Maintenance
The fuel consumption and assembly wear
depend on regular maintenance. Regular main-
tenance of the vehicle increases road safety
and lowers fuel consumption. Keep to the
maintenance intervals. Always have mainte-
nance work carried out at a qualified specialist
workshop.
Fuel type
The fuel grade also affects fuel consumption.
Use of lower fuel grades and/or non-approved
fuel additives will increase fuel consumption.
Ensure that you refuel with the appropriate
fuel grade (
Y
page 202).
Driving resistance
General notes
The principle forms of driving resistance are
incline, rolling and aerodynamic resistance.
Driving resistance changes depending on, for
example, vehicle weight and vehicle speed.
Remember that driving resistance increases
with vehicle speed.
Rolling resistance
Rolling resistance and therefore fuel consump-
tion are affected by the following factors:
R
tire size and tire type
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tire pressure, e.g. correctly set tire pressure
reduces fuel consumption
Check the tire pressure at regular intervals
(
Y
page 195)
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tire type, e.g. summer or winter tires, single
or twin tires
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tire tread and tire width, e.g. coarse tire
treads such as those on winter tires
increase fuel consumption
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load distribution, e.g. even load distribution
increases not only driving safety, but also
tire life
Observe the notes on the permissible wheel
and axle loads (
Y
page 116) and the data on
the vehicle identification plate
(
Y
page 197).
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road and weather conditions, e.g. wet or
soft road surfaces (snow or rain) increase
fuel consumption
Aerodynamics
Air turbulence increases aerodynamic resist-
ance and therefore fuel consumption. Air tur-
bulence occurs in particular at additionally
installed equipment, e.g. auxiliary headlamps.
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With open loads, arrange the load so that
there are no gaps. Cover the load with a tar-
paulin.
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Lash down all tarpaulins on the tractor/
trailer combination securely.
Fuel-saving driving styles
H
Environmental note
Only switch on the air-conditioning system
when necessary. Fuel consumption increa-
ses when the air-conditioning system is
switched on.
You can keep fuel consumption at low levels
with your driving style:
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Do not depress the accelerator when start-
ing the engine.
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Avoid frequent cold starts.
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Do not warm up the engine while stationary.
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Switch off the engine when waiting in sta-
tionary traffic.
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Avoid frequent and heavy acceleration.
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Avoid adaptive braking by driving with fore-
sight.
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Drive in an even and considered manner.
Use cruise control (
Y
page 122) and the dis-
tance control assistant driving systems
(
Y
page 124).
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Take care to keep to an economical engine
speed (green area of the rev counter)
(
Y
page 68).
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Avoid speed peaks.
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Avoid frequent speed changes, in particular
at high speeds.
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Avoid frequent gear changes.
Diesel particle filter
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Flammable material such as leaves, grass or
twigs may ignite if they come into contact
Driving tips
147
Driving
mode
Z
