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Also consider some ramps, they have them at wal-mart, autozone, etc. $40 or so for the pair, I have the 12,000 pound ones, they are wider than the 8,000 pound set.
I bought a jack and jackstand set at wal-mart 4 or 5 years ago for around $35, it's been good to me.
Also if you're putting tires on buy a torque wrench, around $30 at Advance/Autozone, and Google the torque setting for your lug nuts. The #1 cause of warped rotors is improperly torqued lug nuts.
Get a good hydraulic floor jack at sears. Get one that is oversized for your needs and is reasonably wide. Narrow ones are more likely to tip over with an uneven load. Buy some professional quality jack stands (do not be an idiot and use cynder blocks or wheels. It is not worth losing your life to save $40.
I bought a 6 ton sears hydraullic jack in 1991. I use it regularly under nasty conditions. I have left it outside for a year at a time. It still wokrs perfectly. One of the best things I ever bought.
1.What do you mean by oversized for my needs as in like if the car weighs about 2 tons,then get a jack that can lift 3 tons?
2.I am planning to work on the car in a parking lot,so should I get a ramp and why do I need a ramp?
I found out that the car weighs about 2,439ish pounds and it is an econobox a.k.a. 2002 Corolla LE!
I know the following questions that I am going to ask is going to be a little bit off-topic,but here I go:
3.So,are the lugnuts and bolts connect the wheels to the car,since do I need to get new lugnuts/bolts when I get my tires and wheels package installed,note that I ordered winter tires and OEM wheels separately?!
4.When do you get your tires rotated,aligned,and balanced regularly?
5.The car doesn't have a TPMS,so should I go buy a gauge? My dad has a cheap kind I think,since it is a white stick thing with the PSI markings on it!
6.What is the thing called when I want to buy a container with an air pump connected to it,so I can pump air into the tires? Is it called an air canister? My dad always goes to a gas station and use an air pump there!
Btw,is it just me or is it normal to feel overwhelm with trying to learn how to maintain a car in peak efficiency? Eventually,I will buy a book about car repairs/maintenance!
1.What do you mean by oversized for my needs as in like if the car weighs about 2 tons,then get a jack that can lift 3 tons?
2.I am planning to work on the car in a parking lot,so should I get a ramp and why do I need a ramp?
I found out that the car weighs about 2,439ish pounds and it is an econobox a.k.a. 2002 Corolla LE!
I know the following questions that I am going to ask is going to be a little bit off-topic,but here I go:
3.So,are the lugnuts and bolts connect the wheels to the car,since do I need to get new lugnuts/bolts when I get my tires and wheels package installed,note that I ordered winter tires and OEM wheels separately?!
4.When do you get your tires rotated,aligned,and balanced regularly?
5.The car doesn't have a TPMS,so should I go buy a gauge? My dad has a cheap kind I think,since it is a white stick thing with the PSI markings on it!
6.What is the thing called when I want to buy a container with an air pump connected to it,so I can pump air into the tires? Is it called an air canister? My dad always goes to a gas station and use an air pump there!
Btw,is it just me or is it normal to feel overwhelm with trying to learn how to maintain a car in peak efficiency? Eventually,I will buy a book about car repairs/maintenance!
Yes. You want a nice heavy jack. The little chinsey ones are garbage. You also want a wide jack. It will be less likely to tip over.
Personally, I hate ramps. I prefer jackstands. take your pick. No need for both.
Lugnuts connect your rims/tires to the wheel. THe wheel has studs that the lugnuts attach to. Unless you ahve two sets of rims, you will ahve to have the winter tires placed on your rims (about $10 each for each time you switch.). Most people just use all season radial tires. Where do you live?
Rotation and alignment depends on what kind of tires, what kind of car, where you live and how you drive. You tire store will give you a recommendation. Have the tires checked whenever you change the oil. If the alignment is off, the tires will wear unevenly and they will be abel to tell that you need alignment.
You will need a tire pressure guage. I would not recommend those things that screw onto your valve stems and tell you when the tires are low. They tend to leak, they get stolen and they do nto always work. that also give you a false sense of security.
Air compressor. You can buy a small one that runds off your cigarrette lighter. It takes forever to fill a tire and it will not last long, but it is convenient. You can also buy cans of compressed air and foam to fix a flat tire in a pinch.
Nowdays they put nitrogen in tires instead of air. I am not sure what it is supposed to do. Supposedly gives better gas mileage. Sounds like a gimmick to me.
Get a good book for your car like a Chiltons guide (I rebuilt an engine during christmas break when I was 17 years old using a chiltons guide. I had almost no experience). Buy them at auto parts stores. ALso ask your auto parts store guy for advice. They are very helpful and sometimes correct.
Yes. You want a nice heavy jack. The little chinsey ones are garbage. You also want a wide jack. It will be less likely to tip over.
Personally, I hate ramps. I prefer jackstands. take your pick. No need for both.
Lugnuts connect your rims/tires to the wheel. THe wheel has studs that the lugnuts attach to. Unless you ahve two sets of rims, you will ahve to have the winter tires placed on your rims (about $10 each for each time you switch.). Most people just use all season radial tires. Where do you live?
Rotation and alignment depends on what kind of tires, what kind of car, where you live and how you drive. You tire store will give you a recommendation. Have the tires checked whenever you change the oil. If the alignment is off, the tires will wear unevenly and they will be abel to tell that you need alignment.
You will need a tire pressure guage. I would not recommend those things that screw onto your valve stems and tell you when the tires are low. They tend to leak, they get stolen and they do nto always work. that also give you a false sense of security.
Air compressor. You can buy a small one that runds off your cigarrette lighter. It takes forever to fill a tire and it will not last long, but it is convenient. You can also buy cans of compressed air and foam to fix a flat tire in a pinch.
Nowdays they put nitrogen in tires instead of air. I am not sure what it is supposed to do. Supposedly gives better gas mileage. Sounds like a gimmick to me.
Get a good book for your car like a Chiltons guide (I rebuilt an engine during christmas break when I was 17 years old using a chiltons guide. I had almost no experience). Buy them at auto parts stores. ALso ask your auto parts store guy for advice. They are very helpful and sometimes correct.
My situation is that I already have tires/wheels on the car I am driving,but I did order OEM wheels (sometimes ppl call them rims) and winter tires,but they need to be mounted together,but does the shop use my current lugnuts or give me new ones for a fee or for free?
1.I was wondering about getting a car jack,but there are different types of them,but I don't know where to start! I just know that I would like one that would be able to lift the car up and I can go under it! Btw,I would like to use the car jack and lift the car outdoors since my parents' garage doesn't have a lot of space when we parked two cars inside! Can you guys help me out?
2.In addition,what do you ask for at a car shop in which there is a thing that have wheels on it and you lay on your back,so you can work underneath the car!
3.Btw,I have my winter tires now and I have my wheels,so am I able to mount the wheels into the tires or do I need a professional to do it?
4.Wheel caps mounted on the wheels before I mount the wheels into the tires or it doesn't matter ?
There is some great advice on this thread, and I'm sure it will be read many times. These are common questions, although I fear they aren't asked frequently enough.
1) Buy a floor jack with a high capacity and a twist handle (the usual design). 3 tons or more is preferable, although a lot depends on how much you plan to lift. The cost differential is small.
2) Creeper. Definitely a good idea. They're $25, if that. I've had one for a decade, and I'm sure I spent less than $20 on it at the time.
3) Do it yourself. I love doing some automotive projects myself. It is rewarding and I know it got done the way I want it to get done. Also, I totally agree with the person who recommended a torque wrench for your wheel mounting. I'll use an impact wrench to spin on the lug nuts or bolts, but I always hand-torque them afterwards. Failing to do so can cause some bad warping of brake rotors.
There is some great advice on this thread, and I'm sure it will be read many times. These are common questions, although I fear they aren't asked frequently enough.
1) Buy a floor jack with a high capacity and a twist handle (the usual design). 3 tons or more is preferable, although a lot depends on how much you plan to lift. The cost differential is small.
2) Creeper. Definitely a good idea. They're $25, if that. I've had one for a decade, and I'm sure I spent less than $20 on it at the time.
3) Do it yourself. I love doing some automotive projects myself. It is rewarding and I know it got done the way I want it to get done. Also, I totally agree with the person who recommended a torque wrench for your wheel mounting. I'll use an impact wrench to spin on the lug nuts or bolts, but I always hand-torque them afterwards. Failing to do so can cause some bad warping of brake rotors.
Is there even a guide that I can look when it comes to mounting a wheel to a tire? How about mounting the wheel/tire assembly to the car?
In addition,does anyone know if an automatic car wash would damage your wheel caps?
i bought a 1 1/2 ton floor jack made of alum... VERY nice at $120. I am a little worried about it being able to lift my 3200 lb car
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