Mercedes-Benz 2009 M-Class Operator's Manual page 264

Operation
Tires and wheels
Load identification
Load identification
1
i For illustration purposes only. Actual data
on tires are specific to each vehicle and
may vary from data shown in above
illustration.
In addition to tire load rating, special load
identification may be molded into the tire
1
sidewall following the letter designating the
tire speed rating ( Y page 259).
6
No specification given: absence of any text
R
(like in above example) indicates a
standard load (SL) tire.
XL or Extra Load: designates an extra load
R
(or reinforced) tire.
262
Light Load: designates a light load tire.
R
C, D, E: designates load range associated
R
with the maximum load a tire can carry at
a specified pressure.
DOT, Tire Identification Number (TIN)
U.S. tire regulations require each new tire
manufacturer or tire retreader to mold a TIN
into or onto a sidewall of each tire produced.
The TIN is a unique identifier which facilitates
efforts by tire manufactures to notify
purchasers in recall situations or other safety
matters concerning tires and gives
purchasers the means to easily identify such
tires.
The TIN is comprised of "Manufacturer's
identification mark", "Tire size", "Tire type
code" and "Date of manufacture".
DOT
1
Manufacturer's identification mark
2
Tire size
3
Tire type code (at the option of the tire
4
manufacturer)
Date of manufacture
5
i For illustration purposes only. Actual data
on tires are specific to each vehicle and
may vary from data shown in above
illustration.
DOT (Department of Transportation)
Tire branding symbol denotes that the tire
1
meets requirements of the U.S. Department
of Transportation.