Home made jack pad for Model S

[nick_083]

After failing to find a proper jack pad for my Model S, I decided to make one myself out of the wood. I wanted something that would use entire jacking surface and would not slip. I also wanted something that would self-center to use this entire jacking surface.
It took me quite a few hours to get it right, so I am sharing my final dimensions with the community (all dimensions are im mm).

Here is what I needed to get from the local home improvement store:
A piece of 2x3 stud (cut to 146mm in length)
1 inch poplar dowel (cut to 30mm, used 2 pieces)
7/8 inch poplar dowel (cut to 30mm, used 1 piece)

I drilled 10mm deep holes for the dowels to embedded them and glued them in place. So these pings are sticking-out by 20mm. This way they my pins are serving as a guides only and not pushing on anything underneath the jacking surface.

The most expensive part was buying the forstner drill bits for these 1" and 7/8" holes (didn't have them at home). The rest of the materials were less then $15.

You can see the pictures of my rig below.

 

[Snerruc]

Why didn't you just buy hockey pucks for $8.00?

 

[GlmnAlyAirCar]

Why didn't you just buy hockey pucks for $8.00?

Way to rain on his parade.

 

[Polyport]

Why didn't you just buy hockey pucks for $8.00?

Because he wanted something that doesn't slip and that uses the whole jack surface. He explained that in his post.

 

[nick_083]

Why didn't you just buy hockey pucks for $8.00?

I have proper polyurethane jack pads... but they are really difficult to center. A few mm off - and you are damaging the plastic shield. I've noticed damage in 3 out of 4 corners after just being in Tesla SC once for a wheel swap. So I wanted a pad that would be correctly positions 100% of the time

 

[DDD4EV]

This is very useful. Previous posts guided me to http://www.jackpointjackstands.com/. These jack stands support the car without relying on the jack to remain in position. In addition, the stands come with jack pads that will not harm the Tesla. They are much safer BUT much more expensive. In addition, they are very big, heavy, and difficult to carry in the care during trips. Your solution is cheap, functional and compact enough to carry on the road.

 

[agloutney]

You guy are overpaying big time for your hockey pucks!

 

[GlmnAlyAirCar]

You guy are overpaying big time for your hockey pucks!

$1.99 at Dicks.

 

[Phillip L]

Nicely done. Could one just use the 7/8 dowels for all three? Or does a little movement make a difference?

 

[scottm]

Nice idea thanks for posting it up.

Nicely done. Could one just use the 7/8 dowels for all three? Or does a little movement make a difference?

If you use all 7/8 for all dowels, rather than center the two end dowels on that center-line offset them from center both in the same direction to fill out where a 1" dowel would have reached on that edge.. if you know what I mean? There's no real reason to fill that whole 1" hole. It wouldn't matter which way you insert your contraption onto the car, either orientation works the same fitting over the whole rubber block. Doing this method will prevent twist / swiveling of the block around center dowel.

My 30 year old Mercedes has these rubber pads that fit into holes at the jack points, and they stay on the car at all four corners. Makes it easy target for anybody to know where to do the jacking ...

I would be tempted to have four solid rubber pads extending down a bit from the Tesla chassis to make obvious jack points if you need to have roadside assistance / tire work done at a shop it makes it super easy for the shop tech to know where to put the lift on the car. If those Tesla flush pads are held on with accessible screws.. unscrew them, put a thicker pad back on that hangs down below the rails of the car ... or maybe screw a hockey puck onto the pads that are there.

 

[AudubonB]

Very nice jig there, Nick.

If I can suggest an important alteration: I notice that, as with two of mine (but not the third*), your floor jack arm possesses that annoying raised lip that compromises your jig's stability and potentially more critically, could impart enough stress to splinter your fairly weak SPF jig.

If you were to ream a circular channel of the same diameter, the jig securely would seat itself on the jack. I just looked at my hole saws - the 4" is too small and the 5" too big, but using both I then could chisel out the remainder; alternatively, a bit more time with a narrow chisel and I could make a functional channel.

Thank you very much, by the way, for providing the precise measurements.

* Q: Whay 3 floor jacks?
A: 3 garages.

 

[SomeJoe7777]

Even if you don't do your own tire maintenance, having a set of 4 of these would be really nice when you're having a tire shop work on your wheels/tires. It would ensure that the tire shop jacks the car in the right spot and takes away any possibility of them damaging the battery case.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

This is very useful. Previous posts guided me to http://www.jackpointjackstands.com/. These jack stands support the car without relying on the jack to remain in position. In addition, the stands come with jack pads that will not harm the Tesla. They are much safer BUT much more expensive. In addition, they are very big, heavy, and difficult to carry in the care during trips. Your solution is cheap, functional and compact enough to carry on the road.

I use these. Awesome. Just remember to raise the suspension first and put it in jack mode

 

[cab]

Nice jack pad. I made a much cheesier one to use with either my hydraulic roller or bottle jack. It is much thinner and doesn't have any centering dowels though. I just cut 2 rectangular pices of thick sheet metal and a somewhat thin piece of wood and expoxied them together (wanted the metal for the bottle jack since it places all the jack pressure on a small circle). I have only used it to swap from my 21s to 19s, but so far so good. I really wish I could buy just one of those jack point stands (just more pricey than I would like), as I hate relying on just a jack.

 

[⚡️ELECTROMAN⚡️]

Are those stands made specifically for Tesla's? I've never seen a car with round indents that are for jacking. Can someone please post a picture of what the underside of the car looks like?

 

[sorka]

Why didn't you just buy hockey pucks for $8.00?

Because $8 is way too much for 4 hockey pucks. I bought mine for $1 each and that's what I use as lift pads. Is it storming now?

 

[sorka]

 

[scottm]

Hmmm ... So looks like these suckers are easily un-bolted and removed!

I sense thicker pads getting bolted back on my car.. be done with it once and for all.

 

[⚡️ELECTROMAN⚡️]

Here's How to Properly Jack Up a Tesla Model S - Video

It's starting to make sense now. I'm still not sure what you do with the hockey pucks, though.

 

[f-stop]

Here's How to Properly Jack Up a Tesla Model S - Video

It's starting to make sense now. I'm still not sure what you do with the hockey pucks, though.

Take a look at the 4th photo in this article
Tesla Winter Wheel Swap and TPMS Reset

If you look closely you can see the bottom of the battery pack shield protrudes slightly below the level of the car's jack pad surface. So the hockey puck allows you to clear that yet center the floor jack's cup on the jack pad's center (assuming you have one of those jacks with a wide cup)

Hmmm ... So looks like these suckers are easily un-bolted and removed!

I sense thicker pads getting bolted back on my car.. be done with it once and for all.

That sounds like the real answer here... I didn't notice they were bolted on (maybe a good 3rd party opportunity here?) In retrospect seems like a bad design decision by Tesla to not have the jack points lower than the pack shield in the first place.