Car Jacks?

[Saab2000]

I sold my GTI and the associated winter wheel/tire package. This leaves me with just my 2018 VW Tiguan for winter usage and I've put off buying winter wheels and tires until today, because I knew I had the GTI available to me for snow events and it worked well, with several trips in the GTI that were uneventful due to the Blizzaks. But now I'm facing a winter with all-seasons and that's unacceptable, so I've ordered some appropriate snow/ice tires from Michelin and some BBS wheels so they'll look stylish together.

In the past I've used the vehicle jack that came with the GTI but given the bulk and size of the Tiguan I'd rather get a jack for my garage to make quick work of these wheel swaps in late November and March.

Can anyone point me in the direction of a jack you trust? Safety first. I've seen tests which indicate these are not all equal.

Quality/Safety come before price.

I know many of you do your own car stuff and may have ideas on this purchase. I know it's just a tool but I'd like to get a quality tool if anyone can suggest one or steer me away from one where they had a prior bad experience.

TIA

[lumpy]

You want to buy a jack AND JACK STANDS, right? And never get under the car until the jack stands are in place and you've backed off the jack until the weight is squarely on the stands. Now that that's out of the way, I think most floor jacks are pretty good, and I'd just urge you to get one that's light enough that moving it around isn't a huge chore.

I've got a 3-ton Torin jack from Tractor Supply that's pretty crude. When I had a Jeep Cherokee I needed a jack that had enough range to lift a high-clearance vehicle pretty far off the ground, but I struggle to move it around because it weighs 80 pounds or so. Other things I don't like that you should check on any jack you buy: 1) The handle doesn't positively locate on the nub of the release valve, it's kind of sloppy, so I'll be twisting the handle futilely trying to back off the height, and 2) It doesn't release very progressively. It takes a lot of force to back it off, and it's hard to do as gently as I want, so it's hard to get the car to settle down slowly.

I find most Harbor Freight stuff good enough for my purposes. I'd probably go for something like this: http://https://www.harborfreight.com...ump-64542.html

[Saab2000]

You want to buy a jack AND JACK STANDS, right? And never get under the car until the jack stands are in place and you've backed off the jack until the weight is squarely on the stands. Now that that's out of the way, I think most floor jacks are pretty good, and I'd just urge you to get one that's light enough that moving it around isn't a huge chore.

I've got a 3-ton Torin jack from Tractor Supply that's pretty crude. When I had a Jeep Cherokee I needed a jack that had enough range to lift a high-clearance vehicle pretty far off the ground, but I struggle to move it around because it weighs 80 pounds or so. Other things I don't like that you should check on any jack you buy: 1) The handle doesn't positively locate on the nub of the release valve, it's kind of sloppy, so I'll be twisting the handle futilely trying to back off the height, and 2) It doesn't release very progressively. It takes a lot of force to back it off, and it's hard to do as gently as I want, so it's hard to get the car to settle down slowly.

I find most Harbor Freight stuff good enough for my purposes. I'd probably go for something like this: http://https://www.harborfreight.com...ump-64542.html

Not planning on getting under the car. This is just for wheel changes. If I need to get under the car I’ll absolutely get jackstands or ramps and chocks.

[false_aesthetic]

I'm less concerned about the jack and more concerned about the jack stands.

IIRC H.F. had a recall on jack stands not too long ago. I'm happy to use a lot of their tools but I just don't trust their safety equipment.

My solution would be to get a HF jack and then invest the money I saved into some double-locking jack stands (ratchet + pin combo).
That's whether or not I'm working directly under the car.

[AngryScientist]

But now I'm facing a winter with all-seasons and that's unacceptable,

warning: tangent alert.

i do wholeheartedly agree that if you live in a severe snow/ice climate dedicated winter tires are the best bet, however times, they are a changin.

we need to remember that a lot of the dogma that we have engrained in our head was based on the state of technology decades ago or more. "All season" tires used to be a real joke and best referred to as "no-season". back when no professional or ammeter racer would be caught dead on anything but supple tubular tires, and of course never on tubeless road tires. tire compound technology has come a long way in the last decade or so, and the current crop of all season tires are very good at a lot of things, including winter driving, in fact you can find several mfg's that have all season tires that have the three peak mountain symbol on them, indicating they pass at least some minimum testing for cold traction, just like the "snow tires" of yesteryear.

the point is that i think a lot of people think all season tires are abysmal in the snow, and base that information off some experiences they have, or have heard of many moons ago. tire technology R&D has come a long way, and a good M+S three peak all-season tire is really a good SUV passenger car tire for all year round these days if you're not going to see a ton of winter driving and dont want another set of wheels laying around.

Yes, get a good jack, and make sure it has enough lift to get your tire off the ground. dont ever use the "widow maker" supplied with the car, that is for emergency roadside use only. i'm not a safety nut, but i advocate for using a jackstand anytime you employ a hydraulic jack.

[jclay]

Can anyone point me in the direction of a jack you trust? Safety first. I've seen tests which indicate these are not all equal.

Quality/Safety come before price.

I know many of you do your own car stuff and may have ideas on this purchase. I know it's just a tool but I'd like to get a quality tool if anyone can suggest one or steer me away from one where they had a prior bad experience.

TIA

I've turned wrenches all my life. I suggest a good floor jack with an integrated, one piece lever that you twist, without removing it (that doesn't remove at all, short of dismantling the thing), for operating the raise/lower valve. They're quicker, easier and more accurately placed, and easier to operate. Just easier to deal with. Less likely to fail which is important if you're doing wheel changes without stands. Replacement parts are more likely available too, though you shouldn't need any for the remainder of your lifetime if you get a good one.

The cheaper ones where you stick the lever into the pump socket, pump it up, then remove the lever and stick it over the "T-screw" to open/close the hydraulic valve are annoying, cheesy and leak sooner. I have a couple you can take off of my hands on your way to Naples...some work required though (you don't want them)!

I'm nearly five decades removed from knowing what's available but if I had it to do over again I'd have gotten the same Blackhawk USA made Craftsman that one of my buddies got around '73, or something similar. In today's money, something like this in a suitable capy: https://www.asedeals.com/store/hein-...-jack-hw93652/

Maybe see what brand some of your tire stores are using, and what they think of them.

[rowdyhillrambler]

I have 2 from NAPA-they are just the in house NAPA labeled jacks. Both of them 6 ton, I am sure the 3 tonwould be sufficient for your intended purpose-they work without fail and get used several times a week. I treat them like shit, they look like shit-perform flawless.

[Lionel]

I just ordered new rims to put the winter tires on as well for the Multivan. I go to the local garage for wheels changes. $20.

[Mabouya]

I'd absolutely go with a floor jack. 2 ton is probably plenty. You don't need a huge one, so it all depends on how much you want to lug around in the garage vs how heavy any future vehicle might be. Unlike John, I've had very good luck with a low-end model (over 25 years of faithful service without my having to do anything at all - most typical issue folks have is leaks, causing you to have to add more fluid). It's probably a good idea to get a pair of jack stands just to be safe if you ever need to get under there to check anything. If you don't have any you might be tempted to risk it.

Not sure what brand mine is, perhaps Craftsman, but it looks a lot like this one:

[Saab2000]

warning: tangent alert.

i do wholeheartedly agree that if you live in a severe snow/ice climate dedicated winter tires are the best bet, however times, they are a changin.

we need to remember that a lot of the dogma that we have engrained in our head was based on the state of technology decades ago or more. "All season" tires used to be a real joke and best referred to as "no-season". back when no professional or ammeter racer would be caught dead on anything but supple tubular tires, and of course never on tubeless road tires. tire compound technology has come a long way in the last decade or so, and the current crop of all season tires are very good at a lot of things, including winter driving, in fact you can find several mfg's that have all season tires that have the three peak mountain symbol on them, indicating they pass at least some minimum testing for cold traction, just like the "snow tires" of yesteryear.

the point is that i think a lot of people think all season tires are abysmal in the snow, and base that information off some experiences they have, or have heard of many moons ago. tire technology R&D has come a long way, and a good M+S three peak all-season tire is really a good SUV passenger car tire for all year round these days if you're not going to see a ton of winter driving and dont want another set of wheels laying around.

Yes, get a good jack, and make sure it has enough lift to get your tire off the ground. dont ever use the "widow maker" supplied with the car, that is for emergency roadside use only. i'm not a safety nut, but i advocate for using a jackstand anytime you employ a hydraulic jack.

I live in the Chicagoland area and while we don't get as much snow as we used to and less than most people imagine, it's still possible to get good dumpings from basically Thanksgiving into April.

Having driven the same car with all-season tires and then with winter tires, I have to respectfully disagree with your assertion that today's all-season tires are up to the task. There has simply been no comparison between the all-seasons and the winter tires. It was night and day difference. The traction while turning and stopping is very different with a set of winter tires installed.

I recommend them for everyone in a snowy climate. I lived in Switzerland for a number of years and got religion on them there. They are not optional, they are mandatory and I fully support that mandate there and frankly, I'd like to see it here.

Curious, and there's no snark in this question, have you driven a car in the snow with winter tires? BTW, I'm not talking about old studded tires. I'm talking about modern ones like the Bridgestone Blizzak, which I used on my GTI with great success.

[AngryScientist]

I live in the Chicagoland area and while we don't get as much snow as we used to and less than most people imagine, it's still possible to get good dumpings from basically Thanksgiving into April.

Having driven the same car with all-season tires and then with winter tires, I have to respectfully disagree with your assertion that today's all-season tires are up to the task. There has simply been no comparison between the all-seasons and the winter tires. It was night and day difference. The traction while turning and stopping is very different with a set of winter tires installed.

I recommend them for everyone in a snowy climate. I lived in Switzerland for a number of years and got religion on them there. They are not optional, they are mandatory and I fully support that mandate there and frankly, I'd like to see it here.

Curious, and there's no snark in this question, have you driven a car in the snow with winter tires? BTW, I'm not talking about old studded tires. I'm talking about modern ones like the Bridgestone Blizzak, which I used on my GTI with great success.

absolutely saab. i had the same GTI you did for many years, and still have a RWD BMW that rides on winter tires (and conversely soft rubber in the summer...). i'm a believer in Pirelli Sotozero's for most winter driving, Nokian's on my truck when i lived up further north and snowboarded a lot.

i'm not referring to general all-seasons by the way, also respectfully. i'm referring to a premium all season tire that carries the triple peak certification. most all-seasons that come stock on vehicles are garbage, and for sure the ones that would have come on a SUV like the Tiggy, probably Continental's garden hose variety would be terrible in snow. that was my only point, that premium AS tires with the triple peak designation can get you close to winter tire performance, but certainly not be as good as a dedicated winter tire.

[ides1056]

I live in New England and run General Arctic Ultimax tires year-round on my '03 Golf.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...!&gclsrc=aw.ds

They last better than 40K.

I have a Craftsman floor hydraulic floor jack, maybe thirty years old.

I run Conti Extreme Contact with nitrogen on my R. But it's not a Jeep, and I don't drive it in the winter.
The Golf is a beater with only a driver's seat, so I can take all the dogs in it, or toss my bike in without a hassle.

[Clyde]

Northern Tool has a bunch of good stuff

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...5615_200325615

Here's that Hein for almost a c note less.
Don't forget to torque those lug nuts to spec!

I wouldn't spend more than a buck fifty on one myself and there are several decent choices from the above mentioned store.

[Mabouya]

One thing to note - if you're going to be doing any of this work inside and like most people you don't have a Jay Leno-sized garage, you'll have a hard time using one of the big jacks due to the length of the jack itself and the length of the handle. Even with my smallish jack there have been times when I just couldn't find space to swing the handle, so I had to stick a ratchet extender in there, then use a big screwdriver to turn the pressure release screw.

[lumpy]

I've got a pair of Hein-Werner jack stands. 3 ton maybe? Got them in 1990 when my daily was a 1966 Chrysler Newport convertible. I do use them every time the car goes up in the air, even if it's just to change a tire. No real downside.

[jclay]

I'd absolutely go with a floor jack. 2 ton is probably plenty. You don't need a huge one, so it all depends on how much you want to lug around in the garage vs how heavy any future vehicle might be. Unlike John, I've had very good luck with a low-end model (over 25 years of faithful service without my having to do anything at all - most typical issue folks have is leaks, causing you to have to add more fluid). It's probably a good idea to get a pair of jack stands just to be safe if you ever need to get under there to check anything. If you don't have any you might be tempted to risk it.

Not sure what brand mine is, perhaps Craftsman, but it looks a lot like this one:

Perhaps I was a little too mean to the humble, low cost little floor jacks; I feel badly about it and don't want to hurt their feelings; they will get the job done; mine did....both of them at different times. But both started leaking after not many years and while it isn't, in the grand scheme of things, a big deal to use them, position them or move the handle from the transport socket to the jacking socket to the hydraulic valve, I very much prefer using the fixed, twist-to-lower handle variety. Grab the handle, drag them to the car, spin'em, locate'em, twist, whacha...close, adjust location a skosh, whacha, whacha, whacha and you're there. It's sooo nice.

So, let me phrase it this way: I've always used my tools a lot so I get good ones, but I don't go overboard with Snap-On (except once, a very long time ago for a rack of 6-point, 3/8 drive 'merican sockets...which was stupid and I shoulda stuck with Craftsman) and while I'd buy a Harbor Freight sledge hammer or...oh...an off brand Vise Grip that got cobbled into a chainstay denting tool, I seriously regret cheaping out when I bought my first floor jack. And I really wouldn't feel comfortable doing a wheel change, sans jack stand or blocks of large wood (I have a nice variety) under the jacking points, with a cheap floor jack. Well, I shove the wood blocks under regardless - very quick, very effective.

Now, the "room to use the handle" thing...that's never been an issue for me but it is something to consider and certainly could be a prob in some circumstances.

In any event, I don't mean to besmirch the humble, cheap-o floor jack.

I hope the clarification and context helps.

This looks an awful lot like a Heine Werner and it has a large jacking platform! https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BK_8151279

We could assemble a coffee table book about floor jacks; certain to be a big seller.

[Drew]

A tale of woe:

I had a Harbor Freight jack, it worked fine for many years. Then one day, I was rotating tires on my Man Van, and, I thought I heard a creaking like the jack was going down. Guess what, it was. The check valve in the jack had some debris in it and would not fully seal. The front tire and wheel were removed. I was... fooked. I pumped like a madman and got it as high as I could, then got the wheel back on with two lug nuts right before it hit the ground. To quote Ferris... if I had a lump of coal in my you-know-where, I would have had a diamond that day.

Coming from a guy who has designed floor jacks... there are lots of little things that can go wrong, especially in inexpensive jacks. USE THE EFFING JACK STANDS. Sorry to yell, but if your car is beached, best case, you’re out a brake rotor. Worse case... it gets way worse. To change tires, only one stand is required, put it right next to the jack. To put all four in the air to rotate tires, four stands are required.

I think inexpensive jacks are great, when used correctly with stands.

[lumpy]

A tale of woe:

I had a Harbor Freight jack, it worked fine for many years. Then one day, I was rotating tires on my Man Van, and, I thought I heard a creaking like the jack was going down. Guess what, it was. The check valve in the jack had some debris in it and would not fully seal. The front tire and wheel were removed. I was... fooked. I pumped like a madman and got it as high as I could, then got the wheel back on with two lug nuts right before it hit the ground. To quote Ferris... if I had a lump of coal in my you-know-where, I would have had a diamond that day.

Coming from a guy who has designed floor jacks... there are lots of little things that can go wrong, especially in inexpensive jacks. USE THE EFFING JACK STANDS. Sorry to yell, but if your car is beached, best case, you’re out a brake rotor. Worse case... it gets way worse. To change tires, only one stand is required, put it right next to the jack. To put all four in the air to rotate tires, four stands are required.

I think inexpensive jacks are great, when used correctly with stands.

Word.

[sailor]

I bought a floor jack from costco last year for this exact use, it is a 3 ton and is pretty light and was only ~$100 not sure if they have it this year.
Cheap jack stands can't be trusted, stick a wheel on its side under the car for safety.

[Mabouya]

A tale of woe

Here's mine:

I also have some ramps, and years ago preparing to do an oil change I foolishly drove my '73 Charger too far onto them, so of course it went over the end and after a small crunch, I ended up with the ramp tops supporting the car just behind the front wheels. Luckily I also had my floor jack, so I put that under the front cross-member and was able to lift the entire front of the car high enough to reposition the ramps where they should have been and continue the job.