can i lift up the whole car with axle stands?

londonTiger

Need to lift up the car, the car has to be level so I need all 4 wheels off the ground. I've seen people on youtube do it with ramps, they'd drive up to a ramp which will elevate the front (or back), and then put 2 axle stands on the order side.

I erasd around it and some people are saying it is possible to do this. But I'm curious as to how I go about getting the car elevated on 4 points.

Doesn't the car get a bit unstable when you have the front on two axle stands and you're trying to get the 3rd on? Is it possible to do it with one jack or do you really need 2 jacks to get the last 2 axle stands on?

mchale

Axle stands with 4 legs would be the best as they are more stable than 3 legged axle stands, yes it can be done with 1 jack.

londonTiger

cool, I was thinking, after getting the two axle stands on one side of the car. do i use the middle of the car on the other side as a jacking point rather than near the wheel well?

forgotmyname

Using the rear wheel well is likely to cause damage. Its designed to stop the wheel falling on the road and keep water out.
Not to support the weight of the car.

Use the proper jacking points.

The issue you may have a cheapy jack wont lift high enough to get both sides
under at once.
Jack one corner up and put the stand under it. Now when you jack the other side up a cheapy jack will be putting a sideways load on that stand.
If your not careful it will try and tip it off.

Do you really need to have all 4 wheels off the road? And do you have quality tools you can trust?

spiro

forgotmyname wrote: »

The issue you may have a cheapy jack wont lift high enough to get both sides
under at once.

One way around this is to jack the car up about 5"s and put concrete blocks under the wheels, then put the jack on a concrete block and jack it up to axle stand height.

paddedjohn

mchale wrote: »

Axle stands with 4 legs would be the best as they are more stable than 3 legged axle stands, yes it can be done with 1 jack.

I would have to disagree here, I'd say the 3 legged stands where more stable.

Norman_Castle

Haynes manual should show jacking points. You may be able to jack the rear of the car centrally. Check the car is 100% stable before getting underneath. Out of interest, what are you planning to do?

s_b

just because haynes shows jacking points as told via manufacturer it doesnt follow that these would be the best place if car totally in air

basically unless you are 100% sure in what you are doing and it doesnt sound like, it then i advise against 4 axle stands on a modern car

Joe_Horner

can i lift up the whole car with axle stands?

No, you'll need to use a jack


Seriously, SB's advice is good on this because lots of stuff on modern cars can look solid enough to lift / support on but will crumple like tinfoil if you try it because you're applying load to them in the "wrong" places or direction.

The problem isn't so much damaging the part, it's that if one stand gives slightly it can unbalance the others and drop the whole car.

Haynes manual will hopefully be your friend here and let you know where suitable lifting and support points are.

redux

If you are confident that the stands will be at strong enough positions on the car, then I don't see why you can't do this.

But be very careful while jacking, as some types of jack move in a curved arc rather than straight up and down, and also projected distances change as the car swings from sloping to horizontal.

The effect of both of these things can be to push the car off the first pair of stands. I think I would prefer to do front and back rather than side and side, but be very careful even then.

droopsnoot

Do everything gradually, watch the effect on the car and the existing stands as you jack, and never ever stick anything important (head, leg etc) under the car until you are 100% sure it is safely supported.

You'd be better off using a trolley jack rather than the jack that came with the car, and on a smooth surface so the jack can move (which means the car doesn't have to). Put the stands on their lowest position first, get all four under, then go around the car gradually increasing the height until you have it high enough. Pay attention to the orientation of the base of the stand compared to the direction you're lifting the car.