Mercedes-Benz CLS 280 2008, Owner'S Manual

Page: 62 / 329

Driving safety systems
59
ESP
®
(Electronic Stability Program)
ESP ® monitors driving stability and traction,
i.e. power transmission between the tyres
and the road surface.
If ESP
®
detects that the vehicle is deviating
from the direction desired by the driver, one
or more wheels are braked to stabilise the
vehicle. The engine output is also modified, if
necessary, to keep the vehicle on the desired
course within the scope of the laws of phys-
ics. ESP
®
assists the driver when pulling away
on wet or slippery roads. ESP
®
can also sta-
bilise the vehicle during braking.
When ESP
®
intervenes, the
v
warning
lamp flashes in the instrument cluster.
G
Risk of accident
If the
v
warning lamp in the instrument
cluster flashes, proceed as follows:
R
Do not deactivate ESP
®
under any cir-
cumstances.
R
Only depress the accelerator pedal as far
as necessary when pulling away.
R
Adapt your driving style to suit the pre-
vailing road and weather conditions.
The vehicle could otherwise go into a skid.
ESP
®
cannot reduce the risk of an accident
if you drive too fast. ESP
®
cannot override
the laws of physics.
!
If the vehicle is to be towed with the front
or rear axle raised, the ignition must be
switched off (key in position
0 or 1 in the
ignition lock). Application of the brakes by
ESP
®
could otherwise destroy the brake
system on the front or rear axle.
i Only use wheels with the recommended
tyre sizes. Only then will ESP
®
function
properly.
To deactivate/activate ESP
®
ESP
®
is activated automatically when the
engine is running.
It may be best to deactivate ESP
®
in the fol-
lowing situations:
R
when using snow chains
R
in deep snow
R
on sand or gravel
G
Risk of accident
Activate ESP
®
as soon as the situations
described above no longer apply. ESP
®
will
otherwise not be able to stabilise the vehi-
cle if the vehicle starts to skid or a wheel
starts to spin.
If you deactivate ESP
®
:
R
ESP
®
no longer improves driving stability
R
Engine torque is not limited and the drive
wheels are able to spin. The spinning
wheels produce a cutting effect for better
traction.
R
traction control is still activated.
R
ESP
®
still provides support when you
brake.
i If ESP
®
is deactivated and one or more
wheels start to spin, the
v
warning lamp
in the instrument cluster flashes. ESP
®
does not, stabilise the vehicle.
Safety
219_AKB; 2; 4, en-GB
mkalafa, 2007-11-13T09:28:36+01:00 - Seite 59