Mercedes-Benz 300 E 1990 Owner's Manual page 20

Warning!
Do not allow your tires to wear
down too far. With less than
3 mm (1 /8 in) of tread, the
adhesion properties on a wet
road are sharply reduced.
Depending upon the weather
an d /or road surface (condi­
tions), the tire traction varies
widely.
Specified tire pressures must be
maintained. This applies parti­
cularly if the tires are subjected to
high loads (e.g. high speeds,
heavy loads, high ambient tem­
peratures).
Warning!
Do not drive with a flat tire. A
flat tire affects the ability to
steer or brake the vehicle. You
may lose control of the car.
Continued driving with a flat
tire or driving at high speed
with a flat tire will cause ex­
cessive heat build-up and
possibly a fire, or tire blow­
out.
18
Aquaplaning
Depending on the depth of the
water layer on the road, aqua­
planing may occur, even at low
speeds and with new tires. Avoid
track grooves in the road and
apply brakes cautiously in the
rain.
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 as soon as the prevailing
temperatures fall close to the
freezing point.
Warning!
If ice has formed on the road,
tire traction will be substan­
tially reduced. Under such
weather conditions, drive,
steer and brake with extreme
caution.
We recommend M + S radial-ply
tires for the winter season for all
four wheels to insure normal
balanced handling characteris­
tics.
On packed snow, they can re­
duce your stopping distance as
compared with summer tires.
Stopping distance, however, is
still considerably greater than
when the road is wet or dry.