Where to Jack Up a Car When Changing Tires?
2 Answers
When changing tires on a small car, jack it up at the reinforced jacking points located near each wheel, typically marked by notches or indicators on the vehicle's underside. Tires operate under complex and demanding conditions, enduring various deformations, loads, forces, and extreme temperature fluctuations during use. Consequently, they must possess high load-bearing capacity, traction performance, and shock absorption. Additionally, tires require excellent wear resistance, flex resistance, low rolling resistance, and minimal heat generation. By application, tires are categorized into: passenger car tires, light truck tires, construction machinery tires, off-road vehicle tires, agricultural and forestry machinery tires, industrial vehicle tires, motorcycle tires, aircraft tires, and special-purpose vehicle tires.
Last time I changed my tires myself, I also pondered this issue and specifically checked the manual. Small cars have specially designed support points on both sides of the chassis, usually near the area behind the wheel arches. You can feel raised grooves or metal plates by hand. Remember not to jack near the fuel tank or exhaust pipe, as those areas are thin and can deform under pressure. Once, my friend jacked at the wrong spot and dented the underbody shield, costing hundreds to repair. Now when changing tires, I always bring a small flashlight to check and make sure I find the proper, square load-bearing point before proceeding. Actually, the most stable positions to remember are half an arm's distance behind the front wheels and half an arm's distance in front of the rear wheels—those spots have extra-thick metal reinforcement.
