2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class wheel

72 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systemsEBP
The Electronic Brake Proportioning (EBP)
enhances braking effectiveness by allow-
ing the rear brakes to supply a greater pro-
portion of the braking effort in straight line
braking without a loss of vehicle stability.
ESP
®
The Electronic Stability Program (ESP
®) is
operational as soon as the engine is run-
ning and monitors the vehicle’s traction
(force of adhesive friction between the
tires and the road surface) and handling.
The ESP
® recognizes when a wheel is spin-
ning or if the vehicle starts to skid. By ap-
plying brakes to the appropriate wheel and
by limiting the engine output, the ESP
®
works to stabilize the vehicle. The ESP® is
especially useful while driving off and on
wet or slippery road surfaces. The ESP®
also stabilizes the vehicle during braking
and steering maneuvers.
The ESP
® warning lamp v in the instru-
ment cluster flashes when the ESP
® is en-
gaged.
The ESP
® warning lamp v in the instru-
ment cluster comes on when you switch on
the ignition (
page 370). It goes out when
the engine is running.
Warning!
G
When the EBP is malfunctioning, the ABS,
BAS, BAS Plus* and ESP
® are also switched
off.
If the EBP is malfunctioning, the brake sys-
tem will still function with full brake boost.
However, the rear wheels could lock up dur-
ing emergency braking situations, for exam-
ple. You could lose control of the vehicle and
cause an accident. Adapt your driving style
to the changed driving characteristics.
Warning!
G
Never switch off the ESP
® when you see the
ESP
® warning lamp v flashing in the in-
strument cluster. In this case proceed as fol-
lows:


While driving off, apply as little throttle
as possible.


While driving, ease up on the accelera-
tor.


Adapt your speed and driving style to
the prevailing road conditions.
Failure to observe these guidelines could
cause the vehicle to skid.
The ESP
® cannot prevent accidents result-
ing from excessive speed.

73 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
For more information, see “Practical hints”
section (
page 634) and (
page 642).Electronic traction system
The electronic traction system is a compo-
nent of ESP
®.
The electronic traction system improves
the vehicle’s ability to utilize available trac-
tion, especially under slippery road condi-
tions by applying the brakes to a spinning
wheel.
When you switch off the ESP
®, the elec-
tronic traction system is still enabled.
Warning!
G
The ESP
® cannot prevent the natural laws of
physics from acting on the vehicle, nor can
it increase the traction afforded. The ESP
®
cannot prevent accidents, including those
resulting from excessive speed in turns, or
hydroplaning. Only a safe, attentive, and
skillful driver can prevent accidents. The ca-
pabilities of an ESP
® equipped vehicle must
never be exploited in a reckless or danger-
ous manner which could jeopardize the us-
er’s safety or the safety of others.
i
DISTRONIC Plus* and cruise control are
switched off when the ESP
® engages.
i
The ESP
® will only function properly if you
use wheels of the recommended tire size
(
page 754).
!
Vehicles without 4MATIC:
Because the ESP
® operates automatically, the
engine and ignition must be shut off (SmartKey
in starter switch position0 or1 or KEYLESS-GO
start/stop button* in position0 or1) when


the electronic parking brake is being tested
on a brake test dynamometer


the vehicle is being towed with the
front/rear axle raised
Active braking action through the ESP
® may oth-
erwise seriously damage the brake system.
For information on vehicles with 4MATIC, see
“Four wheel electronic traction system (4MATIC)
with the ESP
®” (page 76).
Warning!
G
If you are driving too fast, the electronic
traction system cannot reduce the risk of an
accident.
The electronic traction system cannot pre-
vent the natural laws of physics from acting
on the vehicle.

74 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systemsSwitching off the ESP
®
(except S 63 AMG)
To improve the vehicle’s traction, turn off
the ESP
® in driving situations where it
would be advantageous to have the drive
wheels spin and thus cut into surfaces for
better grip such as:


when driving with snow chains


in deep snow


in sand or gravelWhen you switch off the ESP
®


the ESP
® does not stabilize the vehicle


the engine output is not limited, which
allows the drive wheels to spin and
thus cut into surfaces for better grip


the electronic traction system will still
apply the brakes to a spinning wheel


the ESP
® continues to operate when
you are braking


you cannot activate the cruise control
or the DISTRONIC Plus* 1ESP
® off/on

Press ESP
® switch1 until the ESP
®
warning lampv in the instrument
cluster comes on.
The ESP
® is switched off.
Warning!
G
The ESP
® should not be switched off during
normal driving other than in the circum-
stances described below. Disabling of the
system will reduce vehicle stability in stan-
dard driving maneuvers.
Warning!
G
Switch on the ESP
® immediately if the afore-
mentioned circumstances do not apply any-
more. Otherwise the ESP
® will not stabilize
the vehicle when it is starting to skid or a
wheel is spinning.
i
When the ESP
® is switched off and one or
more drive wheels are spinning, the ESP
® warn-
ing lampv in the instrument cluster flashes.
However, the ESP
® will then not stabilize the
vehicle.

75 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
Switching off the ESP
® (S 63 AMG only)When you switch off the ESP
®


the ESP
® does not stabilize the vehicle


the engine output is not limited, which
allows the drive wheels to spin and
thus cut into surfaces for better grip


the traction control will still apply the
brakes to a spinning wheel


the ESP
® operates while you are
braking


you cannot activate the cruise control
or the Distronic*


the cruise control or Distronic* switch
off if currently activated
Warning!
G
When the ESP
® warning lampv is illumi-
nated continuously, the ESP
® is switched
off.
Adapt your speed and driving to the prevail-
ing road conditions and to the non-operating
status of the ESP
®.
!
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an ex-
tended period with the ESP
® switched off. This
may cause serious damage to the drivetrain
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Lim-
ited Warranty.
Warning!
G
The ESP
® should not be switched off during
normal driving. Disabling of the system will
result in the following:


no restriction to engine torque


loss of system supported traction
control
“ESP® OFF” is designed for driving on closed
tracks when the natural oversteer and un-
dersteer characteristics are desired and re-
quires a highly skilled and experienced
driver able to handle these critical driving
situations.
You could lose control of your vehicle and
cause an accident.
Please be aware of these limits when you
switch off the ESP
®.
Do not switch off the ESP
® when a spare
wheel is mounted.

76 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systems1ESP
® off/on

With the engine running, press ESP
®
switch1 until the ESP
® warning
lampv in the instrument cluster
comes on.
The ESP
® is switched off.Switching on the ESP
®

Press ESP
® switch1.
The ESP
® warning lampv in the in-
strument cluster goes out.
You are now again in normal driving
mode with the ESP
® switched on.
Four wheel electronic traction system
(4MATIC) with the ESP
®
Models with all-wheel-drive only.
The 4MATIC improves the vehicle’s ability
to use available traction, e.g. during winter
operation in mountains under snowy
conditions, by applying power to all four
wheels.
i
When the ESP
® is switched off and one or
more drive wheels are spinning, the ESP
® warn-
ing lamp v in the instrument cluster flashes.
However, the ESP
® will then not stabilize the
vehicle.
Warning!
G
When the ESP
® warning lamp v is
illuminated continuously, the ESP
® is
switched off or is not operational due to a
malfunction. Vehicle stability in standard
driving maneuvers reduces.
Adapt your speed and driving to the prevail-
ing road conditions and to the non-operating
status of the ESP
®.
!
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an ex-
tended period with the ESP
® switched off. This
may cause serious damage to the drivetrain
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.

89 Control systems
COMAND introduction
Instrument cluster multifunction
display
This section describes features and con-
trols via the COMAND controller, display
and shortcut buttons only.
Please refer to the “Instrument cluster
control system” section of this manual
(page 287) for function descriptions and
operation of the instrument cluster multi-
function display and multifunction steering
wheel buttons as they relate to COMAND
features described in this section.Adjusting COMAND display
illumination
1Knob

Brightening illumination: Turn
knob1 clockwise.

Dimming illumination: Turn knob1
counterclockwise.Swiveling COMAND display
1Button for swiveling display to the left
2Button for swiveling display to the right
You can swivel the COMAND display to the
left or right. The buttons are on the
right-hand side of the instrument cluster.
i
The layout of the menus may vary depending
on your vehicle’s equipment. This manual shows
the menus for a fully equipped vehicle.

98 Control systemsCOMAND introductionMain menus of COMAND
Sound
Muting: Press the F shortcut but-
ton in the center console (
page 88).
The sound of the current audio source
is switched on or is muted.Switching off navigation announce-
ments entirely

Canceling navigation message:
Briefly press F shortcut button dur-
ing an announcement.

Switching off navigation messages:
Press and hold F during an an-
nouncement until the announcement is
switched off.
You will see the message “The driving
instructions have been muted.” for a
short while.Adjusting volume
1Thumbwheel

Adjusting: Turn, thumbwheel.
The volume of the currently selected
audio source changes.
i
The components and operating principles of
COMAND can be found on (
page 87).
i
When the sound is muted, you will see the
symbol
F
in the status line. When you
change the audio source, the sound is automati-
cally switched on. You will be able to hear an-
nouncements from the navigation system even
when the sound is muted.
i
The announcements remain switched off
even if you start a new route guidance or if
COMAND is switched off/on with theo but-
ton.
If you switch COMAND off by removing the
SmartKey from the starter switch and then
switch the ignition back on after more than
3 minutes, the announcements are automatical-
ly switched back on.

99 Control systems
COMAND introduction
Volume of navigation announcements
You can adjust the volume of the naviga-
tion announcements independently from
the volume of the respective audio source.
During a navigation announcement:
turn thumbwheel,.
or

pressæ or ç on the multifunc-
tion steering wheel.
Adjusting volume for telephone calls
In hands-free mode, you can adjust the vol-
ume of a telephone call while the call is
currently active.
During a telephone call:

turn thumbwheel,.
or

pressæ or ç on the multifunc-
tion steering wheel.Selecting sound settings
You can select different sound settings for
each individual audio source. The respec-
tive sound menu can be found via the sub-
menu for which you wish to make settings.
Example:
“Audio”
“Audio”
“FM/AM Radio”

“Sound” Adjusting treble or bass

Select “Sound”
“Treble” or “Bass”.
The setting last selected is indicated by
an outlined bar.
Adjusting treble and bass1Setting last selected
2Current setting
Changing setting: Slide rmq or
rotateymz until desired treble or bass
setting is reached.

Exiting menu: Press n, L or
slideomp.
The setting is saved.