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Wanted to rotate tires...

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by ES44AC, Aug 7, 2012.

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  1. ny_rob

    ny_rob Senior Member

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    [​IMG]
    The OP has a 2011 II, so maybe my car (2012 Five) is different underneath- but my front jack point is clearly accessible as a cutout in the undercarriage covers has been provided by the factory. I simply roll my floor jack under the front and start jacking- no need to remove any covers on the 2012 Five.
     
    #21 ny_rob, Aug 9, 2012
  2. jdcollins5

    jdcollins5 Senior Member

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    There were no changes made in the 2011 MY that I am aware of. If your 2012 jack post is accessible and my 2010 is accessible, I think that verifies that the OP's is accessible.
     
    #22 jdcollins5, Aug 9, 2012
  3. ES44AC

    ES44AC C.A.U.S

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    Hello and thanks for the underside views, sure wish I had that lift in my garage!

    NOW I can see where I was going wrong, when I rolled under the car on a creeper I was back waaaay to far to see the boss that sticks down, plainly there to be seen NOT under any shrouding.

    I just took a look at the car not on ramps and 'lo and behold there it is!

    So my apologies to all who offered advice, I was wrong and you were right, nothing has to be taken off to see it it's obvious once you have actually seen it. Going by those sketches I was mislead as to where to look. Your photo showed me everything I needed to see.

    At least I know where to put that damned jack if I ever want to change my oil etc. I won't be using it to rotate the tires that's for sure.

    Cheers and thanks again! :D
     
    #23 ES44AC, Aug 9, 2012
    jjPrius, KK6PD and F8L like this.
  4. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    It takes a big man to post such an admission. Good for you! :)
     
    #24 F8L, Aug 9, 2012
  5. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    Taking this from another angle: why bother rotating? What benefit do you anticipate?
     
    #25 richard schumacher, Aug 9, 2012
  6. ES44AC

    ES44AC C.A.U.S

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    Oh Richard,

    I bet you "VIF" that Harrier all the time if you are a pilot, that makes it rotate for sure! :D

    I am so used to owning cars like Porsche or Mercedes that you can't rotate the tires, you are always putting one pair or the other on because you can't even out the wear. So to me it's a welcome novelty if nothing else. This way I get to buy all four at a time!
     
    #26 ES44AC, Aug 9, 2012
  7. jdcollins5

    jdcollins5 Senior Member

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    Glad you found your jack point. Good luck with rotating tires. I rotate mine every 5k miles and get good, even wear all the way to the minimum tread depth.
     
    #27 jdcollins5, Aug 10, 2012
  8. Chris Dragon

    Chris Dragon Junior Member

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    For anyone still wondering where the two possible front jack points are, Changing the oil in a 2004 Prius has pictures from 3 different angles of the jack point that's closer to the front of the car. That point is not the same as the one pictured in the official Toyota schematic diagram but I did just verify that it works on my 2004 Prius. I would rather go with the official one, but my floor jack won't fit under far enough to use the official one.
     
    #28 Chris Dragon, Dec 16, 2012
  9. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    I think both of the diagrams shown in the OP are a Gen 2 Prius, not the Gen 3 he owns. Since they look quite different underneath, this is confusing him. ny_rob posted Gen 3 photos, by comparison, here is a Gen 2 Prius belly up. It resembles his diagrams, not his car

    [​IMG]
     
    #29 JimboPalmer, Dec 16, 2012
  10. hlunde

    hlunde Member

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    There is a difference. With McPherson strut suspension, the lower (only) ball joint normally only experiences fore/aft and side/side loads. The weight of the vehicle is transferred directly from the stub axle to the lower spring seat with no path through the ball joint. In my experience McPherson strut ball joints are notably smaller than those used in dual wishbone suspensions where the ball joint does carry vertical loads.
     
    #30 hlunde, Dec 17, 2012
  11. El Dobro

    El Dobro A Member

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    I use two 2 1/2 ton floor jacks. Makes rotating tires a snap.
     
    #31 El Dobro, Dec 18, 2012
  12. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    There's also a point towards the very front of the car that can also be used, and I've been using successfully without any issues. It is slightly off-center to the left of the car, and you should see it once under there.
     
    #32 The Critic, Dec 21, 2012
  13. hlunde

    hlunde Member

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    I do find tire rotation a bit tedious. I use two floor jacks on one side at a time, and had to modify each jack to correctly transfer the load to the designated jacking points. Having a single jack point centered on each side would really simplify things.
     
    #33 hlunde, Dec 26, 2012
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