Wheels, Tires, Changing W H E E Ls; Wheels, Tires - Mercedes-Benz 300 D 1984 Owner's Manual

Wheels, Tires

In case of replacement we recom ­
mend you use tires and rims of
identical design, version and brand.
See any MERCEDES-BENZ service
station fo r inform ation on tested and
recom mended wheels and tires fo r
summ er and w inter operation. They
will also offer more advice concerning
tire service and purchase.
Front tires should be replaced in sets.
If possible, the spare tire should be
used on the rear wheels. We recom ­
mend that you break in new tires for
approx. 100 km /60 miles at moderate
speed.
A fte r a wheel change, it is imperative
that the wheel mounting bolts be
retightened after approx. 800 km /
500 miles. On new vehicles retighten­
ing is carried out in the course of the
1st inspection. Retightening is also
necessary when new wheels are fitted
at a later date, e.g. when the spare
w heels is used fo r the firs t tim e or
w hen a new set of wheels w ith M + S
tire s is fitted.
For tire specifications, refer to "T ech ­
nical Data" .
Rotating wheels:
The wheels can be rotated according
to the degree of tire wear while
retaining the same sense of rotation.
Rotating, however, should be carried
out before the characteristic tire wear
pattern (shoulder wear on front
wheels and tread center wear on rear
wheels) becom es visible at a mileage
of 5000 - 10 000 km/3000 - 6000
miles as otherwise the driving prop e r­
ties deteriorate.
W heels Tires C hanging W heels
Slowly leaking air (e.g. due to a nail in
the tire) may cause damage to the tire
such as tread separation. Regular tire
pressure checks at intervals of no
m ore than 14 days are therefore
essential. For the tire pressure
checks, keep in mind that hot tires
show higher pressure than cold tires.
See tire pressure chart on last page.
S hould the tire pressure decrease
constantly, check w hether foreign
o b je cts have penetrated the tire or if
the rim or valve allows air to leak.
Thoroughly clean the inner side of the
w heels any time you rotate the wheels
o r wash the vehicle's underside.
Dented or bent rims cause tire
pressure loss and damage to the tire
beads. For this reason, check rims fo r
damage at regular intervals.
The rim flanges m ust be checked fo r
w ear before a tire is mounted.
Remove burrs, if there are any.