air suspension MERCEDES-BENZ SL500 2004 R230 Owner's Manual

208 Controls in detailDriving systemsSuspension for sporty driving style
The setting for sporty driving is selected
when indicator lamp2 is illuminated.
Press switch1.
Indicator lamp2 comes on.
Suspension for regular driving style
The setting for regular driving is selected
when the indicator lamp2 is off.

Press switch1.
Indicator lamp2 goes out.Vehicle level control
Your vehicle automatically adjusts its ride
height to:


reduce fuel consumption


increase vehicle safety
The vehicle chassis ride height is raised or
lowered according to the selected level
setting and to the vehicle speed:


With increasing speed, ride height is re-
duced by up to approximately one inch
(25 mm).


With decreasing speed, the ride height
is again raised to the selected vehicle
level.Select the level 1 and 2 settings only when
required by current driving conditions.
Otherwise:


Fuel consumption may increase.


Handling may be impaired.iThese height adjustments are so small
that you may not notice any change.Warning!
G
To help avoid personal injury, keep hands
and feet away from wheel housing area, and
stay away from under the vehicle when low-
ering the vehicle chassis.

367 Practical hints
Towing the vehicle
Warning!
G
The brake system requires electrical power
to operate.
A malfunction in the vehicle’s power supply
or electrical system may impair brake sys-
tem operation and switch it into its emer-
gency operation mode. To brake, the driver
must then apply significantly greater brake
pedal pressure and depress the pedal much
further to obtain the expected braking ef-
fect. If necessary, apply full pressure to the
brake pedal. Brakes are only applied to the
front wheels. Stopping distance is in-
creased! Adapt your driving style according-
ly. SBC brake system (
page 81).
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the brake and steering
systems. In this case, it is important to keep
in mind that a considerably higher degree of
effort is necessary to brake and steer the ve-
hicle. Adapt your driving accordingly.
!When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground, please note the follow-
ing:
With the automatic central locking acti-
vated and the SmartKey in starter
switch position2, or KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button in position2, the ve-
hicle doors lock if the left front wheel
as well as the right rear wheel are turn-
ing at vehicle speeds of approx. 9 mph
(15 km / h) or more.
To prevent the vehicle door locks from
locking, deactivate the automatic cen-
tral locking (
page 105).
Towing of the vehicle should only be
done using the properly installed tow-
ing eye bolt. Never attach tow cable,
tow rope or tow rod to the vehicle chas-
sis, frame or suspension parts.
iThe gear selector lever will remain
locked in positionP and the SmartKey
will not turn in the starter switch if the
battery is disconnected or discharged.
See notes on the battery (
page 358)
or on jump starting (
page 363).