Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
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 ?
I'd go with a hydraulic floor jack and some sturdy jack stands if you are going to work under the car. The thing for getting under the car on your back is called a "creeper". Putting tires on wheels (rims) has to be done at a shop. You'd want them "mounted and balances".
1. For use in a garage or hard-surfaced driveway, I'd suggest what's called a "floor jack", you can find them in regular steel or the lightweight aluminum ones. You didn't ask, but you will want a pair of jackstands as well, Northern Hydraulic among other online retailers have these.
2 I think you are talking about a "creeper".
3. Probably you will want to have a shop mount the tires on the wheels. Once they are assembled, you should be able to bolt the assemblies to your car yourself.
4 Wheel caps - generally need to be removed for tire mounting/balancing. You can install them yourself once you put the wheels on the car.
Never go under a car lifted only by a jack! You must also use jack stands or some other safety device as jacks are subject to failure or movement... just ask an experienced emergency room staffer how many people they see from jack accidents.
1. For use in a garage or hard-surfaced driveway, I'd suggest what's called a "floor jack", you can find them in regular steel or the lightweight aluminum ones. You didn't ask, but you will want a pair of jackstands as well, Northern Hydraulic among other online retailers have these.
2 I think you are talking about a "creeper".
3. Probably you will want to have a shop mount the tires on the wheels. Once they are assembled, you should be able to bolt the assemblies to your car yourself.
4 Wheel caps - generally need to be removed for tire mounting/balancing. You can install them yourself once you put the wheels on the car.
1.Are you saying that I can mount the wheels with tires onto the car itself or what do you mean by bolting the assemblies?
2.In addition,can I take my wheels that have all season tires on them off from my car with the right tools or does a professional have to unmount them from the car?
If that is the case,it would be great to be able to unmount and mount the wheels with the tires without paying.
3.By the way,can someone type a brief overview of rotating a tire,balancing a tire,and aligning a tire?
4.When are you suppose to get a tire rotated,balanced,and aligned?
5.Out of the three (rotating,balancing,and aligning) can you do by yourself and which one you can't do it at home? Instruction(s) or link(s) please for the procedure!
Thank you for helping me,you guys! I hope that one day that I would have the same amount of knowledge about cars like you guys!
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 ?
For a normal car, a basic hydraulic jack will be fine - you can usually pickup a Craftsman floor jack and jack stands for around $40-50 at Sears. Not that a normal jack has a clearance height minimum of about 7-8", so if you have a sports car, you'd need a low-rise jack.
I think the rolling dolly is what you are asking about - if you're not on a hard surface, a large metal pan works well too for sliding in and out and also for catching stuff.
You will need a professional to mount tires on wheels - I suggest you buy some cheap steel wheels and mount the rubber to them so in the future you can just jack the car and swap the wheels - winter for summer etc.
Wheel caps don't matter, but you may want to stick them on first if you are particular to ensure you get them flush.
1.Are you saying that I can mount the wheels with tires onto the car itself or what do you mean by bolting the assemblies?
2.In addition,can I take my wheels that have all season tires on them off from my car with the right tools or does a professional have to unmount them from the car?
If that is the case,it would be great to be able to unmount and mount the wheels with the tires without paying.
3.By the way,can someone type a brief overview of rotating a tire,balancing a tire,and aligning a tire?
4.When are you suppose to get a tire rotated,balanced,and aligned?
5.Out of the three (rotating,balancing,and aligning) can you do by yourself and which one you can't do it at home? Instruction(s) or link(s) please for the procedure!
Thank you for helping me,you guys! I hope that one day that I would have the same amount of knowledge about cars like you guys!
Rotate tires - move them around on the car so they wear evenly.
Balance tire - add weight to the wheel to offset the weight irregularities of a tire so the tire rotates harmonically.
Align tires - adjust the orientation of a wheel to adjust handling traits - manufacturers usually have a specified range for alignments to be within, but always have the tech match the numbers left to right.
Get tires balanced when they are put on the wheels. Alignments are when you think you ned them or if the car demonstrates any pulling tendencies. Rotate tires if you can to extend tire life.
You can only rotate tires yourself, but you need to pay attention to the tires if the are mono-directional, and how the owner's manual states to rotate them.
[quote=Sayantsi;6963261]
Align tires - adjust the orientation of a wheel to adjust handling traits - manufacturers usually have a specified range for alignments to be within, but always have the tech match the numbers left to right.
Alignments are when you think you ned them or if the car demonstrates any pulling tendencies. QUOTE]
I hope your intent was that the tech would "match the specs left to right", not that the alignment angles would be the same on the left and right sides of the car. Due to road crowning, alignment angles are not identical from side to side, but there are preferred differences between them that are within the manufacturer's adjustment spec range.
Depending upon the roads driven, I prefer to have alignments more frequently than if a car has a "pulling" tendency or other characteristic. The key point is that many cars may not have a pulling tendency but may have the suspension enough out of alignment to create a (possibly premature) wear pattern on a tire. Unfortunately, once a tire gets a wear pattern from mis-alignment, you can't put the rubber back on the tread when you re-align the car to proper adjustment. So it's better to get the alignment checked (and corrected, if need be) more frequently than when you have the tires serviced, especially if you've hit a curb while parking, or a good sized pothole in the road, or slid on ice and then had the tire "catch" again on dry pavement when the wheel was turned away from the path of the car's travel.
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.
I agree with all of the above and add the suggestion of finding a high or trade school auto shop text. Just the knowledge of how to do stuff safely will pay for the purchase with avoided pain. Things like never push on a wrench.
Another must buy is a good hand cleaner like GoJo although coffee grounds and Dawn dish detergent do a good job. Use paper towels to dry your hands. Always! An absolute MUST DO is to completely clean the sink after you wash your hands. Nothing pisses off the usual sink cleaner as much a seeing a once clean sink covered with grease & grime. Just doing this one thing will save you a huge amount of grief.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
