How To J-Turn (James Bond Reverse to Forward)
[ April 10th, 2008 ] By: Charles Smith Posted in » How To
Performing the J-Turn
- Shift to Reverse
- Go in a straight line backwards at a good speed(higher speed for more grippy surfaces)
- Take your foot off the gas abruptly
- Jerk the steering wheel Right or Left (Left for an actual J as seen from above)
- Clutch in
- Move the gear selector to Neutral (BE SURE YOU’RE IN NEUTRAL!)
- Clutch out and then Clutch in (This step is the double clutch, it will make the reverse to 1st/2nd gear transition easier on the transmission)
- Move the gear selector to 1st/2nd gear (keep one hand on the wheel!)
- Once the car starts pointing in the direction of travel bring the Steering wheel to straight ahead
- Clutch out and Gas! GOGOGO
The speed required for a J-turn increases with grip. The faster you’re going in reverse, the easier the car will whip around, but also the easier it will be to lose complete control of the car. The first few times it is attempted, don’t worry about forcing the transmission into 1st or 2nd gear, focus on the speed and steering inputs (also safety!).
J-turns are not like the other how-to articles on this site, they are jerky and not smooth. Quick pedal movements and quick steering inputs upset the balance of the car making it possible to complete the 180 degree rotation.
Why Perform a J-Turn
Why not?! You get to look like James Bond doing it. While it is mostly a for show technique it does have a legitimate use: spin recovery. After a spin, you might be facing the completely wrong direction, and a J-Turn is a fast and dangerous way to save some recovery time.
So go out and find a safe place to practice a J-turn. A safe place means somewhere you are allowed to do this and has lots of space so you will not hit anything. Keep in mind it is much easier on loose stuff or wet tarmac than the grippy dry pavement we find all over. I would not suggest doing this in high center of gravity vehicles such as an SUV as the risk of rollover is huge.
Here’s a video version: How To J-Turn - The Video.
April 11th, 2008 at 3:04 am
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June 30th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
[…] What I mean by driving like a Douche is tailgating, accelerating like a bat out of hell stoplight to stoplight (red light racers) and lots of pedal work on the road. So don’t do that. Accelerating like crazy (braking and gas) wastes energy needlessly, so if you really care about your MPG calm down with your pedals. That also means don’t do any of the neat stuff we’ve been telling you how to do like J-turns. […]