traction control MERCEDES-BENZ G-CLASS 2018 User Guide

Warning/
indicator
lampNSignal type
Possible causes/consequences and M
Solutions
$J
÷!N$ (USA only): the red brake system warning lamp and the yellow ESP®and
ABS warning lamps are on while the engine is running.
J (Canada only): the yellow brake system, ESP
®and ABS warning lamps are on
while the engine is running.
ABS and ESP
®are malfunctioning.
Other driving systems and driving safety systems may also malfunction.
GWARNING
The brake system continues to function normally, but without the functions listed
above. The front and rear wheels could therefore lock if you brake hard, for exam-
ple.
The steerability and braking characteristics may be severely affected. The braking
distance in an emergency braking situation can increase.
If ESP
®is not operational, ESP®is unable to stabilize the vehicle.
There is an increased risk of skidding and an accident.
XObserve the additional display messages in the multifunction display.
XDrive on carefully.
XVisit a qualified specialist workshop immediately.
÷N The yellow ESP®warning lamp flashes while the vehicle is in motion.
ESP®or traction control has intervened because there is a risk of skidding or at
least one wheel has started to spin.
Cruise control or DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated.
XWhen pulling away, only depress the accelerator pedal as far as necessary.
XEase off the accelerator pedal while the vehicle is in motion.
XAdapt your driving style to suit the road and weather conditions.
XDo not deactivate ESP®.
In rare cases (
Ypage 59), it may be best to deactivate ESP®.
Observe the important safety notes on ESP®(Ypage 59).
196Warning and indicator lamps in the instrument cluster
On-board computer and displays

Drivingwit hsummer tire s
At temperature sbelo w45 ‡(+7 †), elasticity in
summer tires is significantly lower and thus also
traction and braking power. Change the tires on
your vehicle to M+S tires. Using summer tires at
very cold temperatures could cause cracks to
form, thereby damaging the tires permanently.
Mercedes-Benz cannot accept responsibility for
this type of damage.
GWARNING
Damaged tires can cause tire inflation pres-
sure loss. As a result, you could lose control of
your vehicle. There is a risk of accident.
Check the tires regularly for signs of damage
and replace any damaged tires immediately.
M+S tires
GWARNING
M+S tires with a tire tread depth of less than
ã in (4 mm) are not suitable for use in winter
and do not provide sufficient traction. There is
a risk of an accident.
M+S tires with a tread depth of less than ãin
(4 mm) must be replaced immediately.
GWARNING
Wheel and tire dimensions as well as the type of tire can vary between the spare wheel and
the wheel to be replaced. When the spare
wheel is mounted, driving characteristics may be severely affected. There is a risk of an acci-
dent.
In order to reduce risks:
Ryou should therefore adapt your driving
style and drive carefully.
Rnever mount more than one spare wheel
that differs from the wheel to be replaced.
Ronly use a spare wheel that differs from the
wheel to be replaced for a short time.
Rdo not deactivate ESP®.
Rhave a spare wheel that differs from the
wheel that has been changed replaced at
the nearest qualified specialist workshop.
You must observe the correct wheel and
tire dimensions as well as the wheel type.
Do not exceed a maximum speed of 50 mph
(80 km/h) if a spare wheel of a different size is
installed.
At temperatures below 45 ‡(+7 †), use winter
tires or all-season tires. Both types of tire are
identified by the M+S marking.
Only winter tires bearing the isnowflake
symbol in addition to the M+S marking provide
the best possible grip in wintry road conditions.
Only these tires will allow driving safety systems
such as ABS and ESP
®to function optimally in
winter. These tires have been developed specif-
ically for driving in snow.
Use M+S tires of the same make and tread on all
wheels to maintain safe handling characteris-
tics.
Always observe the maximum permissible
speed specified for the M+S tires you have
mounted.
When you have mounted the M+S tires:
XCheck the tire pressures (Ypage 263).
XRestart the tire pressure monitor
(Ypage 265).
Snow chains
GWARNING
If you drive too fast with snow chains moun-
ted, they may snap. As a result, you could
injure others and damage the vehicle. There is
a risk of an accident.
Observe the maximum permissible speed for
operation with snow chains.
!Information about the use of snow chain
compatible AMG winter tires is applicable for
AMG tires. Use of snow chains is only per-
missible with these tires.
!On some tire sizes there is not enough space
for snow chains. To avoid damage to the vehi- cle or tires, observe the "Wheel and tire com-
binations" section under "Tires and wheels".
Winter operation259
Wheels and tires
Z

!Check the snow chains for damage before
mounting them. Damaged or worn snow
chains may snap and damage the following
components:
Rwheel
Rwheel housing
Rwheel suspension
For this reason, you must use only snow
chains that are free of defects. Observe the
manufacturer's mounting instructions.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only use snow chains that have
been specially approved for your vehicle by
Mercedes-Benz, or are of a corresponding
standard of quality. For more information,
please contact a qualified specialist workshop.
If you intend to mount snow chains, please bear
the following points in mind:
RSnow chains may not be mounted on all
wheel/tire combinations. Observe the infor-
mation regarding permitted wheel/tire com-
binations (
Ypage 279).
RInstall the snow chains on all four wheels for
maximum tractive power and driving stability.
If you only have two snow chains, install these
as a pair on the rear wheels. The vehicle then
remains more stable under braking.
ROnly use snow chains when driving on roads
completely covered by snow. Remove the
snow chains as soon as possible when you
come to a road that is not snow-covered.
RLocal regulations may restrict the use of snow
chains. Observe the appropriate regulations if
you wish to mount snow chains.
RDo not exceed the maximum permissible
speed of 30 mph (50 km/h).
You may wish to deactivate ESP
®when pulling
away with snow chains installed (Ypage 59).
You can thereby allow the wheels to spin in a
controlled manner, achieving an increased driv- ing force (cutting action).
Tire pressure
Tire pressure specifications
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Underinflated or overinflated tires pose the
following risks:
Rthe tires may burst, especially as the load
and vehicle speed increase.
Rthe tires may wear excessively and/or
unevenly, which may greatly impair tire
traction.
Rthe driving characteristics, as well as steer-
ing and braking, may be greatly impaired.
There is a risk of an accident.
Follow recommended tire inflation pressures
and check the pressure of all the tires includ-
ing the spare wheel:
Rmonthly, at least
Rif the load changes
Rbefore beginning a long journey
Runder different operating conditions, e.g.
off-road driving
If necessary, correct the tire pressure.
The data on the Tire and Loading Information
placard and tire pressure table shown here are
examples. Tire pressure specifications are vehi-
cle-specific and may deviate from the data
shown here. The tire pressure specifications
that are valid for your vehicle can be found on
the Tire and Loading Information placard and
tire pressure table on the vehicle.
General notes
The recommended tire pressures for the tires
mounted at the factory can be found on the
labels described here.
Operation with a trailer: the applicable value
for the rear axle is the maximum tire pressure
value stated in the table inside the fuel filler flap.
Further information on tire pressures can be
obtained at a qualified specialist workshop.
260Tire pressure
Wheels and tires

All about wheels and tires
UniformTire Quality Grading Stand-
ards
Overview ofTire Quality Grading Stand-
ards
Uniform Tir eQuality Grading Standards are U.S.
governmen tspecifications. Their purpose is to
provid edriver swit hunifor mreliable information
on tire performance data. Tir emanufacturers
hav eto grad etires usin gthree performance fac -
tors: :tread wear grade, ;traction grad eand
= temperature grade. These regulation sdo no t
apply to Canada. Nevertheless, all tires sold in
North America are provided wit hth ecorre-
sponding qualit ygrading marking son th eside -
wall of th etire.
Quality grades can be found, wher eapplicable,
on th etire sidewall between tread shoulder and
maximum section width.
Example:
RTreadwear grade: 200
RTraction grade: AA
RTemperaturegrade: A
All passenger car tires mus tconform to th estat-
utory safet yrequirements in addition to these
grades.
iThe actual value sfor tires are vehicle-spe-
cific and may deviat efrom th evalue sin th e
illustration .
Treadwear
The treadwear grad eis acomparative rating
base don th ewear rat eof th etire when tested
under controlled condition son aspecifie dU.S.
governmen tcourse. Fo rexample, atire graded 15
0would wear on eand one-half times as well
on th egovernmen tcours eas atire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depend supon
th eactual condition sof their use, however ,and
may depar tsignificantly from th enorm due to
variation sin drivin ghabits, servic epractice s
and difference sin road characteristics and cli -
mate.
Traction
GWARNIN G
The traction grad eassigned to this tire is
base don straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does no tinclude acceleration ,cor-
nering, hydroplaning ,or peak traction char-
acteristics .
!Avoid wheelspin. This can lead to damag eto
th edrive train .
The traction grades –from highest to lowes t –
are AA ,A, Band C. Those grades represen tth e
tire' sabilit yto stop on wet pavemen tas meas -
ured under controlled condition son specifie d
governmen ttest surfaces of asphalt and con-
crete. Atire marke d Cmay hav epoor traction
performance .
The saf espee don awet ,snow covered or icy
road is always lower than on dry road surfaces.
You should pay special attention to road condi-
tion swhen temperatures are around freezing
point.
Mercedes-Benz recommends aminimum tread
dept hof ã in (4 mm) on all four winte rtires .
Observ eth elegally require dminimum tire tread
dept h (
Ypage 258). Winte rtires can reduce th e
braking distanc eon snow-covered surfaces in
comparison wit hsummer tires .The braking dis-
tance is still muc hfurther than on surfaces that
are no ticy or covered wit hsnow. Tak eappro-
priate car ewhen driving.
Further information on winte rtires (M+ Stires )
(
Ypage 259).
Temperature
GWARNIN G
The temperature grad efor this tire is estab-
lished for atire that is properly inflated and
no toverloaded. Excessive speed, underinfla-
tion ,or excessive loading ,either separately or
All about wheels and tires269
Wheels and tires
Z

PSI (pounds per square inch)
A standard unit of measure for tire pressure.
Aspect ratio
Relationship between tire height and tire width
in percent.
Tire pressure
This is pressure inside the tire applying an out-
ward force to each square inch of the tire's sur-
face. The tire pressure is specified in pounds per
square inch (psi), in kilopascals (kPa) or in bar.
The tire pressure should only be corrected when
the tires are cold.
Cold tire pressure
The tires are cold:
Rif the vehicle has been parked with the tires
out of direct sunlight for at least three hours
and
Rif the vehicle has not been driven further than
1 mile (1.6 km)
Tread
The part of the tire that comes into contact with
the road.
Bead
The tire bead ensures that the tire sits securely
on the wheel. There are several steel wires in the
bead to prevent the tire from coming loose fromthe wheel rim.
Sidewall
The part of the tire between the tread and the
bead.
Weight of optional extras
The combined weight of those optional extras
that weigh more than the replaced standard
parts and more than 2.3 kg (5 lbs). These
optional extras, such as high-performance
brakes, level control, a roof rack or a high-per-
formance battery, are not included in the curb
weight and the weight of the accessories.
TIN (Tire Identification Number)
This is a unique identifier which can be used by
a tire manufacturer to identify tires, for example
for a product recall, and thus identify the pur-
chasers. The TIN is made up of the manufactur-
er's identity code, tire size, tire type code and
the manufacturing date.
Load bearing index
The load bearing index (also load index) is a code
that contains the maximum load bearing capa-
city of a tire.
Traction
Traction is the result of friction between the tires
and the road surface.
TWR (Tongue Weight Rating)
The TWR specifies the maximum permissible
weight that the ball coupling of the trailer tow
hitch can support.
Treadwear indicators
Narrow bars (tread wear bars) that are distrib-
uted over the tire tread. If the tire tread is level
with the bars, the wear limit of áin (1.6 mm)
has been reached.
Occupant distribution
The distribution of occupants in a vehicle at their
designated seating positions.
Total load limit
Nominal load and luggage load plus 68 kg
(150 lbs) multiplied by the number of seats in
the vehicle.
Changing a wheel
Flat tire
You can find information on what to do in the
event of a flat tire in the "Breakdown assistance"
section (
Ypage 246).
Rotating the wheels
GWARNING
Interchanging the front and rear wheels may
severely impair the driving characteristics if
the wheels or tires have different dimensions. The wheel brakes or suspension components
may also be damaged. There is a risk of acci-
dent.
Rotate front and rear wheels only if the wheels and tires are of the same dimensions.
Changing a wheel275
Wheels and tires
Z