Mercedes-Benz C-Class 2009 Owners Manual - Manual (Page 73)

Driving safety systems
71
To improve the vehicle’s traction, switch on
ESP
® SPORT in driving situations in which it
would be advantageous to have the drive
wheels spin and thus cut into surfaces for
better grip such as:
R when driving with snow chains
R in deep snow
R in sand or gravel
G Warning!
Switch off ESP ® SPORT and switch on the
ESP ® immediately if the aforementioned
circumstances do not apply anymore.
Otherwise ESP
® SPORT will only stabilize
the vehicle to a limited extent when it is
starting to skid or a wheel is spinning.
When you switch on ESP ® SPORT
R the ESP ® stabilizes the vehicle only to a
limited extent
R the engine output is limited, but only to the
extent that allows the drive wheels to spin
and thus cut into surfaces for better grip
R the ETS will still apply the brakes to a
spinning wheel
R the ESP ® continues to operate when you
are braking hard
R you cannot activate the cruise control
R the cruise control switches off if activated
i When ESP ® SPORT is switched on and
one or more drive wheels are spinning, the
ESP
® warning lamp v in the instrument
cluster flashes. However, the ESP ® will
then stabilize the vehicle only to a limited
extent.
1 ESP ® SPORT switch
X Switching on: With the engine running,
press ESP
® SPORT switch 1 briefly.
The ESP ® warning lamp v in the
instrument cluster comes on. The message
ESP SPORT appears in the multifunction
display.
X Switching off: With the engine running,
press ESP
® SPORT switch 1 briefly.
The ESP ® warning lamp v in the
instrument cluster goes out. The message
ESP On appears in the multifunction
display.
ESP ® SPORT switches off automatically when
you turn off the engine. When starting the
engine, the ESP
® is activated automatically.
Switching the ESP ® off or on
G Warning!
The ESP ® should not be switched off during
normal driving.
Disabling of the system will result in the
following:
R no restriction to engine torque
R loss of system supported traction control
“ESP ® OFF” is designed for driving on
closed tracks when the vehicle’s natural
oversteer and understeer characteristics
are desired and requires a highly skilled and
experienced driver able to handle these
critical driving situations.
Safety and security
Z