wheel MERCEDES-BENZ SL55AMG 2008 R230 Workshop Manual

179 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Gear selector lever one-touch
gearshifting
With the gear selector lever in drive posi-
tion D and driving in program modeC orS,
you can limit or extend the gear range.
If your vehicle is equipped with the
MANUAL shift program, you can use the
gear selector lever to manually shift the
gears.The following instructions describe opera-
tion of the gear selector lever when driving
in the automatic program modeC orS.
Limiting gear range
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in theD-direction.
The transmission will shift to the next
lower gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously
limits the gear range of the transmis-
sion (
page 176).Extending gear range
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in theD+direction.
The transmission will shift to the next
higher gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously
extends the gear range of the transmis-
sion.
iFor information on using the gear selector
lever in program mode MANUAL, see “Manual
shift program (SL 55 AMG and SL 65 AMG
only)” (
page 182).
!Allow engine to warm up under low load use.
Do not place full load on the engine until the
operating temperature has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or park positionP only
when the vehicle is stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an extended
period when driving off on slippery road
surfaces. This may cause serious damage to the
drivetrain which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Warning!G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.
iTo avoid overrevving the engine when down-
shifting, the transmission will not shift to a lower
gear if the engine’s max. speed would be
exceeded.
iIf you press on the accelerator when the en-
gine has reached its rpm limit, the transmission
will upshift beyond any gear range limit selected.

180 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Canceling gear range limit
Press and hold the gear selector lever
in theD+direction until
D reappears in
the right multifunction display
(
page 174).
The transmission will shift from the
current gear range directly to gear
rangeD.
Shifting into optimal gear range
Press and hold the gear selector lever
in theD-direction.
The transmission will automatically
select the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This will
involve shifting down one or more
gears.Steering wheel gearshift control
one-touch gearshifting*
Steering wheel gearshift control is avail-
able on vehicles with Sport Package*, on
SL 55 AMG, and on SL 65 AMG only.
With the gear selector lever in drive
positionD and driving in program modeC
orS, you can limit or extend the gear
range.
If your vehicle is equipped with the
MANUAL shift program, you can use the
steering wheel gearshift control to
manually shift the gears.
iFor information on using the steering
wheel gearshift control in program mode
MANUAL, see “Manual shift program
(SL55AMGandSL65AMG only)”
(
page 182).
!Allow engine to warm up under low load use.
Do not place full load on the engine until the
operating temperature has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or park positionP only
when the vehicle is stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an extended
period when driving off on slippery road
surfaces. This may cause serious damage to the
drivetrain which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.

181 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Gearshift paddles (example illustration)
1Left shift paddle: limiting gear range or
downshift (in MANUAL program mode)
2Right shift paddle: extending gear
range or upshift (in MANUAL program
mode)
The following instructions describe opera-
tion of the steering wheel gearshift control
when driving in the automatic program
modeC orS.Limiting gear rangeBriefly pull left shift paddle1.
The transmission will shift to the next
lower gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously
limits the gear range of the transmis-
sion (
page 176).Extending gear range
Briefly pull right shift paddle2.
The transmission will shift to the next
higher gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously
extends the gear range of the transmis-
sion.
iYou cannot shift with the steering wheel
gearshift paddles when the gear selector lever is
in positionP,N orR.
Warning!G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.
iTo avoid overrevving the engine when down-
shifting, the transmission will not shift to a lower
gear if the engine’s max. speed would be
exceeded.
iIf you press on the accelerator when the en-
gine has reached its rpm limit, the transmission
will upshift beyond any gear range limit selected.

182 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Canceling gear range limit
Pull and hold right shift paddle2
until
D reappears in the right multifunc-
tion display (
page 174).
The transmission will shift from the
current gear range directly to gear
rangeD.
Shifting into optimal gear range
Pull and hold left shift paddle1.
The transmission will automatically
select the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This will
involve shifting down one or more
gears.Manual shift program
(SL55AMGandSL65AMG only)
In addition to the automatic shift
programC orS, your vehicle is equipped
with the MANUAL shift program.
In the MANUAL program mode,
system-controlled automatic gearshifting
is switched off and you need to change the
gears by manually upshifting or downshift-
ing using the steering wheel gearshift
paddles (
page 181) or the gear selector
lever.The program mode selector switch is
located on the lower part of the center
console.
Program mode selector switch
MANUAL For manual gear shifting
C Comfort For comfort driving
S Sport For standard driving
The selected program mode appears in the
right multifunction display (
page 178).
!Allow engine to warm up under low load use.
Do not place full load on the engine until the
operating temperature has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or park positionP only
when the vehicle is stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an extended
period when driving off on slippery road
surfaces. This may cause serious damage to the
drivetrain which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
iFor information on automatic program
modesC orS, see “Automatic shift program”
(
page 177), “Gear selector lever one-touch
gearshifting” (
page 179), and “Steering wheel
gearshift control one-touch gearshifting*”
(
page 180).

184 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Downshifting
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in theD-direction.
or
Briefly pull left shift paddle1
(
page 181).
The transmission shifts to the next
lower gear.Kickdown
Using the kickdown when driving in the
MANUAL program mode is not possible.
Deactivating manual shift program
Press the program mode selector
switch (
page 182) repeatedly
until
CorS appears in the right
multifunction display.
or
Restart the engine.
The transmission will go to the
automatic program mode (C orS).
The MANUAL program mode is not
stored.Emergency operation
(Limp-Home Mode)
If vehicle acceleration becomes less re-
sponsive or sluggish or the transmission
no longer shifts, the transmission is most
likely operating in limp-home (emergency
operation) mode. In this mode only second
gear and reverse gear can be activated.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location.
Move the gear selector lever to park
positionP.
Turn off the engine.
Wait at least 10 seconds before
restarting.
Restart the engine.
Move the gear selector lever to drive
positionD (for second gear) or
positionR.
Have the transmission checked at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.
Warning!G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.
iWhen you brake or stop, the transmission
shifts down to a gear from which you can easily
accelerate or take off.

194 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Adjusting air distribution
Use air distribution controls1 and5
(
page 190) to separately adjust the air
distribution on each side of the passenger
compartment. The following symbols are
found on the controls:
Press control button 1 or 5
(
page 190) until the control button
sticks up slightly and the U symbol
on the control button is out.
Automatic air distribution for the
respective side of the passenger
compartment is switched off.
Turn control button to the desired
symbol.
The air distribution is adjusted
according to the chosen setting.
Opening the center air vents
Turn thumbwheel 7 (page 188)
upward to the first stop.
Center air vents 2 and 4
(
page 188) are open.
Opening the cockpit air vent and center
air vents
Turn thumbwheel 7 (page 188) up-
ward all the way.
Cockpit air vent 3 and center
air vents2 and 4 (
page 188)
are open.Closing the cockpit air vent and center
air vents
Turn thumbwheel 7 (page 188)
downward.
Cockpit air vent 3 and center
air vents2 and 4 (
page 188)
are closed.
Opening the side air vents
Turn thumbwheel 6 and 8
(
page 188) upward.
The corresponding side air vent is
open.
Closing the side air vents
Turn thumbwheel 6 and 8
(
page 188) upward.
The corresponding side air vent is
closed.
SymbolFunction
hDirects air through the cen-
ter and side air vents
jDirects air to the windows
VDirects air into the entire
vehicle interior
kDirects air to the footwells
iYou can also turn the air distribution control
to a position between two symbols.
iThe air vents are continuously variable.

200 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Deactivating
Press button T (page 190).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
The residual heat is automatically turned
off:

when the ignition is switched on

after about 30 minutes

if the battery voltage drops
Ventilated glove box
The glove box has its own air vents that
allow for cooling ventilation when the auto-
matic climate control system is activated.
Glove box
1Thumbwheel
2Air ventOpening the air vent
Make sure the air vent in the glove box
is unobstructed.
Turn thumbwheel1 upwards.
Closing the air vent
Turn thumbwheel1 downwards.
iYou should keep air vent 2 closed when
outside temperatures are low.

214 Controls in detail
Driving systems
The driving systems of your vehicle are
described on the following pages:

Cruise control and Distronic*, with
which the vehicle can maintain a preset
speed

Distance warning function* (only avail-
able with Distronic*), which warns of
stationary objects or slower moving ve-
hicles that you are closing in on too
quickly

ABC with vehicle level control systems,
with which you can change vehicle sus-
pension characteristics

Parktronic*, which assists the driver
during parking maneuvers
For information on the BAS, ABS, ESP
®,
and the electro-hydraulic brake system,
see “Driving safety systems” (
page 89).
Cruise control
The cruise control automatically maintains
the speed you set for your vehicle.
The use of the cruise control is recom-
mended for driving at a constant speed for
extended periods of time.
You can set or resume the cruise control at
any speed above 20 mph (30 km/h).
The cruise control function is operated by
means of the cruise control lever.
The cruise control lever is the uppermost
lever on the left-hand side of the steering
column (
page 24).
Warning!G
The cruise control is a convenience system
designed to assist the driver during vehicle
operation. The driver is and must always
remain responsible for the vehicle’s speed
and for safe brake operation.
Only use the cruise control if the road,
traffic, and weather conditions make it ad-
visable to travel at a constant speed.

The use of the cruise control can be dan-
gerous on winding roads or in heavy traf-
fic because conditions do not allow safe
driving at a constant speed.

The use of the cruise control can be dan-
gerous on slippery roads. Rapid changes
in tire traction can result in wheel spin
and loss of control.

Deactivate the cruise control when driv-
ing in fog.
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.

219 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Warning!G
Use of Distronic can be dangerous on slip-
pery roads. Rapid changes in tire traction
can result in wheel spin and loss of control.
Distronic does not act upon adverse sight
distance conditions. Do not use Distronic
during conditions of fog, heavy rain, snow or
sleet.
Warning!G
Distronic cannot take weather conditions
into account. Switch off Distronic or do not
switch it on if:

roads are slippery or covered with snow
or ice
The wheels could lose traction while
braking or accelerating and the vehicle
could skid.

the sensor is dirty or visibility is dimin-
ished due to snow, rain or fog for exam-
ple
The distance control system functional-
ity could be impaired.
Always pay attention to surrounding traffic
conditions even while Distronic is switched
on. Otherwise, you may not be able to recog-
nize dangerous situations until it is too late.
This could cause an accident in which you
and/or others could be injured.
Warning!G
Close attention to road and traffic condi-
tions is imperative at all times, regardless of
whether or not Distronic is activated.
Use of Distronic can be dangerous on wind-
ing roads or in heavy traffic because condi-
tions do not allow safe driving at a constant
speed.
Distronic will not react to stationary objects
on the roadway (e.g. a stopped vehicle in a
traffic jam or a disabled vehicle). Distronic
will also not respond to oncoming vehicles.


226 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Setting the following distance in
Distronic
You can set the specified following dis-
tance for Distronic by varying the time set-
ting between 1.0 and 2.0 seconds. Using
this time setting and the current speed of
your vehicle, Distronic calculates and sets
the required following distance to the
preceding vehicle. The set distance will
appear in the right multifunction display
(
page 222).
The distance setting thumbwheel for the
time setting is located on the lower section
of the center console.1Thumbwheel for setting following
distanceIncreasing distance
Increasing the distance setting tells
Distronic to maintain a greater following
distance to the preceding vehicle.
Turn thumbwheel1 towards ¯.
Decreasing distance
Decreasing the distance setting tells
Distronic to maintain a shorter following
distance to the preceding vehicle.
Turn thumbwheel1 towards ®.
!Moving the gear selector lever to positionN
while driving cancels the Distronic. However, the
gear selector lever should not be moved to
positionN while driving except to coast when
the vehicle is in danger of skidding (e.g. on icy
roads).
iDepressing the accelerator pedal does not
deactivate the Distronic. After brief acceleration
(e.g. for passing), the Distronic will resume the
last speed set.
Warning!G
It is up to the driver to exercise discretion to
select the appropriate setting given road
conditions, traffic, driver’s preferred driving
style and applicable laws and driving recom-
mendations for safe following distance.