the tire is

mounted.

GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating): the GAWR is

the maximum gross axle weight rating. The actual

load on an axle must never exceed the gross axle

weight rating. The gross axle weight rating can be

found on the vehicle identication plate on the B-

pillar on the driver's side.

Speed rating: the speed rating is part of the tire

identication. It species the speed range for

which a tire is approved.

GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight): the gross vehicle

weight comprises the weight of the vehicle includ-

ing fuel, tools, spare wheel, tted accessories,

occupants, luggage and the trailer tongue weight,

if applicable. The gross vehicle weight must not

exceed the gross vehicle weight rating GVWR as

specied on the vehicle identication plate on the

B-pillar on the driver's side.

GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating): the GVWR is

the maximum permitted gross weight of the fully

laden vehicle (weight of the vehicle including all

accessories, occupants, fuel, luggage and the

trailer tongue weight if applicable). The gross vehi-

cle weight rating is specied on the vehicle identi-

cation plate on the B-pillar on the driver's side.

Maximum weight of the laden vehicle: the maxi-

mum weight is the sum of the unladen weight of

the vehicle, the weight of the accessories, the

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Wheels and tires

maximum load and the weight of optional equip-

ment installed at the factory.

Kilopascal (kPa): metric unit for tire pressure.

6.9 kPa corresponds to 1 psi. Another unit for tire

pressure is bar. 100 kilopascal (kPa) equals 1 bar.

Load index: in addition to the load-bearing index,

the load index may also be imprinted on the side

wall of the tire. This species the load-bearing

capacity of the tire more precisely.

Unladen weight: the weight of a vehicle with

standard equipment including the maximum capa-

city of fuel, service uids and coolant. It also

includes the air conditioning system and optional

equipment if these are installed in the vehicle, but

does not include passengers or luggage.

Maximum tire load: the maximum tire load is the

maximum permissible weight in kilograms or lbs

for which a tire is approved.

Maximum permissible tire pressure: maximum

permissible tire pressure for one tire.

Maximum load on one tire: maximum load per

tire. This is calculated by dividing the maximum

axle load of one axle by two.

PSI (pounds per square inch): standard unit of

measurement for tire pressure.

Aspect ratio: ratio between tire height and tire

width in percent.

Tire pressure: pressure inside the tire applying an

outward force to every square inch of the tire. The

tire pressure is specied in pounds per square

inch (psi), in kilopascals (kPa) or in bar. The tire

pressure should only be corrected when the tires

are cold.

Cold tire pressure: the tires are cold when the

vehicle has been parked for at least 3 hours with-

out direct sunlight on the tires, or the vehicle has

been driven for less than 1 mile (1.6 km).

Tire contact surface: the part of the tire that

comes into contact with the road.

Tire bead: the purpose of the tire bead is to

ensure that the tire sits securely on the wheel rim.

There are several wire cores in the tire bead to

prevent the tire from changing length on the

wheel rim.

Side wall: the part of the tire between the tread

and the tire bead.

Weight of optional equipment: the combined

weight of the optional equipment weighing more

than the replaced standard parts and more than

5 lbs (2.3 kg). This optional equipment, such as

high-performance brakes, level control system, a

roof luggage rack or high-performance batteries,

is not included in the unladen weight and the

weight of the accessories.

TIN (Tire Identication Number): a unique identi-

cation number which can be used by a tire manu-

facturer to identify tires, for example in a product

recall, and thus identify the purchasers. The TIN is

made up of the manufacturer's identity code, tire

size, tire type code and the manufacturing date.

Load-bearing index: the load-bearing index is a

code that contains the maximum load-bearing

capacity of a tire.

Traction: traction is the grip resulting from friction

between the tire and the road surface.

Wear indicator: narrow bars (tread wear bars) that

are distributed over the tire contact surface. If the

tire tread is level with the bars, the wear limit of

1/16 in (1.6 mm) has been reached.

Wheels and tires

333

Distribution of vehicle occupants: distribution of

vehicle occupants over designated seat positions

in a vehicle.

Maximum permissible payload weight: nominal

load and luggage load plus 150 lb (68 kg) multi-

plied by the number of seats in the vehicle.

Changing a wheel

Notes on selecting, installing and replacing tires

NOTE Mercedes-AMG vehicles

Observe the notes in the Supplement.

You could otherwise fail to recognize

dangers.

WARNING Risk of accident due to incor-

rect wheel and tire dimensions

If wheels and tires of the wrong size are instal-

led, the service brakes or components in the

brake system and in the wheel suspension

may be damaged.

Always replace wheels and tires with

ones that fulll the specications of the

original part.

For wheels, pay attention to the following:

Designation

Type

For tires, pay attention to the following:

Designation

Manufacturer

Type

WARNING Risk of injury through exceed-

ing the specied tire load-bearing capa-

city or the permissible speed rating

Exceeding the specied tire load rating or the

permissible speed rating may lead to tire dam-

age and to the tires bursting.

Therefore, only use tire types and sizes

approved for your vehicle model.

Observe the tire load rating and speed

rating required for your vehicle.

NOTE Vehicle and tire damage caused by

non-approved tire types and sizes

For safety reasons, only use tires, wheels and

accessories which have been specially

approved by Mercedes-Benz for your vehicle.

These tires are specially adapted to the active

safety systems, such as ABS, ESP

and

4MATIC, and marked as follows:

MO = Mercedes-Benz Original

MOE = Mercedes-Benz Original Extended

(tires with run-at characteristics for cer-

tain wheels only)

MO1 = Mercedes-Benz Original (only cer-

tain AMG tires)

Otherwise, certain properties, such as driving

characteristics, vehicle noise emissions, con-

sumption, etc. could be adversely aected.

Furthermore, other tire sizes could result in

the tires rubbing against the body and axle

components when loaded. This could result in

damage to the tire or the vehicle.

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Wheels and tires

Wheels and tires -> Definition of terms for tires and loading for Your Mercedes CLA 4 Door Third Generation (2025-2026)

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