2007 Mercedes S-Class Owner's Manual - Page 74

Safety and Security Driving safety systems i The ESP® will only function properly if you use wheels of the recommended tire size ( page 655). road conditions. The brakes are applied to the spinning wheel and power is transferred to the wheel(s) with traction. The ESP® warning lamp v in the instrument cluster starts to flash at any vehicle speed, as soon as a tire loses traction and the wheel begins to spin. When you switch off the ESP®, the ETS is still enabled. Warning! Switching off the ESP® Warning! ! Because of the ESP's® automatic operation, the engine and ignition must be shut off (SmartKey in starter switch position 0 or 1 or KEYLESS-GO start/stop button* in position 0 or 1) when the parking brake is being tested on a brake test dynamometer the vehicle is being towed with the front/rear axle raised Active braking action through the ESP® may otherwise seriously damage the brake system. G The ESP® should not be switched off during normal driving other than in the circumstances described below. Disabling of the system will reduce vehicle stability in standard driving maneuvers. G For more information, see "Practical hints" section ( page 549) and ( page 582). ETS The Electronic Traction System is a component of ESP®. The Electronic Traction System (ETS) improves the vehicle's ability to utilize available traction, especially under slippery If you are driving too fast, the Electronic Traction System cannot reduce the risk of an accident. The ETS cannot prevent the natural laws of physics from acting on the vehicle. To improve the vehicle's traction, turn off the ESP® in driving situations where it would be advantageous to have the drive wheels spin and thus cut into surfaces for better grip such as: when driving with snow chains in deep snow in sand or gravel i If the yellow ESP® warning lamp v comes on while driving, the ETS is being switched off temporarily to prevent overheating of the drive wheel brakes. In addition, the message "ESP Currently unavailable See Oper. Manual" appears in the multifunction display. ! Turn the ESP® on immediately if the aforementioned circumstances do not apply anymore. i DISTRONIC Plus* cannot be activated when the ESP® has been switched off. 73