Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class Owner's Manual page 73

Safety
Driving safety systems
G
Risk of accident
Proceed as follows if the v warning lamp
in the speedometer flashes:
under no circumstances should you
deactivate ESP
only depress the accelerator pedal as
far as necessary when pulling away
do not keep your foot on the accelerator
while you are driving
adapt your driving style to suit the road
and weather conditions
Otherwise, the vehicle could begin to skid.
ESP cannot reduce the risk of an accident if
you drive too fast.
!
ESP only functions properly if wheels with
the recommended tyre sizes are used
( page 399).
The engine must not be running if:
the parking brake is being tested using a
dynamometer
the vehicle is being towed with the front axle
raised
Application of the brakes by ESP may otherwise
destroy the braking system on the rear axle.
70
i
Only use wheels with the recommended tyre
sizes. Only then will ESP function properly.
Activating/deactivating ESP
It may be best to deactivate ESP in the
following situations:
if snow chains are being used
in deep snow
on sand or gravel
G
Risk of accident
Activate ESP as soon as the situations
described above no longer apply. ESP will
otherwise be unable to stabilise the vehicle
if the vehicle starts to skid or when a wheel
spins.
When you deactivate ESP:
ESP no longer improves driving stability
the engine's torque is then no longer
limited and the drive wheels could spin.
This results in a cutting action of the
spinning wheels for better grip
traction control is still activated
you can still brake with support from
ESP
i
The v warning lamp in the instrument
cluster flashes if ESP is deactivated and one or
more wheels start to spin. ESP does not then sta-
bilise the vehicle.