traction control DODGE SPRINTER 2007 2.G Owners Manual

44 SafetyDriving safety systems
2
There is a malfunction if the # indicator
lamp is permanently lit while the engine is
running (\2page 272).
If ESP
® malfunctions, engine power output
may be reduced.ASR improves traction for a sustained peri-
od, i.e. the transfer of power from the tires
to the road surface, and thus also improves
the driving stability of the vehicle. ASR as-
sists you when pulling away and accelerat-
ing, especially on smooth and slippery
surfaces.
ASR brakes individual drive wheels and
limits the engine torque to prevent the
drive wheels from spinning. When ASR in-
tervenes, thev indicator lamp in the
speedometer flashes.
If the road surface is not capable of provid-
ing sufficient traction, bearing in mind the
tires, load and gradient, it is not be possi-
ble to pull away smoothly even with ASR.
Vehicles without steering wheel buttons:
There is a malfunction if thek indicator
lamp is permanently lit while the engine is
running (\2page 270).
If ASR malfunctions, engine power output
may be reduced.
Warning
G
Proceed as follows if the v warning lamp
in the speedometer flashes:
\4Do not deactivate ASR under any cir-
cumstances.
\4Only depress the accelerator pedal as
far as necessary when pulling away.
\4Adapt your driving style to suit the pre-
vailing road and weather conditions.
Otherwise, the vehicle could begin to skid.
ESP
® cannot reduce the risk of an accident
if you drive too fast. ESP
® is unable to over-
ride the laws of physics.
!
CAUTION
Only operate the vehicle briefly (maxi-
mum of 10 seconds) on a brake dyna-
mometer. The key must be turned to
position1 in the ignition lock during
this time. You could damage the drive
train or the brake system.
!
CAUTION
Do not operate the vehicle on a roller
dynamometer (for example for perfor-
mance testing). If you wish to operate
the vehicle on a roller dynamometer,
please consult an authorized Sprinter
Dealer beforehand. You could other-
wise damage the drive train or the
brake system.
Acceleration skid control (ASR)

45 Safety
Driving safety systems
2
Activating/deactivating ASR
ASR is automatically activated as soon as
the engine is switched on.
It may be best to deactivate ASR in the fol-
lowing situations:
\4if snow chains are being used
\4in deep snow
\4on sand or gravel
If you deactivate ASR:
\4the engine’s torque is then no longer
limited and the drive wheels could spin;
the spinning wheels produce a cutting
effect for better traction
\4traction control still intervenes by brak-
ing if one drive wheel reaches its grip
limit, for example if the surface under
one side of the vehicle is slippery. The
wheel is then braked to increase trac-
tion in this situation.
\4ESP
® still intervenes to stabilize the ve-
hicleThe ASR switch is located on the center
console.
1To deactivate/activate ASR
\1To switch off: press upper section1
of the switch.
The v warning lamp in the speed-
ometer lights up.
\1To switch on: press upper section1
of the switch again.
Thev warning lamp in the speed-
ometer goes out.
Warning
G
ESP
® remains active despite ASR having
been deactivated and carries out braking in-
terventions if this is necessary to improve
driving stability. Thev warning lamp
flashes.
If ASR is deactivated, there is an increased
risk that the brake system of your vehicle
could overheat and be damaged when sub-
jected to high loads for a long period of time.
A hot brake system also increases the stop-
ping distance.
For this reason, only deactivate ASR when it
is absolutely necessary.
N54.25-2916-31

118 Controls in detailDriving and parking
3
Treadwear indicators (TWI) are required by
law. These indicators are located in six
places on the tread circumference and be-
come visible at a tread depth of approxi-
mately 1/16 in (1.6 mm), at which point
the tire is considered worn and should be
replaced.
The Treadwear Indicator appears as a solid
band across the tread.Specified tire inflation pressures must be
maintained. This applies particularly if the
tires are subject to extreme operating con-
ditions (e.g. high speeds, heavy loads, high
ambient temperatures).For detailed information on tires, see "Tires
and wheels" (\2page 199).
Hydroplaning
Depending on the depth of the water layer
on the road, hydroplaning may occur, even
at low speeds and with new tires. Reduce
vehicle speed, avoid track grooves in the
road and apply brakes cautiously in the
rain.Warning
G
If you feel a sudden significant vibration or
ride disturbance, or you suspect that possi-
ble damage to your vehicle has occurred,
you should turn on the hazard warning flash-
ers, carefully slow down, and drive with cau-
tion to an area which is a safe distance from
the road.
Inspect the tires and the vehicle undercar-
riage for possible damage. If the vehicle or
tires appear unsafe, have the vehicle towed
to the nearest authorized Sprinter Dealer or
tire dealer for repairs.
Warning
G
Although the applicable federal motor vehi-
cle safety laws consider a tire to be worn
when the Treadwear Indicators (TWI) be-
come visible at approximately 1/16 in
(1.6 mm), do not allow your tires to wear
down to that level. As tread depth approach-
es 1/8 in (3 mm) for summer tires or 1/6 in
(4 mm) for winter tires, the adhesion proper-
ties on a wet road are sharply reduced.
Depending upon the weather and/or road
surface (conditions), the tire traction varies
widely.
Warning
G
Do not drive with a flat tire. A flat tire affects
the ability to steer or brake the vehicle. You
may lose control of the vehicle. Continued
driving with a flat tire or driving at high
speed with a flat tire will cause excessive
heat buildup and possibly a fire.

119 Controls in detail
Driving and parking
3
Tire traction
Tire grip is greatly reduced on a wet, snow
covered or icy road. Speed and driving
style must therefore be adapted to suit
road conditions. The safe speed on a wet,
snow covered or icy road is always lower
than on a dry road.
Below a tread depth of 1/8 in (3 mm), tire
grip begins to decrease rapidly on wet
roads.
Pay particular attention to the condition of
the road whenever the outside tempera-
tures is close to the freezing point.In winter, install M+S radial tires with a
minimum tread depth of approximately 1/
6 in (4 mm) on all wheels to ensure normal
balanced handling characteristics. On
packed snow, they can reduce your stop-
ping distance compared to summer tires.
Stopping distance, however, is still consid-
erably greater than when the road is not
covered with snow or ice. Exercise appro-
priate caution.
For information on winter tires, see "Winter
tires" (\2page 234).
Tire speed rating
Regardless of the tire speed rating, local
speed limits should be obeyed. Use pru-
dent driving speeds appropriate to prevail-
ing conditions.The vehicles are factory equipped with "L"
(vehicles type 2500 only) or "N"-rated
tires, which have a speed rating of 74 mph
(120 km / h) or 87 mph (140 km / h) re-
spectively.
For information on speed ratings or for ad-
ditional general information on tire speed
markings on the tire side wall, see "Tire
speed rating" (\2page 224).Warning
G
If ice has formed on the road, tire traction
will be substantially reduced. Under such
weather conditions, drive, steer and brake
with extreme caution.
!
CAUTION
Avoid spinning a drive wheel. This may
cause serious damage to the drive train
which is not covered by the Sprinter
warranty.
Warning
G
Even when permitted by law, never operate
a vehicle at speeds greater than the maxi-
mum speed rating of the tires.
Exceeding the maximum speed for which
tires are rated can lead to sudden tire fail-
ure, causing loss of vehicle control and pos-
sibly resulting in an accident and / or serious
injury and possible death, for you and for
others.

139 Controls in detail
Auxiliary heating/ventilation*
3
\3 Auxiliary heating/ventilation*The auxiliary heating heats or ventilates
the interior to a temperature that you have
set. The auxiliary heating can be operated
with the engine switched on or off.
The auxiliary heating is equipped with a
water heater.
The auxiliary heating heats the coolant and
the vehicle interior and is therefore more
favorable to the engine and consumes less
fuel. The fuel tank must be at least a quar-
ter full to ensure that the auxiliary heating/
ventilation operates correctly.
The maximum heating period is
60 minutes.You can use the auxiliary heating / ventila-
tion to:
\4ventilate or preheat the vehicle interior
and to de-ice the windows
\4start the engine better in cold weather
\4support the vehicle’s heating system
while the engine is running and outside
temperatures are low (heater booster
function) (\2page 137)
You can use the operating system to define
up to three switch-on times, one of which
can be selected to switch on the auxiliary
heating / ventilation (\2page 142). Warning
G
Exhaust fumes are produced while the auxilia-
ry heating is in operation. For this reason,
switch off the auxiliary heating in enclosed
spaces without an extraction system, e.g. a
garage.
Operation of the auxiliary heating system is
prohibited at gas stations or when refueling
your vehicle. The auxiliary heating must there-
fore be switched off at refueling stations.
Warning
G
Observe the relevant safety regulations in the
case of vehicles used for the transport of haz-
ardous goods.
Aerosols, gas cartridges and other pressur-
ized containers transported in the vehicle may
be highly flammable and could explode when
heated.
Make sure that the containers described are
kept away from the flow of hot air from the
auxiliary heating.
Otherwise, you could endanger yourself and
others.
iThe auxiliary heating automatically
switches to heater booster mode after
the engine is started.

203 Operation
Tires and wheels
4
Life of tire
The service life of a tire depends on varying
factors including but not limited to:
\4Driving style
\4Tire inflation pressure
\4Distance drivenTread depth
Do not allow your tires to wear down too
far. Adhesion properties on wet roads are
sharply reduced at tread depths under
1/8in (3 mm) for summer tires and
1/6in
(4 mm) for winter tires.
Treadwear indicators (TWI) are required by
law. These indicators are located in six
places on the tread circumference and be-
come visible at a tread depth of approxi-
mately
1/16
in (1.6 mm), at which point
the tire is considered worn and should be
replaced.
Recommended minimum tire tread depth:
\4Summer tires
1/8in (3 mm)
\4Winter tires
1/6in (4 mm)
You could lose control of the vehicle as a re-
sult, cause an accident and injure yourself
or others.
Avoid driving up against curbs or parking the
vehicle with part of the tire tread surface on
the curb.Warning
G
Tires and spare tire should be replaced after
6 years, regardless of the remaining tread.
Warning
G
Although the applicable federal motor safety
laws consider a tire to be worn when the
Treadwear Indicators (TWI) become visible
at approximately
1/16in (1.6 mm), we rec-
ommend that you do not allow your tires to
wear down to that level. As tread depth ap-
proaches
1/8in (3 mm) for summer tires or
1/6in (4 mm) for winter tires, the adhesion
properties on a wet road are sharply re-
duced.
Depending upon the weather and/or road
surface (conditions), the tire traction varies
widely.

231 Operation
Tires and wheels
4
TWR (T
ongue W
eight R
ating)
Maximum permissible weight on the trailer
tongue.
Uniform tire quality grading standards
A tire information system that provides
consumers with ratings for a tire’s traction,
temperature and treadwear. Ratings are
determined by tire manufacturers using
government testing procedures. The rat-
ings are molded into the side wall of the
tire.
Vehicle capacity weight
Rated cargo and luggage load plus
68 kilograms (150 lbs) times the vehicle’s
designated seating capacity.
Vehicle maximum load on the tire
Load on an individual tire that is deter-
mined by distributing to each axle its share
of the maximum loaded vehicle weight and
dividing it by two.
Tires on the front and rear axles of vehicles
operate at different loads and perform dif-
ferent steering, driving and braking func-
tions. For these reasons, they wear at unequal rates, and develop irregular wear
patterns. These effects can be reduced by
timely rotation of tires.
The benefits of rotation are especially
worthwhile with aggressive tread designs
such as those on On/Off Road type tires.
Rotation will increase tread life, help to
maintain mud, snow, and wet traction lev-
els, and contribute to a smooth ride.
If applicable to your vehicle’s tire configu-
ration, tires can be rotated according to
the tire manufacturer’s recommended in-
tervals in the tire manufacturer’s warranty
pamphlet located in your vehicle literature
portfolio. If none is available, tires should
be rotated every 10,000 miles
(16,000 km), or sooner if necessary, ac-
cording to the degree of tire wear.
The same rotation (spinning) direction
must be maintained when mounted, see
"Direction of rotation" (\2page 204).
Rotate tires before the characteristic tire
wear pattern becomes visible (shoulder
wear on front tires and tread center wear
on rear tires).
Rotating tiresWarning
G
Rotate front and rear wheels only if they are
of the same dimension.
Changing the tire dimension for an axle
\4could cause the tire to come into con-
tact with the vehicle body or axle parts.
Damage to the tire or the vehicle may be
the result.
\4could result in changes to steering, han-
dling, and braking of your Sprinter vehi-
cle. This can cause unpredictable
handling and stress to steering and sus-
pension components. You could lose
control and have an accident resulting in
serious injury or death.
\4could result in tire overloading and fail-
ure, if the tires' load index are not iden-
tical. You could lose control and have an
accident.

390 Indexloading the vehicle
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
low tire pressure indicator
. . . . . . . 278
maximum load
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
messages in the multifunction
display
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
ply composition and material used
. . . 230
problems under/overinflation
221
, 222
radial-ply tires
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
retreads
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
rotating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
, 231
seating capacity
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
service life
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
sizes
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
speed rating
. . . . . . . . . 119
, 224
, 230
storing
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
temperature
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
, 369
terminology
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
TIN
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
, 230
Tire Identification Number see TIN
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
(TPMS), (USA only)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
TPMS malfunction indicator
. . . . . . 278
traction
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
, 230
tread
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
tread depth
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
, 234
Treadwear Indicator (TWI)
. . . . . . . 118
Treadwear Indicators
. . . . . . . . . . . 230
valves
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
vehicle maximum load on
. . . . . . . 231wear pattern
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
winter tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Tongue Weight Rating
see TWR
TopTether
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Tow-away protection
. . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Towing
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
in the event of a malfunction in the
electrical system
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
in the event of particular
malfunctions
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343
vehicle that is stuck
. . . . . . . . . . . . 343
Towing eye
installing/removing . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
Tow-starting
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
Traction
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Trailer
safety notes
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
, 176
towing
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
, 175
, 176
towing with Parktronic
. . . . . . . . . . 153
Tread
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Tread depth
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Tread depth (tires)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Treadwear Indicator (TWI)
. . . . . . . 118
Treadwear Indicators
. . . . . . . . . . . 230
Trip computer
menu (vehicles with steering wheel
buttons)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106Trip meter
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
resetting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Turn signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
front
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
changing bulbs
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
malfunctions
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
rear
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
changing bulbs
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
side-mounted
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
Twin co-driver’s seat
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Two-way radio
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
retrofitting
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
TWR (Tongue Weight Rating)
. . . . . 231
U
Uniform tire quality grading
standards
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Uphill gradients
cruise control
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
parking
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
, 116
V
Vehicle
assemblies
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
automatic locking when driving
. . . . 64
cleaning
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
U
V