Characteristics - Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Operator's Manual

What you should know about wheels and tires
304
Loading Information placard on the B-pillar on
the driver's side (
i
The actual values for tires are specific to
each vehicle and may deviate from the val-
ues in the illustration.
DOT, Tire Identification Number (TIN)
U.S. tire regulations stipulate that every tire
manufacturer or retreader must imprint a TIN
in or on the sidewall of each tire produced.
The TIN is a unique identification number. The
TIN enables the tire manufacturers or retread-
ers to inform purchasers of recalls and other
safety-relevant matters. It makes it possible
for the purchaser to easily identify the
affected tires.
The TIN is made up of manufacturer identifi-
cation code ;, tire size =, tire type
code ? and manufacturing date A.
DOT (Department of Transportation): tire
symbol : indicates that the tire complies
with the requirements of the U.S. Department
of Transportation.
Manufacturer identification code: manu-
facturer identification code ; provides
details on the tire manufacturer. New tires
have a code with two symbols. Retreaded
tires have a code with four symbols.
Further information about retreaded tires
( page 286).
Y
Tire size: identifier = describes the tire size.
Tire type code: tire type code ? can be
used by the manufacturer as a code to
describe specific characteristics of the tire.
page 298).
Y
Date of manufacture: date of manufacture
A provides information about the age of a
tire. The first and second positions represent
the week of manufacture, starting with "01"
for the first calendar week. Positions three
and four represent the year of manufacture.
For example, a tire that is marked with
"3208", was manufactured in week 32 in
2008.
i
Tire data is vehicle-specific and may devi-
ate from the data in the example.
Tire characteristics
This information describes the type of tire
cord and the number of layers in side-
wall : and under tire tread ;.
i
Tire data is vehicle-specific and may devi-
ate from the data in the example.
Definitions for tires and loading
Tire structure and characteristics
Describes the number of layers or the number
of rubber-coated belts in the tire tread and
the tire wall. These consist of steel, nylon,
polyester, and other materials.
Bar
Metric unit for tire pressure.
14.5038 pounds per square inch (psi) and
100 kilopascals (kPa) are the equivalent of
1 bar.