A J-turn is a driving maneuver used to reverse a backwards-traveling vehicle so as to continue driving in the same direction, but with the vehicle pointed forward. The J-turn is also called "moonshiner's turn", based on the evasive driving tactics used by bootleggers. A J-turn differs from a bootleg turn in that the vehicle starts out reversing. This is traditionally performed by a stunt driver in many car chases in movies and television shows. This can be performed on both dry and snowy surfaces, snow being the preferred surface to begin learning this stunt. This can also be considered a basic maneuver that will lead into the K-turn. This is with a forward starting car also known as the three-point turn, which can be considered the opposite of this J-turn.
This maneuver is also known as a "Rockford", referring to the TV show The Rockford Files due to the prevalent use of the stunt in the show.[1]
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The maneuver is performed by quickly reversing in a straight line and then turning the wheel to one side and using the foot brake to lock the front wheels while turning. The vehicle is shifted into a forward gear as the nose comes about. The basics of this turn are all focused on the physics of weight transfer of the car during the J-turn process.
In front-wheel drive vehicles the clutch is pressed when performing the maneuver.
The narrowest J-turn was performed in a Renault Twingo, between barriers set 378 centimeters apart. The diagonal length of the car, 370 centimeters, meant stunt driver Terry Grant had only a gap of 4 centimeters on each side. This happened at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, UK, at the Pistonheads show 11–13 January 2008. *[2]