Mercedes-Benz GLK Special Feature: 4MATIC Control Strategies For Wintry Road Conditions

As is the case with 4MATIC's fine-tuning on a dry or wet road, directional stability and therefore the active safety of the GLK models is always to the fore when wintry conditions prevail, too. The basic 4MATIC mechanism with a 45:55 percent torque split between the front and rear axles along with the multiple-disc limited-slip centre differential with a basic locking torque of 50 Nm adds up to an ideal solution. This basic design delivers high traction since, on the one hand, the dynamic shift in axle load toward the rear axle that occurs during acceleration is used to deliver more drive torque to the rear. Meanwhile, the multiple-disc limited-slip centre differential can also variably shift the drive torque from 30 to 70 or 70 to 30 percent between the front and rear axle, whenever the road conditions so dictate. As such, the electronic control systems ESP®, 4ETS or ASR can intervene as late as possible; the bulk of the torque is converted into traction on slippery roads.

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