Is a 1.5 ton jack to 'lightweight' to use to change tires on a C4S?

I have a 3 ton jack for most of my stuff but it doesn't slide under my car w/o a bit of help, looking at a nice 1.5 ton slim jack, but can't seem to find anyone else using anything under 2 tons

 

the problem with our cars is when you jack up one wheel the other wheel on that side comes up too, which puts about 1/2 the cars weight on the jack...your car weighs over 1.5 tons but only half of that weight will be on the jack so you should be ok if you put it on a jackstand and don't leave the car's weight on the jack

 

I use the American Forge low profile 3.5 ton floor jack. Its just under $300 but that is cheaper than most jacks of this quality and the best part is that its only about 2" high at the pad.

My question is, where to jack to get the whole front/rear end up in order to put jack stands under the jack pads??

Jason

 

JP,
Call your bro tomorrow! But before you do:

READ CAREFULLY:

Question 1:
To be safe a jack or jackstands should be understood to be rated to the weight of the entire vehicle. If your car is 2 tons, you'd want to use jackstands each rated at 2 tons.

My 997SC weighs 3,290 lbs with half a tank of gas, a laptop, gymbag, and 12 soccer *****. To be safe, I round that waaaay up to 2 tons (4,000 lbs). Thus, I wouldn't use a jack or jackstands rated for anything less than 2 tons (4,000 lbs) each.

Get it? If your car is 1,000 lbs (1/2 ton), you can't use use four 1/4 ton jackstands and feel secure, in my mind.

Question 2:
It is not recommended by Porsche to jack off of anything other than the 4 approved jackpoints. However, if you must, you should go by the rear frame, and definitely NOT in front of the oil pan on the engine, where some might recommend. No, no, no.

Warning:
Never work under a car supported only by a jack. Never, never, never. If you're going to put any part of your body under a car, make sure that car is supported by properly located, rated, and balanced jackstands. Period.

Credibility:
I spent 2 weeks on my back under my car for the SC installation. I used 12 ton (24,000 lbs) bus jack stands. 12 tons is about 7.5 times as heavy as my car. Would I feel as secure under less, sure, but I'd call the limit about 2 tons. Less than that, while probably fine, I'd not risk my neighbors yappy dog. That's 2 tons rating PER jackstand. And even then, I'd rather invest in the big boys, under which I could bring my blanky and smoothly ensconce myself in the gauzy womb of sleep.
CATTMAN

 

Well here is my question. Lets say you want to jack up the front right wheel and then put a jack stand underneath. If you use the right front jack point, where do you put the stand? Or, how do you get the stand under the jack point if your using it for the floor jack? Or a better question, what was your process for getting your car on four jacks to install your SC?

Jason

 

thanks, i'm good on jackstands, i've got 4 2.5 ton jack stands, this would just be for quick tire changes before going to the track, it's a real hassle w/the 3 ton to drive up the car on my homemade ramp

 

Track? Not in my 993 I hope

Sure, change a tire, whatever, use a scissor lift AND a bottle jack, double it up. Be quick and don't put yourself under it. My low-pro jack weights about 100 lbs, LOL!
CATTMAN

 

You know that 993 is waiting for an SC....maybe your next project!

I've accumulated so many freakin rims i thought what the heck and bought a set of Corsa's and keep my new rubber in good shape

what kind of jack is your 100lb one?

 

Jason,
I heard you may be doing an SC yourself, am I right? Want a hand? I could be encouraged to visit SD for an SC in the spring!

If you need the front right/passenger wheel up:
Jack from the rear right/ passenger wheel until you can get your jackstand under that side's front wheel. Lifting from the rear tire, the chassis is stiff enough that the front wheel will lift along with it. So, lift the rear high enough to get your stand under the front, then sloooowly lower the rear. When you do this, don't be shocked that the driver's side front will also be off the ground a bit.

Mine is the 3 ton (6,000 lb) Torin Big-Red seen in the attached pic. Can go as low as 3 5/16 inches all the way up to 17 3/4 inches. It weights just a hair over 100 lbs.
CATTMAN

 

Yes, if Adam takes my offer I will be doing the DIY. I will most likely be doing the install sometime in late May early June. I could make the visit worth your while plus we could meet up with Ken in Irvine for some Cars and Coffee. I live in Pacific Beach so its not a bad place to do some engine work with the garage door open and some cold brews....

Jason

 

You're on, I'll ship my longboard!

We'll need to do a parts-list and tools-list inventory, and ensure we've got everything in place. There are a couple of custom-made tools, too, that are necessary. Preparation is key. But not as key as dealing thoughtfully with the unexpected- this is not a straightforward install, it takes a lot of chin-scratching and smarts.
CATTMAN

 

If the deal goes through I will have the system sitting and waiting for me when I get back to the states (I am currently in a land far far away). I get back soon at which point I will photograph everything and get an idea of what I need along with tools. If you really want to come to SoCal then your airfaire, fuel for your monster and beer is on me. I even have an extra bedroom as long as you dont mind hanging out with a couple of rowdy single guys living the dream.

Jason