Timeline for Does kicking a tire off your car from underneath it while it's held up by a stable jack pose safety threats?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
27 events
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| Sep 21, 2021 at 16:34 | review | Suggested edits | |||
| Sep 21, 2021 at 16:35 | |||||
| May 15, 2018 at 19:26 | comment | added | knocked loose | Even jack stands can fall though(albeit less chance of that happening), I was always taught to only be under the car if the wheels are on blocks. | |
| May 15, 2018 at 15:07 | comment | added | Doktor J | @Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 I agree about adding a bottle jack. Bottle jacks are sometimes included with light duty trucks (my Ford Ranger has one, for instance) and a few other consumer(ish) vehicles, so clarifying that "no, that's not a jack stand" is important for safety I think. | |
| May 15, 2018 at 15:02 | comment | added | supercat | What's important with a jack stand is not only the base, but also the fact that jack stands are constructed so that they can't be lowered with the weight of the vehicle on them. If a vehicle is on a jack stand, lowering the stand will require first jacking the vehicle up off the stand--something that isn't apt to happen by accident. | |
| May 14, 2018 at 15:53 | comment | added | R.. GitHub STOP HELPING ICE | @Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2: No, just swing it against the back from the outside. It's easiest if you can turn the steering all the way in the direction of the wheel you need to remove (only works for front of course). | |
| May 14, 2018 at 15:03 | comment | added | Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2♦ | @Acccumulation - Exactly. | |
| May 14, 2018 at 15:02 | comment | added | Acccumulation | So are jacks for lifting a car, and jack stands for holding a car once it's been lifted? | |
| May 14, 2018 at 15:01 | comment | added | Thomas | For years I was part of a forum where people were modifying muscle cars. Several other people got injured by using just jacks. This stuff happens and taking all precautions to avoid an accident is not complicated nor expensive. Don't take a chance with your life to save $50 for jackstands and 2 minutes to put them, do it right! We had a member that died after a jackstand had a catastrophic failure, so I always left the jack with the jackstands, just in case. | |
| May 14, 2018 at 11:31 | comment | added | Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2♦ | @R.. - Which would entail them going under the car which is what this question was about in the first place ... | |
| May 14, 2018 at 2:09 | comment | added | R.. GitHub STOP HELPING ICE | @Katz_Katz_Katz: You don't need a hammer; use the lug wrench to hit the tire from behind. | |
| May 13, 2018 at 21:19 | comment | added | Chris H | Even if you've got a trolley jack with a big base, you still don't go underneath. Your jack stands are known as axle stands here, even if they're not used under the axles -- but then jack stands are stands and not jacks | |
| May 12, 2018 at 15:03 | history | edited | Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2♦ | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
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| May 11, 2018 at 16:47 | comment | added | Erik | @Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 agreed. My only concern is a bottle jack has a much more similar visual profile to a jack stand than a scissor jack. | |
| May 11, 2018 at 16:36 | comment | added | Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2♦ | @Erik - I included what average people would be using to change a tire. A bottle jack is the same concept in safety as the scissor jack. Small base and top making for instability. | |
| May 11, 2018 at 16:33 | comment | added | Erik | It might be helpful to show the difference between a bottle jack and a jack stand. You and I know they are very different but it might be useful for some people. | |
| May 11, 2018 at 15:18 | history | edited | Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2♦ | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
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| May 11, 2018 at 15:07 | comment | added | Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2♦ | @CandiedOrange - I get your point, but I did differentiate them, just while not specifically pointing it out. IE: "jack is used to jack the car up and let it down" ... I'll go back and clarify, though. Thank you for your suggestion. | |
| May 11, 2018 at 14:12 | comment | added | candied_orange | This answer is treating Jack and Jack Stand differently without defining their difference. I submit that the kind of people that need to be told about this safety concern likely need to be told the difference between Jacks and Jack Stands. | |
| May 11, 2018 at 13:06 | comment | added | Chris H | Or over a pit (of course it would have to be an unusually shallow one to have to crawl, and wouldn't be much use for getting a wheel off) | |
| May 11, 2018 at 12:05 | comment | added | Thomas Carlisle | Good answer, and good catch -- in reading I assumed the car was on jack stands. Yes, if the car is not on jack stands the first priority is getting it solidly on stands. After that, getting the wheels off with force is not a concern. | |
| May 11, 2018 at 9:43 | comment | added | motosubatsu | @Katz_Katz_Katz If you are going to use a hammer for this then a rubber mallet is best to keep damage to a minimum. Also try and aim the strikes to more solid areas of the rim (i.e. not thin spokes or the edge!) or to the tire itself. | |
| May 11, 2018 at 9:34 | comment | added | motosubatsu | +1 I've seen standard jacks fail and drop the car even without the extra stress of a kick to the tire! (given I had my head under the car only a few seconds before it was a lesson that really hit home!) putting any body parts you'd like to keep under the car without it being properly supported by axle stands or a lift is not something I'd recommend, in a pinch you can use whichever tire is not currently attached to the car to provide some additional safety but even then I'd only be doing it for jobs where getting under the car was essential. | |
| May 11, 2018 at 2:51 | comment | added | SteveRacer | This is especially helpful with modern aluminum rims in contact with cast iron or steel hub surfaces - it prevents the galvanic rusting and "welding" for the next time the wheel(s) have to come off. | |
| May 11, 2018 at 2:51 | comment | added | SteveRacer | A dead-blow type hammer on the RIM will work much better. If no hammer is available (and the tire is not flat), you can loosen the lug nuts 2 turns each, and drive the car slowly (<10mph) and jam on the brakes. You may need to repeat several times and change directions. At some point it would be good insurance to smear a light coat of anti-sieze or thick grease in between the rim and the hub contact surface. I'd do it on all four wheels. | |
| May 11, 2018 at 0:33 | comment | added | Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2♦ | @Katz_Katz_Katz - It isn't a bad idea. I didn't say you shouldn't kick the tire, it's just you shouldn't do it from under the car. Sitting on the ground with one foot to each side of the tire kicking it is not very glamorous, but it is pretty effective ;-) | |
| May 11, 2018 at 0:09 | comment | added | Katz_Katz_Katz | so, i guess i should put a hammer in my trunk huh? I've done that before when i was at home... | |
| May 10, 2018 at 23:28 | history | answered | Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2♦ | CC BY-SA 4.0 |