Never coast with the engine off
Many units do not work (for example, signaling devices, brake booster, power steering, airbag systems). You are putting yourself and other road users at risk.
Brake booster
Do not start driving until a vacuum has been created in the brake booster, otherwise significant force must be applied to the brake pedal when braking.
Power steering
If the power steering fails, for example during towing with the engine off, the vehicle will still be controllable, but more effort will be required.
Engine shaft speed
In all road conditions, operate the vehicle within the optimal engine speed range.
Shifting to a lower gear
When reducing speed, shift to a lower gear, do not slip the clutch at high engine speeds. This is especially important when driving in mountainous conditions.
Clutch
Press the clutch pedal fully to prevent difficulties when changing gears and to avoid damage to the gearbox. There should be no mats in the pedal area.
Do not use the clutch pedal as a footrest while driving, as this may cause accelerated wear of the clutch discs.
Battery Preservation
When driving at low speed or when stopped, such as when driving in the city, during short trips and traffic jams, switch off power consumers if possible (heated glass, additional headlights, etc.).
When starting the engine, disengage the clutch to avoid idle resistance of the gearbox, relieve the starter and battery.
Idling
The engine consumes fuel even when idling.
It makes sense to stop the engine already during stops longer than 1 minute. Five minutes of engine idling corresponds to one kilometer of travel.
Forced idle mode
During forced idle mode, the fuel supply is automatically cut off, for example when driving downhill or when braking.
During this mode, do not accelerate or disengage the clutch so that the fuel shut-off system can operate to reduce fuel consumption.
Shift gears in a timely manner
High engine speed values increase wear on vehicle components and fuel consumption.
Do not increase the rotation speed to high values. Too high a speed on individual gears or steps increases wear of vehicle components and fuel consumption.
Driving by the tachometer helps save fuel. Try to drive the car at low engine speeds in each gear (approx. between 2000 and 3000 rpm) and at a uniform speed.
Tire pressure
Under-inflation of tires results in increased rolling resistance, increased fuel consumption, and increased tire wear.
Additional consumers
Turning on additional power consumers increases fuel consumption.
Article was obtained from the portal [Mercedesman.ru]
Additional consumers should be disconnected (air conditioning, heated rear window, additional headlights, etc.), if their work is not required.
Driving Tips
When driving through puddles, you need to be extremely careful, as they can hide holes and bumps that can damage wheel rims and suspension parts.
Moisture can get onto the ignition system components and stop the engine when driving on the road during heavy rain. A good and reliable way to prevent dampness of ignition system components is to pre-treat them with water-repellent preparations in an aerosol package.
Be especially careful and cautious in the first minutes after the rain starts, as wet dust on the road surface forms a soapy film, which sharply reduces the tires' grip on the road.
Regularly apply light braking to dry the brakes while driving, as the effectiveness of wet brakes drops sharply.
When overtaking, turn on the windshield wiper to the maximum mode, as this will help to avoid loss of visibility due to possible water ejection from under the wheel of the vehicle being overtaken. It is advisable to take such precautions also if you are being overtaken.
When dusk falls, turn on the low beam headlights. If your car is painted dark, turn on the low beams a little earlier, so that your car is not visible against the dark asphalt and its appearance becomes unexpected for oncoming drivers.
Be careful on wet or slippery road sections. Avoid sudden braking with the risk of locking the wheels, which will inevitably lead to skidding. To this end, drive smoothly, without sharp turns.
The braking distance depends on the reliability of the braking system itself, the condition of the tire tread, the vehicle load, the road profile, the type and condition of the road surface, and the vehicle speed. The braking distance increases proportionally to the square of the speed, i.e. if the speed doubles, the braking distance increases fourfold.
To prevent the brake shoes from freezing to the drums after driving on wet roads with sudden temperature fluctuations, do not leave the car in an open area with the parking brake applied without drying the brakes by braking smoothly as you move toward the parking lot.