Driving Tips - Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class 2008 Owner's Manual

Operation

Driving tips

Vehicles with manual transmission: engage
X
neutral.
Vehicles with automatic transmission*:
X
shift the selector lever to N.
Try to bring the vehicle under control using
X
corrective steering.
162
Driving tips
Rolling with the engine switched off
G Risk of accident
Never switch the engine off while the vehi-
cle is in motion.
There is no power assistance for the steer-
ing and the service brake when the engine
is not running.
You will require considerably more effort to
steer and brake and you could therefore
lose control of the vehicle and cause an
accident.
Braking
G Risk of accident
Do not change down for additional engine
braking on a slippery road surface. This
could cause the drive wheels to lose their
grip and the vehicle could skid.
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, you must shift to
a lower gear in good time or, on vehicles with
automatic transmission*, select shift range
1, 2 or 3.
i
This also applies if you have activated
cruise control or Speedtronic.
This uses the braking effect of the engine and
you will not have to brake to such an extent
to maintain the same speed. This relieves the
load on the brake system and prevents the
brakes from overheating 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 continu-
ously while the vehicle is in motion, e.g.
never cause the brakes to rub by applying
* optional