Safety, Driving safety systems – Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class 2012 Owners Manual User Manual

Page 61

WARNING

Under no circumstances should you
deactivate ESP

when the ÷ ESP

warning lamp in the instrument cluster

flashes. Proceed as follows:

when driving off, apply as little throttle as

possible.

while driving, ease up on the accelerator

pedal.

adapt your speed to suit the prevailing road

and weather conditions.

Failure to observe these guidelines could
cause the vehicle to skid. ESP

cannot

prevent accidents resulting from excessive

speed.

The ignition must be switched off if the

vehicle is being towed with the front or rear

axle raised. Otherwise, ESP

may intervene

and damage the brake system.

Only use wheels with the recommended

tire sizes. Only then will ESP

function

properly.

ETS (Electronic Traction System)

Observe the "Important safety notes"

section (

page 56).

Traction control is part of ESP

If the drive wheels spin, traction control

brakes them individually. This enables you to

pull away and accelerate on slippery surfaces,

for example if the road surface is slippery on

one side.
Traction control remains active if you

deactivate ESP

Deactivating/activating ESP

(except

AMG vehicles)

WARNING

ESP

should not be deactivated during

normal driving other than in the

circumstances described below. Disabling

the system will reduce vehicle stability in

driving maneuvers.
Do not deactivate ESP

when the emergency

or spare wheel is mounted.

ESP

is activated automatically when the

engine is started.
It may be best to deactivate ESP

in the

following situations:

when using snow chains

in deep snow

on sand or gravel

WARNING

Switch on ESP

immediately if one of the

previously stated conditions is no longer met.
Otherwise, ESP

cannot stabilize the vehicle

if it begins to lurch or when a wheel spins.

If you deactivate ESP

ESP

no longer improves driving stability.

engine torque is not limited and the drive

wheels are able to spin. The spinning

wheels produce a cutting effect for better

traction.

traction control is still activated.

ESP

still provides support when you

brake.

If ESP

is deactivated and one or more wheels

start to spin, the ÷ ESP

warning lamp in

the instrument cluster flashes. In such

situations, ESP

will not stabilize the vehicle.

Driving safety systems

Safety