Compression braking and heavy drivetrain don't matter

[scottzg]

So i have done this 15 mile downhill drive pretty regularly lately, and always get stuck behind other cars that i cant pass. So i leave the car in 5th and coast down the hill following them. I always have to tap the brake to not rear end them, but seeing their brake lights, they are coasting. I never touch the gas. What's really strange though, is that i still catch people (albeit slower) in 4th.

What's going on? I would think my 5mt would out compression brake these other cars, and the heavyish drivetrain would make me lag further behind still.

[jamal]

well, the last time I drove down a steep hill I was engine braking with pretty low rpms in 3rd in an automatic, and the guy in front of me was riding his brakes to the point where I could smell how overheated they were. I wasn't catching up to him, either.

[scottzg]

right, the people in front of me are not touching their brakes, and i have to ride mine a little to stay behind. Jamal, this is on 330 up to big bear lake.

[555BCTurbo]

4th and 5th are both overdrives in the Legacy, and overdrives don't really tend to compression brake that well...

I miss the compression braking of my Mercedes 240D Diesel...let off the gas and it was like hitting the jake brake in a semi!

[jamal]

I'm just saying compression braking works fine for me.

how fast can you go in 3rd?

[scottzg]

80