How good is the ML320 spare tire off-road ?
The spare tire carrier of the M-Class is mounted in the rear under the vehicle. The dimension of the spare ( 155 / 90 R18 ) makes it definitely a temporary spare for off-road use. It is too narrow to be of any use where the roads are rough and the high inflation ratio of 70 psi makes it very vulnerable to punctures ( picture a balloon that is pumped up really hard – a rough fingernail is enough to make it explode). The manual recommends even for pavement not to use the spare for long and only at moderate speeds. Therefore I strongly recommend to get the full size spare tire as offered in the M4 package if you intend to expose the ML to any rough roads on a regular basis. The temp spare is extremely narrow compared to the stock tire. The temp spare is mounted on a tubular frame which slides out from under the back of the M-Class. Unlocking of the frame is fairly easy – however, pulling the slide down was not an easy task when I needed the spare after a flat in the desert of Baja Califor
