2006 MERCEDES-BENZ SL55AMG steering

264 OperationDriving instructionsSL 500
SL 500 with Sport Package*
Your vehicle is factory equipped with
“W”-rated tires, which have a speed rating
of 168 mph (270 km / h).
An electronic speed limiter prevents your
vehicle from exceeding a speed of
155 mph (250 km / h).
SL 600
SL 600 with Sport Package*
SL 55 AMG
SL 65 AMG
Your vehicle is factory equipped with
“Y”-rated tires, which have a speed rating
of 186 mph (300 km / h).
An electronic speed limiter prevents your
vehicle from exceeding a speed of
155 mph (250 km / h).SL 55 AMG
with Performance Package*
Your vehicle is factory equipped with
“Y”-rated tires, which have a speed rating
of 186 mph (300 km / h).
An electronic speed limiter prevents your
vehicle from exceeding a speed of
186 mph (300 km / h).
Winter driving instructions
The most important rule for slippery or icy
roads is to drive sensibly and to avoid
abrupt acceleration, braking and steering
maneuvers. Do not use the cruise control
system under such conditions.
When the vehicle is in danger of skidding,
move gear selector lever to positionN. Try
to keep the vehicle under control by cor-
rective steering action.
iFor information on tire speed rating for
winter tires, see “All-season and winter
tires” (
page 304).
For additional general information on
tire speed markings on tire sidewall,
see “Tire speed rating” (
page 303).
iFor information on driving with snow
chains, see “Snow chains”
(page 317).
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of control loss.

274 OperationEngine compartmentEngine oil
The amount of oil your engine needs will
depend on a number of factors, including
driving style. Higher oil consumption can
occur when

the vehicle is new


the vehicle is driven frequently at
higher engine speeds
Engine oil consumption checks should only
be made after the vehicle break-in period.Checking engine oil level with the
control system
When checking the oil level


the vehicle must be parked on level
ground


with the engine at operating tempera-
ture, the vehicle must have been sta-
tionary for at least 5 minutes with the
engine turned off


with the engine not at operating tem-
perature, the vehicle must have been
stationary for at least 30 minutes with
the engine turned off
To check the engine oil level via the
multifunction display, do the following:

Switch on the ignition (
page 36).
The standard display (
page 135) should
appear in the multifunction display.

Press buttonk orj on the
steering wheel until the following
message appears in the multifunction
displays:
iDo not use any special lubricant addi-
tives, as these may damage the drive
assemblies. Using special additives not
approved by Mercedes-Benz may
cause damage not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
More information on this subject is
available at any Mercedes-Benz
Center.

275 Operation
Engine compartment
One of the following messages will
subsequently appear in the right multi-
function display:

Engine oil level
OK


Add 1.0 qt.
to reach max.
oil level(Canada:
1.0 l
)


Add 1.5 qts.
to reach max.
oil level(Canada:
1.5 l
)


Add 2.0 qts.
to reach max.
oil level(Canada:
2.0 l
)

If necessary, add engine oil.
For adding engine oil, see (
page 276).
For more information on engine oil, see the
“Technical data” section (
page 445) and
(
page 447).
Other display messages
If the SmartKey or the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button is not in position2, the
following message will appear:
Turn ignition on to
measure engine
oil level
Switch on the ignition (
page 36).If you see the message:
Observe
waiting time
If the engine is at operating tempera-
ture, wait 5 minutes before repeating
the check procedure.

If the engine is not at operating temper-
ature yet, wait 30 minutes before re-
peating the check procedure.
If you see the message:
Engine oil level
Not when
engine on
Turn off the engine.

If the engine is at operating tempera-
ture, wait 5 minutes before checking
oil.

If the engine is at operating tempera-
ture yet, you must wait 30 minutes be-
fore checking oil.
iIf you want to interrupt the checking
procedure, press thek orj
button on the multifunction steering
wheel.

285 Operation
Tires and wheels
1Driver’s door B-pillar
Following is a discussion on how to work
with the information contained on the two
placards with regards to loading your vehi-
cle.Tire and Loading InformationYour vehicle is equipped with either the
Tire and Loading Information placard
(Example A) or the Vehicle Tire Information
placard (Example B).
Warning!
G
Do not overload the tires by exceeding the
specified load limit or vehicle capacity
weight as indicated on the placard on the
driver’s door B-pillar. Overloading the tires
can overheat them, possibly causing a
blowout. Overloading the tires can also
result in handling or steering problems, or
brake failure.
iData shown on placard examples are
for illustration purposes only. Load lim-
it data are specific to each vehicle and
may vary from data shown in the illus-
trations below. Refer to placard on ve-
hicle for actual data specific to your
vehicle.

294 OperationTires and wheelsWarning!
G
When the multifunction display shows the
message
Tire pressure Check tires
,
one or more of your tires is significantly un-
der-inflated. You should stop and check
your tires as soon as possible, and inflate
them to the proper tire inflation pressure as
indicated on the vehicle’s tire information
placard. Driving on a significantly under-in-
flated tire causes the tire to overheat and
can lead to tire failure. Under-inflation also
reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle’s handling and
stopping ability. Each tire, including the
spare, should be checked monthly when
cold and set to the recommended tire infla-
tion pressure as specified in the vehicle
placard and owner’s manual.
iThe recommended tire inflation pres-
sures for your vehicle can be found on
the tire placard located on the driver’s
door B-pillar (
page 285) or, if avail-
able, the inside of the fuel filler flap.
The tire inflation pressures are not list-
ed in the owner’s manual.
Warning!
G
The Run Flat Indicator does not indicate a
warning for wrongly selected tire inflation
pressures. Always adjust tire inflation pres-
sure according to the placard on the driver’s
door B-pillar or fuel filler flap.
The Run Flat Indicator does not replace reg-
ular checks of the tire inflation pressures
since a gradual pressure loss in all four tires
cannot be detected by the Run Flat
Indicator.
The Run Flat Indicator is not able to issue a
warning due to a sudden dramatic loss of
tire inflation pressure (e.g. tire blowout
caused by a foreign object). In this case
bring the vehicle to a halt by carefully apply-
ing the brakes and avoiding abrupt steering
maneuvers.

296 OperationTires and wheelsChecking tire pressure electronically
with the Tire Pressure Monitoring
System (TPMS), (USA only)The TPMS only functions on wheels that
are equipped with the proper electronic
sensors. It monitors the tire inflation pres-
sure, as selected by the driver, in all four
tires. A warning is issued to alert you to a
decrease in pressure in one or more of the
tires.
iThe T
ire P
ressure M
onitoring S
ystem
(TPMS) is equipped with a combination
low tire pressure/TPMS malfunction
telltale in the instrument cluster
(
page 27). Depending on how the
telltale illuminates, it indicates a low
tire pressure condition or a malfunction
in the TPMS system itself:


If the telltale illuminates continu-
ously, one or more of your tires is
significantly under-inflated. There is
no malfunction in the TPMS.


If the telltale flashes for 60 seconds
and then stays illuminated, the
TPMS system itself is not operating
properly.
Warning!
G
The TPMS does not indicate a warning for
wrongly selected inflation pressures. Always
adjust tire inflation pressure according to
the placard on the driver’s door B-pillar or, if
available, the supplemental tire pressure in-
formation on the inside of the fuel filler flap.
The TPMS is not able to issue a warning due
to a sudden dramatic loss of pressure (e.g.
tire blowout caused by a foreign object). In
this case bring the vehicle to a halt by care-
fully applying the brakes and avoiding
abrupt steering maneuvers.
Warning!
G
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
should be checked monthly when cold and
inflated to the inflation pressure recom-
mended by the vehicle manufacturer on the
vehicle placard or the tire inflation pressure
label. If your vehicle has tires of a different
size than the size indicated on the vehicle
placard or the tire inflation pressure label,
you should determine the proper tire infla-
tion pressure for those tires.
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has
been equipped with a tire pressure monitor-
ing system (TPMS) that illuminates a low tire
pressure telltale when one or more of your
tires is significantly underinflated. Accord-
ingly, when the low tire pressure telltale illu-
minates, you should stop and check your
tires as soon as possible, and inflate them to
the proper pressure. Driving on a significant-
ly underinflated tire causes the tire to over-
heat and can lead to tire failure.

298 OperationTires and wheelsReactivating the TPMS
The TPMS must be reactivated when you
have adjusted the tire inflation pressure to
a new level (e.g. because of different load
or driving conditions). The TPMS is then
recalibrated to the current tire inflation
pressures.
Using the tire placard on the driver’s
door B-pillar (
page 285) or, if avail-
able, the supplemental tire pressure
information on the inside of the fuel fill-
er flap (
page 269), make sure the tire
inflation pressure of all four tires is cor-
rect.

Press buttonè orÿ on the mul-
tifunction steering wheel repeatedly
until the standard display menu ap-
pears in the multifunction display
(page 140).

Press thej or kbutton repeat-
edly until you see the flowing message:Tire pressure
monitor active
Reactivation possible:
R-button

Press the reset button.
The following message will appear in
the multifunction display:Check current
tire pressure?
Warning!
G
It is the driver’s responsibility to calibrate
the TPMS on the recommended cold infla-
tion pressure. Underinflated tires affect the
ability to steer or brake the vehicle. You
might loose control over the vehicle.
iReactivate the TPMS after adjusting
the tire inflation pressure to the infla-
tion pressure recommended for the
vehicle operating condition. Tire pres-
sure should only be adjusted on cold
tires. Observe the recommended tire
inflation pressure on the placard on the
driver’s door B-pillar (
page 285).
Some vehicles may have supplemental
tire pressure information for driving at
high speeds (
page 292) or for vehicle
loads less than the maximum loaded
vehicle condition (
page 292). If such
information is provided, it can be found
on the inside of the fuel filler flap.

302 OperationTires and wheelsRim diameter
The rim diameter4 (
page 301) is the
diameter of the bead seat, not the
diameter of the rim edge. Rim diameter is
indicated in inches (in).
Tire load rating
The tire load rating5 (page 301) is a
numerical code associated with the
maximum load a tire can support.
For example, a load rating of 91 corre-
sponds to a maximum load of 1 356 lbs
(615 kg) the tire is designed to support.
See also “Maximum tire load”
(
page 306) where the maximum load as-
sociated with the load index is indicated in
kilograms and lbs.For additional information on tire load
rating, see “Load identification”
(
page 304).
Warning!
G
The tire load rating must always be at least
half of the GAWR (
page 311) of your vehi-
cle. Otherwise, tire failure may be the result
which may cause an accident and/or seri-
ous personal injury to you or others.
Always replace rims and tires with the same
designation, manufacturer and type as
shown on the original part.
Warning!
G
Do not overload the tires by exceeding the
specified load limit or vehicle capacity
weight as indicated on the placard located
on the driver’s door B-pillar. Overloading the
tires can overheat them, possibly causing a
blowout. Overloading the tires can also
result in handling or steering problems, or
brake failure.
iTire load rating5 (
page 301) and
tire speed rating6 (page 301) are
also referred to as “service descrip-
tion”.