G
Risk of accident
Make sure that other road users are not
endangered by your braking.
Downhill gradients
On long and steep downhill gradients, espe-
cially if the vehicle is laden or towing a trailer,
you must select shift range 1, 2 or 3 in good
time.
i
This also applies if you have activated
cruise control, Speedtronic, Distronic* or
Distronic Plus*.
This will use the braking effect of the engine,
so less braking will be required to maintain
the speed. This relieves the load on the brake
system and prevents the brakes from over-
heating and wearing too quickly. If you need
additional braking, depress the brake pedal
repeatedly rather than continuously.
Heavy and light loads
If the brakes have been subjected to a heavy
load, do not stop the vehicle immediately, but
drive on for a short while. This allows the air-
flow to cool the brakes more quickly.
G
Risk of accident
Never depress the brake pedal continuously
while the vehicle is in motion, e.g. never cause
the brakes to rub by applying constant slight
pedal pressure. This causes the brake system
to overheat, increases the braking distance
and can lead to the brakes failing completely.
If the brakes have been used only moderately,
you should occasionally test their effective-
ness. To do this, brake more firmly from a
higher speed. This improves the grip of the
brakes.
Wet roads
If driving in heavy rain for a prolonged period
of time without braking, there may be a
delayed reaction from the brakes when brak-
ing for the first time. You must brake harder.
You must therefore maintain a greater dis-
tance from the vehicle in front.
After driving on a wet surface, brake firmly
while paying attention to the traffic condi-
tions. This way the brake discs will become
warm, drying more quickly, which will protect
them against corrosion.
Limited braking performance on salted
roads
G
Risk of accident
The layer of salt on the brake discs and the
brake pads/linings may cause a delay in the
braking effect, resulting in a significantly lon-
ger braking distance, which could lead to an
accident.
To avoid this danger, you should:
R
occasionally brake carefully, without put-
ting other road users at risk, when you are
driving on salted roads. This helps to
remove any salt that may have started to
build up on the brake discs and the brake
pads/linings.
R
maintain a greater distance to the vehicle
ahead and drive with particular care.
R
carefully apply the brakes at the end of a
trip and immediately after commencing a
new trip, so that salt residues are removed
from the brake disc.
New brake pads/linings
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only have brake pads/linings
fitted to your vehicle which have been
approved for Mercedes-Benz vehicles or
which correspond to an equivalent quality
standard. Brake pads/linings which have not
been approved for Mercedes-Benz vehicles or
which are not of an equivalent quality could
affect your vehicle's operating safety.
G
Risk of accident
New brake pads/linings only reach their opti-
mum braking effect after several hundred kil-
ometres of driving. Before this optimum brak-
326
Driving tips
Ope
ratio
n
* optional
221_AKB; 2; 3, en-GB
bjanott,
Version: 2.11.7.7
2009-02-27T14:56:10+01:00 - Seite 326
Dateiname: 6515231002_buchblock.pdf; erzeugt am 03. Mar 2009 15:18:26; WK
