2018 MERCEDES-BENZ AMG GT R-ROADSTER traction control

and do not
relie ve you of your responsibility per‐
ta ining toroad traf fic la w.Pay attention tothe
traf fic conditions at all times and inter vene
when necessa ry. Be aware of the limitations
re ga rding the safe use of these sy stems. Information about
radar senso rs Some driving and driving sa
fety sy stems use
ra dar sensors tomonitor the area in front of,
behind or next totheve hicle (depending on the
ve hicle's equipment).
Depending on theve hicle's equipment, thera dar
sensors are integrated behind the bumpers
and/or behind the Mercedes star. Keep these
parts free of dirt, ice and slush (/ page 320).
The sensors must not be co vered, forex ample
by cycle rack s, overhanging loads, sticke rs,fo il
or foils toprotect against stone chipping. In the
eve nt of dama getothe bumpers or radiator
grille, or following a collision impacting the
bumpers or radiator grille, ha vethe function of
th era dar sensors checked at a qualified special‐
ist workshop. The driver assis tance sy stem may
no longer workproperly. Overview of driving sy
stems and driving
saf ety sy stems In
this section, you will find information about
th efo llowing driving sy stems and driving saf ety
sy stems:
R ABS (A nti-lock Braking System)
(/ page 136)
R Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC
(/ page 147)
R Adaptive Brake Lights (/ page142)
R AMG RIDE CONTROL (/ page157)
R Active Brake Assi st
R Lane Keeping Assist (/ page167)
R ATTENTION ASSIST (/ page163)
R BAS (Bra keAssist System) (/ page137)
R Hill Start Assist (/ page151)
R EBD ( Electronic Brakeforce Distribution)
(/ page 140)
R ESP ®
(Electronic Stability Program)
(/ page 137)
R HOLD fu nction (/ page 151) R
Limi ter (/ page144)
R Parking Assist PARKTRONIC (/ page158)
R Front and reve rsing camera (/ page161)
R RACE START (/ page 153)
R Cruise control (/ page143)
R Blind Spot Assi st (/ page 166)
R Traf fic Sign Assi st (/ page 164) Fu
nction of ABS (Anti-lock Braking Sy stem) ABS
regulates the brake pressure in critical driv‐
ing situations:
R During braking, e.g. at full brake application
or insuf ficient tyre traction, the wheels are
pr eve nted from lo cking.
R Vehicle steerability while braking is ensured.
If ABS inter venes when braking, you will feel a
pulsing in the brake pedal. The pulsating brake
pedal can be an indication of hazardous road
conditions and can ser veas a reminder totake
ex tra care while driving. 13 6
Driving and pa rking

handling mode or
was deactivated before the
engine was switched off.
ESP ®
is inter vening if the ESP ®
÷ warning
lamp flashes in the instrument clus ter:
R Do not deacti vate ESP ®
.
R Only depress the accelera tor pedal as far as
is necessar y.
R Adapt your driving style to suit the cur rent
ro ad and weather conditions.
Cha racteristics of activated SPORT handling
mode &
WARNING Risk of skidding due toincor‐
re ct application of SPORT handling mode
When you activate SPORT handling mode,
th ere is an increased risk of skidding and
having an accident. #
Only activate SPORT handling mode in
the circums tances described as follo ws. Select SPORT handling mode when
theve hicle's
ow nov ersteering and under steering characteris‐ tics are desired,
forex ample when driving on
specially designated roads.
On lya high ly qualified and experienced driver
should drive in SPORT handling mode or with
ESP ®
deactivated.
If SPORT handling mode is activated and one or
more wheels start tospin, the÷ ESP®
wa rn‐
ing lamp in the instrument clus terflashes. ESP ®
th en only stabilises theve hicle toa limited
deg ree.
If SPORT handling mode is activated:
R ESP ®
only impr oves driving stability toa limi‐
te d deg ree.
R ETS/4ETS traction control is still active.
R The engine's torque is on lyrestricted to a
limited degree and the drive wheels can spin.
The spinning of the wheels results in a cut‐
ting action for better traction on loose sur fa‐
ces.
R ESP ®
continues toprov ide assis tance when
th e brakes are firm lyapplied. Cha
racteristics when ESP ®
is deactivated &
WARNING Risk of skidding if ESP ®
is
deactivated
If yo u deactivate ESP ®
, ESP ®
cannot car ry
out vehicle stabilisation. #
ESP ®
should on lybe deactivated in the
fo llowing situations. ESP
®
is deactivated if theå ESP®
OFF warn‐
ing lamp lights up continuously in the instrument
clus ter:
R Driving stability will no lon ger be impr oved.
R Crosswind Assist is no longer active.
R The drive wheels could spin.
R ETS/4ETS traction control is still active.
% Even when ESP ®
is deactivated, you are still
assis tedby ESP ®
when braking ha rd.
In thefo llowing situations, it may be better to
activate SPO RThandling mode or deactivate
ESP ®
:
R When using snow chains. 13 8
Driving and pa rking

R
In deep sno w.
R On sand or gra vel.
% Spinning the wheels results in a cutting
action which pr ovides better grip.
% Activate ESP ®
as soon as the situations
described abo veno longer apply. ESP ®
will
ot herwise not be able tostabilise theve hicle
if th eve hicle starts toskid or a wheel starts
to spin.
If th e÷ ESP®
wa rning lamp lights up continu‐
ousl y,ESP ®
is not available due toa malfunction.
Obse rve any information which may be displa yed
in the instrument clus ter:
R Warning and indicator lamps (/ page416)
R Displ aymessa ges (/ page374)
ETS/4ETS (Electronic Traction Sy stem)
ETS/4E TStraction control is pa rtof ESP ®
.
ETS/4ETS can impr oveth eve hicle's traction by
inter vening in thefo llowing ways:
R The drive wheels are braked individually if
th ey spin. R
More drive torque is transferred tothe wheel
or wheels with traction. Ac
tivating/deactivating ESP ®
(Electronic Sta‐
bility Prog ram) #
Toactivate ESP ®
SPORT: press and hold
display button 1until thero ad in button
symbol 2lights up yello w.
The ESP SPORT message is shown in the
instrument clus ter and theå and
ESP SPORT warning lamps light up. #
Todeactivate ESP ®
:press and hold displ ay
button 1until thero ad in button symbol 2
lights up red.
The ESP OFF message is shown in the instru‐
ment clus ter and theå andESP OFF
wa rning lamps light up. #
Toactivate ESP ®
:press and hold display
button 1until thero ad in button symbol 2
lights up blue.
The å andESP OFF orESP SPORT warn‐
ing lamps in the instrument clus ter go out.
When the÷ symbol 2is shown with a red!
on display button 1, ESP®
is malfunctioning.
Obser vethe information on warning lamps and
display messages which may be shown in the
instrument clus ter. Driving and pa
rking 13 9

This pr
ovides traf fic tr ave lling behind you with an
eve n more noticeable warning.
If th eve hicle is tr avelling at speeds of more than
70 km/h at the beginning of the brake applica‐
tion, the hazard warning lights switch on once
th eve hicle is stationar y.When you pull away
again, the hazard warning lights will switch off
automatically at appr oximately 10km/h. Yo u
can also switch off the hazard warning lights
using the hazard warning button. Cruise control and limiter
Fu
nction of cruise control
Cruise cont rolre gulates the speed totheva lue
selec tedby the driver.
If yo u accelerate toove rtake, forex ample, the
st ored speed is not dele ted. If youre mo veyour
fo ot from the accelerator pedal af terove rtaking,
cruise control will resume speed regulation back
to thestored speed.
Cruise contro l is operated using the cor respond‐
ing steering wheel buttons. You can store any
speed abo ve30 km/h up tothe maximum speed
or up tothe set winter tyre limit. If
yo ufa ilto adapt your driving style, cruise con‐
trol can neither reduce therisk of an accident
nor override the la wsof ph ysics. It cannot take
into account road, weather or traf fic conditions.
Cruise control is only an aid. You are responsible
fo r maintaining a safe dis tance totheve hicle in
front, forve hicle speed, for braking in good time
and forst ay ing in lane.
Displa yson the multifunction display
The status of cruise control and thestored
speed are shown in the multifunction displa y. 1
Cruise cont rol is selec ted
2 Speed is sa ved, cruise control is deactivated
3 Speed is sa ved, cruise control is activated %
The segments extending from the cur rent
st ored speed tothe end of the scale, or to
th e set winter tyre limit, light up in the
speedome ter.
Sy stem limitations
Cruise control may be unable tomaintain the
st ored speed on uphill gradients. The stored
speed is resumed when the gradient evens out.
Change into a lo werge ar in good time on long
and steep downhill gradients. Take particular
no te ofthis when driving a laden vehicle. By
doing so, you will make use of the engine's brak‐
ing ef fect. This relie vesth e load on the brake
sy stem and pr events the brakes from overheat‐
ing and wearing tooqu ickl y.
Do not use cruise control in thefo llowing situa‐
tions:
R In traf fic situations whi chrequ ire frequent
ch anges of speed, e.g. in heavy traf fic, on
winding roads.
R On slippe ryroads. Accelerating can cause
th e drive wheels tolose traction and the
ve hicle could then skid.
R Ifyo u are driving when visibility is poor. Driving and parking
14 3

%
Inthis phase you can adjust RACE START
depending on thero ad conditions: you can
va ry the engine speed bypulling on one of
th esteering wheel gearshift paddles. The
segments in the multifunction display flic ker
ra pidly.
% Ifth e brake pedal is not released af ter a
short while, RACE START is cancelled. The
RACE START cancelled messageappears in
th e multifunction displa y.#
Take your foot off the brake, but keep the
accelerator pedal depressed.
The vehicle pulls away at maximum accelera‐
tion. The RACE START active message
appears in the multifunction displa y.
RACE START is deacti vated when theve hicle rea‐
ch es a speed of appr oximately 50 km/h.
RACE START is deacti vated immediately if you
re lease the accelerator pedal during RACE
ST ART or if any of the activation conditions are
no longer fulfilled. The RACE START cancelled
message appears in the multifunction displa y.%
After using it se veral times in short succes‐
sion, RACE START is una vailable until a cer‐
ta in dis tance has been driven. Tr
action control Fu
nction of traction control &
WARNING Risk of skidding if ESP ®
is
deactivated
If yo u deactivate ESP ®
, ESP ®
cannot car ry
out vehicle stabilisation. #
ESP ®
should on lybe deactivated in the
fo llowing situations. Ad
jus table traction control is used toenhance
per form ance on a race track and is only acti va‐
te d when ESP ®
is deactivated. You can adjust
th e le vel of assis tance from traction control and,
in doing so, adjust the balance between stability
and agility gradually while accelerating.
Tr action control suppo rts yo u on ly in me tering
th e engine output. As ESP ®
is deactivated, ESP ®does not
stabilise theve hicle if theve hicle starts
to skid.
% Deactivating ESP ®
and using adjus table trac‐
tion control requires a highly qualified and
ex perienced driver.
Ad jus table traction control may not be used
on normal roads. Adjus table traction control
may only be activated and used on dedica‐
te dra ce circuits, not on public roads.
Be sure toread the saf ety no tes and infor‐
mation on ESP ®
(/ page 137).
Ad justing traction control
Requ irements:
R ESP ®
is deactivated. The åandESP OFF
wa rning lamps light up in the instrument
clus ter (/ page139).
Yo u can adjust the le vel of assis tance from trac‐
tion control and, in doing so, adjust the balance
between stability and agility gradually while
accelerating.
Ta ke thefo llowing parame ters into account:
R current road conditions 15 4
Driving and pa rking

R
type of tyre used
R road characteristics
R tyre conditions, such as temp erature or wear
R personal driving style #
Toinc rease or reduce the le vel of assis tance
from traction control, turn control wi thLED segment display
1clockwise or anti-clock‐
wise.
If yo u turn the control all thewa y anti-clo ck‐
wise (OFF), traction control is deactivated
and all the LEDs light up.
If yo u activate ESP ®
,th e le vel of assis tance from
traction control is controlled au tomatically. Fu
nction of the AMG DRIVE UNIT The AMG Drive
Unit consists of two additional
control elements on thesteering wheel.
Using the display buttons 2,you can decide
which two functions youwo uld like tooperate with
the left-hand AMG DRIVE UNIT control ele‐
ment. You can change between theav ailable
functions bypressing there spective display but‐
to n.
Yo u can select between thefo llowing functions:
R ESP ®
(/ page 137)
R AMG RIDE CONTROL (/ page157)
R AMG Performance exhaust sy stem
(/ page 119)
R ECO start/ stop function (/ page118)
R manual gearshifting (/ page124)
R fron t and reve rsing camera (/ page161)
The selected functions are displa yed in the dis‐
play buttons 2.
By pressing button 1,you can operate the
selected functions.
The selected functions remain stored even af ter
a new engine start but are reset totheir basic
setting.
Yo u can change between the drive programs
with thero tary adjus ter3. The selected drive
program appears in the display button 4. By Driving and parking
15 5

#
Ensu rethat no one is in the mo vement
ra nge of the active aerodynamics pro‐
fi le when you are retracting the active
aerodynamics profile. #
If someone becomes trapped during
retraction of the active aerodynamics
profile, press the display button again
immediatel y.
The active aerodynamics profile will
th en extend again. Re
quirements:
R The transmission has been shif tedto the
park position j.
R The ignition is switched on. #
Toextend/r etra ct: press display button 1.
No tethere stricted ground clearance when
th e active aerodynamics profile is extended.
The acti veaerodynamics profile extends to
th e maximum or retracts comple tely.
The display button symbol 2and its colour
indicate thefo llowing positions of the aero‐
dynamics profile:
R Aerodynamics profile retracted (blue) R
Aerodynamics profile extended in di ffer‐
ent positions (red)
R Aerodynamics profile extends or retracts
(g ra y)
If yo u press the display button 1again dur‐
ing extension, the aerodynamics profile will
re tract once more. If you press the display
button 1again during retraction, the aero‐
dynamics profile will extend once more.
% Ifyo u pull away while the active aerodynam‐
ics profile is extended, the active aerody‐
namics profile will retract au tomatically.
Alw ays no tethere stricted ground clearance
when an acti veaerodynamics profile is
ex tended. AMG RIDE CONTROL
Fu
nction of AMG RIDE CONTROL
AMG RIDE CONTROL is an electronically control‐
led damping sy stem for impr oved driving com‐
fo rt and inc reased driving saf ety. Driving and pa
rking 157

Obser
vethefo llowing no tes when using snow
ch ains:
R Snow ch ains are on ly permissible for cer tain
wheel/tyre combinations. You can obtain
information about this from a Mercedes-Benz
Service Cent re.
R For saf etyre asons, on lyuse sn ow chainsthat
ha ve been specifically appr ovedfo ryo ur
ve hicle byMercedes-Benz, or snow chains
with the same quality standard.
R If sn ow ch ains are fitted, the maximum per‐
missible speed is 50 km/h.
R Vehicles with le vel control: if snowchains
are fitted, only drive at raised vehicle le vel.
% You can permanently limit the maximum
ve hicle speed for driving with winter tyres
(/ page 146).
% You can deactivate ESP ®
to pull away . This
allo ws th e wheels tospin, achieving an
increased driving forc e. Ty
re pressure Note
s on tyre pressure &
WARNING Risk of accident due toinsuf‐
fi cient or excessive tyre pressure
Underinfla ted or overinfla ted tyres pose the
fo llowing risks:
R The tyres may bur st, especially as the
load and vehicle speed increase.
R The tyres may wearexc essively and/or
une venly, which may greatlyimpair tyre
traction.
R The driving characteristics, as well as
st eering and braking, may be greatly
impaired. #
Comply with there commended tyre
pressure and check the tyre pressure of
all tyres including the spare wheel regu‐
larly:
R at least once a month
R when the load changes R
before embarking on a lon ger journey
R if operating conditions change, e.g. off-
ro ad driving #
Adjust the tyre pressure as necessar y. Ty
re pressure which is too high or too low can:
R Shor tenth e service life of the tyres.
R Cause increased tyre damage.
R Adversely af fect driving characteristics and
th us driving saf ety, e.g. due toaquaplaning. &
WARNING Risk of accident from repea‐
te d tyre pressure drop
If th e tyre pressure drops repeatedly, the
wheel, valve or tyre may be damaged.
Insuf ficient tyre pressure can cause the tyres
to bur st. #
Inspect the tyre for signs of fore ign
objects. #
Check whe ther the wheel or valve has a
leak. Wheels and tyres
345