Get Wheels and tires -> Tire labeling Guide for Mercedes CLA 4 Door Third Generation (2025-2026)

Tire labeling

Overview of tire labeling

Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards

DOT (Department of Transportation), (TIN)

Tire Identication Number

Maximum tire load (/ page 328)

Maximum tire pressure (/ page 329)

Manufacturer

Tire characteristics (/ page 329)

Tire size designation, load-bearing capacity,

speed rating and load index (/ page 329)

Tire name

The data shown in the illustration is example

data.

Tire quality grading

In accordance with the US Department of Trans-

portation's "Uniform Tire Quality Grading Stand-

ards," tire manufacturers are required to grade

their tires on the basis of the following three per-

formance factors:

Tread wear grade

Traction grade

Temperature grade

The data shown in the illustration is example

data.

The classication is not legally stipulated for

Canada, but it is generally stated.

Tread wear grade

The treadwear grade is a comparative rating

based on the wear rate of the tire when tested

under controlled conditions on a specied govern-

ment test course. For example, a tire graded 150

would wear one and one-half (1\1/2\) times as

326

Wheels and tires

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 signicantly from the norm due to var-

iations in driving habits, service practices and dif-

ferences in road characteristics and climate.

Traction grade

DANGER Risk of accident due to inade-

quate traction

The traction grade assigned to this tire is

based on straight-ahead braking traction

tests.

Always adapt your driving style and drive

at a speed to suit the prevailing trac

and weather conditions.

NOTE Damage to the drivetrain from

wheelspin

Avoid wheelspin.

The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are

AA, A, B, and C. Those grades represent the tire's

ability to stop on wet pavement as measured

under controlled conditions on specied govern-

ment test surfaces of asphalt and concrete. A tire

marked C may have poor traction performance.

Temperature grade

WARNING Risk of accident from tire over-

heating and tire failure

Excessive speed, underination, or excessive

loading, either separately or in combination,

can cause excessive heat build-up and possi-

ble tire failure.

Observe the recommended tire pressure.

Regularly check the pressure of all the

tires.

Adjust the tire pressure, if necessary.

The temperature grades are A (the highest), B,

and C, representing the tire's resistance to the

generation of heat and its ability to dissipate heat

when tested under controlled conditions on a

specied indoor laboratory test wheel. Sustained

high temperature can cause the material of the

tire to degenerate and reduce tire life, and exces-

sive temperature can lead to sudden tire failure.

The grade C corresponds to a level of perform-

ance which all passenger car tires must meet

under the Federal Motor Safety Standard No.

109. Grades B and A represent higher levels of

performance on the laboratory test wheel than

the minimum required by law.

DOT, Tire Identication Number (TIN)

US tire regulations stipulate that every tire manu-

facturer or retreader must imprint a TIN in or on

the side wall of each tire produced.

Wheels and tires

327

The data shown in the illustration is example

data.

The TIN is a unique identication number to iden-

tify tires and comprises the following:

DOT (Department of Transportation): tire sym-

bol marks 1 indicating that the tire complies

with the requirements of the US Department

of Transportation.

Manufacturer identication code: manufac-

turer identication code 2 contains details of

the tire manufacturer. New tires have a code

with two symbols. Retreaded tires have a code

with four symbols. Further information on

retreaded tires (/ page 334).

Tire size: identier 3 describes the tire size.

Tire type code: tire type code 4 can be used

by the manufacturer as a code to describe

specic characteristics of the tire.

Manufacturing date: manufacturing date 5

provides information about the age of a tire.

The 1st and 2nd positions represent the cal-

endar week and the 3rd and 4th positions

state the year of manufacture (e.g. "3208"

represents the 32nd week of 2008).

Information on the maximum tire load

WARNING Risk of accident from overloa-

ded tires

Overloaded tires may overheat and burst as a

consequence. Overloaded tires can also

impair the steering and handling characteris-

tics and lead to brake failure.

Observe the load rating of the tires.

The load rating must be at least half the

permissible axle load of the vehicle.

Never overload the tires by exceeding

the maximum load.

The data shown in the illustration is example

data.

Maximum tire load

1 is the maximum permissi-

ble weight for which the tire is approved.

Do not overload the tires by exceeding the speci-

ed load limit. The maximum permissible load can

be found on the vehicle's Tire and Loading Infor-

mation placard on the B-pillar on the driver's side

(/ page 322).

328

Wheels and tires

Specications for maximum tire pressure

The data shown in the illustration is example

data.

Never exceed maximum tire pressure

1 speci-

ed for the tire. Always observe the recommen-

ded tire pressure for your vehicle when adjusting

the tire pressure (/ page 317).

Information on tire characteristics

The data shown in the illustration is example

data.

This information describes the type of tire cord

and the number of layers in side wall

1 and

under tire tread

Tire size designation, load-bearing capacity, speed

rating and load index

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.

Wheels and tires

329

Preceding letter

Nominal tire width in millimeters

Aspect ratio in %

Tire code

Rim diameter

Load bearing index

Speed rating

Load index

The data shown in the illustration is example

data.

Information about reading tire data can be

obtained from any qualied specialist workshop.

Preceding letter 1:

None: passenger car tire according to Euro-

pean manufacturing standards.

"P": passenger car tire according to US manu-

facturing standards.

"LT": light truck tire according to US manufac-

turing standards.

"T": compact emergency spare wheel with high

tire pressure which is only designed for tem-

porary use in an emergency.

Aspect ratio 3:

Ratio between tire height and tire width in percent

(tire height divided by tire width).

Tire code 4 (tire type):

"R" radial tire

"D": bias ply tire

"B": bias belted tire

"ZR": radial tire with a maximum speed above

149 mph (240 km/h) (optional)

Rim diameter 5:

The diameter of the bead seat (not the diameter

of the rim ange). The rim diameter is specied in

inches (in).

Load bearing index 6 :

Numerical code that species the maximum load-

bearing capacity of a tire (e.g. "91" corresponds

to 1356 lbs (615 kg)).

The load-bearing capacity of the tire must be at

least half the gross axle weight rating of the vehi-

cle. Do not overload the tires by exceeding the

specied load limit.

See also:

Maximum permissible load on the tire and

loading information placard (/ page 322)

Maximum tire load (/ page 328)

Load index

Speed rating 7:

Species the approved maximum speed of the

tire.

330

Wheels and tires

An electronic speed limiter prevents your

vehicle from exceeding a speed of 130 mph

(210 km/h).

Make sure that your tires have the required speed

rating. You can obtain information on the required

speed rating from an authorized Mercedes-Benz

service outlet.

Summer tires

Index Speed rating

Q up to 100 mph (160 km/h)

R up to 106 mph (170 km/h)

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)

Index Speed rating

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)

over 149 mph (240 km/h)

Specifying the speed rating as "ZR" in the tire

code

4 is optional for tires up to 186 mph

(300 km/h).

If your tire code

4 includes "ZR" and there is

no speed rating

7, nd out the maximum

speed from the tire manufacturer.

If the load-bearing index

6 and speed rating

7 are in brackets, the maximum speed rating

of your tire is above 186 mph (300 km/h).

Ask the tire manufacturer about the maximum

speed.

All-weather tires and winter tires

Index Speed rating

Q M+S

up to 100 mph (160 km/h)

T M+S

up to 118 mph (190 km/h)

H M+S

up to 130 mph (210 km/h)

V M+S

up to 149 mph (240 km/h)

Winter tires bear the i snowake symbol and

fulll the requirements of the Rubber Manufactur-

ers Association (RAM) and the Rubber Association

of Canada (ARC) regarding the tire traction on

snow.

Load index 8:

No specication given: standard load (LS) tire

"XL" or "Extra Load": extra load tire or rein-

forced tire

"Light Load": light load tire

"ZR" stated in the tire code.

Or "M+Si" for winter tires.

Wheels and tires

331

"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

332

Wheels and tires

Wheels and tires -> Tire labeling for Your Mercedes CLA 4 Door Third Generation (2025-2026)

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