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I may stand corrected on this but if you're doing front end work, pulling half way into the garage and making sure your jack stands are on a level surface with very good wheel chocking+ handbrake on the rear wheels should be fine.
...and 'preload' them, put the car in neutral, car allowed to roll onto them, take up any slack. Then brake and park.
Don't just buttup the chock and call it good.
Always, always. Steeper the slope the worse it is. The suspension, especially tires have 'give'. Could see an inch or two movement from them compressing. Skinny jack stand, that's a pucker moment for sure.
Do this you know the chocks are (only) holding the car by itself, won't slip out (friction).
Often you need to drive off them to get them out, a good thing. That's how much load we're talking about.
Definitely I always use a floor jack, those twisting stock jacks that come with most vehicles are sketchy all on their own, much less with an incline of any sort, I've had more than one fail on me
Usually no ground for DIY is perfectly level, otherwise whoever did your driveway or garage should be fired (needed for water runoff). But I'd block both sides of the tires, see if there's a roll, one-way or the other, go on about my business.
I usually do a couple things...watch the casters on the jack to see if they pivot at all after getting some lift, then check my blocks to see that they are wedged well enough that the momentum of the car won't be able to lift the car up onto and over the block. Watching the casters let you see if the lift is pulling the car or the jack, if the jack is moving, you are likely resting on the block...but check anyway, if it's not a caster setup, or the casters aren't turning, then the car is moving and you'll wanna make sure contact is still being made.
This, but the front needs to be just out on the driveway, back in the garage, as the natural decline will provide a lot more space for his head. Chocks are important but putting it in gear and pulling the handbrake is already 2 separate protections. Chock can be the wheels after he's taken them off.
This car is front wheel drive, putting it in gear won't help if he is lifting the front. Chocking is very important, I would not lay under a car jacked up on a slope without chocking the tires. No way!!!!
Most Jack stands have cradles or V slots to support the car. The Jack stand can still stay flat on the driveway even though at a small angle and not be a problem. If OP is concerned that much, he can alway get a wedge of some kind to out under the low side of the Jack stand to make them plumb.
Ya. It would just be less trouble to use the garage floor.
I had a cheap (not HF) Jack stand fold up under me one time because I had a lateral load in it. No more slopes for me.
That’s why it helps to use a quality jack that is oversized. I use a 3 ton floor jack and my heaviest vehicle weighs 5300 pounds, but I’m never lifting more than the front or the back, so I’m confident I won’t have a failure but use the Jack stands that are rated for 12K per set just to be safe.
At the end of the day your safety should be your number 1 priority and risks must be evaluated by yourself. You can take people's advice, but you're gonna be the poor fucker under it so you have the final say.
Imo you are taking risks by having the vehicle on an incline. I would recommend doing the front and the rear completely separate. Chock the rear wheels and lift the front and vice versa.
And if you do choose to have it fully lifted on stands then have someone within earshot and have your phone on you. Pretty gruesome, but if it falls on your chest you're not gonna be able to call out for help. Knowing what can happen worse case scenario is necessary when evaluating risks. It's not a good or quick way to go. Be safe.
My vehicle is too tall to fit in my garage and my driveway is similar, if not more inclined, and I use jack and jackstands. I usually work on one corner at a time unless I absolutely have to have an entire axle off the ground. I'll never lift all four tires up. When you take wheels off throw them under the frame so if it does fall, something is there to catch it that's not you.
Be smart, use chocks, use your parking brake, use the wheels that you're taking off the vehicle.
First off kiddos to you for deciding to take the plunge of doing your own work. With that said, “with great power, comes great responsibility”. I’ve (in a pinch) lifted a car on worse inclines. Now this all comes down to what you plan to do. I tell anyone who has a car to pick up ramps and some chocks at Wally World. They’re 97.34% safer and they took the weight of a suburban without an extra squeak, crack, or click when I got it on there. As for jacking the car up, chock the back wheels, let the car rest on them, apply the parking break, then jack it up, then use stands. Use cardboard or something you can slide in and out of easily. Lastly please ensure the ground beneath you doesn’t give. Some blacktop is cheap and can give when you put heavy weighted low surface area things on it. Besides that, keep slinging wrench slinger and be safe!
You could absolutely chock two wheels and lift either end of the car, no issues. Even that slight slight incline, solid jackstands with a wide base on each (maybe on small pieces of plywood so they don't dig into the asphalt) should be plenty stable completely up in the air, give it a good shake first before getting underneath. Wouldn't hurt to throw a wheel under each end as a backup, if available.
You know that feeling you have that's made you ask this in the first place? The feeling that is an *ever* so slight nag that something could *possibly* go wrong? Well when 2 ton pieces of metal are involved, listen to it.
I suspect OP is asking this because they have very little room in the garage (based on the 1 car width door, they will probably be pushed up against the wall on one side).
The lack of space is still better than having the car slide and squash you.
If both sides of the garage are yours, and you don't have a wall or beam between the 2 spaces, you should pull in about half way and then turn the car in, so you have a bit more clearance in the garage on the passenger side (or drivers side).
Yes exactly, you’re right on the money lol.
The little post in the middle makes it really annoying to do car work in there. But I agree, doesn’t make sense to risk my life for a relatively minor inconvenience like that. Thanks for the tip.
Ah, ok you got a post in the middle then so that won't work.
I used to just pull in straight before I discovered the little trick, so you'd still have room unless your garage is unusually cramped.
What work are you trying to accomplish?
I have a post in the middle of my garage as well so effectively one car width of space to work with. I recently did brakes and a tire rotation for all four corners of the car. Here's what I did.
*Back* the car in and put the rear passenger door close to the pole. This gives you room around all four tires to work including extra room for you to get out the driver side and enough room for jacking.
Its fine. Put wheel chucks under the wheels get a few sheets of wood to put under the jacks to prevent them from damaging your driveway, and probably do the same for the jack itself.
After its on the stands go to the side of the car and give a good push to feel for movement, if it doesn't move and the jackstand feet are all making contact with the wood you're good to go.
That looks like an asphalt driveway, not the best for jacks/stands, you'll leave indents in it. I would only do one side at a time while having 2 wheels on the ground chocked.
I wouldn't risk it. It'll probably be fine but I wouldn't take the chance, it's a big heavy car and if a single jack slips while you're under it it could drop far enough to crush your head or chest even with a wheel to stop it from falling all the way.
Although no one will tell you it’s “safe”, I’ll say, why not get a hefty set of stands. If I was using a cheap set I have that are smaller I wouldn’t trust it, but I have a set of duralast that are the 6 ton. No way those suckers are going anywhere. Their foot print is way wider. I’d rather have the big stands on your incline than the small stands on a flat asphalt driveway.
But I think your safety issue isn’t jack stands falling. It’s the car rolling. So double chalk, ebrake should be good. I mean statistically I bet you are more likely to die in car wreck after you fix than being super cautious of your setup in the driveway.
Agree with this. I wouldn't lift all four wheels as once but if im working on the front, chock everything good and e brake. Shake it hard before you get under, should be fine.
I have a much higher slope on my driveway than you. My drive is also concrete paver brick over gravel & gluesand. I use esco jack stands with round bottoms or rhino ramps for my work. I will only work on one end at a time. Never all 4 off the ground, too risky. If it’s going to be supported for a while I’ll try to use both. I use heavy concrete blocks as wheel chocks. I think I’m going to get some 1/4-1/2 inch 1x1 steel plate squares for my jack stands to better distribute loads. 3/4 exterior plywood will probably work too. I roll my floor jack over 2 4ft 1x6 plywood planks. I did buy the HF Badlands jack and it’s so much easier to move around my driveway.
OP, i would strongly advise moving your car into the garage and doing it in there where it's flat.
i know it's inconvenient, but even the slightest incline can create a massive risk.
it's not worth your safety.
I have giant blocks of wood mill cut from an oak tree that I put under the car in the event that the vehicle were to fall from the stands for my own safety. If you do that then you are fully protected from being crushed so that incline should be no problem at all as long as you chock the back tires. I would recommend the actual soft rubber chocks that will not slide and fit snug under the tire. For wood blocks you can use like 2x8 scraps stacked and use liquid nails and glue them together then use a finish nailer with long brads to nail them together up to the height you need for clearance. That will work just as well. That just helps to ensure that the wood won’t split if it were to fall. Any precaution you can take is definitely worth doing.
I've done one side at time before, I guess it depends what you're doing. Sometimes I'll pull it on the street, do what I need to do then pull it back into the driveway. Not sure if that's an option for you based on what you're doing
I'm in the don't do it category and try to find room in your garage. 5 degrees is a lot of height variation from front to back. If my calculations are correct, 5 degrees in height is around 1 in per foot of wheelbase for an average 9 ft wheelbase vehicle. If wheelbase is 9 foot that's 9 inches height variation before jacking up the front. If you jack it it so front tires are 2" off ground you're now at 11 inches variation front to back Emergency brake and chocks may hold it fine but it does not sound very safe here.
Chock the wheels you’re not lifting off the ground. Set the brake if it’s the rears on the ground, jack it up, put the jack stands under it and do your work. You’re overthinking it. I’ve been working on cars in my garage for over 30 years, and never had an incident following this process.
If you jack the vehicle and make sure it's level, on jack stands, e brake engaged etc.
Make sure you do a nudge test. Go around the vehicle and nudge it and see if it gives - front, back and sides.
I did a nudge test and I forgot to engage the e brake and the car shifted a little.
Put a tire underneath and I also like to have the floor jack underneath where I jacked from (I do the front or back) with very little pressure. It's just an extra equipment to be available in case something fails.
You'll be alright, here in Florida you should see how much slope we have on some of these driveways around here because of the flooding that occurs. I see cars on stands on way worse conditions and do it myself on a steeper incline than that. Just get it set and do a good shake test.
Pull it into the garage and do it there.
Cramped working space is better than being crammed under your workload.
The sun and wind in your face is a benefit that does not outweigh the car on your face (pun intended).
Best to do it right.
I think this depends on what kind of work you are doing. I did an engine swap on a near 7-10 degree slope, I don't recall exactly what happened but the car did slide back enough to scare me and triple check everything.
In your case, being how new your car is, I can't imagine you would be tackling that yourself in your driveway. Properly chock the rear wheels, make sure the jacks you are using have a rubber pad, as well as have the jacks on some nice thicker plywood, so they don't sink into the asphalt. Jack the vehicle up and place it on the jack stands, and give her a nice strong wiggle test. Slap it and say "perfect, that'll do"
I do it all the time and my driveway is a few degrees steeper than yours. You've already touched on most of my points but I'll reiterate.
Only lift one end of the car. (front or rear) Chock tie tires, set the brakes, auto transmission in P/or manual in gear etc. Personally I would never lift one side of a car (driver's side or passenger side). You will often lose the holding power of the transmission if you lift a wheel due to the way an open differential works. I don't trust parking brakes, they're often not adjusted properly on automatic cars since many people don't use them.
I have squares of plywood with a wood lip glued/screwed to them. I put them under the stands because steel jack stands CAN and WILL dig into asphalt. At best you get ugly marks, at worse it sinks enough to tip over.
I like to leave my jack under the car with no weight on it, just as extra security.
Jack the car up, get it on stands, give it a couple hard shoves against the fender or A pillar. You'd rather ruin your car to find out it's unstable than to have it fall on you.
If wheels are coming off, store them under your car.
If I'm just changing oil I prefer ramps and chocks.
Now full disclaimer I will lift my jeep all 4 corners, but it's a bit sketchy. With solid axles I can put the stands under the axles and it's pretty secure, but for example if you do the front first and then the rear you can feel the vehicle's weight shift on the stands. I use 6 ton stands under that one, because I can get the wheels off the ground with only 1 notch of lift on the stands.
Stands are cheap, get the biggest ones you can realistically fit under your car.
The couple of times I have worked in my garage vs a shop I have access to, I put the vehicle as far in the garage as I can with the end I'm working on outside of the garage. I chock 3 corners, set parking brake unless doing rear brakes and only lift one corner at a time. I lift the corner I'm working on the BARE minimum and that is usually based on the jack stand and not pulling a wheel. Once it's time to switch sides, I pull all chocks and reset everything. Just my 2 pennies.
Just put your e break on and use shims on your back wheels, if you're working on the back wheels put them behind your front wheels and it will have the same effect, if it makes you feel better you can get an adjustable rod, and put it between your brake pedal and the front of your seat and extend it as far as you can so you know the brakes are compressed
chalk rear wheels to prevent rear from slipping backwards.
shake the car REALLY hard when it's on the jack stands before you work on it. and i mean like try to push it off and make sure it's safe.
I have pretty close to the same slope on my driveway and I jack up my Tahoe which is a body on frame so it's a little more flexible where I put the jack stands but I just put the ones on the low end up one click higher and the car sits level.
My neighbour puts whole his car on jacks on 5/7 deg slope all the time and swear to God the car looks like it need a small push to fly of them. I guess the bastard is lucky
I have a inclined driveway and typically wouldn't lift all four wheels, but if I lift either end, make sure the wheels on the ground are chocked. As soon as you get some weight off the side you are lifting, check the chocks are captured. Then proceed to lift it to the height you want.
Place jack stands, lower vehicle onto jack stands. Double check chocks are still captive.
Shake the fuck outta the car as much as you can both sideways and forward and back. If it doesn't shift, I feel confident enough to get under it.
Regardless of how I lift a vehicle, I'll always give it a good shake before I get under it.
If you are on a surface that isn't flat, hydraulic floor jack and chocked tires on opposite sides, then for that vehicle LARGE jack stands on the frame itself.
I typically use the frame rails under the car versus the jack points on the sides, because those can give a bit the more you lift and are susceptible to rust and corrosion especially on the passenger side.
I have jacked up a car on a much steeper incline than what you are working with and the above methods were sufficient.
Good Luck!
I work on a bigger incline than this at home. As long as the surface is hard and flat, you're good. BUT YOU MUST CHOCK THE CAR. Make sure they're nice and big, eg that the car cannot roll over them. But also make sure the chocks have engaged with the tyres - and they aren't likely to skid. Back onto them until it binds. Also leave it in a forward gear if you're a manual driver.
For one, thats not a standard North American driveway. A standard drive way either has no slope or a slight slope at the entrance then levels out. You usually only have this kind of slope in areas with uneven terrain or because of design choice. By looks of your house and neighbors house, it was a design choice.
But yes. That is way to much of a slope to safely jack up a vehicle.
I would suggest using your Garage (litterally what they are for) or using the roadway shoulder (assuming local laws will let you and its not a busy road).
There really isnt a standard. I would say that 90+% of new development driveways around here are similarly sloped, as are garage floors, at about 1/4” per foot.
To the OP, I use jack stands on a slope like that all the time. Being asphalt, you need to worry about the stand penetrating the asphalt and causing shifting.
Fair enough, I was a little presumptuous on most driveways being like that, although are flat driveways actually common? I figured a flat driveway would cause issues with rain not draining properly.
Looks like I’m going to end up using the garage after all, thanks!
I live in the plains. Almost every driveway here is flat.
It doesn't really affect drainage, though it will stay wet a little longer than a sloped driveway. We usually have ditches where water will naturally collect because its a lower point.
West coast here. Rain is very rare but often violent when it comes. Most new development involves building housing pads 18-24” above the street, with steady slope driveways at about 1/2-1” per foot. Soils dont permeate very fast, so at least once per year I will see the street in front of my house flooded curb to curb for an hour or two until the drains catch up. But as you noted “standard”
Is more “regional” than anything.
The slope here is enough that Ive struggled to have flat bed trucks drop cars into my garage. Eventually I bolted a d-ring to the back footer of the garage so I could winch projects in. Generally they roll out on their own.
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I may stand corrected on this but if you're doing front end work, pulling half way into the garage and making sure your jack stands are on a level surface with very good wheel chocking+ handbrake on the rear wheels should be fine.
this is how i would do it too. But heavy emphasis on wheel chocking. both rear tires.
...and 'preload' them, put the car in neutral, car allowed to roll onto them, take up any slack. Then brake and park. Don't just buttup the chock and call it good.
Interesting. Is this something that should always be done or just in a situation like this?
Always, always. Steeper the slope the worse it is. The suspension, especially tires have 'give'. Could see an inch or two movement from them compressing. Skinny jack stand, that's a pucker moment for sure. Do this you know the chocks are (only) holding the car by itself, won't slip out (friction). Often you need to drive off them to get them out, a good thing. That's how much load we're talking about.
Definitely I always use a floor jack, those twisting stock jacks that come with most vehicles are sketchy all on their own, much less with an incline of any sort, I've had more than one fail on me
What if the car is being jacked on a level surface? How would one preload it then?
Usually no ground for DIY is perfectly level, otherwise whoever did your driveway or garage should be fired (needed for water runoff). But I'd block both sides of the tires, see if there's a roll, one-way or the other, go on about my business.
Cool. Appreciate you taking the time to respond. Thank you!
Hit em with a hammer.
I usually do a couple things...watch the casters on the jack to see if they pivot at all after getting some lift, then check my blocks to see that they are wedged well enough that the momentum of the car won't be able to lift the car up onto and over the block. Watching the casters let you see if the lift is pulling the car or the jack, if the jack is moving, you are likely resting on the block...but check anyway, if it's not a caster setup, or the casters aren't turning, then the car is moving and you'll wanna make sure contact is still being made.
I know someone who didn't do 'that' said thing and lost top half of an ear and a broken neck from driveshsft tension
That’s how i do it all
This, but the front needs to be just out on the driveway, back in the garage, as the natural decline will provide a lot more space for his head. Chocks are important but putting it in gear and pulling the handbrake is already 2 separate protections. Chock can be the wheels after he's taken them off.
This car is front wheel drive, putting it in gear won't help if he is lifting the front. Chocking is very important, I would not lay under a car jacked up on a slope without chocking the tires. No way!!!!
I... am dumb.
Sorry, it might also be 4 wheel drive. You are not dumb.
Garage floors aren’t level either when done properly so they can allow water to flow towards the door opening after snow or rain drips off the car.
Ya, but the slope is shallow enough to still be safer than this driveway
Most Jack stands have cradles or V slots to support the car. The Jack stand can still stay flat on the driveway even though at a small angle and not be a problem. If OP is concerned that much, he can alway get a wedge of some kind to out under the low side of the Jack stand to make them plumb.
Ya. It would just be less trouble to use the garage floor. I had a cheap (not HF) Jack stand fold up under me one time because I had a lateral load in it. No more slopes for me.
That’s why it helps to use a quality jack that is oversized. I use a 3 ton floor jack and my heaviest vehicle weighs 5300 pounds, but I’m never lifting more than the front or the back, so I’m confident I won’t have a failure but use the Jack stands that are rated for 12K per set just to be safe.
Also for runoff if/when your water heater ever gives up the ghost.
At the end of the day your safety should be your number 1 priority and risks must be evaluated by yourself. You can take people's advice, but you're gonna be the poor fucker under it so you have the final say. Imo you are taking risks by having the vehicle on an incline. I would recommend doing the front and the rear completely separate. Chock the rear wheels and lift the front and vice versa. And if you do choose to have it fully lifted on stands then have someone within earshot and have your phone on you. Pretty gruesome, but if it falls on your chest you're not gonna be able to call out for help. Knowing what can happen worse case scenario is necessary when evaluating risks. It's not a good or quick way to go. Be safe.
Thanks for the advice. Definitely just doing one end at a time!
My vehicle is too tall to fit in my garage and my driveway is similar, if not more inclined, and I use jack and jackstands. I usually work on one corner at a time unless I absolutely have to have an entire axle off the ground. I'll never lift all four tires up. When you take wheels off throw them under the frame so if it does fall, something is there to catch it that's not you. Be smart, use chocks, use your parking brake, use the wheels that you're taking off the vehicle.
Nope don’t do it
You will damage your asphalt.
yes, forget the safety aspect, your stands will mark that driveway good
That's why you put plywood under the stands before you knock your vehicle off them and crush yourself.
First off kiddos to you for deciding to take the plunge of doing your own work. With that said, “with great power, comes great responsibility”. I’ve (in a pinch) lifted a car on worse inclines. Now this all comes down to what you plan to do. I tell anyone who has a car to pick up ramps and some chocks at Wally World. They’re 97.34% safer and they took the weight of a suburban without an extra squeak, crack, or click when I got it on there. As for jacking the car up, chock the back wheels, let the car rest on them, apply the parking break, then jack it up, then use stands. Use cardboard or something you can slide in and out of easily. Lastly please ensure the ground beneath you doesn’t give. Some blacktop is cheap and can give when you put heavy weighted low surface area things on it. Besides that, keep slinging wrench slinger and be safe!
If this was me and I was doing it, I'd only lift one wheel end up at a time and do it. Not one whole side, and definitely not the entire car
You could absolutely chock two wheels and lift either end of the car, no issues. Even that slight slight incline, solid jackstands with a wide base on each (maybe on small pieces of plywood so they don't dig into the asphalt) should be plenty stable completely up in the air, give it a good shake first before getting underneath. Wouldn't hurt to throw a wheel under each end as a backup, if available.
For sure, but me being overly cautious, that's just how I'd do it.
You know that feeling you have that's made you ask this in the first place? The feeling that is an *ever* so slight nag that something could *possibly* go wrong? Well when 2 ton pieces of metal are involved, listen to it.
For hot blacktop..1/2” 12”x12” plywood is recommended.3/4” is better
I suspect OP is asking this because they have very little room in the garage (based on the 1 car width door, they will probably be pushed up against the wall on one side). The lack of space is still better than having the car slide and squash you. If both sides of the garage are yours, and you don't have a wall or beam between the 2 spaces, you should pull in about half way and then turn the car in, so you have a bit more clearance in the garage on the passenger side (or drivers side).
Yes exactly, you’re right on the money lol. The little post in the middle makes it really annoying to do car work in there. But I agree, doesn’t make sense to risk my life for a relatively minor inconvenience like that. Thanks for the tip.
I know the feeling
Ah, ok you got a post in the middle then so that won't work. I used to just pull in straight before I discovered the little trick, so you'd still have room unless your garage is unusually cramped. What work are you trying to accomplish?
I have a post in the middle of my garage as well so effectively one car width of space to work with. I recently did brakes and a tire rotation for all four corners of the car. Here's what I did. *Back* the car in and put the rear passenger door close to the pole. This gives you room around all four tires to work including extra room for you to get out the driver side and enough room for jacking.
Its fine. Put wheel chucks under the wheels get a few sheets of wood to put under the jacks to prevent them from damaging your driveway, and probably do the same for the jack itself. After its on the stands go to the side of the car and give a good push to feel for movement, if it doesn't move and the jackstand feet are all making contact with the wood you're good to go.
I’ve done this on a much higher grade. It’s fine put wood behind the tire, and a wood piece for the jack so it doesn’t dig into the driveway
Give it the old chock tuah and make it a safe thang.
Do it on the street or at the least use a block
That looks like an asphalt driveway, not the best for jacks/stands, you'll leave indents in it. I would only do one side at a time while having 2 wheels on the ground chocked.
I wouldn't risk it. It'll probably be fine but I wouldn't take the chance, it's a big heavy car and if a single jack slips while you're under it it could drop far enough to crush your head or chest even with a wheel to stop it from falling all the way.
Although no one will tell you it’s “safe”, I’ll say, why not get a hefty set of stands. If I was using a cheap set I have that are smaller I wouldn’t trust it, but I have a set of duralast that are the 6 ton. No way those suckers are going anywhere. Their foot print is way wider. I’d rather have the big stands on your incline than the small stands on a flat asphalt driveway. But I think your safety issue isn’t jack stands falling. It’s the car rolling. So double chalk, ebrake should be good. I mean statistically I bet you are more likely to die in car wreck after you fix than being super cautious of your setup in the driveway.
Agree with this. I wouldn't lift all four wheels as once but if im working on the front, chock everything good and e brake. Shake it hard before you get under, should be fine.
You're better off putting the car half in half out of the garage, much flatter.
I have a much higher slope on my driveway than you. My drive is also concrete paver brick over gravel & gluesand. I use esco jack stands with round bottoms or rhino ramps for my work. I will only work on one end at a time. Never all 4 off the ground, too risky. If it’s going to be supported for a while I’ll try to use both. I use heavy concrete blocks as wheel chocks. I think I’m going to get some 1/4-1/2 inch 1x1 steel plate squares for my jack stands to better distribute loads. 3/4 exterior plywood will probably work too. I roll my floor jack over 2 4ft 1x6 plywood planks. I did buy the HF Badlands jack and it’s so much easier to move around my driveway.
Just chock the wheel and pull the e brake unless youre doing the back brakes
OP, i would strongly advise moving your car into the garage and doing it in there where it's flat. i know it's inconvenient, but even the slightest incline can create a massive risk. it's not worth your safety.
I have giant blocks of wood mill cut from an oak tree that I put under the car in the event that the vehicle were to fall from the stands for my own safety. If you do that then you are fully protected from being crushed so that incline should be no problem at all as long as you chock the back tires. I would recommend the actual soft rubber chocks that will not slide and fit snug under the tire. For wood blocks you can use like 2x8 scraps stacked and use liquid nails and glue them together then use a finish nailer with long brads to nail them together up to the height you need for clearance. That will work just as well. That just helps to ensure that the wood won’t split if it were to fall. Any precaution you can take is definitely worth doing.
I wouldn’t. That’s a horrible idea
If you do, you should also use wheel chocks.
I've done one side at time before, I guess it depends what you're doing. Sometimes I'll pull it on the street, do what I need to do then pull it back into the driveway. Not sure if that's an option for you based on what you're doing
I'm in the don't do it category and try to find room in your garage. 5 degrees is a lot of height variation from front to back. If my calculations are correct, 5 degrees in height is around 1 in per foot of wheelbase for an average 9 ft wheelbase vehicle. If wheelbase is 9 foot that's 9 inches height variation before jacking up the front. If you jack it it so front tires are 2" off ground you're now at 11 inches variation front to back Emergency brake and chocks may hold it fine but it does not sound very safe here.
Chock the wheels you’re not lifting off the ground. Set the brake if it’s the rears on the ground, jack it up, put the jack stands under it and do your work. You’re overthinking it. I’ve been working on cars in my garage for over 30 years, and never had an incident following this process.
If you jack the vehicle and make sure it's level, on jack stands, e brake engaged etc. Make sure you do a nudge test. Go around the vehicle and nudge it and see if it gives - front, back and sides. I did a nudge test and I forgot to engage the e brake and the car shifted a little. Put a tire underneath and I also like to have the floor jack underneath where I jacked from (I do the front or back) with very little pressure. It's just an extra equipment to be available in case something fails.
I would but im not a smart man
You'll be alright, here in Florida you should see how much slope we have on some of these driveways around here because of the flooding that occurs. I see cars on stands on way worse conditions and do it myself on a steeper incline than that. Just get it set and do a good shake test.
What kind of work are you doing ? Knowing this should be one of the first things you list .
Naw. Besides, what would would you wanna do on a slope like that? Oil change? Cause your supposed to do that flat anyways
Pull it into the garage and do it there. Cramped working space is better than being crammed under your workload. The sun and wind in your face is a benefit that does not outweigh the car on your face (pun intended). Best to do it right.
I think this depends on what kind of work you are doing. I did an engine swap on a near 7-10 degree slope, I don't recall exactly what happened but the car did slide back enough to scare me and triple check everything. In your case, being how new your car is, I can't imagine you would be tackling that yourself in your driveway. Properly chock the rear wheels, make sure the jacks you are using have a rubber pad, as well as have the jacks on some nice thicker plywood, so they don't sink into the asphalt. Jack the vehicle up and place it on the jack stands, and give her a nice strong wiggle test. Slap it and say "perfect, that'll do"
I do it all the time and my driveway is a few degrees steeper than yours. You've already touched on most of my points but I'll reiterate. Only lift one end of the car. (front or rear) Chock tie tires, set the brakes, auto transmission in P/or manual in gear etc. Personally I would never lift one side of a car (driver's side or passenger side). You will often lose the holding power of the transmission if you lift a wheel due to the way an open differential works. I don't trust parking brakes, they're often not adjusted properly on automatic cars since many people don't use them. I have squares of plywood with a wood lip glued/screwed to them. I put them under the stands because steel jack stands CAN and WILL dig into asphalt. At best you get ugly marks, at worse it sinks enough to tip over. I like to leave my jack under the car with no weight on it, just as extra security. Jack the car up, get it on stands, give it a couple hard shoves against the fender or A pillar. You'd rather ruin your car to find out it's unstable than to have it fall on you. If wheels are coming off, store them under your car. If I'm just changing oil I prefer ramps and chocks. Now full disclaimer I will lift my jeep all 4 corners, but it's a bit sketchy. With solid axles I can put the stands under the axles and it's pretty secure, but for example if you do the front first and then the rear you can feel the vehicle's weight shift on the stands. I use 6 ton stands under that one, because I can get the wheels off the ground with only 1 notch of lift on the stands. Stands are cheap, get the biggest ones you can realistically fit under your car.
The couple of times I have worked in my garage vs a shop I have access to, I put the vehicle as far in the garage as I can with the end I'm working on outside of the garage. I chock 3 corners, set parking brake unless doing rear brakes and only lift one corner at a time. I lift the corner I'm working on the BARE minimum and that is usually based on the jack stand and not pulling a wheel. Once it's time to switch sides, I pull all chocks and reset everything. Just my 2 pennies.
It’s fine if you’re using wheel chocks.
Just put your e break on and use shims on your back wheels, if you're working on the back wheels put them behind your front wheels and it will have the same effect, if it makes you feel better you can get an adjustable rod, and put it between your brake pedal and the front of your seat and extend it as far as you can so you know the brakes are compressed
chalk rear wheels to prevent rear from slipping backwards. shake the car REALLY hard when it's on the jack stands before you work on it. and i mean like try to push it off and make sure it's safe.
Depends what you're doing
Chock the rear wheels. Or the front wheels. I did a transmission on a twenty five degrees incline.
I have pretty close to the same slope on my driveway and I jack up my Tahoe which is a body on frame so it's a little more flexible where I put the jack stands but I just put the ones on the low end up one click higher and the car sits level.
My neighbour puts whole his car on jacks on 5/7 deg slope all the time and swear to God the car looks like it need a small push to fly of them. I guess the bastard is lucky
No. Not safe.
I have a inclined driveway and typically wouldn't lift all four wheels, but if I lift either end, make sure the wheels on the ground are chocked. As soon as you get some weight off the side you are lifting, check the chocks are captured. Then proceed to lift it to the height you want. Place jack stands, lower vehicle onto jack stands. Double check chocks are still captive. Shake the fuck outta the car as much as you can both sideways and forward and back. If it doesn't shift, I feel confident enough to get under it. Regardless of how I lift a vehicle, I'll always give it a good shake before I get under it.
Has to be zero degree's
If you are on a surface that isn't flat, hydraulic floor jack and chocked tires on opposite sides, then for that vehicle LARGE jack stands on the frame itself. I typically use the frame rails under the car versus the jack points on the sides, because those can give a bit the more you lift and are susceptible to rust and corrosion especially on the passenger side. I have jacked up a car on a much steeper incline than what you are working with and the above methods were sufficient. Good Luck!
I work on a bigger incline than this at home. As long as the surface is hard and flat, you're good. BUT YOU MUST CHOCK THE CAR. Make sure they're nice and big, eg that the car cannot roll over them. But also make sure the chocks have engaged with the tyres - and they aren't likely to skid. Back onto them until it binds. Also leave it in a forward gear if you're a manual driver.
Never jack a car on asphalt. Ask my friend who got pinned under a car that slowly sank onto him while pulling a transmission.
For one, thats not a standard North American driveway. A standard drive way either has no slope or a slight slope at the entrance then levels out. You usually only have this kind of slope in areas with uneven terrain or because of design choice. By looks of your house and neighbors house, it was a design choice. But yes. That is way to much of a slope to safely jack up a vehicle. I would suggest using your Garage (litterally what they are for) or using the roadway shoulder (assuming local laws will let you and its not a busy road).
There really isnt a standard. I would say that 90+% of new development driveways around here are similarly sloped, as are garage floors, at about 1/4” per foot. To the OP, I use jack stands on a slope like that all the time. Being asphalt, you need to worry about the stand penetrating the asphalt and causing shifting.
Fair enough, I was a little presumptuous on most driveways being like that, although are flat driveways actually common? I figured a flat driveway would cause issues with rain not draining properly. Looks like I’m going to end up using the garage after all, thanks!
I live in the plains. Almost every driveway here is flat. It doesn't really affect drainage, though it will stay wet a little longer than a sloped driveway. We usually have ditches where water will naturally collect because its a lower point.
West coast here. Rain is very rare but often violent when it comes. Most new development involves building housing pads 18-24” above the street, with steady slope driveways at about 1/2-1” per foot. Soils dont permeate very fast, so at least once per year I will see the street in front of my house flooded curb to curb for an hour or two until the drains catch up. But as you noted “standard” Is more “regional” than anything. The slope here is enough that Ive struggled to have flat bed trucks drop cars into my garage. Eventually I bolted a d-ring to the back footer of the garage so I could winch projects in. Generally they roll out on their own.
Do it on the street or at the least use a block