Car Ramps for low profile vehicle?

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Guys:

What is your experience with car ramps? Recomendations? I am looking at Race Ramps because my cars have a low profile.

Do you have any preferences? Suggestions?

Thanks for you help.

JR
 
I thought they would be a problem for my low profile car but they also got in the way of a regular family sedan.

Easy fix was to bundle up some cardboard to get the half an inch required. Low profile vehicle might need more. In any case, I might just jack it up from the front instead.

If wheel stands were cheaper, they might be better as I also put stands in for extra safety but the ramp part of the ramps gets in the way for one of my vehicles.
 
I just built my own set of graduated ramps with 2"x 8"'s for the Mazda 3. Both of my sets of ramps were too steep and even using a 2" x 8" runner the Mazda would push the ramps with the plastic deflector on the bumper.
 
Originally Posted By: Olas
Normal ramps are good enough for most cars, I put planks leading onto the ramps for very low stuff.


That`s what I do too.
 
We just ran into this ramp issue at my house. The steel ramps I have used for years were at too steep an angle for my sons new Chevy Cruz. We picked up a set of Rhino Ramps which have a less steep angle. They are great! I have also used them on the new Sonic and fit very well. I will keep the steel ramps for the Silverados as the Rhinos fit the smaller cars nicely.
 
I've used the metal ramps w/ the extenders. They sell these at all auto parts stores & online. Works well for fairly low cars but there are still some cars that are still too low, such as sports cars.

The nice part about them is that they don't take much storage because the extenders can be removed and stacked inside themselves
 
I place one 12 x 12 paver block in front of each front tire and drive onto them. Then, I use my steel ramps as normal. The pavers are about 1.5" thick and that's all the extra height I need. No way the ramps will fit under the 3's front bumper with the added boost. I just happened to have the blocks.
 
In those cases you're probably just better off jacking up the car with one of those low-profile jacks you probably have anyway. If you don't, Harbor Freight has one for like $70
 
The 2 x 8s are by far one of the safest, most stable set of ramps you can build for yourself. 25 or so years ago, when I was strictly a DIYer, I had a problem getting a car onto steel ramps. After some thought, I used two 2 x 8s and had nice ramps that when assembled three layers high, gave me an additional 4.87" of clearance. Enough for most oil changes and small stuff. With today's wider tires, 2 x 10s might be even better, so much better that I built a set of ramps four layers high w/ 2 x 10s. Years later these really helped with a very low car(a 2005 Corvette on a Sunday afternoon- oil & trans fluid) even though I don't really need them often. I had to use an additional board on each ramp to lengthen the accent distance to avoid scratching the front fascia of the Corvette. These are also wonderful to safely back the car up onto for differential service (just be sure to raise front of car w/ jackstands or boards to make the differential level when filling).

Dr. Olds
 
I like steel ramps, but extenders are tough to find.

I'd give race ramps a look if you're so inclined (ha ha ha).
 
When I got my 2008 Vette, I build a set of 4 ramps out of 2x10s. Just two levels that gives me 3" additional clearance. I gave plenty of run on each level so I don't any problems scraping. After I made, I started using them on "regular" cars to do simple stuff like oil changes without having to use jacks/jackstands..
 
I use steel ramps with extenders. Got a really good deal on the ramps but then had to pay too much for the extenders.

Like the man with one hand in ice water and the other hand in hot water, on average I felt fine.

Ecotourist
 
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