by Gabrielle DeSantis

There is a craft to driving in heavy traffic. Not that it is recognized, or that it even matters. There are rules of the road, and then there is the craft of driving. You can sometimes get away more often with speeding on highways doing things a certain way. But far be it for MotorBiscuit to go there. 

But there are other tips we can delve into like the “zipper merge.” It will speed up backed traffic and get you home sooner. You might know what it is but never heard it referred to like that. Zipper merge. Let’s take a look.

The zipper merge can speed things up safely

What the zipper merge does is optimize open and closed lanes when traffic comes to a merge point. Like going from two lanes to one lane. Sometimes roads do this by design (or lack thereof). Other times it is because of a stalled car, or a lane closed down for repairs. And sometimes it is from a beach chair, refrigerator, or some such thing that has fallen out of a truck. 

The point being a lane gets shut down and those stuck in that lane have to merge into the adjacent lane. When you come upon this here’s how it is supposed to work. It will help bottleneck traffic move along. 

If you’re in the lane that is merging, stay in the lane. Don’t get over too quickly. Stay there until you get to the merge point. At this point, the car next to you should allow one car to move ahead of them from the closed lane. 

The zipper merge is like a choreographed weaving of two lanes into one

It should be like a choreographed weaving of two lanes merging into one. So you move into the open lane ahead of the car next to you. Then the car behind you follows behind you. And the car behind them allows the car that was behind you in the closed lane into the open lane. And so it goes. 

It is like zipper teeth when they latch together. One, two; one, two. That is how it is supposed to work. Now, some of this choreographed dance relies on cooperation. If the car next to you won’t let you in because they think they own that lane or can’t afford to allow you in, then your lane comes to a stop. 

“Motorists blocking open lanes creates a dangerous situation”

Allowing you in at the merge point keeps your lane moving at much the same rate as the lane that is open. A Michigan Department of Transportation spokesperson told Autoblog, “The motorists that block the open lane are only creating a dangerous situation and invoking road rage. They are accomplishing nothing more than that.” 

AAA manager of driver training Dr. Bill Van Tassel told Autoblog, “Using the zipper merge through temporary work zones, research suggests, improves traffic flow by up to 15 percent. That’s a nice little bonus.” It also shortens the backup length by 40-75 percent. 

It can improve safety too

Using the zipper merge in a calm and methodical way improves safety, too. “The mere fact that you have to allow space for cars that need to move in front of you if you’re in that lane — or that you have to arrange for space to be there if you’re the car moving into that lane — that sort of gets everybody focused on space,” Van Tassel says.

So there are numerous rewards for correctly merging in traffic when a lane closes. And there are no rewards for not letting the car next to you into the open lane at the merge point. Try it next time and see for yourself.

RELATED: The Lane You Should Avoid When Driving in a Busy City

The post Do the “Zipper Merge” When Traffic Backs Up: What Is It? appeared first on MotorBiscuit.

by Gabrielle DeSantis

All things Porsche have been on a serious uptick lately. Obviously, the air-cooled 911s have gone bananas, but this boom is somewhat understandable. However, the most shocking and also heartening of the Porsche boom has been the appreciation for the Porsche 928. 

This goofy-looking little alien car was almost left to die in the past until recently. The recent uptick in people overspending on obscure cars from the 70s and 80s has proven to be quite good for the weird little Porsche. 

Now, a couple of designers from Brazil have decided to bring the Porsche 928 into the 21st century – and it looks slicker’n greased lightnin’. 

Is there a new Porsche 928? 

According to Classic Driver, a pair of Brazilian designers decided that the old Porsche 928 deserved a chance in the modern world. So, they made a rendering showing what their vision of a modern Porsche 928 would look like, and they are making a strong argument for their brainchild. 

Guilherme Knop, the mastermind behind the design, says he first fell in love with the 928 when he saw Tom Cruise ripping around in one, in the 80s classic, Risky Business. While the car isn’t overly Porsche-y, the silhouette is undeniably endearing. In trying to keep it true to form, Knop used the same dimensions as the original 928 but adapted it to fit a 2015 911 platform. When Knop was done with his end, the incredibly talented CGI artist João Schendle then worked his magic to help produce the images on the concept. 

The old 928 would be proud 

Knop’s design and Schendle’s renderings stay honest to the original 928 GTS while adapting everything to modern specs and style. The execution shows real vision and creativity while clinging to the love and romance of the vintage Porsche’s style. It feels appropriate to call this a masterpiece, given the tightrope walk of honoring the past while making something totally new. 

Is the Porsche 928 a good car? 

The Porsche 928 was meant to replace the Porsche 911 when it was released in the 70s. Knowing what we know now, that was a silly idea, but you can’t blame the Germans for trying. For the 928, Porsche moved the engine from the rear and plopped it in the front, giving the 928 a totally different look from the 911. 

Not only did Porsche have the car follow the engine now, but it also tossed the old air-cooled flat-six and went to a water-cooled V8. This represented the first shift from peppy, nimble little sports cars to long and low grand tourers. 

What’s funny is, although the 928 never really stood a chance against the 911, the 911 has shifted over the years to adopt more of the 928’s features and size to better accommodate the modern taste and style. 

Knowing how the Porsche 911 has changed over the years makes a pretty good argument that this modern take on the 928 is not such a crazy idea after all. I mean, it fits perfectly with the current Porsche flavor; it looks like a million bucks and ties into the resurrecting vintage models with a modern twist. If you need further proof of this, look no further than the Dodge Charger, Challenger, Bronco, Wagoneer, and so on. 

Porsche, talk to the folks in Brazil, and let’s bring back a classic. Let’s face it, Porsche hasn’t shown much excitement, passion, or innovation in its car design since… well, the original 928. Y’all are overdue for a little trip outside the box.

RELATED: Porsche 928: One of the Most Important Porsches Ever Built

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