3 ms·

I guess those situations where you are engine braking and a non-tailgating driver doesn't realize he's closing to an unsafe distance. Then one of a couple of th

I guess those situations where you are engine braking and a non-tailgating driver doesn't realize he's closing to an unsafe distance. Then one of a couple of things could cause a collision from this preventably-dangerous situation. Def not a daily event but not unheard of.

bell-cot 2y ago
If you drive a manual in a hilly area, or a city with poorly-coordinated traffic lights, it can be an extremely frequent event. Not that trying to shed tailgaters or trigger-happy brake lights are foolproof. A couple decades ago, my car was totaled by a rear-end collision. I was stopped and stuck in the traffic at a red light. The at-fault driver popped over a little hill with her nose stuck in a map - failing to notice me, the other vehicles, or the red light, in time.
- foobarian 2y ago
  Tbh I find my manual gearbox car not able to slow very hard at all with engine braking. However it's admittedly not a Diesel engine.
  - bell-cot 2y ago
    Having driven (and engine braked) both diesel and gas manuals - yes, a diesel is much better at slowing "very hard". Beware of doing that if someone is close or inattentive behind you. With either one, any need-to-brake situation gets more complex - you need to decide "brake pedal, engine, or both?". But I'm not driving manuals because I want driving to be super-simple.
    - sokoloff 2y ago
      Interesting. I found my diesel Mercedes to not have much engine braking at all (which I attributed to the lack of a throttle plate or any throttling of airflow) as compared to similar size and weight gas cars (which have a throttle plate in the intake).
      - bell-cot 2y ago
        Supposedly, the engine controls in my VW diesel (90HP 4-cylinder "TDI" engine) cut off all fuel when the driver was engine breaking (no throttle, RPM's above current desired idle speed). Perhaps they made other adjustments. It could brake pretty hard that way. I'd guess the engine controls in your Mercedes handled that situation rather differently, for "Mercedes customers will expect..." reasons.
- yial 2y ago
  I drove a manual with a 4.6l v8 as my daily driver for 8-10 years. After taking a motorcycle safety course (in which they teach applying the brake to trigger the lights when engine braking to alert cars behind you ) I did some anecdotal testing / started triggering the brake lights when engine braking in the car. While not effective for everyone behind me, triggering the brake lights did seem to increase the distance people began to slow at, and also their following distance increased. I was once rear ended, while I was completely stopped, with a train going by in front of me. Since it was a flat level surface I had let me foot off the brake. I do wonder if I had still had the brake applied if the person would have noticed. (However, this is a poor example as the driver who rear ended me was an unlicensed 16 year old driving illegally ). While on my motorcycle, I try to always trigger my brake lights. I will trigger them rapidly in scenarios where I have sufficient stopping distance but I would be doing a more aggressive stop in a car as the flashing does seem to get more attention.

bell-cot 2y ago

If you drive a manual in a hilly area, or a city with poorly-coordinated traffic lights, it can be an extremely frequent event. Not that trying to shed tailgaters or trigger-happy brake lights are foolproof. A couple decades ago, my car was totaled by a rear-end collision. I was stopped and stuck in the traffic at a red light. The at-fault driver popped over a little hill with her nose stuck in a map - failing to notice me, the other vehicles, or the red light, in time.

foobarian 2y ago
Tbh I find my manual gearbox car not able to slow very hard at all with engine braking. However it's admittedly not a Diesel engine.
- bell-cot 2y ago
  Having driven (and engine braked) both diesel and gas manuals - yes, a diesel is much better at slowing "very hard". Beware of doing that if someone is close or inattentive behind you. With either one, any need-to-brake situation gets more complex - you need to decide "brake pedal, engine, or both?". But I'm not driving manuals because I want driving to be super-simple.
  - sokoloff 2y ago
    Interesting. I found my diesel Mercedes to not have much engine braking at all (which I attributed to the lack of a throttle plate or any throttling of airflow) as compared to similar size and weight gas cars (which have a throttle plate in the intake).
    - bell-cot 2y ago
      Supposedly, the engine controls in my VW diesel (90HP 4-cylinder "TDI" engine) cut off all fuel when the driver was engine breaking (no throttle, RPM's above current desired idle speed). Perhaps they made other adjustments. It could brake pretty hard that way. I'd guess the engine controls in your Mercedes handled that situation rather differently, for "Mercedes customers will expect..." reasons.
yial 2y ago
I drove a manual with a 4.6l v8 as my daily driver for 8-10 years. After taking a motorcycle safety course (in which they teach applying the brake to trigger the lights when engine braking to alert cars behind you ) I did some anecdotal testing / started triggering the brake lights when engine braking in the car. While not effective for everyone behind me, triggering the brake lights did seem to increase the distance people began to slow at, and also their following distance increased. I was once rear ended, while I was completely stopped, with a train going by in front of me. Since it was a flat level surface I had let me foot off the brake. I do wonder if I had still had the brake applied if the person would have noticed. (However, this is a poor example as the driver who rear ended me was an unlicensed 16 year old driving illegally ). While on my motorcycle, I try to always trigger my brake lights. I will trigger them rapidly in scenarios where I have sufficient stopping distance but I would be doing a more aggressive stop in a car as the flashing does seem to get more attention.