ESC and ABS make J-Turns in a high Center of Gravity (CG) vehicle exciting and expensive.

A comment from VDI’s Joe Autera

“This is why serious professionals – be they drivers or instructors – have relegated the J-Turn to the “Cool, But Not Really Useful” Bin….along with “Boot Leg” turns and jumping on/off the running boards of a moving vehicle.”

It is exceedingly difficult – if not outright impossible – to perform a J-turn in a car equipped with electronic stability control if/when that particular system is engaged. And chances are, that under stress, one will not have either the presence of mind or the manual dexterity required to deactivate the system.

I have witnessed instances where attempting the maneuver sends the ECU into “limp home” mode – a condition which severely limits the vehicle’s performance and negates any “benefit” a driver thought they might gain from doing a J-turn.