Mercedes-Benz 2008 S550 Operator's Manual page 75

Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
Warning!
®
warning lamp v is illumi-
When the ESP
®
nated continuously, the ESP
off.
Adapt your speed and driving to the prevail-
ing road conditions and to the non-operating
®
status of the ESP .
!
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an ex-
®
tended period with the ESP switched off. This
may cause serious damage to the drivetrain
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Lim-
ited Warranty.
74
Switching off the ESP
G
Warning!
is switched
®
The ESP should not be switched off during
normal driving. Disabling of the system will
result in the following:
no restriction to engine torque
loss of system supported traction
control
®
"ESP OFF" is designed for driving on closed
tracks when the natural oversteer and un-
dersteer characteristics are desired and re-
quires a highly skilled and experienced
driver able to handle these critical driving
situations.
You could lose control of your vehicle and
cause an accident.
Please be aware of these limits when you
switch off the ESP
Do not switch off the ESP
wheel is mounted.
®
(S 63 AMG only) When you switch off the ESP
G
®
.
®
when a spare
®
®
the ESP does not stabilize the vehicle
the engine output is not limited, which
allows the drive wheels to spin and
thus cut into surfaces for better grip
the traction control will still apply the
brakes to a spinning wheel
®
the ESP operates while you are
braking
you cannot activate the cruise control
or the Distronic*
the cruise control or Distronic* switch
off if currently activated