2011 Mercedes SL-Class Owner's Manual - Page 201
2011 Mercedes SL-Class Manual
Page 201 highlights
Tires and wheels Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards tire graded 150 would wear one and one-half (1 1/2) times as well on the government course as a tire graded 100. The relative performance of tires depends upon the actual conditions of their use, however, and may depart significantly from the norm due to variations in driving habits, service practices and differences in road characteristics and climate. 199 Traction G Warning! The Uniform Tire Quality Grading is a U.S. Government requirement designed to give drivers consistent and reliable information regarding tire performance. Tire manufacturers are required to grade tires based on three performance factors: treadwear :, traction ;, and temperature resistance =. Although not a Government of Canada requirement, all tires made for sale in North America have these grades branded on the sidewall. The traction grade assigned to this tire is based on straight-ahead braking traction tests, and does not include acceleration, cornering, hydroplaning, or peak traction characteristics. i For illustration purposes only. Actual data on tires are specific to each vehicle and may vary from data shown in above illustration. Quality grades can be found, where applicable, on the tire sidewall between tread shoulder and maximum section width. For example: Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are AA, A, B, and C. Those grades represent the tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as measured under controlled conditions on specified government test surfaces of asphalt and concrete. A tire marked C may have poor traction performance. G Warning! If ice has formed on the road, tire traction will be substantially reduced. Under such weather conditions, drive, steer and brake with extreme caution. All passenger car tires must conform to federal safety requirements in addition to these grades. Treadwear The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate of the tire when tested under controlled conditions on a specified U.S. Government test course. For example, a 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 whenever the outside temperature is close to the freezing point. Mercedes-Benz recommends winter tires (Y page 207) with a minimum tread depth of approximately 1/6 in (4 mm) on all four wheels for the winter season to ensure normal balanced handling characteristics. On packed snow, they can reduce your stopping distance compared to summer tires. Stopping distance, however, is still considerably greater than when the road is Z Operation
![](/manual_guide/autos/2011-mercedes-slclass-owners-manual-91f7e4d/201.png)