[Fundguy1]

I don't like ramps because 1, you cant get high enough, and 2, you can't take off the wheels.

[BMWMusician]

Originally Posted by Fundguy1

I don't like ramps because 1, you cant get high enough, and 2, you can't take off the wheels.

What if you use blocks of wood? Couldnt you just put your car over the wood, use the breaker bar to loosen the lugnuts, and then jack the car with a jack adaptor, and put it on jack stands?

[GottWhat]

Originally Posted by BMWMusician

I see. So here's my options, what would you choose?

Budget is around $85:

A.) HF $79.99 3 ton low profile jack + 2x4 blocks of wood to jack up?

or

B.) Costco 3 ton aluminum jack or arcan 3.5 ton xl35 low profile jack $113 (maxed out budget).

I'd go with A as it appears to be lower profile and is less money than option B or stretch your budget with the 2-ton lower profile, longer reach jack.

PS: Cutting down a 2x6 plank would likely work better than a 2x4.

[BMWMusician]

Originally Posted by GottWhat

I'd go with A as it appears to be lower profile and is less money than option B or stretch your budget with the 2-ton lower profile, longer reach jack.

PS: Cutting down a 2x6 plank would likely work better than a 2x4.

The costco one below, would I still need a plank?

http://www.costco.com/3-Ton-Professi...100222458.html

[GottWhat]

Originally Posted by BMWMusician

The costco one below, would I still need a plank?

http://www.costco.com/3-Ton-Professi...100222458.html

I think that has a higher clearance and shorter reach than the cheaper one from Harbor Freight. Double check stats to confirm

[BMWMusician]

Originally Posted by GottWhat

I think that has a higher clearance and shorter reach than the cheaper one from Harbor Freight. Double check stats to confirm

Yeah its at 24, and the hf is 27 1/2.

I found this one by arcan:

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...5429_200345429

Its 28 1/4

And the 2 ton by hf is 39 1/2

[GottWhat]

Originally Posted by BMWMusician

Yeah its at 24, and the hf is 27 1/2.

I found this one by arcan:

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...5429_200345429

Its 28 1/4

And the 2 ton by hf is 39 1/2

The minimum lift height on the one from Northern Tool (3-1/2") is taller than the 3 ton jack from Harbor Freight (2-7/8"). Between these two, I would just get the 3 ton from HF and save some money.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Fundguy1

I don't like ramps because 1, you cant get high enough, and 2, you can't take off the wheels.

I'd never get under a car on ramps. If a car has it's wheels on and is supported by them, then it can roll off the ramps. I never work on a car unless it is supported by 4 stands and all 4 wheels are off the ground. When I was a kid my brother's jeep dropped and rolled over my arm. Once that happens to you you get a good appreciation of how to properly support a car to work on it. IMO there is no good cost consideration to not use the proper tools to raise and support a car.

My 2 cents.

[BMWMusician]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I'd never get under a car on ramps. If a car has it's wheels on and is supported by them, then it can roll off the ramps. I never work on a car unless it is supported by 4 stands and all 4 wheels are off the ground. When I was a kid my brother's jeep dropped and rolled over my arm. Once that happens to you you get a good appreciation of how to properly support a car to work on it. IMO there is no good cost consideration to not use the proper tools to raise and support a car.

My 2 cents.

So if I get the 3 ton, I would need to put it on some type of plank anytime I want to jack the car up correct?

What if I got one of these:

http://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-a...ump-62247.html

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...6751_200596751

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...5429_200345429


Or would I ultimately have to get this one:

http://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-l...ump-68050.html

[GottWhat]

Originally Posted by BMWMusician

So if I get the 3 ton, I would need to put it on some type of plank anytime I want to jack the car up correct?

What if I got one of these:

http://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-a...ump-62247.html

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...6751_200596751

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...5429_200345429


Or would I ultimately have to get this one:

http://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-l...ump-68050.html

You would likely need the last one (2-ton from HFT) to forgo using wood under tires while lifting at the front center jacking location. Anyone disagree?

[BMWMusician]

Originally Posted by GottWhat

You would likely need the last one (2-ton from HFT) to forgo using wood under tires while lifting at the front center jacking location. Anyone disagree?

What about the rear diff? I need to take the rear right tire off.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by BMWMusician

So if I get the 3 ton, I would need to put it on some type of plank anytime I want to jack the car up correct?

What if I got one of these:

http://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-a...ump-62247.html

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...6751_200596751

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...5429_200345429


Or would I ultimately have to get this one:

http://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-l...ump-68050.html

I think the last one you linked to from Harbor Freight is the best jack to get. You need a long-reach low-profile jack, that means the saddle, the part that actually lifts the car, needs to be low when in the down position and has a long enough reach to reach the center front jack point. That jack from Harbor freight looks like it will work the best. The specs don't say what the saddle reach (length) is, but I'm sure you can find it on Pittsburgs website. If you can give me a few hours I'll have my car on the lift and I'll measure the distance from the bumper lip to the center jack point (I've never measured it since I don't use a floor jack any more), so we'll all know what the measurement is.

Before I built and outfitted my shop, I used a floor jack and jackstands for years. With BMWs, all the ones I've owned since the 1997 E37 (Z3), have had a center jack point and lift points along the rocker panels. This makes it easy to lift the car from the center and place it on stands under the side lift points. What most people don't understand is the jack needs to move relative to the car as it lifts; the jack needs to roll under the car as it lifts, or the car needs to roll over the jack as the jack lifts (if the jack doesn't roll well on the surface it is sitting on). This is why you'll see people complain that the side lift point plastic boxes get torn up using a jack on them, it's because the jack is not properly rolling under the car as it lifts and it pulls laterally on the plastic boxes and tears them up (the car can't move laterally). The side lift points are meant to be used with an automotive lift or used to support the car on flat-top jackstands (which is why I recommended the ESCO stands) once the car is jacked up from the center front (or rear) jack point. The best way to lift the car is on a level, concrete surface, with the car in neutral and with the parking brake off. When jacking from the front or rear this lets the car roll slightly as the jack lifts the car. I've found most floor jacks don't roll very well. And most people get the wrong kind of jackstands. The inexpensive ones are "axle" stands, which means they are designed to support a car underneath a live axle (like pickup trucks have). These types of stands do not fit the side lift boxes very well and put high pressure points on the walls of the plastic boxes and breaks the plastic. That is why only flat-top jackstands should be used on BMWs. Most German cars (Audi, Mercedes, and VW) all have side lift points with plastic boxes. I guess it is just German car industry practice to design the cars that way. It is funny to me that ECS and other companies sell "adapters" for the side lift points, when if done properly with the correct tools, adapters are not necessary. I've lifted my car a few hundred times by now using my lift (it's a commercial 2-post lift) and I've never damaged a side lift point plastic box. I've left the car on the lift for days at a time and without any damage to the lift points.

For the E90, the capacity of the jack is not as important as is the need to have a low profile, long reach jack. You are only lifting one part of the car at a time. A 2-ton jack can lift the entire car, but you are only lifting the front or rear at a time, so it is just over a ton of weight you are lifting at any one time.

My 2 cents. I know people will disagree, but hey that's E90 Post...

[GottWhat]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I think the last one you linked to from Harbor Freight is the best jack to get. You need a long-reach low-profile jack, that means the saddle, the part that actually lifts the car, needs to be low when in the down position and has a long enough reach to reach the center front jack point. That jack from Harbor freight looks like it will work the best. The specs don't say what the saddle reach (length) is, but I'm sure you can find it on Pittsburgs website. If you can give me a few hours I'll have my car on the lift and I'll measure the distance from the bumper lip to the center jack point (I've never measured it since I don't use a floor jack any more), so we'll all know what the measurement is.

The 2-ton jack from HFT does reach the front/center jacking point without using wood, I've seen it done on my car. Unfortunately, I have the previous gen 2.5-ton jack and it does not reach the front/center without wood under the tires. However, it does fit under the rear diff.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by BMWMusician

What about the rear diff? I need to take the rear right tire off.

The rear diff is the center jack point for the rear. The cast iron housing (people refer to it as the "pumpkin") is the jack point, not the aluminum cover. The are several DIYs in the DIY section about how to properly lift the E9X chassis. Search on "trolley" and you'll find one I posted about 10 years ago.

[BMWMusician]

Just to update, I went ahead and didnt chicken out on the tools, and got the 2 ton low profile:

http://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-l...ump-68050.html

Think its better to have a decent jack that I dont have to put wheel ramps all the time.

Wanted to say thanks to everyone who chimed in!

[GottWhat]

Originally Posted by BMWMusician

Just to update, I went ahead and didnt chicken out on the tools, and got the 2 ton low profile:

http://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-l...ump-68050.html

Think its better to have a decent jack that I dont have to put wheel ramps all the time.

Wanted to say thanks to everyone who chimed in!

Awesome, let us know how you like it