2017 MERCEDES-BENZ GLA-Class traction control

To prevent damage to the vehicle, deacti-
vate DISTRONIC PLUS and the HOLD func-tion in the following or other similar situa-
tions:
Rwhen towing the vehicle
Rin the car wash
If you fail to adapt your driving style,
DISTRONIC PLUS can neither reduce the risk
of accident nor override the laws of physics.
DISTRONIC PLUS cannot take into account
the road, traffic and weather conditions.
DISTRONIC PLUS is only an aid. You are
responsible for the distance to the vehicle in
front, for vehicle speed, for braking in good
time and for staying in your lane.
Do not use DISTRONIC PLUS:
Rin road and traffic conditions which do not
allow you to maintain a constant speed, e.g.
in heavy traffic or on winding roads
Ron slippery road surfaces. Braking or accel-
erating could cause the drive wheels to lose
traction and the vehicle could then skid
Rwhen there is poor visibility, e.g. due to fog,
heavy rain or snow
DISTRONIC PLUS may not detect narrow
vehicles driving in front, e.g. motorcycles, or
vehicles driving on a different line.
In particular, the detection of obstacles can
be impaired if:
Rthere is dirt on the sensors or anything else covering the sensors
Rthere is snow or heavy rain
Rthere is interference by other radar sources
Rthere are strong radar reflections, for
example, in parking garages
If DISTRONIC PLUS no longer detects a vehi- cle in front, DISTRONIC PLUS may unexpect-
edly accelerate the vehicle to the stored
speed. This speed may:
Rbe too high if you are driving in a filter lane
or an exit lane
Rbe so high when driving in the right-hand
lane that you overtake vehicles in the left-
hand lane
Rbe so high when driving in the left-hand lane
that you overtake vehicles in the right-hand
lane
If there is a change of drivers, advise the new
driver of the speed stored.
Cruise control lever
:To activate or increase speed
;To activate or reduce speed
=To deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS
?To activate at the current speed/last
stored speed
ATo set the specified minimum distance
Activating DISTRONIC PLUS
Activation conditions
To activate DISTRONIC PLUS, all of the fol-
lowing activation conditions must be fulfilled:
Rthe engine must be started. It may take up
to two minutes after pulling away before
DISTRONIC PLUS is operational.
Rthe electric parking brake must be
released.
RESP®must be active, but not intervening.
RActive Parking Assist must not be activa-
ted.
Rthe transmission must be in position D.
Driving systems187
Driving and parking
Z

XPress button:again so that indicator
lamp ;goes out.
You have selected Comfort mode.
The AMG Suspension System COMFORT
message appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
4MATIC
!
Never tow the vehicle with one axle
raised. This may damage the differential.
Damage of this sort is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty. All
wheels must remain either on the ground or be fully raised. Observe the instructions for
towing the vehicle with all wheels in full
contact with the ground.
4MATIC, together with ESP
®, improves the
traction of your vehicle whenever a drive
wheel spins due to insufficient grip.
If you fail to adapt your driving style, 4MATIC
can neither reduce the risk of accident nor
override the laws of physics. 4MATIC cannot
take account of road, weather and traffic con- ditions. 4MATIC is only an aid. You are
responsible for the distance to the vehicle in
front, for vehicle speed, for braking in good
time and for staying in your lane.
If a drive wheel spins due to insufficient grip:
ROnly depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessary when pulling away.
RAccelerate less when driving.
iIn wintry driving conditions, the maximum
effect of 4MATIC can only be achieved if
you use winter tires (M+S tires), with snow
chains if necessary.
DSR
General notes
iDSR (Downhill Speed Regulation) is only
available for vehicles with the Off-Road
Engineering package. DSR is an aid to assist you when driving down-
hill. It keeps the speed of travel at the speed
selected on the on-board computer. The
steeper the downhill gradient, the greater the
DSR braking effect on the vehicle. When driv-
ing on flat stretches of road or on an uphill
gradient, the DSR braking effect is minimal or
nonexistent.
DSR controls the vehicle’s speed when it is
activated and the transmission is in position
D
,R or N. You can drive at a higher or a lower
speed than that set on the on-board computer
at any time by accelerating or braking.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If the speed driven and the set speed deviate and you activate DSR on a slippery road sur-
face, the wheels may lose traction. There is an
increased danger of skidding and accidents.
Before switching DSR on, please take into
consideration the road surface and the differ- ence between driving speed and the set
speed.
If you fail to adapt your driving style, DSR can
neither reduce the risk of accident nor over-
ride the laws of physics. DSR cannot take
account of road, weather and traffic condi-
tions. DSR is only an aid. You are responsible
for the distance to the vehicle in front, for
vehicle speed, for braking in good time and for
staying in your lane.
You are always responsible for keeping con-
trol of the vehicle and for assessing whether
the downhill gradient can be managed. DSR
may not always be able to keep to the set
speed, depending on road surface and tire
conditions. Select a set speed suitable for the
prevailing conditions and when necessary,
apply the brakes manually.
Further information about "Driving off-road"
(
Ypage 180).
Driving systems197
Driving and parking
Z

ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
÷
The yellow ESP
®warn-
ing lamp flashes while
the vehicle is in motion.
ESP®or traction control has intervened because there is a risk of
skidding or at least one wheel has started to spin.
Cruise control or DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated.
XWhen pulling away, only depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessary.
XEase off the accelerator pedal while the vehicle is in motion.
XAdapt your driving style to suit the road and weather conditions.
XDo not deactivate ESP®.
In rare cases (
Ypage 70) , it may be best to deactivate ESP®.
Observe the important safety notes on ESP
®(Ypage 69).
å
The yellow ESP
®OFF
warning lamp is lit while
the engine is running.
ESP®is deactivated. ESP®will not stabilize the vehicle if it starts to
skid or if a wheel starts to spin.
GWARNING
If ESP®is switched off, ESP®is unable to stabilize the vehicle.
Further driving systems or driving safety systems are thus restric-
ted.
There is an increased risk of skidding and an accident.
XReactivate ESP®.
In rare cases (
Ypage 70) , it may be best to deactivate ESP®.
Observe the important safety notes on ESP
®(Ypage 69).
XAdapt your driving style to suit the road and weather conditions.
If ESP
®cannot be activated:
XDrive on carefully.
XContact a qualified specialist workshop and have ESP®
checked.
M
Mercedes-AMG vehi-
cles only:
The yellow SPORT han-
dling mode warning
lamp is lit while the
engine is running.SPORT handling mode is activated.
GWARNING
When SPORT handling mode is switched on, ESP®is unable to
stabilize the vehicle.
There is an increased risk of skidding and an accident.
XOnly switch to SPORT handling mode in accordance with the
conditions described in the "Activating/deactivating ESP" sec-
tion (
Ypage 70).
272Warning and indicator lamps in the instrument cluster
On-board computer and displays

When parking your vehicle, make sure that
the tires do not get deformed by the curb or
other obstacles. If they cannot be avoided,
drive over obstacles such as curbs slowly and
at an obtuse angle. Otherwise, you may dam-
age the wheels or tires.
Regular checking of wheels and tires
GWARNING
Damaged tires can cause tire inflation pres-
sure loss. As a result, you could lose control of
your vehicle. There is a risk of accident.
Check the tires regularly for signs of damage
and replace any damaged tires immediately.
Check wheels and tires for damage at least
once a month. Check wheels and tires after
driving off-road or on rough roads. Damaged
wheels can cause a loss of tire pressure. Pay
particular attention to damage such as:
Rcuts in the tires
Rpunctures
Rtears in the tires
Rbulges on tires
Rdeformation or severe corrosion on wheels
Regularly check the tire tread depth and the
condition of the tread across the whole width
of the tire (
Ypage 341). If necessary, turn the
front wheels to full lock in order to inspect the
inner side of the tire surface.
All wheels must have a valve cap to protect
the valve against dirt and moisture. Do not
mount anything onto the valve other than the
standard valve cap or other valve caps
approved by Mercedes-Benz for your vehicle.
Do not use any other valve caps or systems,
e.g. tire pressure monitoring systems.
Regularly check the pressure of all the tires
particularly prior to long trips. Adjust the tire
pressure as necessary (
Ypage 343). The service life of tires depends, among other
things, on the following factors:
Rdriving style
Rtire pressure
Rdistance covered
Notes on tire tread
GWARNING
Insufficient tire tread will reduce tire traction.
The tire is no longer able to dissipate water.
This means that on wet road surfaces, the risk
of hydroplaning increases, in particular where speed is not adapted to suit the driving con-
ditions. There is a risk of accident.
If the tire pressure is too high or too low, tires
may exhibit different levels of wear at differ-
ent locations on the tire tread. Thus, you
should regularly check the tread depth and
the condition of the tread across the entire
width of all tires.
Minimum tire tread depth for:
RSummer tires: âin (3 mm)
RM+S tires: ãin (4 mm)
For safety reasons, replace the tires before
the legally prescribed limit for the minimum
tire tread depth is reached.
Marking :shows where the bar indicator
(arrow) for tread wear is integrated into the
tire tread.
Treadwear indicators (TWI) are required by
law. Six indicators are positioned on the tire
tread. They are visible once a tread depth of
Operation341
Wheels and tires
Z

approximatelyáin(1.6 mm )ha sbeen
re ached. If this is the case, the tire is so worn
that it must be replaced.
Selecting, mounting and replacing
tires
ROnly mount tires and wheels of the same
type and make.
Exception: it is permissible to install a dif-
ferent type or make in the event of a flat
tire. Observe here the "MOExtended tires
(tires with run-flat characteristics)" section
(
Ypage 323).
ROnly mount tires of the correct size onto
the wheels.
RBreak in new tires at moderate speeds for
the first 60 miles (100 km). They only reach their full performance after this distance.
RDo not drive with tires which have too little
tread depth, as this significantly reduces
the traction on wet roads (hydroplaning).
RReplace the tires after six years at the lat-
est, regardless of wear.
MOExtended tires (tires with run-flat
properties)
With MOExtended tires (tires with run flat
characteristics), you can continue to drive
your vehicle even if there is a total loss of
pressure in one or more tires.
MOExtended tires may only be used in con-
junction with an active tire pressure loss
warning system or with an active tire pressure
monitor and on wheels specifically tested by
Mercedes-Benz.
Notes on driving with MOExtended tires with
a flat tire (
Ypage 323).
Vehicles equipped with MOExtended tires are
not equipped with a TIREFIT kit at the factory.
It is therefore recommended that you addi-
tionally equip your vehicle with a TIREFIT kit if you mount tires that do not feature run-flat
properties, e.g. winter tires. A TIREFIT kit may be obtained from a qualified specialist work-
shop.
Winter operation
General notes
Have your vehicle winter-proofed at a quali-
fied specialist workshop at the onset of win-
ter.
Observe the notes in the "Changing a wheel"
section (
Ypage 363).
Driving with summer tires
At temperatures below 45
‡(+7 †), summer
tires lose elasticity and therefore traction and
braking power. Change the tires on your vehi-
cle to M+S tires. Using summer tires at very
cold temperatures could cause cracks to
form, thereby damaging the tires perma-
nently. Mercedes-Benz cannot accept
responsibility for this type of damage.
GWARNING
Damaged tires can cause tire inflation pres-
sure loss. As a result, you could lose control of
your vehicle. There is a risk of accident.
Check the tires regularly for signs of damage
and replace any damaged tires immediately.
M+S tires
GWARNING
M+S tires with a tire tread depth of less than
ã in (4 mm) are not suitable for use in winter
and do not provide sufficient traction. There is
a risk of an accident.
M+S tires with a tread depth of less than ãin
(4 mm) must be replaced immediately.
At temperatures below 45 ‡(+7 †), use win-
ter tires or all-season tires. Both types of tire
are identified by the M+S marking.
Only winter tires bearing the isnowflake
symbol in addition to the M+S marking pro-
342Winter operation
Wheels and tires

vide the best possible grip in wintry road con-
ditions. Only these tires will allow driving
safety systems such as ABS and ESP
®to
function optimally in winter. These tires have
been developed specifically for driving in
snow.
Use M+S tires of the same make and tread on all wheels to maintain safe handling charac-
teristics.
Always observe the maximum permissible
speed specified for the M+S tires you have
mounted.
When you have mounted the M+S tires:
XCheck the tire pressures (Ypage 343).
XRestart the tire pressure loss warning sys-
tem (Canada) (
Ypage 347) or restart the
tire pressure monitor (USA) (
Ypage 350).
Snow chains
GWARNING
If snow chains are mounted on the rear
wheels, the snow chains could cause abrasion
to the vehicle body or to chassis components.
This could cause damage to the vehicle or the
tires. There is a risk of an accident.
To avoid hazardous situations:
Rnever mount snow chains on the rear
wheels
Ronly mount snow chains in pairs on the
front wheels.
!On some tire sizes there is not enough
space for snow chains. To avoid damage to the vehicle or tires, observe the "Wheel and
tire combinations" section under "Tires and
wheels".
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only use snow chains that
have been specially approved for your vehicle
by Mercedes-Benz, or are of a corresponding
standard of quality. For more information,
please contact a qualified specialist work-
shop. If you intend to mount snow chains, please
bear the following points in mind:
RSnow chains may not be mounted on all
wheel/tire combinations. Permissible
wheel-tire combinations (
Ypage 367).
ROnly use snow chains when driving on
roads completely covered by snow.
Remove the snow chains as soon as possi-
ble when you come to a road that is not
snow-covered.
RLocal regulations may restrict the use of
snow chains. Observe the appropriate reg-
ulations if you wish to mount snow chains.
RDo not exceed the maximum permissible
speed of 30 mph (50 km/h).
RWhen snow chains are installed, never use
Active Parking Assist (
Ypage 203).
You may wish to deactivate ESP
®when pull-
ing away with snow chains installed
(
Ypage 69). You can thereby allow the wheels
to spin in a controlled manner, achieving an
increased driving force (cutting action).
Tire pressure
Tire pressure specifications
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Underinflated or overinflated tires pose the
following risks:
Rthe tires may burst, especially as the load
and vehicle speed increase.
Rthe tires may wear excessively and/or
unevenly, which may greatly impair tire
traction.
Rthe driving characteristics, as well as steer-
ing and braking, may be greatly impaired.
There is a risk of an accident.
Tire pressure343
Wheels and tires
Z

Example:
RTreadwear grade:200
RTraction grade:AA
RTemperature grade: A
All passenger car tires must conform to the
statutory safety requirements in addition to
these grades.
iThe actual values for tires are vehicle-
specific and may deviate from the values in
the illustration.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a specified
U.S. government course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one and one-half
times as well on the government course as a
tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of their use, how-
ever, and may depart significantly from the
norm due to variations in driving habits, ser-
vice practices and differences in road char-
acteristics and climate.
Traction
GWARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration, cor-
nering, hydroplaning, or peak traction char-
acteristics.
!Avoid wheelspin. This can lead to damage
to the drive train.
The traction grades – from highest to lowest –
are AA, A, B and C. Those grades represent
the tire's ability to stop on wet pavement as
measured under controlled conditions on
specified government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete. A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance. The safe speed on a wet, snow covered or icy
road is always lower than on dry road surfa-
ces.
You should pay special attention to road con-
ditions when temperatures are around freez-
ing point.
Mercedes-Benz recommends a minimum
tread depth of
ãin (4 mm) on all four winter
tires. Observe the legally required minimum
tire tread depth (
Ypage 341). Winter tires can
reduce the braking distance on snow-covered
surfaces in comparison with summer tires.
The braking distance is still much further than
on surfaces that are not icy or covered with
snow. Take appropri ate ca
re when driving.
Further information on winter tires (M+S
tires) (
Ypage 342).
Temperature
GWARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is estab-
lished for a tire that is properly inflated and
not overloaded. Excessive speed, underinfla-
tion, or excessive loading, either separately or
in combination, can cause excessive heat
build-up and possible tire failure.
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B,
and C, representing the tire's resistance to
the generation of heat and its ability to dissi-
pate heat when tested under controlled con-
ditions on a specified indoor laboratory test
wheel. Sustained high temperature can cause
the material of the tire to degenerate and
reduce tire life, and excessive temperature
can lead to sudden tire failure. The grade C
corresponds to a level of performance which
all passenger car tires must meet under the
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No.
109. Grades B and A represent higher levels
of performance on the laboratory test wheel
than the minimum required by law.
356All about wheels an d tires
Wheels and tires

Curb weight
The weight of a vehicle with standard equip-
ment including the maximum capacity of fuel,
oil and coolant. It also includes the air-condi-
tioning system and optional equipment if
these are installed in the vehicle, but does not
include passengers or luggage.
Maximum load rating
The maximum tire load is the maximum per-
missible weight in kilograms or lbs for which a
tire is approved.
Maximum permissible tire pressure
Maximum permissible tire pressure for one
tire.
Maximum load on one tire
Maximum load on one tire. This is calculated
by dividing the maximum axle load of one axle
by two.
PSI (pounds per square inch)
A standard unit of measure for tire pressure.
Aspect ratio
Relationship between tire height and tire
width in percent.
Tire pressure
This is pressure inside the tire applying an
outward force to each square inch of the tire's
surface. The tire pressure is specified in
pounds per square inch (psi), in kilopascal
(kPa) or in bar. The tire pressure should only
be corrected when the tires are cold.
Cold tire pressure
The tires are cold:
Rif the vehicle has been parked with the tires
out of direct sunlight for at least three
hours and
Rif the vehicle has not been driven further
than 1 mile (1.6 km) Tread
The part of the tire that comes into contact
with the road.
Bead
The tire bead ensures that the tire sit
s
securely on t

he wheel. There are several steel
wires in the bead to prevent the tire from
coming loose from the wheel rim.
Sidewall
The part of the tire between the tread and the bead.
Weight of optional extras
The combined weight of those optional extras
that weigh more than the replaced standard
parts and more than 2.3 kg (5 lbs). These
optional extras, such as high-performance
brakes, level control, a roof rack or a high-
performance battery, are not included in the
curb weight and the weight of the accesso-
ries.
TIN (Tire Identification Number)
This is a unique identifier which can be used
by a tire manufacturer to identify tires, for
example for a product recall, and thus identify
the purchasers. The TIN is made up of the
manufacturer's identity code, tire size, tire
type code and the manufacturing date.
Load bearing index
The load bearing index (also load index) is a
code that contains the maximum load bearing
capacity of a tire.
Traction
Traction is the result of friction between the
tires and the road surface.
Treadwear indicators
Narrow bars (tread wear bars) that are dis-
tributed over the tire tread. If the tire tread is
level with the bars, the wear limit of áin
(1.6 mm) has been reached.
362All about wheels and tires
Wheels and tires