Get Wheels and tires -> Tire labeling Guide for Mercedes GLC Class SUV First generation (2015-2021)

Wheels and tires 471

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6

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Manufacturer

Characteristics of the tire (/ page 474)

Tire size designation, load-bearing capacity,

speed rating and load index (/ page 474)

Tire labeling

Overview of tire labeling

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Tire name

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data.

Tire Quality Grading

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2

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Tread wear grade

Traction grade

Temperature grade

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:

% The data shown in the illustration is example

data.

% The classification is not legally stipulated for

Canada, but it is generally stated.

Tread wear grade

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Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standard

The tread wear grade is a comparative rating

based on the wear rate of the tire when tested

under controlled conditions on a specified test

track of the US Department of Transportation.

For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one

(/ page 471)

DOT, Tire Identification Number

(/ page 472)

Maximum tire load (/ page 473)

Maximum tire pressure (/ page 473)

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472 Wheels and tires

and one-half times as well on the government

test track as a tire graded 100.

sure of all tires including the spare

wheel.

NOTE Damage to the drivetrain from

wheelspin

*

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

conditions.

#

Adjust the tire pressure as necessary.

#

Avoid wheelspin.

The temperature grades are A (the highest), B

and C. They represent the tire's resistance to the

generation of heat and its ability to dissipate

heat when tested under controlled conditions on

a specified indoor laboratory test wheel. Sus‐

tained high temperature can cause the material

of the tire to degenerate and reduce tire life, and

excessive temperature can lead to sudden tire

failure. Grade C corresponds to a level of per‐

formance 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.

The traction classes, 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 specified govern‐

ment test surfaces of asphalt and concrete. A

tire marked C may have poor traction perform‐

ance.

Traction grade

&

DANGER Risk of accident due to inade‐

quate traction

Temperature grade

The traction grade assigned to this tire is

based on straight-ahead braking traction

tests, and does not include either accelera‐

tion, cornering, hydroplaning or peak traction

characteristics.

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WARNING Risk of accident from tire

overheating and tire failure

The temperature grade for this tire is estab‐

lished for a tire that is properly inflated and

not overloaded. Excessive speed, underinfla‐

tion, or excessive loading, either separately

or in combination, can cause excessive heat

build-up and possible tire failure.

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Always adapt your driving style and

drive at a speed to suit the prevailing

traffic and weather conditions.

DOT, Tire Identification Number (TIN)

US tire regulations stipulate that every tire man‐

ufacturer or retreader must imprint a TIN in or

on the side wall of each tire produced.

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Observe the recommended tire pres‐

sures and regularly check the tire pres‐

Wheels and tires 473

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Tire size: identifier 3 describes the tire

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data.

size.

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‐

fied load limit. The maximum permissible load

can be found on the vehicle's Tire and Loading

Information placard on the B-pillar on the driv‐

er's side (/ page 467).

Tire type code: tire type code 4 can be

used by the manufacturer as a code to

describe specific characteristics of the tire.

Manufacturing date: manufacturing date

5 provides information about the age of a

tire. The 1st and 2nd positions represent the

calendar week and the 3rd and 4th positions

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

represents the 32nd week of 2008).

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% The data shown in the image is example

Specifications for maximum tire pressure

data.

The TIN is a unique identification number to

identify tires and comprises the following:

Information on the maximum tire load

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DOT (Department of Transportation): tire

symbol marks 1 indicating that the tire

complies with the requirements of the US

Department of Transportation.

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Manufacturer identification code: manu‐

facturer identification 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 479).

% The data shown in the image is example

data.

474 Wheels and tires

Tire size designation, load-bearing capacity,

speed rating and load index

Never exceed maximum tire pressure 1 speci‐

fied for the tire.

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WARNING Risk of injury through exceed‐

ing the specified tire load rating or the

permissible speed rating

Information on tire characteristics

Exceeding the specified tire load rating or

the permissible speed rating may lead to tire

damage and to the tires bursting.

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Therefore, only use tire types and sizes

approved for your vehicle model.

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3

4

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6

7

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Preceding letter

Nominal tire width in millimeters

Aspect ratio in %

Tire code

Rim diameter

Load-bearing index

Speed rating

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Observe the tire load rating and speed

rating required for your vehicle.

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data.

This information describes the type of tire cord

and the number of layers in side wall 1 and

under tire tread 2.

Load index

% The data shown in the image is example

data.

Information about reading tire data can be

obtained from any qualified specialist workshop.

Wheels and tires 475

Preceding letter 1:

Rim diameter 5:

% 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 Center.

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Without: passenger vehicle tires according to The diameter of the bead seat (not the diameter

European manufacturing standards.

"P": passenger vehicle tires according to US

manufacturing standards.

"LT": light truck tires according to US manu‐

facturing standards.

"T": compact emergency spare wheels with

high tire pressure that are only designed for

temporary use in an emergency.

of the rim flange). The rim diameter is specified

in inches (in).

Load-bearing index 6:

Numerical code that specifies the maximum

load-bearing capacity of a tire (e.g. "91" corre‐

sponds to 1356 lbs (615 kg)).

Summer tires

The load-bearing capacity of the tire must be at

least half the permissible axle load of your vehi‐

cle. Do not overload the tires by exceeding the

specified load limit.

Index

Speed rating

Q

R

S

T

up to 100 mph (160 km/h)

up to 106 mph (170 km/h)

up to 112 mph (180 km/h)

up to 118 mph (190 km/h)

up to 130 mph (210 km/h)

up to 149 mph (240 km/h)

up to 168 mph (270 km/h)

up to 186 mph (300 km/h)

Aspect ratio 3:

Ratio between tire height and tire width in per‐

cent (tire height divided by tire width).

See also:

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Maximum permissible load on the Tire and

Loading Information placard (/ page 467)

Tire code 4 (tire type):

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"R" radial tire

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Maximum tire load (/ page 473)

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"D": bias ply tire

H

V

W

Y

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Load index

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"B": bias belted tires

Speed rating 7:

Specifies the approved maximum speed of the

tire.

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"ZR": radial tire with a maximum speed above

149 mph (240 km/h) (optional)

476 Wheels and tires

All-weather tires and winter tires

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"C", "D", "E": a load range that depends on

the maximum load that the tire can carry at a

certain pressure

Index

ZR...Y¹

ZR...(..Y)¹

ZR¹

Speed rating

Index

Speed rating

up to 186 mph (300 km/h)

over 186 mph (300 km/h)

over 149 mph (240 km/h)

Q M+S²

T M+S²

H M+S²

V M+S²

up to 100 mph (160 km/h)

up to 118 mph (190 km/h)

up to 130 mph (210 km/h)

up to 149 mph (240 km/h)

Definition 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, poly‐

ester 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 fulfill the requirements of the

US Department of Transportation.

Average weight of the vehicle occupants: the

number of vehicle occupants for which the vehi‐

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

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Specifying the speed rating as the "ZR" index

in 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, find out what the max‐

imum speed is from the tire manufacturer.

If 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). To

find out the maximum speed, ask the tire

manufacturer.

Winter tires bear the i snowflake symbol

and fulfill the requirements of the Rubber Manu‐

facturers Association (RMA) and the Rubber

Association of Canada (RAC) regarding the tire

traction on snow.

Load index 8:

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No specification given: standard load (SL)

tire

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

forced tire

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"Light Load": light load tire

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"ZR" stated in the tire code.

Or "M+S i" for winter tires

Wheels and tires -> Tire labeling for Your Mercedes GLC Class SUV First generation (2015-2021)

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