BimmerFest BMW Forum banner

wheel/tire Jack

7K views 23 replies 10 participants last post by  WHITEX 
#1 ·
I will get a spare tire when my X arrives. Off hand does anyone know what kind of jack works best with the F25. I looked at a scissors jack that lifts up to 15".
And...Does the X3 owners manual show the jacking points? Thanks.
 
#8 ·
is this a jack to carry with you in the car? Or one to use in the garage?

if the former, then space is at a premium and it will only be used in emergencies...choose something easy to use that is compact. Either scissors or bottle jack, I think

if the latter, then you are probably wanting maximum leverage, space is not so much of an issue. I'd choose a good quality floor jack.

I've used bottle, scissors and floor jacks on the X3 E83 with good results in my garage.
 
#9 ·
I just might get a floor and scissor jack. I'm uncomfortable with bottle jacks. I have a storage unit where the spare will be kept so I'll leave the jacks there.
What kind(brand)jacks do you have. Do you use jacks pads?
Thanks, Frank
 
#10 ·
WHITEX,

I use a SnapOn floor jack in the garage. It's heavy but very sturdy and reliable. I use the center jacking points at the front and rear of the car. Photos of these have been posted on this site. The side "jack points" are used for your jack stands and the inserts are necessary to avoid damage to the plastic? fittings. Unless you have a four point lift, these are not really useful as jack points since, if used in this fashion, you have no place to put your jack stands. Unless you have a death wish, it is NOT a good idea to work under the car without jack stands and placing jack stands at other locations will probably result in damage.

I also have a set of Race Ramps which are great for oil changes. They are not cheap but are very lightweight and easy to store. I bought mine on Amazon. I got one of the smaller sets to lift the front of the car a few inches and make locating the floor jack at the front jack point easier. I now wish that I'd purchased some of the higher ramps instead since this would eliminate the need for jacking when changing the oil. I'll probably break down one of these days and do just that. On the other hand, if you need to lift the whole car to rotate tires (a potentially controversial topic) or whatever, you'll still need all of the jacking equipment.
 
#14 ·
I use AC Hydraulics high lift long reach jack in my garage, the model 13HLQ. If you also plan to use the jack on sports cars with little ground clearance, this jack only needs a few inches to go under. Just confirm the model you look at matches the ton rating you need.

http://www.ac-hydraulic.dk/en/products/hydraulic-jacks/
 
#22 · (Edited)
I've never worked with jack pads. Do you install this temporarily when jacking the car, just sliding the jack pad into the car's jack point pockets and then removing it when you lower the car? Or do you install these and leave them in indefinitely?

Also, are the jack point pockets only near the 4 wheels, or is there a similar jack point pocket near the center front/rear where you would use a floor jack to raise the front or rear of the car? (or is the center front/rear jack points already elevated without need for jack pad inserts?)

I've always used a scissor jack when changing out my snow tires on my previous cars. I was considering buying a floor jack with jack stands...but thought that might overkill. Then again, I never really liked the stability of supporting the entire weight of the car on a scissor jack which, if the car shifted, would bring the entire wheel-less corner of the car down to the pavement. Am I just being overly cautious in my old age?

When using a scissor jack to change each individual tire, do you guys also put wood blocks under the side of the car (just in case)--and if so, where beneath the car would you place the blocks? I'm afraid of completely tearing up the external sheet metal if the weight of the car shifted to the wood (then again, maybe that's the lesser of two evils, compared to the wheel assembly dropping 12 inches to the pavement).

Thoughts?
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top