2004 MERCEDES-BENZ S55AMG wheel

172 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionDownshifting
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in the D-direction
(page 165).
or

Press button1 on the left side of the
steering wheel (
page 168).
The transmission shifts to the next
lower gear.Upshifting

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in the D+direction
(page 165).
or

Press button2 on the right side of the
steering wheel (
page 168).
The transmission shifts to the next
higher gear.Kickdown
The kickdown can also be used for
maximum acceleration when driving in the
manual program mode.

Press the accelerator past the point of
resistance.
The transmission shifts to a lower gear.

Shift up once the desired speed has
been reached.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.
iWhen driving at full throttle, the trans-
mission shifts to the next higher gear
when maximum engine speed has been
reached.
When you brake or stop, the transmis-
sion shifts down to a gear from which
you can easily accelerate or take off.

181 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Item
1
Left center air vent, adjustable
2
Left air vent, fixed
3
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left center air vent
4
Thumbwheel for air temperature
control for center air vents
5
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right center air vent
6
Right air vent, fixed
7
Right center air vent, adjustable
8
Side defroster vent, fixed
9
Side air vent, adjustable
a
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for side air vents
b
Door air vent
c
Automatic climate control panel
Warning!
G
When operating the automatic climate con-
trol, the air that enters the passenger com-
partment through the air vents in the
footwell can be very hot or very cold (de-
pending on the set temperature). This may
cause burns or frostbite on unprotected skin
in the immediate area of the air vents. Al-
ways keep sufficient distance between un-
protected parts of the body and the footwell
air vents. If necessary change the air flow
using the air distribution controls to direct
the air away from the footwell air vents
(page 184).
iFor draft-free ventilation, move the slid-
ers for the center air vents 1, 7, 9
to the middle position.

184 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlAdjusting the temperature for center
air vents
When outside temperatures are low, you
can manually raise the air temperature for
the center and side air vents. The
thumbwheel4 is located between the
center air vents (
page 180).
Automatic temperature control

Turn thumbwheel 4 to A.
The indicator lamp above the thumb-
wheel comes on. The temperature is
automatically adjusted to the set value.Turning on warm air

Turn thumbwheel 4 in the direction of
the white marking.
Warm air will enter from the center air
vent.
Turning on cooler air

Turn thumbwheel4 in the direction of
the blue marking.
Cooler air will enter from the center air
vent.
Adjusting air distribution
Use air distribution controlsc and6
(page 182) to separately adjust the air
distribution on each side of the passenger
compartment. The following symbols are
found on the controls:Symbol
Function
h
Directs air through the cen-
ter air vents
d
Directs air to the windows
»
Directs air into the entire
vehicle interior
c
Directs air to the footwells

192 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlVentilated storage compartment (except S 55 AMG)
The storage compartment under the front
armrest (
page 233) can be ventilated
when the automatic air conditioning is
switched on. The switch is located inside
the storage compartment in the front. The
air temperature is about the same as that
of the center air vents.
The air volume dependent on the setting
of:


Air distribution control


Air volume control


Air vents in the dashboard
The air temperature is about the same as
that of the dashboard air vents. It cannot
be regulated separately.Switching ventilation on

Open the storage compartment in front
of the armrest, see “Storage compart-
ment in front of armrest” (
page 232).

Push upper portion of switch.
Switching ventilation off

Open the storage compartment in front
of the armrest, see “Storage compart-
ment in front of armrest” (
page 232).

Push lower portion of switch. Rear passenger compartment adjust-
able air vents
Rear center console air vents
1Left center air vent, adjustable
2Right center air vent, adjustable
3Thumbwheel for center air vents with
adjustable booster blower
!Do not obstruct the air vent in the stor-
age compartment.iThe compartment can get very warm
due to its confined space. When storing
heat sensitive objects in the compart-
ment, close the air vent while heating
the passenger compartment.

193 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
To open center air vents and to adjust the
booster blower:
Turn thumbwheel3.Rear side air vents
4Rear side air vent, right and left
5Air volume control for rear side air vent
To open rear side air vents:

Turn thumbwheel5 towards the win-
dow.Rear passenger compartment climate
control*
The automatic climate control is operation-
al whenever the engine is running. You can
operate the climate control system in ei-
ther the automatic or manual mode. The
system cools or heats the interior depend-
ing on the selected interior temperature
and the current outside temperature.
The automatic climate control system is
adjustable individually for the rear passen-
ger compartment.
The control panel is located in the rear cen-
ter console.
Nearly all dust particles, pollutants and
odors are filtered out before outside air en-
ters the passenger compartment through
the air distribution system.
iThe booster blower allows air volume
speed to the rear passenger compart-
ment to be increased at four different
levels.
The temperature at the air vents for
rear passenger compartment1
and2 is the same as at the dashboard
center air vents.

194 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlRear automatic climate control panel
iWhen the rear seats are not occupied
(rear seat belts unbuckled) the rear cli-
mate control system adopts the set-
tings of the front climate control
system.
Item
1
Left center air vent, adjustable
2
Display
3
Right center air vent, adjustable
4
Thumbwheel for air distribution
5
Temperature control, right
6
Air volume (automatic, manual)
7
Temperature control, left
8
Rear climate control system
ON/OFF
Residual engine heat utilization
Warning!
G
Follow the recommended settings for heat-
ing and cooling as given in the instructions
for the front automatic climate control
(page 180). Otherwise the windows could
fog up, impairing visibility for the driver and
endangering you and others.

203 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Driving systems
The driving systems of your vehicle are de-
scribed on the following pages:

Cruise control and Distronic*, with
which the vehicle can maintain a preset
speed


AIRMATIC adjusts the vehicle suspen-
sion characteristics automatically and
controls the vehicle level.


ABC* with vehicle level control sys-
tems, with which you can change vehi-
cle suspension characteristics


Parktronic*, which serves as a parking
assistant
For information on the BAS, ABS, and ESP
driving systems, see “Driving safety sys-
tems” (
page 77).
Cruise control
Cruise control automatically maintains the
speed you set for your vehicle.
Use of cruise control is recommended for
driving at a constant speed for extended
periods of time. You can set or resume
cruise control at any speed above 20 mph
(30 km/h).
The cruise control function is operated by
means of the cruise control lever.
The cruise control lever is the uppermost
lever found on the left-hand side of the
steering column (
page 20).
Warning!
G
Cruise control is a convenience system de-
signed to assist the driver during vehicle op-
eration. The driver is and must remain at all
times responsible for the vehicle speed and
for safe brake operation.
Only use cruise control if the traffic, road
and weather conditions make it advisable to
travel at a steady speed.

The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on winding roads or in heavy traffic
because conditions do not allow safe
driving at a steady speed.


The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on slippery roads. Rapid changes in
tire traction can result in wheel spin and
loss of control.


Deactivate cruise control when driving
in fog.
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.

207 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Warning!
G
Distronic cannot take street and traffic con-
ditions into account. Only use Distronic if
the weather, road, and traffic conditions
make it advisable to travel at a steady
speed.Warning!
G
Use of Distronic can be dangerous on slip-
pery roads. Rapid changes in tire traction
can result in wheel spin and loss of control.
Distronic does not act upon adverse sight
distance conditions. Do not use Distronic
during conditions of fog and heavy rain,
snow or sleet.
Warning!
G
Close attention to road and traffic condi-
tions is imperative at all times, regardless of
whether or not Distronic is activated.
Use of Distronic can be dangerous on wind-
ing roads or in heavy traffic because condi-
tions do not allow safe driving at a steady
speed.
Distronic will not react to stationary objects
in the roadway (e.g. a stopped vehicle in a
traffic jam or a disabled vehicle). Distronic
will also not respond to oncoming vehicles.
Switch off Distronic:

when changing from the left to the right
lane if vehicles are moving more slowly
in the left lane


when entering a turn lane or highway off
ramp


in complex driving situations, such as in
highway construction zones
In these situations, Distronic will continue to
maintain the set speed unless deactivated.
Distronic is designed and intended only to
maintain a set speed and keep a set dis-
tance from moving objects in front of it.Warning!
G
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.