helllllllllllo my350z--

can someone recommend me some good jacks..

my main objective for buying jacks is to allow myself to change my own brake pads and put my wheels on by myself..

reason being i went to a tire shop once to get a nail patched up...and they pretty much scratched all four of my oem wheels....(wtf....)

so yea, can someone recommend me a good set of jacks since i heard the oem jack sucks...

also when working on your own wheels tires...do you need more than one jack?

would it be better to get one of those floor jacks????



-curious newb

 

What you want is a good floor jack and a pair of good jack stands.

The all aluminum ones are popular now because they are light and usually low profile, so they are easy to role under the car but they are more expensive and take more effort to pump than your typical 3 ton steel model.

Regardless, get one with a handle release and not a separate screw, it just gives you way more control when lowering.

I have had a setup like this for 20 years and it has served me well. I have added another set of jack stands over time and just now have an aluminum jack but this still works for most things.
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...id=00950188000
If you have lowered your car, it might be hard to get it all the way to the frame rails. It will be able to get under the edge but you will need a jack block to protect lip.

Chris

 

Oh yeah, and some chocks

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...id=00950119000

Chris

 

Craftsman all the way

 

thanks for the replies.... ahhhh i'm a total rookie


what is the point of chokes?

and why do i need to get both floor jacks and jack stands??

i'm just taking a guess but......do you jack it up with the jacks first...and then replace it with the stands?

and when i'm changing my wheels for example...do i haev to jack up both sides of the car? or..is it just one at a time?

if it's just one at a time....i only need to buy one jack and one jack stand correct???


i'm newbsause

 

You are correct, you jack up the car then put stands under it. Never, ever trust the jack to hold the weight of the vehicle.

Basically, raise as many sides/ends/corners that it takes to do the job. Be very careful to put the saddle of the jack in places that can take the pressure. Be careful about opening doors or the hatch when the car is jacked up for a couple of reasons. One is that you might hit the floor of your garage (or driveway) or hit the ceiling. The other is that if the car twisted at all (say you have only lifted one corner) the alignment of door to frame maybe off a bit which can cause scratches or even more serious damage.

If you only jack up an end or a side always chock the tires that are still on the ground. Actually chock them first, that way you can release the parking brake and put the car in neutral, but be careful that the car doesn't move away from the chocks and that the body work doesn't lower onto them as you are lifting the opposite corner (for example).

You can get away with just one jack stand, but I think they are usually sold in pairs. Plus tools never go bad, and having a second one (or even pair) might save you lots of time in the long run. If you discover you need a second after you have already pulled one wheel having to put everything back together so you can hit Sears for another really sucks.

 

ahhhh can you clarify what you mean by

"Be very careful to put the saddle of the jack in places that can take the pressure. "

isn't ther specified jacking points to where the jacks should be placed? the two indented points right behind the front tire and right in front of the back tires?


oh one more question

is it ok for the car's suspension if i only jack up one side of the car..instead of both sides? ? ?

thanks!

-steve

 

Yes, there will be marked jacking points, but the shape of the saddle on a rolling floor jack is likely to be a different shape. More specifically I was thinking cross members (or suspension arms) which are likely targets for placement if you are jacking up one end versus one side.

And the car's suspension will be fine if you jack up one side, it won't be able to tell where the loading is coming from. Just be careful not to lift one side too high. Well, just plain be careful when you are jacking up your car period. Until you are familiar with how the car lifts and drops it is always best to go slow.

Paul

 

anyone ever jack up their car on the wrong jack point?