Mercedes-Benz 2009 C 230, Operator'S Manual

Page: 73 / 404

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