2017 MERCEDES-BENZ SLC-Class traction control

Important safety notes
GWARNING
Adaptive Brake Assist canno talways clearly
iden tifyo bject sand co mplextraffic situa-
tions.
In suchc ases, Adaptive Brake Assist can:
Rinterveneu nnecessarily
Rnotintervene
Thereisar iskofana cciden t.
Always pay careful attentio ntothetraff icsit-
uation and beread ytob rake. Terminate the
interventio ninanon-criticaldriving situation.
GWAR NING
Adaptive Brake Assist does no treact:
Rto people or animals
Rto oncomin gvehicle s
Rto crossing traff ic
Rwhen cornering
As aresult, th eAdaptive Brake Assist may not
interveneina llcritical conditions. Thereisa
ris kofana cciden t.
Always pay careful attentio ntothetraff icsit-
uation and beread ytob rake.
Due to th enature of th esystem, particularly
co mpli cated but non-critical driving conditions
may also caus eBrake Assist to intervene.
If adaptive Brake Assist isno tavailab ledue to a
malfunctio nintheradar sensor system, the
brak esystem remains availab le withfull brake
boostin geffect and BA S.
ESP®(Electronic Stability Program)
General notes
iObserv ethe "Im portan tsafety notes" sec-
tio n(Ypage 54).
ESP
®monitors driving stabilit yand traction,i .e.
power transmission between th etires and the
road surface.
If ESP
®detect stha tthe veh icle is deviating from
th ed irection desired bythed river, oneorm ore
wheelsa re braked to stabiliz ethe veh icle.The
engineo utputisalso mod ifiedtok eept he veh i- cle on th
edesired course within physical limits.
ESP
®assists th edriver when pullingaway on
wet or slippery roads. ESP®can also stabilize
th ev ehicle durin gbraking.
ETS (Electronic Traction System)
iObserv ethe "Importan tsafety notes" sec-
tio n(Ypage 54).
ET St raction control is part of ESP
®.
ET Sb rakes th edrivew heelsi ndivid ually if they
spin.T his enables you to pull away and acceler-
ate on slippery surfaces, for example if th eroad
surface is slippery on ones ide.Inaddition,m ore
drivet orque istransferred to th ewheel or
wheelsw itht raction.
ET Sr emains active when you deactivate ESP
®.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If ESP
®is malfunctioning, ESP®is unab leto
stabilizet hevehicle .Add itionally, further driv-
ing safety systems are deactivate d.This
increases th eriskofs kiddin gand an accident.
Drive on carefully. Hav eESP
®checked at a
qualified specialist workshop.
When to wingthe vehicle witht herear axle
raised, observ ethe note sonE SP
®
(Ypage 252).
If the å ESP®OFFw arning lamp lightsu p
continuously, then ESP®is deactivate d.
If the ÷ ESP®warning lamp and the å
ESP®OFFw arning lamp are lit continuously,
ESP®is no ta vailab ledue to amalfunction.
Observ ethe information on warning lamps
(
Ypage 205) and display messagesw hichmay
be shown in thei nstrumen tcluster
(
Ypage 179).
iOnly use wheelsw itht he recommended tire
sizes. Only then willESP®function properly.
Characteristics of ESP®
General information
Ifthe ÷ ESP®warning lamp goes out before
beginnin gthe journey, ESP®is automatically
active.
58Driving safety systems
Safety

If ESP®intervenes, the÷ESP®warning lamp
flashe sinthe instrument cluster.
If ESP
®intervenes:
XDo not deactivate ESP®under any circum-
stances.
XOnly depresst he accelerator pedalasf ar as
necessary when pulling away.
XAdapt you rdriving style to suit the prevailing
road and weather conditions.
ECO start/stop function
The ECO start/stop function switches the
engine off automatically when the vehicle stops
moving. The engine starts automatically when
the driver wants to pul lawa ya gain. ESP
®
remains in its previously selected status, e.g. if
ESP®was deactivated before the engine was
automatically switched off.
Deactivating/activating ESP®(except
SLC 43 AMG)
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 54).
You can select between the following states of
ESP
®:
RESP®is activated.
RESP®is deactivated.
GWARNING
If you deactivate ESP
®,E SP®no longer sta-
bilizes the vehicle.T here is an increased risk
of skidding and an accident.
Only deactivate ESP
®in the situations descri-
bed in the following.
It may be best to deactivate ESP
®in the follow-
ing situations:
Rwhen using snow chains
Rin deep snow
Ron sand or gravel
Spinning the wheel sresults in acutting action
which providesb etter grip.
iActivate ESP®as soon as the situations
describeda bove no longer apply. ESP®will
otherwise not be abl etostabilize the vehicle if the vehicle starts to skid or
awheel starts to
spin.
!Avoid spinning the driven wheel sfor an
extended period with ESP®deactivated. You
could otherwise damage the drivetrain.
Deactivating/activating ESP®
XTo deactivate: press button:.
The å ESP®OFF warning lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up.
XTo activate: press button :.
The å ESP®OFF warning lamp in the
instrument cluster goes out.
Characteristic swhen ESP®is deactivated
If ESP®is deactivated and one or more wheels
start to spin, the ÷ESP®warning lamp in the
instrument cluster flashes. In such situations,
ESP
®wil lnot stabilize the vehicle.
If you deactivate ESP®:
RESP®no longer improves driving stability.
REngine torque is no longer limited and the
drive wheel sare abl etospin.
RTraction control is still activated.
RActive Brake Assist is not available and is not
activated even if you brake firmly with assis-
tance from ESP
®
RPRE-SAFE®is no longer available, nor is it
activated if you brake firmly and ESP®inter-
venes.
RESP®still providess upport when you brake
firmly.
Driving safety systems59
Safety
Z

brake system and prevents the brakes from
overheating and wearing too quickly.
Use cruise control only if road and traffic con-
ditionsmake it appropriate to maintain asteady
speed for aprolonged period. You can stor eany
road speed above 20 mph (30 km/h).
Important safetyn otes
If you fail to adapt your driving style, cruise con-
trol can neither reduce the risk of an accident
nor override the laws of physics. Cruise control
cannot take intoaccountt he road, traffic and
weather conditions. Cruise control is only an
aid. You are responsible for the distance to the
vehicle in front, for vehicle speed, for brakin gin
good time and for staying in lane.
Do not use cruise control:
Rin road and traffic condition swhich do not
allow you to maintain aconstan tspeed e.g. in
heavy traffic or on winding roads
Ron slippery road surfaces.B raking or accel-
eratin gcould cause the drive wheels to lose
traction and the vehicle could then skid
Rwhen ther eispoor visibility, e.g. due to fog,
heavy rain or snow
If ther eisac hangeofd rivers, advise the new
driver of the speed stored.
Cruise control lever
:Stores the currents peed orahigher speed
;Storing the currents peed or calling up the
last stored speed
=Stores the currents peed oralower speed
?Deactivatin gcruise control
When you activate cruise control, the stored
speed is shown in the multifunction display for
five seconds. The speed is then permanently
displayed in the status indicator together with
the ¯ symbol. On vehicles with
asegmentr ing in the speed-
ometer, the segments from the currently saved speed to the end of the segmentr ing light up.
Storing, maintaining and calling up a
speed
Storing and maintainingaspeed
XAcceleratet he vehicle to the desired speed.
XBriefly press the cruise control lever up :or
down ?.
XRemove your foot from the accelerator pedal.
Cruise control is activated. The vehicle auto-
matically maintains the stored speed.
You can stor ethe currents peed if you are driv-
ing faster than 20 mph (30 km/h).
iCruise control may be unable to maintain
the stored speed on uphill gradients. The
stored speed is resumed when the gradient
evens out. Cruise control maintains the
stored speed on downhill gradient sbyauto-
matically applying the brakes.
Storing or calling up aspeed
GWARNING
If you call up the stored speed and it differs
from the currents peed, the vehicle acceler-
ates or decelerates. If you do not know the
stored speed, the vehicle could accelerateo r
brake unexpectedly. There is arisk of an acci-
dent.
Pay attention to the road and traffic condi-
tion sbefore calling up the stored speed. If you
do not know the stored speed, stor ethe
desired speed again.
XBriefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you =.
XRemove your foot from the accelerator pedal.
The first time cruise control is activated, it
stores the currents peed or regulates the
speed of the vehicle to the previously stored
speed.
Driving systems139
Driving and parking
Z

To avoid damage to the vehicle, deactivate
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC and the HOLD
function in the following or similar situations:
Rwhen towing the vehicle
Rin the car wash
If you fail to adapt your driving style, Distance
Pilot DISTRONIC can neither reduce the risk of
an accident nor override the laws of physics.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC cannot take into
account road, weather or traffic conditions. Dis-
tanc ePilot DISTRONIC is only an aid. You are
responsible for the distance to the vehicle in
front,f or vehicle speed, for braking in good time
and for staying in your lane.
Do not use Distance Pilot DISTRONIC:
Rin road and traffic conditions which do not
allow you to maintain aconstant speed, e.g. in
heavy traffic or on winding roads
Ron slippery road surfaces. Brakingora ccel-
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
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC may not detect nar-
row vehicles driving in front,e .g. motorcycles, or
vehicles driving on adifferent line.
In particular, the detection of obstacles can be
impaired if:
Rthere is dirt on the sensors or anything else
coveringt he sensors
Rthere is snow or heavy rain
Rthere is interferenc ebyother radar sources
Rthere are stron gradar reflections, for exam-
ple, in parking garages
If Distance Pilot DISTRONIC no longer detect sa
vehicle in front,D istance Pilot DISTRONIC may
unexpectedly accelerate to the speed stored.
This speed may:
Rbe too high if you are driving in afilter lane or
an exit lane
Rbe so high when driving in the right-hand lane that you overtak evehicles in the left-hand
lane
Rbe so high when driving in the left-hand lane
that you overtak evehicles in the right-hand
lane
If there is achange of drivers, advise the new
driver of the speed stored.
Cruise control lever
Cruise control lever
:
Stores the current speed or ahigher speed
;Setting aspecified minimum distance
=Storing the current speed or calling up the
last stored speed
?Stores the current speed or alower speed
ASwitching off Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
Activating Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
and storing, maintaining and calling up
as peed
Important safety notes
!When Distance Pilot DISTRONIC or the
HOLD function is activated, the vehicle
brakes automatically in certain situations.
To avoid damage to the vehicle, deactivate
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC and the HOLD
function in the following or similar situations:
Rwhen towing the vehicle
Rin the car wash
To activate Distance Pilot DISTRONIC, the fol-
lowing conditions must be fulfilled:
Rthe engine must be started. It may take up to
two minutes of driving before Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC is ready for use.
Rthe electric parking brake must be released.
RESP®must be active, but not intervening.
RActive Parking Assist must not be activated.
Rthe transmission must be in position D.
Rthe driver's door must be closed when you
shift fromPto Dor your seat belt must be
fastened.
Rthe front-passenger door must be closed.
Rthe vehicle must not skid.
142Driving systems
Driving and parking

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
TirePressure Soo nThe tire pressur einoneor mor etires has dropped significantly. The
whee lposition is shown in th emultifunction display.
Aw arning tone also sounds.
GWARNIN G
Tir ep ressures that are to olow pos ethe followin ghazards :
Rthey may burst, especially as th eload and vehicl espeed increas e
Rthey may wear excessivel yand/o runevenly, whic hmay greatl y
impair tire traction .
Rthed rivin gcharacteristics ,aswell as steering and braking ,may be
greatl yimpaire d
There is ariskofana ccident.
XStop thevehicl ewithout making any sudden steering or braking
maneuvers .Pay attention to th etraffic condition sasyou do so.
XSecur ethe vehicl eagainst rollin gaway (Ypage 131).
XChec kthe tires and ,ifneces sary, follow th einstruction sfor aflat
tire (Ypage 241).
XChec kthe tire pressur e(Ypage 262).
XIf necessary, correc tthe tire pressure.
Warnin gTireM al‐functionThe tire pressur einoneor mor etires has dropped suddenly. The whee l
position is shown in th emultifunction display.
GWARNIN G
Drivin gwithaf lat tire poses ariskoft hefollowin ghazards :
Raflat tire affects th eabilit ytos teer or brak ethe vehicl e
Ryou could lose control of th evehicle.
Rcontinued drivin gwithaf lat tire will caus eexces sive heat build-up
and possibl yafire
There is ariskofana ccident.
XStop thevehicl ewithout making any sudden steering or braking
maneuvers .Pay attention to th etraffic condition sasyou do so.
XSecur ethe vehicl eagainst rollin gaway (Ypage 131).
XChec kthe tires and ,ifneces sary, follow th einstruction sfor aflat
tire (Ypage 241).
TirePress.Monito rCurrently Unavaila‐ble
Becausethere is interferenc efromas tron gs ource of radi owaves, no
signals from th etirep ressur esensor sare detected. The tire pressur e
monitor is temporarily malfunctioning .
XDrive on.
The tire pressur emonitor restarts automatically as soo nasthe
problem has been resolved.
TirePress .Sen‐sor(s) Missin gThere is no signal from th etirep ressur esensor of on eorseveral
wheels. The pressur eoftheaffecte dtired oes no tappear in th emul-
tifunction display.
XHav ethe fault ytirep ressur esensor replace dataqualified special -
ist workshop .
Display messages197
On-boardc omputer andd isplays
Z

Warning/
indicator
lampNSignal type
Possiblec auses/consequences and M
Solutions
$J
֌
!N$ (USA only), J(Canada only): the red brake warning lamp and the yellow
ESP®,E SP®OFF and ABS warning lamp sare lit while the engine is running.
ABS and ESP®are malfunctioning.
Other driving systems and driving safety systems may als omalfunction.
GWARNING
The brake system continues to function normally, but without the functions listed
above. The front and rear wheels coul dtherefore lock if you brake hard ,for exam-
ple.
The steerability and braking characteristics may be severely affected. The braking
distance in an emergency braking situation can increase.
If ESP
®is not operational ,ESP®is unable to stabilize the vehicle.
There is an increased risk of skidding and an accident.
XObserve the additiona ldisplay messages in the multifunction display.
XDrive on carefully.
XVisi taq ualified specialist worksho pimmediately.
÷N The yellow ESP®warning lamp flashes while the vehicleisinm otion.
ESP®or traction control has intervened because there is arisk of skidding or at
least one whee lhas started to spin.
Cruise control or Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is deactivated.
XWhen pulling away, only depress the accelerator pedalasf ar as necessary.
XEase off the accelerator pedalwhile the vehicleisinmotion.
XAdapt yourdriving style to sui tthe road and weather conditions.
XDo not deactivate ESP®.
In rare cases (
Ypag e60) it may be best to deactivate ESP®.
Observe the important safety notes on ESP®(Ypag e58).
÷åNThe yellow ESP®and ESP®OFF warning lamp sare lit while the engine is running.
ESP®is malfunctioning.
Other driving systems and driving safety systems may als omalfunction.
GWARNING
The brake system continues to function normally, but without the functions listed
above.
The braking distance in an emergency braking situation can thus increase.
If ESP
®is not operational ,ESP®is unable to stabilize the vehicle.
There is an increased risk of skidding and an accident.
XObserve the additiona ldisplay messages in the multifunction display.
XDrive on carefully.
XVisi taq ualified specialist worksho pimmediately.
Warning and indicator lamps205
On-board computer and displays
Z

MOExtended tires (tires with run-flat
properties)
With MOExtended tires (tires with run flat char-
acteristics), you can continue to drive you rvehi-
cle even if there is atotal loss of pressure in one
or more tires.
MOExtended tires may only be use dinconjunc-
tion 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 (
Ypag e242).
Vehicles equipped with MOExtended tires are
not equipped with aTIREFIT kit at the factory. It
is therefore recommendedt hat you additionally
equip you rvehicl ewithaTIREFIT kit if you mount
tires that do not feature run-fla tproperties, e.g.
winter tires. ATIREFIT kit can be obtained from
aq ualified specialist workshop.
Winter operation
General notes
Have you rvehicl ewinter-proofed at aqualified
specialist worksho patthe onset of winter.
Observe the notes in the "Changing awheel"
section (
Ypag e274).
Driving with summer tires
At temperatures below 45 ‡(+7 †), summer
tires lose elasticity and therefore traction and
braking power. Change the tires on you rvehicle
to M+S tires .Using summe rtires at very cold
temperatures coul dcaus ecracks to form,
thereby damaging the tires permanently.
Mercedes-Benz cannot accept responsibility for
this type of damage.
GWARNING
Damaged tires can caus etire inflation pres-
sure loss. As aresult, you coul dlose control of
you rvehicle. There is arisk of accident.
Check the tires regularl yfor signs of damage
and replace any damaged tires immediately.
M+S tires
GWARNING
M+S tires with atire tread depth of less than
ã in (4 mm) are not suitable for use in winter
and do not provide sufficient traction. There is
ar isk of an accident.
M+S tires with atread depth of less than ãin
(4 mm) must be replaced immediately.
At temperatures below 45 ‡(+7 †), use winter
tires or all-season tires. Both type softire are
identified by the M+S marking.
Only winter tires bearing the isnowflake
symbol in addition to the M+S marking provide
the best possibl egrip in wintry road conditions.
Only these tires wil lallow driving safety systems
such as ABS and ESP
®to function optimally in
winter. Theset ires have beend eveloped specif-
ically for driving in snow.
Use M+S tires of the same make and tread on all
wheels to maintain safe handling characteris-
tics.
Always observe the maximu mpermissible
speeds pecified for the M+S tires you have
mounted.
When you have mounted the M+S tires:
XCheck the tire pressures (Ypag e261).
XVehicles for Canada: restart the tire pres-
sure loss warning system (Ypag e262).
XRestart the tire pressure monitor
(Ypag e262).
Information about driving with an emergency
spare wheel (
Ypag e279).
Snowc hains
GWARNING
If snow chains are installed to the front
wheels, they may drag against the vehicle
body or chassis components. This could
cause damage to the vehicle or the tires.
There is arisk of an accident.
Wintero peration257
Wheels and tires
Z

To avoid hazardous situations:
Rnever install snow chains to the front
wheels
Ralwaysinstall snow chains in pairs to the
rear 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,ora re ofacorresponding
standard of quality. For more information,
please contact aqualified specialist workshop.
If you inten dtomount 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 278).
ROnly use snow chains when driving on roads
completely covered by snow. Remove the
snow chains as soon as possible when you
come to aroad that is not snow-covered.
RLocal regulations may restrict the use of snow
chains. Observe the appropriate regulations if
you wish to mount snow chains.
RDo not exceed the maximum permissible
speed of 30 mph (50 km/h).
You may wish to deactivate ESP
®when pulling
away with snow chains installed (Ypage 58).
You can thereby allow the wheels to spin in a
controlled manner ,achieving an increased driv-
ing force (cutting action).
Information about driving with an emergency
spare wheel (
Ypage 279).
Tire pressure
Tire pressur especifications
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 arisk of an accident.
Follow recommended tire inflation pressures
and check the pressure of all the tires includ-
ing the spare wheel:
Rmonthly, at least
Rif the load changes
Rbefore beginning along journey
Runder different operating conditions, e.g.
off-road driving
If necessary, correctt he tire pressure.
The data on the Tire and Loading Information
placard and tire pressure table shown here are
examples. Tire pressure specification sare vehi-
cle-specific and may deviate from the data
shown here. The tire pressure specifications
that are valid for your vehicle can be found on
the Tire and Loading Information placard and
tire pressure table on the vehicle.
General notes
The recommended tire pressures for the tires
mounted at the factor ycan be found on the
labels described here.
Operation with an emergency sparew heel:
information on operation with an emergency
spare wheel can be found in the general notes in
the "Emergency spare wheel" section
(
Ypage 280).
Further information on tire pressures can be
obtained at aqualified specialist workshop.
258Tirep ressure
Wheels and tires