Safely Jacking and Supporting Your BRZ/FR-S

[chad1376]

Originally Posted by Andrew025

This might be a silly question... but if the pinch weld is still making full contact with the jack, what's the purpose of this?

Actually, I just read a previous comment where the stock jack actually contacts the area just above the pinch weld. I might check this out, and re-do my contraption to better spread the load out - it's just scrap steel and a little bit of time.


The intent is to make it easy to do race tire swaps, and simplify alignment of the jack with the jack points, without sticking my head all the way under the car.

[Jasonb]

What's the best way to rotate the tires with just a jack and only 2 jackstands? Is there a jack point on each side to lift up just one side at a time to rotate tires?

[Overdrive]

Not recommended, but will suggest it. You could lift the front, put your jack stands under the front corners, and then jack the rear using the bottom of the diff as your lifting point, and leave the jack locked in place there. Make quick work of your rotations, drop everything back down. You won't be getting under the car, so there's less risk, but I still don't recommend it.

Ideally, go to Harbor Freight and pick up another pair of dirt cheap but fully capable jack stands so you can support all four corners for as long as you need.

[FirstWinter]

Originally Posted by Jasonb

What's the best way to rotate the tires with just a jack and only 2 jackstands? Is there a jack point on each side to lift up just one side at a time to rotate tires?

If you're only swapping the rears with the front you can just jack up one side at a time. For example jack up the driver side from the middle put down jackstands then swap. Repeat for passenger side.

[gtengr]

Originally Posted by Jasonb

What's the best way to rotate the tires with just a jack and only 2 jackstands? Is there a jack point on each side to lift up just one side at a time to rotate tires?

Involve the spare tire. (jack up right side, swap rear tire to front, place spare on rear, lower car, jack up left side, replace left rear with right front, replace left front with left rear, lower car, jack up right side, replace spare with left front, lower car, done)

I was able to lift both tires from the front jack point with a floor jack. I assume the back jack point works the same given it's a small car.

[zc06_kisstherain]

Originally Posted by gtengr

Involve the spare tire. (jack up right side, swap rear tire to front, place spare on rear, lower car, jack up left side, replace left rear with right front, replace left front with left rear, lower car, jack up right side, replace spare with left front, lower car, done)

I was able to lift both tires from the front jack point with a floor jack. I assume the back jack point works the same given it's a small car.

i used to do this way.
or you can use jack stands at front two. then raise rear at differential then swap all 4 tires

[Butterballz]

Question. Since the weight is not suppose to be on the pinch weld but the area behind it, would there be any issues with putting the jackstands parallel with the pinch weld on the area where the weight is to be supported on?

[Exrald]

Are there alternative jack points for the jackstands? I can't use the pinch welds with the jackstands, because of my side skirt being on the way...

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[maslin]

Can't get a 2 post under it, but it will drive up both 4 posts without blocks.

First world problems

[gravitylover]

Originally Posted by Jasonb

What's the best way to rotate the tires with just a jack and only 2 jackstands? Is there a jack point on each side to lift up just one side at a time to rotate tires?

My jack goes high enough that I can put it in the middle of the car under the pinch weld and get jack stands in the front and rear points. Makes it easy.

[vfrqqq]

Just curious, does anyone else's jack stands have this warning label and the statement in red, or the like? If so, have you heeded the warning? I just discovered this, but I've supported both ends of my car with jack stands before. Are jack stands really not designed to support both ends of a car at once? That seems bizarre.

[Ohio Enthusiast]

Turns out my Torrin 3 ton stands have the same warning. Never noticed until now. Since the warning is about both ends or one side I can imagine their concern is for the an angled load on the stands.

If you support one side of the car with stands with the other on the wheels you have a pretty steep angle pushing on the stands. This will persist for the entire duration of holding the car up on its side.

When supporting one end of the car and then lifting the other end you get a similar if not as steep angle pushing on the stands. But in this case once you finish raising the other end and place jacks the angled load is gone.

Dunno if this is a realistic concern or more of a cover-your-ass legalese. I've been putting my BRZ on 4 stands quite a few times and never had a problem, and I'm sure others as well. Most of the stories I heard of jack stands failing is either them being improperly positioned (i.e. not under appropriate load bearing parts of the car and slipping) or the locking ratchet teeth wearing out (or faulty from manufacturing, like the Harbor Freight ones that got recalled) or the locking lever getting knocked accidently. I sure wish my stands had a safety pin for that reason.

[vfrqqq]

By that reasoning, assuming no human failure, it would seem that the bigger concern is the tipping hazard versus a material failure, no?