Mercedes-Benz 300 TD-TURBO DIESEL 1984, Owner'S Manual

Page: 52 / 97

Safe Driving
Power assistance:
When the engine is not running, both
the service brake and the steering are
w ith o u t power assistance. Under
these circum stances, a much greater
e ffo rt is necessary to steer or stop
the vehicle.
Tires:
Do not allow your tires to wear down
to o far. W ith less than approx.
3 mm /t/8 in of tread, the antiskid
properties on a wet road fall off
sharply.
Depending upon the weather an d /o r
road pavement, the traction varies
widely.
Specified tire pressures m ust be
maintained. This applies particularly if
the tires are subjected to high loads
(e.g. high speeds, heavy loads, high
or low ambient tem peratures).
Aquaplaning:
Depending on the depth of the water
layer on the road, aquaplaning may
occur, even at low speeds. Avoid
track grooves in the road and apply
brakes cautiously in the rain.
Tire frictio n :
A given speed at which a vehicle
driven on dry roads can still be fully
controlled m ust be reduced when the
same vehicle is to be driven safely on
a w et or icy road.
You should pay particular attention to
the condition of the road as soon as
the prevailing tem peratures fall close
to the freezing point.
If ice has form ed on the road tire
traction will be substantially reduced.
Under such weather conditions, drive,
steer, accelerate and brake particu­
larly carefully.
We recom m end M + S radial-ply tires
fo r the cold season. On packed snow,
they can reduce your stopping dis­
tance as com pared with summ er
tires. S topping distance, however, is
nevertheless considerably greater
than when the road is w et or dry.
Brakes:
When driving down long and steep
declines, relieve the brakes by sh ift­
ing into “ S” or “ L". This prevents
overheating of the brakes and
reduces brake pad wear.
A fte r hard braking it is advisable to
drive on fo r some time so the air
stream will cool down the brakes
faster.
When driving in heavy rain fo r some
tim e w ith o u t applying the brakes, the
firs t braking action may be somewhat
reduced and increased pedal pres­
sure may be necessary. For this
reason, stay fu rth e r away from a
vehicle in front.
The condition of the parking brake
system is checked each tim e the car
is in the shop fo r maintenance.
Between maintenance checks it is a
good practice to apply the parking
brake once or tw ice while driving at
approxim ately 50 k m /h /3 0 mph on a
dry road. A pply brake lightly until a
50