Ramp clearance

i think there are other ramps that have a lower profile. what if you tried putting some wood on the floor before the ramps, so you hit them at a higher plane?

 

I use Rhino Ramps with my Gen II and they work fine. However, I no longer have a front spoiler attached which may make the difference.

 

+1 on some 2x4s, etc placed in front of the ramps to gain 1.5 inches of clearance.

SCH-I535

 

My set-up:

(2) - 2 ton Low Profile Steel Heavy Duty Floor Jack, Harbor Freight # 68050
(4) - urethane jack pads, eBay purchase from seller urethanepads, search for: vw volkswagon jackpad
(4) - jackstands with a flat top, these are over 25 years and fit the jack pads perfectly. Most newer jack stands do not have a flat enough top.

Advantages with this set-up:

- Use both jacks on one side of the car to rotate tires. Jack pads fit nicely and don't damage the pinch welds.
- Use one jack for the front end and lift high enough that the plastic door can open and not hit the ground for oil changes. Note: always position 2 jack stands with pads in front in case the floor jack fails. Safety first.
- Use one jack at both ends at the same time and position all 4 jack stands with pads under the car. Good for working on brakes and changing the ATF fluid.

 

My 94 chevy impala ss had the same problem, and I have the rhino ramps. a couple 2x4 or even a few brick laid flat on the ground at the base of the ramp gave me just enough clearance to clear the air dam/bumpers....

 

Rhino Ramps - just finished changing oil on our 2011 Model 5 (which has low profile tires).

 

Ran into same problem with my wife's '11- was short a good 6 inches. I just drove it up; there's enough give in my opinion that there is no lasting damage . Even with it on the ramps there isn't enough room under there .... The 2x4's would do the trick.

 

Lol, low profile tires + larger diameter rims = roughly the same ground clearance as my 2011 model 3. Same overall total wheel diameter.

SCH-I535

 

I use Rhino plastic ramps and there is no problem getting up on them. The car is just high enough that I could squeeze the oil access door forward out of the way just scraping the ground with it. My car is a 2012 Prius 4 with standard wheels.

 

My favorite;

And, much better than the Rhinos.

 

^^ Didn't know about these, but if I was buying again, I'd get these instead of the Rhinos.

More gradual incline and a better bump stop at the top, I think.

 

As outlined above, to solve your ramp clearance a bit of 2x8 on the approach should suffice. But commenting on your last sentence:

I gave up on ramps a few decades back, just didn't like the excitement of running up the ramp and abruptly stopping (hope, hope) at the top. Plus considering things like transaxle fluid change (where car needs to be raised and level), brake inspections and tire rotations, and with the car being garage-kept, I prefer and use floor jack and jackstand.

My only issue: the proscribed jacking positions (for placement of scissor jack) are sharp, unreinforced edges. I've found alternative points, relatively close, on reinforced structural components.

Even using the scissor jack, with the correct shaped slot, which just cups around the crimped edge and bears on the bodywork directly behind, I've seen a bit of deformation. And this was on the lighter loaded, rear location when I was putting on the spare due to a flat.

 

I made and use a special "pinch weld" jacking adapter that prevents damage to the body work. Several members purchased them from me a couple of years, ago, when I was allowed to sell them, here.

They were made of strong acetal Delrin or polyoxymethylene.

 

Thanks Mike, but I gave up on those points, trying to make them work. I found four solid/heavy points, nearby. In this pic the front of vehicle is to the right side.

The red bars are where I'm putting stands: front locations are just at the end of a structural body rail, and rear locations are in middle of convex thickened area.

Note the little oblong plugs in vicinity of rear points. Pulling those out reveals a heavy gauge opening. The whole area appears to be a strong point. On our car one of the plugs was missing. When I picked one up at dealership, they told me those plugs are dealer-installed at Pre-Delivery Inspection, and they speculated during shipping some pins go into those slots, to prevent the car from shifting around during transit.

 

Low-angle ramps are what you require. They're safer anyhow.

 

Do you know who makes those?

 

I believe those were fabricated by a metal shop.

 

You could stack some wood and place it behind the ramp so your bumper can clear the metal ramp. See attachment!

 

Great pic of the bottom of a Prius.

I really like the tire alignment though!!!

Yeah, I know, it's the camera lens.