dee diddy

is one safer or stronger than the other for doing underbody work or changing your oil?

and where do would you place the axle stands?

fsttyms1

either is good. i like stands better my self there is less that gets in the way, that and its hard to get 2 ramps under our bumper. i use the factory lift points for the stands

dee diddy

yeah i was leaning more towards stands just cuz you can also do tire rotations or brake work with them. 2 ton stands are ok but should i play it safe and get 3 ton?

and can you tell me where these lift points are? are they illustrated in our manual?

BurnsLPhiE

Ive heard people crush their jack points when they use jackstands. Is there anyway to make sure this doesnt happen?

Going to put on headers next week and was also going go purchase ramps or jackstands. Only thing keeping me away from jackstands is the fact that they may crush the jackpoints

yield2s

I would never support the full or even half the car weight by any thing other than a full rail lift on a uni-body frame

Chemmech

If your just changing your oil, why not do it ghetto style? Every curb you see is a potential ramp, just drive one tire up on it . j/k A jack and jack stands is what I'd recommend. Sears sells quality jack stands at 2 1/4 ton for about $15, two stands should support the total weight of the car. Make sure you don't get stands that are taller than how high your jack can lift the car, like the 6 ton set.

fsttyms1

y not? the factory lift pionts are more than strong enough to lift and support the car

Chemmech

Where can you get these full rail supports at? I've heard of pinch weld supports, but full rail supports sounds better to me.

dee diddy

has anyone had difficulty with using stands? i can see it being troublesome having to fiddle around with them concurrently adjusting the height.

yield2s

its the type of lift seen in repair shops with rails that make contact on the underbody from the front tire to back.
I still dont think that the jacking points provided to change A tire is meant to suspend the whole car or even half of it. oh well.

Tom Blasing

I use both stands and ramps. It depends on the job that needs to be done. For oil changes I use a pair of Blitz Rhino Ramps. These ramps are designed for lower profile cars or cars with long front overhangs. They run about $40/pair at Pep Boys.

My reasoning is that the car is already designed to rest on it's front wheels (duh) and these ramps are plenty strong enough to hold the entire car. I don't have to worry about scratching/denting the unibody at the side jack points or twisting the chassis until I get the car resting on both stands. Sure, rotating tires is a different story all together. The only down side I can think of would be that I find myself doing a little power-braking getting the car on/off the ramps.

dee diddy

anyone use those non-slip rubber ramps? i was hesitant with regular ramps cuz they need to be braced for support when you're driving up on them. with those big heavy rubber ramps i can then just place them on my driveway. and being a solid block, there's no way they can collapse vs regular metal ramps. but i'm still wary about the danger of possibly overshooting the ramps and driving off of them! don't wanna have someone spot me everytime...

Tom Blasing

The Rhino ramps are made out of plastic, not metal. Although they are not a solid block of plastic they are very stable and have rubber stops on the bottoms to grip the floor when your tire first touches them.

Click Here http://www.blitzusa.com

SK2003TypeS

From what I hear, rhino ramps are the way to go with the low profiles. I'll probably pick them up next year for my next oil change. $30 by me.
When using jack stands, try to get a rubber top for the stands. I have a hunk of rubber for my jack, helps to avoid some scratching.

fsttyms1

the lift points for changing a tire ARE designed to support the weight of a car. thats what there designed for. most shops dont have the front to reas lifts they have the style that lifts from the lift points. they are more than strong enough.

Tom Blasing

When I was in Auto Shop in High school (80'-83') one of the lifts was a front to rear with two separate hydraulic rams. I hated that thing! I never lifted up the whole car at the same rate and sometimes you had to lower either the front or the rear of the car to get it level. The drive on rack was still the safest but limited to what you could do with it.

medic

yup, check it out next time you're at the dealer or going by your local midas shop...they even teach students in shop class to position the lift arms at the jack points.

fla-tls

You shouldn't need to brace metal ramps with a front wheel drive car. Once the wheels get on them, the drive wheels are pulling up the ramp. With a rear driver you definitely need to brace the ramps, as they can plow the ramps them forward.

I use normal metal ramps, and dont worry about someone else spotting for me. My car's not lowered, and I have no body kit. The ramps do rub on the underside of the bumper a little, but it's no big deal. Just make sure the stopper on the ramp you buy is a decent size. If you wonder if you're far enough when pulling up, just put on the e-brake, trans in park, and look. The e-brake will keep the car from moving back down if you're not all the way up.

Practice makes perfect in this case...

fsttyms1

thats where i was tought in auto body class. that part of the unibody is designed for those types of loads

yield2s

Hey thats cool.. but how the he11 do you get the jack and then the stand in the same spot????

and i think lifting the entire car in one controlled motion is much better for the "frame" then one corner at a time