brake DODGE SPRINTER 2008 2.G Owner's Guide

197 Controls in detail
Driving and parking
3
Specified tire inflation pressures must
be maintained. This applies particularly
if the tires are subject to extreme oper-
ating conditions (e.g. high speeds, heavy
loads, high ambient temperatures).For detailed information on tires, see
"Tires and wheels" (
\2
page 341).
HydroplaningDepending on the depth of the water lay-
er 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
Although the applicable federal motor ve-
hicle safety laws consider a tire to be
worn when the Treadwear Indicators
(TWI) become visible at approximately 1/
16 in (1.6 mm), do not allow your tires to
wear down to that level. As tread depth
approaches 1/8 in (3 mm) for summer
tires or 1/6 in (4 mm) for winter tires, the
adhesion properties on a wet road are
sharply reduced.
Depending upon the weather and/or road
surface (conditions), the tire traction var-
ies widely.
Warning
G
Do not drive with a flat tire. A flat tire af-
fects the ability to steer or brake the vehi-
cle. You may lose control of the vehicle.
Continued driving with a flat tire or driving
at high speed with a flat tire will cause ex-
cessive heat buildup and possibly a fire.
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198 Controls in detailDriving and parking
3
Tire tractionTire 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 al-
ways 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 tem-
peratures 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 characteris-
tics. On packed snow, they can reduce
y ou r st opp ing di st ance com pa re d to s um -
mer tires.Stopping distance, however, is still con-
siderably greater than when the road is
not covered with snow or ice. Exercise
appropriate caution.
For information on winter tires, see
"Winter tires" (
\2
page 404).
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.
nf_BA.book Page 198 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM

202 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission
3
The selector lever position engaged or
the current shift range is shown in the
display. Display on vehicles with steer-
ing wheel buttons* (
\2
page 151) and on
vehicles without steering wheel buttons
(
\2
page 147).
When the selector lever is in position
D,
you can influence the gearshifts made
by the automatic transmission by:
\4
restricting the shift range
\4
changing gear yourself
Selector lever positionsì

Parking lock

Prevents the parked vehicle
from rolling away. Only move
the selector lever to
P when
the vehicle is stationary.
You can only remove the key
when the selector lever is in
position
P. The selector lever
is locked in position
P when
the key is removed.
í

Reverse gear

Only move the selector lever
to
R when the vehicle is sta-
tionary.
ë

NeutralNo power is transmitted from
the engine to the drive
wheels. Releasing the brakes
will allow you to move the ve-
hicle freely, e.g. by pushing or
towing.Do not move the selector le-
ver to
N while the vehicle is in
motion. The automatic trans-
mission could otherwise be
damaged.
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206 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission
3
Kickdown

Use kickdown for maximum acceleration.\1
Depress the accelerator pedal be-
yond the pressure point.
The automatic transmission shifts to
the next gear down, depending on
the engine speed.
\1
Release the accelerator pedal as
soon as the desired speed has been
reached.
The automatic transmission shifts up
again.
StoppingIf you are only stopping briefly:\1
leave the selector lever in the drive
position
\1
secure the vehicle against rolling
away using the brake pedal
ManeuveringManeuvering in a tight space:\1
Control the speed by braking carefully.
\1
Accelerate only slightly and avoid
jolting.iFor rapid maneuvering (e.g. to rock
the vehicle out of snow or slush), you
can shift back and forth between
drive position
D and reverse gear
R
at low speeds without applying the
brakes.
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207 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
3
Trailer towing
\1
Run the engine in the moderate en-
gine speed range on steep uphill gra-
dients.
\1
Depending on the uphill or downhill
gradient, shift down to shift range
3
or
2 (\2
page 204), even if cruise
control* is switched on.
Working on the vehicleWarning
G
Apply the handbrake before working on
the vehicle and shift the automatic trans-
mission into parking positionP.
The vehicle could otherwise roll away.
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250 Controls in detailDriving systems
3
1To store the current or a higher speed
2To resume the last speed stored
3To store the current speed or a lower
speed
4To deactivate cruise control
Storing the current speed
\1
Accelerate/decelerate the vehicle to
the desired speed.
\1
Move the cruise control lever briefly
upward
1
or downward
3
.
\1
Release the accelerator pedal.
Cruise control is activated.
The current speed is stored.
You cannot activate cruise control if:
\4
you are driving under 20 mph
(30 km/h)
\4
you are braking
\4
you apply the handbrake and the 7
indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster is lit
\4
ESP
® or ASR is intervening and the
yellow ASR/ESP
® warning lamp flas-
hes in the instrument cluster
N54.25-2925-31
iAltered vehicles from Body Manufac-
turers:
Other driving and braking systems
not described in these Operating In-
structions may affect cruise control.
Please refer to the body manufactu-
rer’s instructions for more informati-
on.
nf_BA.book Page 250 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM

252 Controls in detailDriving systems
3
\1
Briefly press the cruise control lever
upward
1
to increase the speed or
downward3
to reduce the speed.
The last speed stored is increased or
decreased in 1 mph increments
(1 km/h increments).
or
\1
Press and hold the cruise control le-
ver up
1
or down
3
until the de-
sired speed has been reached.
\1
Release the cruise control lever.
The current speed is stored.
Deactivating cruise controlThere are various ways of deactivating
cruise control:\1
Briefly press cruise control lever
forward
4
.
or
\1
Apply the brakes.
The last speed set remains stored.
iCruise control is not deactivated if
you depress the accelerator pedal. If
you accelerate briefly to overtake, for
example, cruise control adjusts the
vehicle’s speed to the last speed
stored after you have finished over-
taking.
iThe last speed stored is cleared when
you switch off the engine.
nf_BA.book Page 252 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM

253 Controls in detail
Driving systems
3 i
Cruise control is automatically deac-
tivated if:\4
you are braking
\4
you apply the handbrake and
the
7
indicator lamp in the in-
strument cluster is lit
\4
you are driving under 20 mph
(30 km/h)
\4
ESP
® or ASR is intervening and
the yellow ASR/ESP
® warning
lamp flashes in the instrument
cluster
\4
you move the selector lever to po-
sition
N while driving
\4
ESP
®, ASR or ABS has malfunc-
tioned
Parktronic system (PTS)
*
Warning
G
Parktronic is only an aid and may not de-
tect all obstacles. This system does not
relieve you of the need to pay attention.
You are always responsible for safety and
must continue to pay attention to your im-
mediate surroundings when parking and
maneuvering. Otherwise, you could en-
danger yourself and others.
Warning
G
Make sure that no persons or animals are
in the maneuvering range of the vehicle.
They could otherwise be injured.
nf_BA.book Page 253 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM

254 Controls in detailDriving systems
3
Parktronic is an electronic parking aid
and informs you visually and audibly of
the distance between the vehicle and an
obstacle.
Parktronic is automatically switched on
when you switch on the ignition and re-
lease the handbrake. You must also
move the selector lever to position
D, N
or R.
Parktronic switches off at speeds of over
11 mph (18 km/h). It switches on again
as soon as the vehicle’s speed falls be-
low this limit speed.
Parktronic is equipped with sensors in
the front and rear bumper to monitor the
area around your vehicle.
Range of the sensorsThe sensors must be free from dirt, ice
and slush, otherwise they may not func-
tion correctly. Clean the sensors regu-
larly, taking care not to scratch or
damage them (
\2
page 422).
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255 Controls in detail
Driving systems
3
Front sensors
Rear sensors
Minimum distance
If an obstacle is within this range, all seg-
ments of the warning displays light up
and a warning tone sounds (the warning
for the front sounds different than the
warning for the rear). The distance may
no longer be displayed if you drive the
vehicle closer to the obstacle than the
minimum distance.
Center
about 39 in (100 cm)
Corners
about 26 in (65 cm)
Center
about 71 in (180 cm)
Corners
about 39 in (100 cm)
Center
about 12 in (30 cm)
Corners, front
about 10 in (25 cm)
Corners, rear
about 12 in (30 cm)
!
CAUTION
Pay particular attention to obstacles
above or below the sensors when
p a r k i n g , s u c h a s f l o w e r p o t s o r t r a i l e r
towbars.
Parktronic does not detect such ob-
jects in the immediate vicinity. You
could damage the vehicle or objects.
Parktronic can malfunction as a con-
sequence of:\4
ultrasonic sources such as a
truck’s compressed-air brakes,
an automatic car wash or a pneu-
matic drill
\4
attachments to the vehicle, e.g.
load-bearing implements or trail-
er couplings
\4
number plates (vehicle license
plates) that are not affixed flat
against the bumper
\4
dirty or icy sensors
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