Where to put jack stands on Model S?

[SteveW25561]

While I do have the Jackpoint jackstands, and I think they're awesome, they are bulky and heavy (which is also why they are so reliable) and pretty expensive. I'll bet the Powerbuilt ones are much less expensive and take up less room, I'd want to be sure they can handle the weight of the Model S (or X). Curious if anyone can actually find these -- funny there's an ad but no links to buy.

 

[brkaus]

The jack looks bulky with the powerbuilt ujack. But good idea. Nothing listed on alltrade.

AlltradeTools - Catalog - Floor Jacks, Bottle Jacks & Jackstands

 

[murph335]

Looked at it today.

A cheap hockey puck or 2x4 should work perfectly just like on all my other cars. I even have the rubber pinch weld looking puck from past cars.

What am I missing here?

Press jacked on the touch screen, flex for a selfie....oh wait i thought it was..... ok nevermind... maybe in the 10.0 release.

Puck, wheel chocks, swap wheels.

 

[e-FTW]

Hey @murph335 I guess they key here is that folks feel having jackstands at both ends when lifting one side up to rotate wheels is safer.

 

[EndofSheik]

Hey FWIW, I believe the UJack is available at this place...

NEW! Powerbuilt 2 Ton U-Jack Floor Jack with Jackstand Saddle Slot ToolSmithDirect

 

[WinterDragoness]

Great idea with the U-jack but one thing nobody has talked about is how to fit a standard shaped jack stand on the car's flat jack points. The typical jack stand shape will hit the battery on one side.

According to the ebay listing for the U-jack, the "platform size" (I assume they mean the U-shaped pad) is 5x4". Based on a picture of the pad from above and some graphics program measuring, if the pad is 4" wide, then the notch in the pad is ~1.46" wide at its narrowest point. I doubt that's enough to fit a jack stand with a flat head (like this one).

Something like this might fit but having the little ridges digging into the jack point doesn't seem great:

I think the only option might be to cut off the ridges of a typical stand and place the stand against a layer of that special plastic they sell to go between jacks and cars that prevents damage and sliding.

 

[gnelson]

http://www.jackpointjackstands.com/

 

[jerry33]

Great idea with the U-jack but one thing nobody has talked about is how to fit a standard shaped jack stand on the car's flat jack points. The typical jack stand shape will hit the battery on one side.

The reason no one talks about it is that there are only four point to jack up the car, so the only way you can have jack stands is to have a system where the jack stand is in place while jacking. Jackpoint, mentioned by nelson and others, is the most popular system, though I recall seeing others.

 

[wycolo]

Buy 2 floor jacks and 4 hockey pucks.
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[gnelson]

Buy 2 floor jacks and 4 hockey pucks.
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The puck needs to be placed where the jack is positioned. the Jackpoint stand allows positioning under the jacking plate while the jack is raised.

 

[WinterDragoness]

The problem with Jackpoint, as pointed out earlier, is it won't fit under the car on a standard 3.5" tall floor jack on a Model S with spring suspension instead of air suspension. I can confirm this is a problem as my S 60 sits 5.625" high on level ground. Height of jack pad on my Powerzone 380044 3 Ton jack is 3.8”, leaving 1.825" for the Jackpad, which I assume isn't enough based on the experience posted earlier.

Jackpoint sells a 2" floor jack for almost $800 but... that's pretty expensive. So I was hoping U-jack might be a solution, but as I said, it would be hard to find a jack stand that fits it and the Model S and holds S safely.

I contacted Jackpoint and John gave a helpful response:

Hi Chris - we are currently working on a pad for the spring suspension. Until then rather than mill the pad you could pre lift the first corner of the car. That can be done by driving the tire at the first corner to be lifted up on a small board (2x6) or by lifting the car with the jack at the factory lift point without the Jackpoint pad in place. When the tire comes off the ground you slide a short piece of 2x6 under the tire and let the car down. With the tire on the wood there should be enough room under the car to get the jack in place under the lift point with the Jackpoint pad on the jack.​

I managed to get my tires rotated with a floor jack and a scissor jack borrowed from a friend, but the scissor was tough to turn and didn't feel entirely safe (I can just imagine it exploding in my face as I'm struggling to turn it) so I hope Jackpoint will have the right pads ready before I need to lift the car again. Otherwise, I can use one of John's tricks or grind down the standard pad.

 

[wycolo]

If you can afford a Tesla you can afford two pro-quality floor jacks. They will allow you to lift by end or by side on dirt, snow or paved surface ANY type of vehicle. Sometimes it is handy to have available a spare rim to serve as a placeholder when you are diagonally rotating tires. Of course having 4 floor jacks would solve that problem.
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[WinterDragoness]

If you can afford a Tesla you can afford two pro-quality floor jacks.

Don't assume Tesla owners are all super affluent. Some of us lease or buy used and don't have room to store two+ floor jacks. Nor do I want to risk a floor jack failing and dropping the car with the wheels off, whether or not I'm under it. I want a jack-stand solution.

 

[jerry33]

I want a jack-stand solution.

Jackpoint is the best jack-stand solution. They aren't that expensive, and take up little room in the garage when not in use.

 

[gnelson]

You can buy an inexpensive low profile floor jack at various tool warehouses. These will work with jackpoint jackstands. Even if you don't buy the jackstands the jacking plate is a great option for use with a floor jack.

 

[e-FTW]

You can buy an inexpensive low profile floor jack at various tool warehouses. These will work with jackpoint jackstands. Even if you don't buy the jackstands the jacking plate is a great option for use with a floor jack.

There are some pretty affordable low profile jacks out there:
3 ton Low Profile Steel Heavy Duty Floor Jack with Rapid Pump®

 

[wycolo]

> risk a floor jack failing and dropping the car with the wheels off, whether or not I'm under it. I want a jack-stand solution. [CDragon]

You get to know and trust the tools you use on a daily or weekly basis. A good floor jack is indeed a good floor jack, trustworthy after dozens of initial uses. But always turn a floor jack into a 'jack stand' by 'locking it' with a block of steel or wood (compress the grain!!) in those situations where time is a factor or some serious damage could occur. I would trust a properly secured (locked) floor jack over, say, a cheap sheet metal jack stand any day since the floor jack is heavier and has a much wider stance. Also the big floor jack with its long handle is easier to operate without wasting time or energy.

Teslas demand attention to tire tread wear for several reasons. Thus you rotate wheels every 2500 miles rather than leave these things up to chance. So do you clog up your local Service Center, who has much better things to do, or do you DIY and derive the benefits therefrom?
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[BigTonyTones]

Id like to chime in on this since I spent that past few weeks jacking up my car. I painted by brake calipers and just plastidipped my rims. I also had 2 flat tires. I have literally taken each tire off 4 or 5 times.

I was a bit hesitant at the beginning to do what I did since Im not really familiar with jacking up cars, especially the tesla which only has 4 jack points. I was debating spending the money and buying the jack point stands, but I felt they were overpriced for how many times I would actually be using them. Everyone recommended hockey pucks but I just was not comfortable with that

I then found this thread
Home made jack pad for Model S
nick_083 made a wonderful design for making your own jack pads. If you look further in the thread, I posted a printable template file I made from his design. If you print it out and place it on a piece of wood, it will tell you exactly where you need to drill without the need of measuring anything. I made 10 of these things within an hour. It was super easy and cost less than $10 bucks. Everything can be found at home depot.

I have used them nonstop without failure. I actually took them with me to two tire shops since it turns out no one has the right jack to lift up the car. They were actually impressed with them. I had the car jacked up for hours while I painted the calipers with no failure.

I jacked up on tire so high (put the home made jack pad on top of another piece of wood) that it gave me the clearance to put a jack stand under the other tire
I recommend making yourself a few and keep one in the car. You may need it for a tire shop.