Floor Jack Lift Height for Tire Change

[janus287]

I usually do my own seasonal tire changeovers. Since my car was new in 2015, the winter changeover was done at the tire shop (where I bought winter tires).

Looking ahead to spring, I'll want to do the spring changeover myself. The QX50 is higher than my previous cars, so I don't think my current floor jack will have high enough lift range.

I use a floor jack to lift one corner at a time at the four corner pinch weld locations (but just inside the pinch weld to avoid crushing the pinch weld). Couldn't find any answers on this site or anywhere. What is the minimum lift height is required to for tire change using these jacking points? Thanks in advance!

[CustomLowz]

I guess the better question would be, what kind of jack are you using? I have a standard 3-Ton jack, and I can use the front jacking point, and get the whole side in the air to swap the front and rear at the same time.

[janus287]

I guess the better question would be, what kind of jack are you using? I have a standard 3-Ton jack, and I can use the front jacking point, and get the whole side in the air to swap the front and rear at the same time.

I currently have a 2.25 ton floor jack that has served me well -- but the maximum lift height is only 14 inches. I only use it for tire changes, and I have only used it at the four pinch weld lift points on my prior cars (same spots recommended for use with the emergency jack that comes with the car) to lift one wheel at a time. I don't do oil changes so I don't need to lift the entire front at the same time.

I know there is a front lift point, where you can lift he entire front side off the ground, and a lift point on the rear differential where you could lift the entire rear, and then use jack stands. Since I'm just doing tire changes, I'd rather not bother with the front lift point (much harder to see exact placement of the jack saddle under there, and if you place it wrong, you can cause some problems).

The pinch weld lift points are much easier to see and place the jack saddle. But of course, the pinch weld lift points on the QX50 are quite high off the ground since the car has a higher height, so no way a 14" lift height would be enough at that location. If I just need a couple of inches more, a simple solution would be to put the jack on a large/sturdy sheet of wood to add some height. Or I can get a new jack with higher lift height. But I'm wondering how much higher.

[NJGuy]

One thing you can also try is to place a rubber hockey puck on top of the jack's saddle. To accommodate the pinch weld, you could cut out a slot in the puck. I'm not sure if that will give you enough height when combined with the 14" jack; if it doesn't, you'd only be out a couple of bucks. Also I also like to use the puck when lifting the rear of the car to act as a buffer between the differential case. So you could still use it in the future if you ever wanted to raise your car at another lifting point and protect the car's metal a bit at those spots.

If you do need a new jack, I can't imagine that one with a 17" lift height wouldn't be able to get the tire off the ground when lifting at the pinch weld.

I personally have a 3 ton jack that lifts up to about 21", but I bought it for my SUV, which has a higher ride height. It lifts my EX much higher than needed.

[janus287]

Thanks for the suggestion. I was thinking of the hockey puck, as it's a good solution for the pinch weld as well. Probably would end up with less than one inch extra height after cut out of a slot for the pinch weld. But if I combine that with a large sturdy piece of wood under the jack, that might be enough.

[NJGuy]

The only thing that I would be concerned about is how well the wooden board holds up. Depending on the type of board, size of the jack's wheels, and the amount of load, there is a chance that the jack may crush and sink into the wood a bit. You might be ok though since you plan on lifting at the corners, which doesn't load the jack as much.

Please let us know how it works out.

[Chelsea John]

Use the jack, one in the trunk, that comes with the vehicle to determine wheel clearance height.