So, I have always wondered if the method I use to lift my cars is correct.
Whenever I use a floor jack and jack stands to raise the car, I usually jack the car using part of the subframe and then place the jack stands on the unibody "pinch rails." I have never had any close calls, nor have I damaged any cars by following this procedure. However, these questions still linger in my mind:
1) Is it safe to raise the front-end of a car by jacking from any point on the subframe? On vehicles lacking a central lift point for the front end, is it okay to lift from the center of the subframe? Right now, for the front end, I jack up the RF and LF ends of the car separately. However, if it is okay to jack up the entire front end up at once by lifting from the center of the subframe, I will.
2) My auto shop instructor told me that it is OK to put the jack stands on a vehicle's lower control arms. I instead, have always used the "pinch rails." Who is correct?
3) Is it ever okay to jack up a vehicle using the lower control arms?
Thanks.
Whenever I use a floor jack and jack stands to raise the car, I usually jack the car using part of the subframe and then place the jack stands on the unibody "pinch rails." I have never had any close calls, nor have I damaged any cars by following this procedure. However, these questions still linger in my mind:
1) Is it safe to raise the front-end of a car by jacking from any point on the subframe? On vehicles lacking a central lift point for the front end, is it okay to lift from the center of the subframe? Right now, for the front end, I jack up the RF and LF ends of the car separately. However, if it is okay to jack up the entire front end up at once by lifting from the center of the subframe, I will.
2) My auto shop instructor told me that it is OK to put the jack stands on a vehicle's lower control arms. I instead, have always used the "pinch rails." Who is correct?
3) Is it ever okay to jack up a vehicle using the lower control arms?
Thanks.