[quote=spdrun]My goal is NOT to piss off a tailgater, BTW. In fact, I really don’t want to annoy them at all. I just want them to pass me or back off. It’s not a question of revenge or whatever, it’s a question of the safety of myself, my passengers, and my car.

Gently speeding up and slowing down will generally cause them to detach without even knowing why they did. Brake checking would put myself, them, and everyone else next to us on the freeway in danger. Not an option.[/quote]
Your intention doesn’t always have the same reception. I’m sure those who are tail gaiting you would be pissed off when seeing you slow down and leave a wider game, which would slow them down. Down shifting 2 gears is not gently slowing down. Down shifting 2 gears going 70 MPH will DRASTICALLY slow you down without letting the person tailgating you know your intention. You’re just asking to be rear ended. I would never attempt to do such a thing.