Special Operating Conditions; Winter Driving; Hints For Driving - Mercedes-Benz 380 SL 1985 Owner's Manual

Winter Driving

Have your car winterized at an
authorized MERCEDES-BENZ
dealer before the onset of winter.
• Engine oil change: If "year-
round" multigrade engine oil is
not used, be sure to use an
SAE grade based on ambient
temperature. For recommended
engine oil viscosities refer to
"Fuels, Coolants, Lubricants,
etc." and last page.
• Anticorrosion/antifreeze in the
coolant: Check anticorrosion/
antifreeze protection periodi­
cally. For capacity refer to
"Fuels, Coolants, Lubricants,
etc.".
• Additive in the windshield
washer system: Add windshield
washer solvent to the water in
the windshield washer system.
• Test battery: Battery capacity
drops with decreasing ambient
temperature. A well charged
battery ensures that the engine
can always be started, even at
low ambient temperatures.
• Tires: We recommend M + S
radial tires on all wheels for the
winter season. Observe permis­
sible maximum speed for M + S
radial tires and the legal speed
limit.

Hints for Driving

The most important rule for slippery
or icy roads is to drive sensibly and
to avoid abrupt acceleration, brak­
ing and steering action. Do not use
the cruise control system under
such conditions.
When the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, move selector lever to
position "N". Try to keep the
vehicle under control by means of
corrective steering action.

Special Operating Conditions

Provided the traffic conditions will
allow, only brake in a way that the
wheels are locked for no more than
fractions of a second as otherwise
the steerability of the vehicle is lost.
Road salts and chemicals can
adversely affect braking efficiency.
Increased pedal force may become
necessary to produce the normal
brake effect. We therefore recom­
mend depressing the brake pedal
repeatedly when travelling on salt-
strewn roads at length. This can
bring road salt impaired braking
efficiency back to normal. A pre­
requisite is, however, that this is
possible without endangering other
drivers on the road.
If the vehicle is parked after being
driven on salt treated roads, the
braking efficiency should be tested
as soon as possible after driving is
resumed while adhering to the
safety requirements.