Mercedes-Benz SL-Class 2009 Owners Manual - Manual (Page 70)

Driving safety systems
68
1 ESP ® SPORT switch
X Switching on: With the engine running,
press ESP
® SPORT switch 1 briefly.
The ABS/ESP ® warning lamp v in the
instrument cluster comes on. The message
ESP-SPORT appears in the multifunction
display.
X Switching off: With the engine running,
press ESP
® SPORT switch 1 briefly.
The ABS/ESP ® warning lamp v in the
instrument cluster goes out. The message
ESP-ON appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
ESP ® SPORT switches off automatically when
you turn off the engine. When starting the
engine, the ESP
® is activated automatically.
Switching the ESP ® off or on
G Warning!
The ESP ® should not be switched off during
normal driving.
Disabling of the system will result in the
following:
R no restriction to engine torque
R loss of system supported traction control
“ESP ® OFF” is designed for driving on
closed tracks when the vehicle’s natural
oversteer and understeer characteristics
are desired and requires 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.
To improve the vehicle’s traction, switch off
the ESP
® in driving situations in which it
would be advantageous to have the drive
wheels spin and thus cut into surfaces for
better grip such as:
R when driving with snow chains
R in deep snow
R in sand or gravel
G Warning!
Switch on the ESP ® immediately if the
aforementioned circumstances do not
apply anymore. Otherwise the ESP
® will not
stabilize the vehicle when it is starting to
skid or a wheel is spinning.
When you switch off the ESP ®
R the ESP ® will not stabilize the vehicle
R the engine output is not limited, which
allows the drive wheels to spin and thus cut
into surfaces for better grip
R the ETS will still apply the brakes to a spin-
ning wheel
R the ESP ® continues to operate when you
are braking hard
Safety and security