SMART Fortwo coupe 2007 Operating Instructions Manual page 181

G
Accident risk!
The layer of salt on brake discs and brake
pads means that there is a danger that
the braking effect will be delayed, the
braking distance will be considerably
lengthened and you could therefore cau
se an accident.
To avoid this risk, you should
• brake carefully every now and then on
gritted roads in order to remove any
layer of salt on the brake disc and bra
ke pad, but do so without endangering
any other road users.
• keep a good safe distance from the ve
hicle in front and drive carefully.
• press the brake carefully at the end of
the journey and again when beginning
the next journey in order to remove
any salt residues from the brake disc.
New brake pads
For safety reasons, smart recommends that
you only use brake pads that have been ap
proved by smart or brake pads which offer the
same degree of protection.
Information on this is available from any qua
lified specialist workshop, e.g. a smart cen
ter.
G
Accident risk!
New brake pads will not achieve their op
timal braking effect until after several
hundred kilometres. This means that you
must compensate for the reduced bra
king effect by pressing harder on the
brake pedal. The same applies after bra
ke pads or brake discs have been chan
ged.
Driving tips
Fuel efficient driving
The following tricks will help you to save a
substantial amount of fuel with your car. Not
only will you reduce your operating costs; you
also will be helping to protect the environ
ment.
• The following holds true for traffic lights,
rail barriers and when sitting in tailbacks:
always switch the engine off, as you only
need to be stopped for 10 seconds to save
money.
i
Make sure when you are about to drive off
again that
• the gearshift lever is in position N
• you are pressing on the brake
• the gear indicator in the multi function
display shows an N
• Driving off expends considerably more fuel
than driving at a constant speed. When dri
ving off, you should remain in 1st gear only
for about two car lengths before shifting to
the next gear as soon as possible.
>> Operation.
179