194 T ire s and w heel s
forget the spare tire. If the pressure in any tire
is too high when the tire is "cold," let air out
of the tire slowly with the edge of the tire
gauge and keep checking the pressure until
you reach the pressure that is correct for the
load (passengers and luggage) and kind of
driving you plan to do .
If the pressure in any tire is too low, note the
d ifference between the pressure in the cold
tire and the pressure you need and add the a ir
that you need to reach the correct pressure for
the vehicle load (passengers and luggage) for
the tires on your veh icle as listed on the on
your veh icle and in this manua l and the kind
of dr iving you plan to do .
Never exceed th e maximum inflati on pres-
sure listed on th e tir e sidewall for any rea-
son.
Remembe r that the vehicle manufacturer, not
the tire manufactu rer, determ ines the correct
tire pressure for the t ires on your vehicle.
It is important to check the tire pressure when
the tires a re cold .
- Read the requ ired t ire pressure from the tire
pressure label located on driver's side B-pil-
lar .
- Turn the valve stem cap counter-clockwise
to remove it from the tire valve.
- Place the air pressure gauge on the valve.
- The tire pressures should only be checked
and adjusted when the tires are cold. The
slightly raised pressures of warm tires must
not be reduced.
- Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying.
- Reinsta ll the va lve stem cap on the valve.
Whe n should I check the tire pressure?
The correct t ire pressure is especially impor -
tant at high speeds. The pressure should
therefore be checked at least once a month
and a lways before starting a journey.
When should I adjust th e tire pressures?
Adjust the ti re pressure to the load you are
carry ing . After changing a wheel or replacing
whee ls you have to adjust the tire pressures
on all whee ls. In addition, you must then initi-
alize the new tire pressures in the t ire pres-
sure monitoring system ¢
page 205.
A WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinfla-
tion can lead sudden tire fa ilure, loss of
control, collision, serious personal injury
or even death.
- When the warn ing symbol
RI] appears in
the instrument cluster, stop and inspect
the t ires.
- Incorrect tire pressure and/or underinfla-
tion can cause increased tire wear and
can affect t he handling of the vehicle and
st opping ability.
- Inco rrect tire pressures and/or underin-
f lation can a lso lead to sudden t ire fail-
ure, including a blowout and sudden de-
flation, ca using loss of veh icle cont rol.
- The drive r is responsible for the correc t
tire pressures for all tires on the veh icle .
The applicable pressure values are loca t-
ed on a sticker on the driver's side B-pil-
lar.
- Only when all tires on the vehicle are fil-
led to the correct pressure, the tire pres-
sure mon itoring system can work cor-
rectly.
- The use of incorrect tire pressure values
can lead to accidents or other damage.
Therefore it is essential that the driver
observe the spec ified t ire pressure values
for the tires and the correct pressures for
the function of the t i re pressure monito r-
ing system.
- Always inflate tires to the recommended
and correct t ire pressure before dr iving
off.
- Driving with underinf lated tires bend
mo re, letting them get too hot resulting
in t read separation, sudden t ire failure
and loss of cont rol.
- Excessive speed and/overloading can
cause heat build- up, sudden t ire failure
and loss of cont rol.
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