Tire Traction; Tire Speed Rating - Mercedes-Benz 2004 C-Class Wagon Operator's Manual

Tire traction

The safe speed on a wet, snow covered or
icy road is always lower than on a dry road.
You should pay particular attention to the
condition of the road whenever the outside
temperatures are close to the freezing
point.
Warning!
If ice has formed on the road, tire traction
will be substantially reduced. Under such
weather conditions, drive, steer and brake
with extreme caution.
Mercedes-Benz recommends M+S rated
radial-ply tires with a minimum tread depth
1
of approximately / in (4 mm) on all four
6
wheels for the winter season to ensure
normal balanced handling characteristics.
On packed snow, they can reduce your
stopping distance compared to summer
tires. Stopping distance, however, is still
considerably greater than when the road is
not covered with snow or ice. Exercise ap-
propriate caution.
!
Avoid spinning of one drive wheel. This
may cause serious damage to the drive
train which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
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Tire speed rating

Regardless of the tire speed rating, local
speed limits should be obeyed. Use
prudent driving speeds appropriate to
prevailing conditions.
Operation
Driving instructions
Warning!
Even when permitted by law, never operate
a vehicle at speeds greater than the maxi-
mum speed rating of the tires.
Exceeding the maximum speed for which
tires are rated can lead to sudden tire
failure, causing loss of vehicle control and
possibly resulting in an accident and/or
personal injury and possible death, for you
and for others.
Your vehicle is factory equipped with
"H"-rated tires, which have a speed rating
of 130 mph (210 km/h).
An electronic speed limiter prevents your
vehicle from exceeding the tire speed
rating.
i
For information on tire speed rating for
winter tires, see "Winter tires"
( page 263).
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