MLs are ALL wheel drive, right? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

defuser · #1 12-02-2005, 03:04 PM

At least that is what I thought, until I got stuck in the sand the other day. Just my front left and right rear tires were spinning. I tried high and low range, traction control on and off.....no difference. I finally dug myself out with the wife at the helm. Any insight would be appreciated....

Defuser

mbdoc · #2 12-02-2005, 05:09 PM

Yes, 4-ETS electronic traction system. The brakes are "designed" to hold the spinning wheels, so that any of the other wheels can GRAB!

DID you press the accelerator to the floor?? THAT is what needs to happen on that system if you are really stuck.

jfreezn · #3 12-05-2005, 02:05 AM

Actually, it can be as bad as 1 wheel drive. You have to let the wheels spin long enough to trigger the ETS which will then apply brakes to any spinning wheel. You should see the ETS light come on when the system is actuated, less than 10 revolutions should do it.

You DO NOT have to hold the throttle to the floor! When the ETS stops any and all of the spinning wheels, the power is automatically routed to the remaining wheels that have traction. This will happen in high or low range, you will just have more torque available in low range.

It is kind of a weak system because anytime you apply brakes to a wheel, you are sapping power from the drive train. Locking differentials cost a lot more money though. Of course if only one wheel is getting traction, locking diffs will not help you either!

Jim in Phoenix

mbdoc · #4 12-05-2005, 08:07 AM

Notice I suggestet that IF you are "REALLY STUCK" & yes we did Practice that at the MB training center at Vance Alabama where they have a full blown 4-wheel drive course!

defuser · #5 12-09-2005, 02:58 PM

to stomp on the gas, but everytime the wheels spun, my ML got lower in the sugar sands....hehe By the way, does anyone know if ALL the wheels would have kicked in?

mbdoc · #6 12-09-2005, 03:32 PM

To get stuck in sand with STREET tires can be a real problem!

YES all 4 tires should have STUN if you applied enough throttle!

jfreezn · #7 12-12-2005, 11:43 AM

Of course the absolute answer is unknown because at some point you will get high centered on the frame and then you have to dig. But to move in the sand you have to let the air out of your tires down to about 8 PSI. They will stay on the rim if you don't get crazy doing donuts or side hill runs. I have been all over the dunes in both my '94 Bravada (full time 4WD but no low range), and my 98 ML320, both of which have rather mild Michelin Cross Terrains on them. But boy do they grip when you let the air out to 8PSI!

Remember to keep your speed below 40 on hard surfaces until you get aired back up.

Anyone who has ever seen an Oldsmobile at the top of Oldsmobile Hill, a giant sand dune at Glamis, knows it was mine! Many, many 4WD trucks cannot make that trip!

Jim in Phoenix

george d · #8 12-13-2005, 09:11 AM

Something similar happened to me a few years ago. I backed my right rear wheel into a slight ditch adjacent to an absolutely level rural driveway. I liked to have never gotten out. Three people had to push me.

Wolfgang advised me that I had to make absolutely sure that I did not have a foot on the brake while trying to crawl out of the ditch. I cannot be absolutely certain that I did not have one foot on the brake while I was trying to gain forward momentum, because I was afraid of slipping further back into the ditch.

He says that when you step on the brake, it turns off the 4ETS system. I have not tried to replicate the situation to see if I could drive out of the same ditch now.

Another time, when I was backing a load of hay on a trailer off road, I ended up in a situation where the right rear wheel was actually several inches off the ground. I unhitched the trailer (the wheel remained up in the air), and the system seemed to work flawlessly, and I drove right out. The wheel would spin for a second, then I could hear some different mechanical sounds and traction was restored. (I will have to admit, that after I got out of that situation, I went and got my 1973 Land Rover Series III to finish the job that I had started with the ML.)

george d

steve32 · #9 12-15-2005, 02:20 PM

Just thought I would add that after reading this thread I decided to give the ML another chance. I thought I had the worst 4WD or AWD SUV until... Well last night I got a little crazy and stopped at the base of a snowy incline. I then hit the gas and when the right rear began to spin, I kept on it. After about 20 seconds the little beast actually started up the hill, quite to my surprise. I know my Expedition would have just spun wheels. I now have a greater respect for the capabilities of the ML!

JoeTechie · #10 12-21-2005, 01:56 AM

You would be AMAZED at what the ML can do. The ETS / Low Range combination needs to be experienced to be believed. It also takes some training. In any low traction situation - put the car in N, brake on. put car in Low Range. Wait till it activates. When it does - put car in "1", take foot off brake and do not apply again till you are completly out of the woods. Keep a constant speed - not too fast, just try to maintain a slow steady pace.

I was able to not only get a test RIDE on the offroad track in Vance, but actually DROVE the entire thing myself - it was a no-no at the time, but my driver was very cool about it. I have it all on video. I don't know if this was the norm afterward - someone can back me up if they got the same chance.

-Joe

george d · #11 12-21-2005, 07:37 AM

Joe,

The time that the 4ETS system did work for me, I did happen to already be in Low Range, because I was hauling a large round bale of hay in an off-road situation.

The time I got stuck, I was on level ground on a gravel driveway, when my right rear wheel went into a shallow grassy ditch beside the driveway.

hmmm!? Very interesting....

george d