Downhill gradients

On long and steep gradients, you must reduce the load on the brakes by shifting early to a lower gear. This allows you to take advantage of the engine braking effect and helps avoid overheating and excessive wear of the brakes.

When you take advantage of the engine braking effect, a drive wheel may not turn for some time, e.g. on a slippery road surface. This could cause damage to the drive train. This type of damage is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz warranty.

    See also:

    Load bearing index
    The load bearing index (also load index) is a code that contains the maximum load bearing capacity of a tire. ...

    Tread wear
    The tread wear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate of the tire when tested under controlled conditions on a specified U.S. government course. For example, a tire graded 150 wo ...

    Brow of hill
    When driving up an uphill gradient, slightly reduce pressure on the accelerator immediately before reaching the brow of the hill. Use the vehicle's own impetus to drive over the top of the hil ...