I am curious how all the members with lowered cars go about jacking them up to rotate tires, change oil and such. Need to do some maintenance and want to be sure I jack it up right. Any ideas on how to raise the car to fit the jack under and where do you place the jack. Also, raise the front then back or vice-versa?
How to jack up a lowered car?
- Thread starter YellowPR5
- Start date
My car is not lowered and I still can't get my jack under there, from the side.
What I do is drive it up on ramps and then jack it up. Sure, it's an extra step, but it gets the job done.
I jack it up from the side. I place the jack on the sub frame, roughly in the middle of drivers door. This allows for both wheels to come off the ground. Makes for easy tire rotation.
For oil change, I just drive it up on ramps and use jack stands under frame for extra safety.
P.S. Always chock your wheels when you jack the car up!
What I do is drive it up on ramps and then jack it up. Sure, it's an extra step, but it gets the job done.
I jack it up from the side. I place the jack on the sub frame, roughly in the middle of drivers door. This allows for both wheels to come off the ground. Makes for easy tire rotation.
For oil change, I just drive it up on ramps and use jack stands under frame for extra safety.
P.S. Always chock your wheels when you jack the car up!
i have a craftsman jack that is only 2 1/4" off the ground that works for me hopefully it still will after i get my body kit put on. driving on ramps may not work depending if you have a front lip on like me. i like the idea of the 2x4 i may have to do that in the future. O btw im dropped on tein s techs
When I was trying on a different front wheel last week, I had to use the jack to lift the car enough to get my Craftsman jack underneath. No body kit or lip, just a 2" drop in the front, little less in the back. From the back, I can slide the Craftsmn jack under just fine.
Same , I Also Have The Hydraulic Jack, Im A Lazy Guy And I Hate Having To Get On The Floor And Spin The Jack Arm 10000 Times Ta Raise It, With The Hydraulic One I Put It Under And Crank It Like 4 Times, Dats It. Plus Since My Car Is Sooooo Low The Stock Jack Dusnt Fit, The One I Have Nowslides Right Under No Prob.
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- 2001 Pro 2.0 LX
with my car lowered and with the bodykit I cant get the jack under the car from the sides but from the fron or back is fine. What I do for the sides is use the jack that came with the car as a start and then use my jack to lift the rest up. As for oil changes I also go on ramps that I place ate the end of my driveway that has a little slope so it gives me more room underneath.
Protege5Gurly
Member
Lowered with the MintBlue kit is a nightmare ... you can jack from the rear no probs at all but to do oil/brakes, etc its a PITA.
1. Drive car up onto 2 pieces of wood
2. Jack from one side, place stand, repeat for the other side.
There is NO WAY ANY jack will fit under the front or sides unless its evelated on homemade ramps -- the Rhino ramps and stuff they sell at stores are too steep to drive up on with the MB kit.
If I get a flat -- fixaflat or AAA
and to get onto the tow truck I need to remove the front bumper.
While going to NOPI 2 yrs ago during the Hurricane we blew a tire in NC. Called AAA -- ended up taking off a side skirt (luckily at the time they werent rivented/molded on) ... taking the wheel off, havin the dude drive us to a shop -- got a new tire, he drove us back and put the car back together. Mind you we did this is TORRENTIAL rain and HIGH winds -- lovely day. However, once we finished up and got back on the road, since the storm had passed, the sunset we drove into on the rest of the trip down was simply amazing
Pe@ce
1. Drive car up onto 2 pieces of wood
2. Jack from one side, place stand, repeat for the other side.
There is NO WAY ANY jack will fit under the front or sides unless its evelated on homemade ramps -- the Rhino ramps and stuff they sell at stores are too steep to drive up on with the MB kit.
If I get a flat -- fixaflat or AAA
and to get onto the tow truck I need to remove the front bumper.While going to NOPI 2 yrs ago during the Hurricane we blew a tire in NC. Called AAA -- ended up taking off a side skirt (luckily at the time they werent rivented/molded on) ... taking the wheel off, havin the dude drive us to a shop -- got a new tire, he drove us back and put the car back together. Mind you we did this is TORRENTIAL rain and HIGH winds -- lovely day. However, once we finished up and got back on the road, since the storm had passed, the sunset we drove into on the rest of the trip down was simply amazing
Pe@ce
OK, still looking for more ideas here. In the past, I have used the 2x4 method to raise the front enough to get the hydraulic jack under the side skirts, and then jack from the side to get one side lifted. I recently read on this site that jacking from the side wasn't a good idea and that you should jack up from the front and back. This creates the problem. If I jack up the front, the back becomes too low to get the jack under, and if I jack the back first, the front is too low. I'm just trying to find a good method to be sure I don't damage the under carriage of my car, but to also be able to jack in the right spots and raise the front and back.
Jacking a car from one side is actually really hard on them. Especially lowered ones that have quite a bit less wheel travel.
I have a craftsman floor jack that i use on the front in the center. On the bottom of the radiator support is 2 large bolts that hold the front engine/tranny support on. The jack will "cup" the bolt, it wont slip off, and its a very strong place.
In the back, do it from the center of your suspension, where the lateral arms meet in the center. If you make a shorter handle for your jack, about 9" long you can jack up the car for a ways first, then use your normal handle.
Ive had lowered cars for almost 15yrs now, and have always done them this way, never had a problem.
I have a craftsman floor jack that i use on the front in the center. On the bottom of the radiator support is 2 large bolts that hold the front engine/tranny support on. The jack will "cup" the bolt, it wont slip off, and its a very strong place.
In the back, do it from the center of your suspension, where the lateral arms meet in the center. If you make a shorter handle for your jack, about 9" long you can jack up the car for a ways first, then use your normal handle.
Ive had lowered cars for almost 15yrs now, and have always done them this way, never had a problem.
Well I lowered mine 2in front and back and I still use the factory jack! I have always done the front first, guess it just feels like the right way to do it. As far as letting it down I hold the spring in place and use on hand to lower the car until there is enough pressure to keep the spring in place. It does take alittle longer than some but I know I can use a jack on the side of the highway,
Khoifather
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- Mazda Protege5
Super Duper Long Wait
Giallou P5
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- 03 Yellow P5 - Break Ya Neck
macklum said:
Yup me and my friends do the same thing.
Giallou P5
Member
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- 03 Yellow P5 - Break Ya Neck
yo you make ur sig man, or is that in an actual game? and if so what gameKhoifather said:
