2009 Mercedes CLS-Class Owner's Manual - Page 226

Operation Tires and wheels 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". 5 Date of manufacture for identifying significant characteristics of the tire. 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 1 denotes that the tire meets requirements of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Date of manufacture The date of manufacture 5 identifies the week and year of manufacture. The first two figures identify the week, starting with "01" to represent the first full week of the calendar year. The second two figures represent the year. For example, "3202" represents the 32nd week of 2002. Manufacturer's identification mark Manufacturer's identification mark 2 denotes the tire manufacturer. New tires have a mark with two symbols. Retreaded tires have a mark with four symbols. For more information on retreaded tires, see (Y page 204). Maximum tire load G Warning! Do not overload the tires by exceeding the specified load limit as indicated on the Tire and Loading Information placard on the driver's door B-pillar. Overloading the tires can overheat them, possibly causing a blowout. Overloading the tires can also result in handling or steering problems, or brake failure. Tire size 1 DOT 2 Manufacturer's identification mark 3 Tire size 4 Tire type code (at the option of the tire Code 3 indicates the tire size. Tire type code Tire type code 4 may, at the option of the manufacturer, be used as a descriptive code manufacturer) 224