2007 BMW M5 Owner's Manual - Page 115

flammable materials such as hay, leaves, grass, etc. Such contact could lead to a fire, and with it the risk of serious property damage as well as personal injury. Do not touch hot exhaust tail pipes. Otherwise there is a risk of burns.< Hydroplaning When driving on wet or slushy roads, reduce road speed. If you do not, a wedge of water can form between tires and road surface. This phenomenon is referred to as hydroplaning, and is characterized by a partial or complete loss of contact between the tires and the road surface, ultimately undermining your ability to steer and brake the vehicle.< The risk of hydroplaning increases as the tread depth of the tires decreases, refer also to Minimum tire tread on page 200. To protect the clutch of the Sequential Manual Transmission from overheating, the starting-off behavior is changed under heavy loading, e.g. a rapid succession of starts on slopes. This can be noticed from shaking during starting off. On a slippery surface 1. Select "P 400" program of M Engine Dynamic Control, refer to page 58. 2. Gently press accelerator pedal to prevent wheels from spinning when starting off. Clutch protection with manual transmission Be sure to avoid riding the clutch for longer periods. Your BMW M5 is equipped with an overload protection for the clutch. Riding the clutch for longer periods is detected and the engine management system limits the engine speed to protect the clutch. This can result in the vehicle failing to accelerate when the clutch pedal is partially depressed. Driving through water Do not drive through water on the road if it is deeper than 1 ft/30 cm, and then only at walking speed at the most. Otherwise, the vehicle's engine, the electrical systems and the transmission may be damaged.< Starting off On slopes The starting assistant enables starting off on slopes virtually without rolling back. 1. Hold the vehicle with the footbrake. 2. Make sure that the handbrake is released. 3. Release the footbrake and drive off quickly. Braking safely Your BMW is equipped with ABS as a standard feature. In situations that require it, it is best to brake with full force. Since the vehicle maintains steering responsiveness, you can still avoid possible obstacles with a minimum of steering effort. The pulsing of he brake pedal indicates that the ABS is controlling braking. 113 Online Edition for Part no. 01 41 0 013 310 - © 02/07 BMW AG Reference Mobility Communications Entertainment Navigation Driving tips BMW discourages the use of mobile communications devices, e.g. mobile phones, inside the vehicle without a direct connection to an outside antenna. Otherwise, the vehicle electronics and mobile communication device can influence one another. In addition, there is no assurance that the radiation which results from transmission will be dissipated from the vehicle interior.< Start off quickly on slopes. Do not hold the vehicle on a hill by pressing the accelerator, but apply the footbrake or handbrake instead. Otherwise overheating and heavy wear can result in the area of the Sequential Manual Transmission.< Controls Mobile communications devices in vehicle The starting assistant holds the vehicle for approx. 1 second after releasing the footbrake. Depending on the load, the vehicle may also roll back slightly during this time. After releasing the footbrake, drive off quickly, otherwise the starting assistant no longer holds the vehicle after approx. 1 second and it begins to roll back.< At a glance