Distronic Plus tips
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 72
Likes: 19
From: 33004
2017 X166 GLS550 & (R230) SL550 2007 & 2012 S550
Distronic Plus tips
This Distronic Plus is a great technology and once you trust it, this feature can take most of the unpleasantness out of rush hour.
The key to stop & go traffic is to use the control stalk to reduce your current speed setting as you approach the traffic jam.
Ideally at the 20 MPH setting. This will allow the vehicle to come to a gentler stop and once fully at a stop, a little tap
on the accelerator peddle resumes your progress. It takes a while to trust the system as it "feels" a bit unnatural to not use your brake
when approaching stopped traffic but it WILL bring you to a full & complete stop.
Another trick, when at a stop light, the one that seems to take 3 minutes to change to green. IF YOU HAVE A CAR in front of you,
and you are stopped, hit the up on the stalk to engage distronic and it will keep your brake peddle engaged until the light changes
AND AGAIN A LITTLE TAP ON THE ACCELERATOR gets you going again.
For sure one of the best features on the S550....
The key to stop & go traffic is to use the control stalk to reduce your current speed setting as you approach the traffic jam.
Ideally at the 20 MPH setting. This will allow the vehicle to come to a gentler stop and once fully at a stop, a little tap
on the accelerator peddle resumes your progress. It takes a while to trust the system as it "feels" a bit unnatural to not use your brake
when approaching stopped traffic but it WILL bring you to a full & complete stop.
Another trick, when at a stop light, the one that seems to take 3 minutes to change to green. IF YOU HAVE A CAR in front of you,
and you are stopped, hit the up on the stalk to engage distronic and it will keep your brake peddle engaged until the light changes
AND AGAIN A LITTLE TAP ON THE ACCELERATOR gets you going again.
For sure one of the best features on the S550....
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 5,285
Likes: 1,664
S500
comfort actually offers a more stretchy tow rope effect between you and the next vehicle (at higher speed reduces the kickdown just to gain 5mph)
two clicks back from closest setting brings massive gains reducing kangaroo effect in traffic - almost completely removes the need to fiddle with set speed
there are the differences in behaviour between software... I'm on the third iteration I've tried on the same car (and strangely its the rear SAM that brings the changes to the DTR behaviour)
'
'
two clicks back from closest setting brings massive gains reducing kangaroo effect in traffic - almost completely removes the need to fiddle with set speed
there are the differences in behaviour between software... I'm on the third iteration I've tried on the same car (and strangely its the rear SAM that brings the changes to the DTR behaviour)
'
- original 2005 - the best iteration - pre safe only beeps once infrequently, brakes sensibly, see's stuff a long way away and does its job, but throttle by inept fool standing on it (if your chauffer you'd sack him), set at closest, can be manic in traffic (see above, fix works on all 3 iterations)
- latest 2010 - not right - pre safe beeps twice and louder and more often, tries to sort throttle application and gets it wrong, brakes a nasty mess. It only brakes at the last minute and wears out the brake discs and gets passengers shouting at you. In traffic the throttle is better but still too much, but everywhere else far too little and you become a burden to other road users above 45mph.
- 2007 - not right, very similar to 2005, but with a big error, pre safe seldom beeps when it does its 4 times but quietly, going back from 2010 throttle is too much, starts off much like 2005 but after initial pull away jumps back off the throttle so it less bad than 2005 but far less sensible than 2010 at speeds under 45mph. You can feel it brings back the 2005 behaviour where the vehicle slows more and more as you apply more steering lock (which from recollection 2 years back worked well with 2005 software). However vs 2010 you can feel it dither in town, applying a bit of throttle then decides it shouldn't have. But the glaring difference. Whilst 2005 nearly always saw stuff miles away that had slowed a lot, or stopped, and even though 2010 mostly didn't, it would if there was enough time... however 2007 never sees it ever and will not lock on even when there is loads of time and clearly in other conditions it would 100% know it was there
'
- Brakes are far better than 2010. 2007 under braking has a progressive build as required but its later and heavier than it was in 2005. 2005 was exceptional, 2007 bearable, 2010 a complete joke. Yet almost the exact opposite scenario between software versions on the throttle setting
- The 2007 update bringing the "I can't see" design flaw is super naughty. I have been observing this behaviour as I can't believe it does this... coming off a major long off ramp with no significant turn at the end, locked on and following a car, if he decides to change lane it drops off the view (as you'd expect) leaving the next car in front of him 20 yards in and often stationary, yet with 3 or more second and 85 yards to find lock it NEVER finds the new car and does nothing at all and even the pre safe does nothing. Did it again at much slower speeds on Sunday even when I'm now stationary behind the car its NOT finding it, until he pulled away and suddenly he was there immediately on the display - seriously dangerous...
Last edited by BOTUS; Apr 6, 2021 at 12:12 PM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 5,285
Likes: 1,664
S500
that said the 2007 one I have now "didn't" do an SCN update to code it to the car - a bloke had spent 2 hours manually coding it, & got it wrong. So we fitted the original 2005 part running 2010 software. Then after I replaced the SRB a year on as he'd bent a pin on fitting the SAM badly. I had a seat issue showing in diagnostic in the R SAM and the OCP wasn't happy. Went to a good indy to code it and he said it was right.... and "it couldn't be SCN'd" (yet the same guy had two weeks earlier re SCN'd the older original 2005 SAMs front and back ???). Which makes me wonder if the CGW and the R SAM have an affinity and if broke its manual coding only ???.. he then re programmed the OCP with the same software it had and that was then happy....… but he didn't get the R SAM right, but checking at home my snap-on tool with its limited SAM coding options told me the SAM was set for cheap seats and I need to turn off that coding option if I have Dynamic seats... I did and it was all normal.
