rustybugkiller said:So how exactly is this maneuver performed?
Not that I would ever try it!!
Paging JfryJfry to the Rockford courtesy phone
rustybugkiller said:So how exactly is this maneuver performed?
Not that I would ever try it!!
It's fun. Do it.
I was reading that when the movie Grand Prix was filmed, starring James Garner, the production company had to use Formula 3 cars because FIA would not allow non- F1 licensed drivers to drive F1 cars.
I don't remember who the driving wrangler was but I remember he stated that Garner was the only actor in the bunch that he would have trusted in a F1 car and the rest he could barely trust in a de-tuned F3.
I don’t like watching that. Brings back bad memories of my youth. I spent a summer afternoon watching Rockford on A&E with my dad then headed over to the farm in my ‘81 Grand Prix to practice my J - turns. About the fifth or sixth time I nailed grandpa’s ‘49 GMC parked in the weeds. Did a number on my GP. The truck was no worse for wear.
jfryjfry said:I’ll offer that speed is your friend, don’t hit the brakes, and get mean with the wheel :)
Are today’s trannys up to that abuse? Maybe my next rental
In reply to jfryjfry :
Question, do you let the car sit in neutral briefly as the car gets roughly 90° from the direction of travel prior to engaging the forward gear or do you just slam it and punch it?
I tend to let it sit briefly.
I used to do them all the time in my youth, mostly in my mom's 84 Cutlass.
The only one I truly remember was on 9th St in Claremont, Ca.
My friend and I were headed away from his house when he said he forgot his wallet.
I asked him if I should do a reverse bootleggers (what I called them then...).
He didn't think there was enough room, but I noticed a spot where no cars were parked at the curb, and said I'd use that space to put the arse end of the car for the turn.
So I got up a good run of steam, threw the wheel, and spun the nose back the other way, tires howling and wailing throughout, and went back to his house.
His mom was out front and as we pulled up, yelled "David, was that you!?"
'No.'
" Don't lie to me!!"
'Well don't ask a stupid question!'.
Good Lord I'm cracking up as I type it.
Lord rest her soul, she passed on a number of years back, and I've lost touch with my friend, but what a great memory.
I worked for a contractor in high school and we learned this on snowy roads in a pickup truck with a three on a tree manual tranny.
The key is to throw the front end hard so the weight and momentum carries it around - flip the steering wheel hard.
As your sliding around you throw it into gear and go forward. A snowy or icy road helps you get the front end around as a novice. I’m not sure I can do a dry road.
At 50 years old I showed a group of drunk salesman how it goes on a snowy parking lot in Minneapolis- they wanted me to do it all night.
They seem to get quicker and smoother as they go on.
In high school I would attempt one each morning when I picked up a friend who lived on a dirt road. Got better at it, but never 'good' . Was driving a Fiero 4 cyl with a stick.
Notice the only time the car rotated to the drivers side instead of the passenger, it was also the only time it wasnt the firebird.
rustybugkiller said:So how exactly is this maneuver performed?
Not that I would ever try it!!
It helps to have a parking brake pedal with the ratchet lock removed. Go fast in reverse, pop it into neutral, cut the wheel hard and stab the parking brake, slide the shifter into Drive and floor it.
rustybugkiller said:So, no brody knob required?!
Power steering was so overboosted back then that you could just spin the wheel with the heel of your palm.
Clutch in as the vehicle rotates around while simultaneously flinging the shifter from R to 1. Done probably hundreds of them in an 88 Ranger.
Woody said:rustybugkiller said:So how exactly is this maneuver performed?
Not that I would ever try it!!
It helps to have a parking brake pedal with the ratchet lock removed. Go fast in reverse, pop it into neutral, cut the wheel hard and stab the parking brake, slide the shifter into Drive and floor it.
JFry already said it. No brakes.
Step 1: Go backwards, very fast. The better the surface, the faster you'd better be going.
Step 2: Turn the wheel, very quickly, enough that the car can't make the turn.
Step 3: When the front end gets about half way around, turn the wheel to straight very quickly, while moving the shift lever. Go to drive in an automatic, or whatever gear is good for the speed you're going in a manual. You just slowed down quite a bit, so probably second.
Step 4: As long as you got the wheel straight, it will "lock in" when the tires are pointed in the direction the car's traveling. Let the clutch out, and accelerate away quickly.
Addendum: If you thought you were slick (or you berkeleyed up), and turned the wheel the other way, instead of locking in straight , it will violently continue spinning. If you aren't afraid to abuse the E36 M3 out of your car, you can smash the gas for a second, then go back to reverse when the car's sideways, spin the wheel the other way and smash the gas for a second, etc. This will result in multiple rolling 360s, until you screw up or run out of parking lot. Ask me how I know. :)
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