2001 Mercedes CL-Class Owner's Manual - Page 249

Instruments and controls Operation Driving Instrument cluster display Practical hints Car care Technical data Index Driving instructions Aquaplaning Depending on the depth of the water layer on the road, aquaplaning 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. Tire traction The safe speed on a wet, snow covered or icy road is always lower than on a dry road. You should pay particular attention to the condition of the road whenever the outside temperatures are close to the freezing point. 244 Warning! If ice has formed on the road, tire traction will be substantially reduced. Under such weather conditions, drive, steer and brake with extreme caution. We recommend M+S rated radial-ply tires for the winter season for all four wheels to insure normal balanced handling characteristics. On packed snow, they can reduce your stopping distance as compared with summer tires. Stopping distance, however, is still considerably greater than when the road is not snow or ice covered.