Unusual Technical Question

[nonexpert]

Hey Yall,

I have an unusual question, and I couldn't think of a better place to aks it. This is for a high school paper.

If you lift the car up by the parts of the frame of the car that are right near its tires (i.e. behind the front wheels and right before itsa back wheels), is this a safe/effective way to lift a car?

The arguments I recieved on this are (1) the frame won't support the actual skeletal structure, and/or the skeletal structure will add an unreasonable strain to the car, causing bending of the frame at the lifting points and around, etc.

I understand that the size/type of the car makes this questions relative, so I ask you to assume that this is a standard non-fancy sedan car, i.e., Wolks Rabbit, Nissan Sentra, etc.

And and all info would be appreciative!

Thanks in advance!!

-Jen

[abaird]

As long as what you are lifting on is metal and not plastic. I will usually lift cars, especially small cars, by the pinch rails that run under the car. Bigger cars like impalas, buicks, etc. usually have sort of frame rails that are part of the unibody of the car that makes a good lifting point for the front of the car and I set the back pads of the lift under the pinch rail in front of the back tires. You can also jack a car up by the control arms in front, they will support the weight.

[UncleBob]

all cars have lift points designed into the car. On unibodies, it is very important to lift by them. If you have a full framed car, anywhere on the frame is fine....most of the time

Lifting by the pinch welds are usually safe, but not always. Ford Aerostars, for example, will callapse the entire body if you try to lift by the pinch weld. Ask me how I know

[Rickottman]

yeah and also the older the car gets the more brittle it is and will collapse the pinch rail

[Moppie]

Originally Posted by Rickottman

yeah and also the older the car gets the more brittle it is and will collapse the pinch rail

If its a Trabant then yes, but not many other cars were made from cellulose.
Most are mode from metal, and don't suffer such problems.

[Torch]

I only use the little pinch rails for when I am pulling a flat tire off and using that little jack that the car comes with. Other than that I find the strongest part of the underside of the car (somewhere near the A-arms on older cars) or under the skid plate / lower engine support and the use my floor jack with a piece of wood on top of it to distribute the pressure.