That is the norm as long as the grades are the same or similar. I have been heavy and in a lot of mountains, lately. Some of the people who have been passing me apparently attended a different school. I am amazed how many people think that they can fly down a mountain passing everyone in sight. I just let them go without a word. They put a lot of faith in their brakes. I have seen quite a few who blow past me and all of a sudden they slam on the brakes and pull over into my lane. I guess they didn't see the sign about the 8% grade. :roll:

 

When I was driving I saw some of those turkeys doing the same thing Gman. One thing I never did was get in a hurry going up or down a grade. Going down I tried to use the correct formula of gear and jake brake.

 

If you start out down a steep grade in too high a gear with too much speed it can be next to impossible to gear down. You might be able to slow down enough to get in a lower gear, but if your brakes heat up too much you could be in serious trouble. It is better to get there a little slower than to not arrive at all.

 

Amen to that Gman!