Mercedes-Benz G-Class 2010 Owners Manual - Manual (Page 98)

The ABS, BAS, and ESP ® are switched off
automatically when the transfer case
differential lock is activated.
For more information on off-road driving, see
“Off-road driving” (
Y page 184).
A few words about differentials and
differential locks
When a vehicle negotiates a turn, wheels on
the outside of the curve must travel farther
and rotate faster than the inside wheels. The
differential, the operation of a set of gears
that allows the powered wheels in a vehicle
to turn at different speeds, makes this
essential function possible.
The drawback is that the differential also
sends most of the engine’s power to the
wheel with the least load or strain on it. For
example, if one of a vehicle’s powered wheels
sits on a patch of snow and spins because
there is no traction, all of the engine’s power
will go to that wheel because the power will
take the path of least resistance. Meanwhile,
the opposite wheel, sitting on dry pavement
where it could get enough grip to start the
vehicle moving, sits idle because it receives
no power.
The 4-ETS addresses this problem and
provides for good control and steering ability
by automatically slowing the slipping wheel
and thus increasing the power to the other
non-slipping drive wheels to get the vehicle
moving. The ESP
® and the 4-ETS in this
vehicle feature such intelligent limited-slip
differential technology, ideally suited for on-
road and light off-road driving. Transfer case
position
LOW ( Y page 93) also enhances off-
road driving capabilities.
More extreme off-road conditions may call for
another solution, engaging a differential lock
or preventing the differential from operating
altogether. This vehicle comes with three
differential locks: front, transfer case
(center), and rear. Each can be engaged
simply by pushing dashboard-mounted
switches in sequential order (center, rear,
front) (
Y page 96). When the transfer case
(center) differential is locked, half of the
engine’s power is automatically distributed to
the front wheels and half to the rear wheels.
When the rear differential is locked, power
going to the rear wheels is equally distributed,
so that both rear wheels turn at the same
speed and torque. Please be aware that
engaging the differential locks will
significantly reduce the steering ability of the
vehicle.
For your safety and the safety of others and
to prevent damage to the vehicle, the
differential locks must not be engaged when
driving on paved roads. It is important to
understand that during on-road/paved
driving, differentials are absolutely necessary
for providing the essential control and
steering ability of the vehicle. The differential
locks, therefore, must not be engaged when
driving on paved roads and should only be
used to the extent necessary to negotiate off-
road conditions which cannot be handled by
the systems (the 4-ETS, the ESP
® , and the
manual switch position “LOW” of transfer
case) this vehicle comes equipped with.
Switching differential locks on and off
The switches are located on the upper part of
the center console.
: Transfer case (center) differential lock
;
Rear axle differential lock
= Front differential lock
96
Differential locks
Controls in detail
463_AKB; 3; 35, en-US
d2ureepe,
Version: 2.11.8.1
2009-07-16T20:59:56+02:00 - Seite 96