Mercedes-Benz 190 D 2.2 1985, Owner'S Manual

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Hints for Driving
Power assistance
W hen th e e n g ine is n o t ru n n in g ,
both th e service brake and the
steering are w ith o u t pow er assistance.
U nder these circ u m s ta n c e s , a m uch
g re a te r e ffo rt is necessary to steer
o r s to p th e vehicle.
Tires
Do n o t a llo w y o u r tire s to w ear
d o w n to o far. W ith less than 3 m m /
% in o f tread, th e a n tis k id p ro p e r­
tie s on a w e t road are sh a rp ly re­
duced.
D epending u pon th e w e a th e r a n d /o r
road pavem ent, th e tra c tio n varies
w idely.
S p e cifie d tire pressures m ust be
m a intained. T his a p p lie s p a rtic u la rly
if th e tire s are su b je c te d to high
loads (e.g. high speeds, heavy
loads, high a m b ie n t te m p e ra tu re s).
Aquaplaning
D epending on th e de p th o f the
w a te r layer on th e road, a q u a p la n ­
ing may o c c u r, even at lo w speeds.
A void tra c k gro o ve s in th e road and
ap p ly brakes c a u tio u s ly in th e rain.
Tire friction
A given speed at w h ic h a ve h icle
drive n on d ry roads can s till be fu lly
c o n tro lle d m u st be reduced w hen
th e sam e v e h ic le is to be drive n
safely on a w e t o r icy road.
Y ou s h o u ld pay p a rtic u la r a tte n tio n
to th e c o n d itio n o f th e road as soon
as th e p re v a ilin g te m p e ra tu re s fa ll
clo se to th e fre e zin g p o in t.
If ice has fo rm e d on th e road, tire
tra c tio n w ill be s u b s ta n tia lly re­
duced. U n d e r such w e a th e r c o n d i­
tio n s, drive, ste e r and bra ke p a rtic u ­
la rly c a re fu lly.
We re co m m e n d M + S ra d ia l-p ly tires
fo r th e c o ld season. On packed
snow , th e y can re d u ce y o u r s to p ­
ping d ista n ce as co m p a re d w ith su m ­
m er tire s. S to p p in g d ista n ce , h o w ­
ever, is n evertheless c o n s id e ra b ly
g re a te r th a n w h e n th e road is w e t o r
dry.
Brakes
W hen d riv in g d o w n lo n g and steep
d e clin e s, relieve th e brakes by s h ift­
ing in to a lo w e r speed (se le cto r
lever p o s itio n “ 3 ” o r “ 2" in the case
o f a u to m a tic tra n sm issio n s). This
pre ve n ts o ve rh e a tin g o f th e brakes
and red u ce s brake pad wear.
A fte r hard b ra k in g it is advisable to
d riv e on fo r som e tim e so th e air
stream w ill co o l d o w n th e brakes
faster.
W hen d riv in g in heavy rain fo r som e
tim e w ith o u t a p p ly in g th e brakes,
th e firs t b ra k in g a c tio n may be
so m e w h a t re duced and increased
pedal pre ssu re may be necessary.
For th is reason, stay fu rth e r away
fro m v e h ic le in fro n t.
The c o n d itio n o f th e p a rk in g brake
system is ch e cke d each tim e th e car
is in th e s h o p fo r m aintenance.
B etw een m a in te n a n c e ch e cks it is a
g o o d p ra c tic e to ap p ly th e p a rkin g
brake o n ce o r tw ic e w h ile d riv in g at
a p p ro x im a te ly 50 km /h/30 m ph on a
d ry road. A p p ly b rake lig h tly u n til a
s lig h t d ra g on th e w heels is felt.
Keep a p p ly in g brakes fo r a b o u t
10 s e c o n d s w h ile h o ld in g release
b u tto n in b e fo re releasing p a rkin g