That's the trick! I have two ramps, so I can drive the car onto the two ramps, raising the front enough so that I can use the front jack poing underneath in the middle of the car.

Thanks, all.

--Mark

 

easy

 

Make yourself 4 ramps like this. Use 2 2x10x10'. Cut each into 2 2 foot and 2 3 foot sections. Bevel the ends with a belt sander and nail and glue the 2 foot pieces to the 3 foot pieces offset by 1 foot. Drive onto these ramps to raise the car high enough to get a floor jack under the front jack point and rear diff.



After you jack the car (front first) put the jackstands under the jacking points.



After you finish, jack up the rear (using the diff as the jack point) remove the jackstands and lower the car onto the ramps. Jack up the front, remove the stands and lower the car onto the ramps. Drive off the ramps and you are done.

Another tip, courtesy of xviper, is to go to your local Home Depot, Lowe's or other homeowners store and get 5 4x4 carpet samples. Use these on top of your jack and jackstands to prevent metal to metal contact and the possibility of scratching your car.

 

I once bent a frame rail big time on a MY86 CRX doing this. The CRX is like 4-500 lbs lighter than a S2K.

I will never touch the frame rails on my S.

 

There are four designated jacking points on our car. (They are shown in the owners manual) There is also a jacking point in the front of the car, in the middle, right in front of the engine. I'm not sure what the proper name for it is, but it is extremly solid. I simply jack up the car at one of the two front designated points about 3-4" with a smaller hydrolic jack I have, then the bigger hydrolic jack will fit underneath the front of the car.

The only other jacking point I would consider using would be the diff, although I am not to keen on this idea.

 

i mean this in the nicest way, but have met hockey before at one of the socal meets. he is the #1 caliper paint guy in southern california. i think he has jacked up more cars using this method in the last couple months than you and i will ever jack up a car in our lives combined. i believe our frame is stiff enough not to bend when being jacked up by the frame. it is a proven method, but to each his/her own. i guess that is why the jack points are there. just my $.02

 

I have been wrenchin on cars for over 20 years, but that is not the purpose of this post. Like I mentioned earlier, I bent a frame rail big time on a car that weighed 500 lbs less than a S2K by using the frame rail to support the weight of the car. I don't doubt hockey's expertise with cars but I am not going to use the frame rail on my S to support the weight of my S2000.

You mentioned the jack points in your post. Are you talking about the ones that are in the service manual? Have you ever actually used a frame rail on your S to jack up or support the weight of your S with a jack stand?

 

I too was surprised to see Hockey recommend the frame rails as place to locate jack stands. I have not used them in my S2000 because I wanted to avoid damage to them. I have seen bent frame rails in too many other vehicles (Accords, Civics, Miatas, Sciroccos, Golfs, etc.) to think of them as reliable supports. I may be wrong since I've never used them on the S2000, but they are not mentioned in the Helm manual as jack stand locations.

BTW, at autocrosses we often use the front-side jack point (rearward reinforced area as correctly identified by Rio S2K) to lift the entire side of the car to change both front and rear wheels at once.

 

Thanx for the support Meth. I was given that diagram from another site member and am under the impression that they are approved support locations for the jackstands. I do not jack up the car by these rails, but use them to place the jackstands, as stated. Those weak little folded over/pinched locations along the perimeter of the body are stronger in your opinions??? I don't believe they are at all. I personally have the cars up off the wheels all the time and have not so much as dented the frame rails or tubular section located rearward of the rails (on the diagram). The shape of the jackstand cradles fit the rail and tubes perfectly, as opposed to the thin perimeter locations.

So, proceed as you will............but my experience with this car tells me I am just fine.

Regards,
Hockey

 

I made a set of ramps like those and they are a godsend! My car is lowered so no way I was getting a jack under, so much easier with the ramps!