Downhill gradients

On long and steep gradients, you must On long and steep gradients, you must reduce the load on the brakes by shifting early to a lower gear. This allows you to take advantage of the engine braking effect and helps avoid overheating and excessive wear of the brakes.

When you take advantage of the engine braking effect, a drive wheel may not turn for some time, e.g. on a slippery road surface. This could cause damage to the drive train. This type of damage is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz warranty.

    See also:

    Limited braking performance on salttreated roads
    WARNING The layer of salt on the brake discs and the brake pads/linings may cause a delay in the braking effect, resulting in a significantly longer braking distance, which could lead to an ...

    Driving with summer tires
    At temperatures below 45 °F (+7 °C), the elasticity of summer tires and therefore also traction and braking capability are reduced considerably — equip your vehicle with M+S tires. Using summe ...

    Recovering a vehicle that has becomestuck
    Pull away smoothly, slowly, and in a straight line when pulling out a vehicle that has become stuck. Excessive tractive power could damage the vehicles. If the drive wheels have become stuck i ...