Recommendations needed: Looking for jack stands for DIY tire rotations

gregk24

gregk24

Joined
Apr 13, 2013
Messages
9,246
Location
FL, USA
I'd like to start doing my own tire rotations, which finds me in the market for jack stands. I have never done my own tire rotations before, I assume I will need 4 total jack stands?

Looking for recommendations. Safety is paramount of course but cost is a consideration as well.

Also, I am unfamiliar with the proper procedure for jacking your car up to remove ALL four wheels to do a proper tire rotation. I don't see how you can do this safely without a lift but I know people do it. Thanks in advance!
 
You don't need to jack up all (4) corners but you have to have a spare tire that you put on temporarily while you switch tires around. I guess this depends on the rotation that you do, whether it's a simple front-to-back/back-to-front vs a criss-cross, etc, etc.

If you don't want to involve the spare tire.... You also need central jack points or it definitely makes it easier. On my RWD/AWD G35, I set the parking brake and raise the front from the center jack point. The parking brake (or wheel chocks) keeps it from rolling. Place your (2) jack stands under the jacking points of the front. Now move to the rear and use a central jack point to raise it, then place (2) jack stands under the rear jacking points. On a FWD, just start at the rear.

On a car like my wife's Fusion, I can't raise it up on (4) jack stands, at least not in a way I'm comfortable with.
 
This is something I always stopped at Discount Tire for. Too much of a pain especially if you want to cross rotate. If you're just doing front to back, two floor jacks will work.
 
Do you have a spare tire? Seems like a floor jack and spare would be an easy solution.
 
I've never had to use jackstands for rotations. Get the spare tire, put it in place of the starting tire, rotate the others through, put the spare back. Good time to check the spare tire pressure, and on vehicles that have the spare suspended underneath, it's a good time to clean up the road grime, and grease the cable and windlass so they don't get frozen with rust someday when you really need it ;).

While I have taken all 4 tires off four other reasons, I put the jackstands as close to the usual jacking points as I can. If I can't, I've put them under control arms at the lower ball joints when there's a suitable support point. On the MG I put them under the rear axle next to the spring shackles.
 
Based on the vehicles in your signature, none have a curb weight of over 4,000 lbs, so you could get away with a set of 2-Ton stands.

But, I would recommend stepping up to 3-Ton stands, especially with the way things are heading with electric vehicles.

I would recommend Torin Big Red stands, they're very common. Double locking stands are a good extra measure of safety.
 
I just swap the most worn front for the least worn rear. That way I only use two jacks, and no stands. I know the EXTREME safety guys will yell that it isn't safe to not use a stand, but I do it by myself, I keep all hands and feet OUT from under the car at all times, and properly chock the other tires. If a jack does fail, the only thing hurt is my car.
 
It's not easy with a Volkswagen and I know it. You need two floor jacks. Four would be better. LOL. I don't trust people to use the right torque so I go through the pain
 
There are plenty of jack stand threads here and at the GarageJournal forum to get you started. You need to decide how much you want to spend. Do you want ratchet type stands or pin style stands. U.S. made or China made? Four leg stand or three leg? All are personal decisions.

Technically, most jack stand instructions recommend only two at a time on vehicles, not 4.

Regarding tire rotations, I have done them with one jack and one stand (no spare). The job is faster/easier if you have two quality floor jacks.

On my front wheel drive vehicle I follow this method:
.....................................................Front
1645812106225.png


1. Jack up right front, take wheel off, set car down on stand
2. Jack up right rear, remove wheel, install right front wheel. Lower and remove jack.
3. Jack up left front, remove wheel, install right rear wheel, lower car.
4. Jack up left rear, remove wheel, install front left wheel, lower car.
5. Install left rear wheel on right front position. Jack up right front, remove stand (step 1), lower jack.

DONE!
 
Last edited:
Kjmack said:
It's not easy with a Volkswagen and I know it. You need two floor jacks. Four would be better. LOL. I don't trust people to use the right torque so I go through the pain
Click to expand...

You can always just buy a torque wrench, loosen them up when you get home and retorque.
 
gregk24 said:
I'd like to start doing my own tire rotations, which finds me in the market for jack stands. I have never done my own tire rotations before, I assume I will need 4 total jack stands?

Looking for recommendations. Safety is paramount of course but cost is a consideration as well.

Also, I am unfamiliar with the proper procedure for jacking your car up to remove ALL four wheels to do a proper tire rotation. I don't see how you can do this safely without a lift but I know people do it. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
QuickJack instead?
 
BMWTurboDzl said:
QuickJack instead?
Click to expand...
That's the $1100 answer to a $40 question.

OP should just do front to back rotations-- they're not as perfect as the X-style, arguably, but they're good enough.

Get a second jack for the rear. Lift the front side of the car under the firewall and the rear jack will have very little work to do.

Lifting a car and settling it on jack stands just for a tire rotation seems like a waste of labor to me unless you also want the jack stands for other repairs where you put your body under the car.
 
Get two 3 ton floor jacks and a set of jack stands. Get one side up in the air on the floor jacks and use jack stands as safeties and move tires front to back, back to front especially on a VW.
 
With sedans I lift them up by the pinch weld right in the center. I do 2 tires at a time. It never folds. I’ve got a 3 ton low profile Harbor Freight jack that works great. Can use 3 ton stands. Harbor Freight should be good now that they’ve recalled the previous models. I don’t think they want to spend millions again replacing them.
 
Nick1994 said:
With sedans I lift them up by the pinch weld right in the center. I do 2 tires at a time. It never folds. I’ve got a 3 ton low profile Harbor Freight jack that works great. Can use 3 ton stands. Harbor Freight should be good now that they’ve recalled the previous models. I don’t think they want to spend millions again replacing them.
Click to expand...
Yeah my HHR had "frame rails" in the floor pan and I found that if I jacked about 12-18 inches rear of the firewall, the rear tire would lift too. Not every car is this stiff but if it happens to you, or OP, it's a happy little accident.
 
i never lift by the pinch welds as they can deform. there is usually a front and rear jack point listed. if no front lift point list i usually do it on the subframe. in the rear, if no rear point listed i use 2 jacks and lift if by the control arms.

then put jack stands on the pinch welds with a towel in between the stand and pinch weld. once raised on 4 stands its easy to rotate tires. i usually do it the same time as changing oil.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

LeakySeals
Floor jack pinch weld adapters. Rubber? Metal? DIY?
2
Replies
38
Views
9K
camrydriver111
I
High lift floor jack - replacing clutch
Replies
16
Views
658
wlk
S
Replacing a TPMS on existing tires.
Replies
12
Views
1K
benjy
D
Tire rotation for AWD?
2
Replies
37
Views
2K
Oro_O
M
First hand experience of Arcan or CAT floor jacks
Replies
6
Views
2K
Nukeman7
Back
Top