One of the most important parts of vehicle maintenance is rotating the tires. And believe it or not, it applies to modern vehicles with all-wheel drive capabilities. Wondering why? Well, the all-wheel-drive models will deliver most of the power to one set of wheels most of the time.
That said, you might think that it will be pretty tricky for you to rotate the tires when you only have a single pair of jack stands. But what if we told you that it is possible? Yes! However, you need to learn how to rotate tires with two jack stands for that. And the good news is that we will precisely go through that process in this guide.
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Rotating The Tires with a Pair of Jack Stands
You might be thinking that the process will require too much time and effort. Yes, it will be tiresome if you follow the wrong approach. You can ace the task with little effort and time with the proper steps.
Wondering what steps are we referring to in this guide? They are as follows:
Step 1: Get the Required Tools
Before anything else, you will need to get a set of tools. The jack stands are a given, but along with that, you must get these:
- Wheel chocks
- Car/Hydraulic jack
- Tire iron or lug wrench
- Torque wrench
Step 2: Prepare the Car
After getting the required tools, you will need to get your vehicle ready. For that, start with parking the car on a flat surface. Keeping it on the slanted or angled ground will be a safety issue.
Secondly, set the transmission into the park mode. And engage the parking brake of the vehicle. Finally, you should chock the wheels that you are not planning to work with.
For example, if you plan to rotate the front wheels, keep the wheel chocks on the back wheels.
You might think that putting the chocks on the wheel is unnecessary, but it will enhance the safety level. And safety should be your #1 priority!
Step 3: Locate the Jack Points
After getting all of the required tools, you will need to locate the jack points on your vehicle. These points will be beside most small cars' front and rear wheels. There will be a couple of points in the middle of the frame.
However, you should not just rely on this information and settle for any welds that you find under the car. Instead, you should look at the owner's manual and pinpoint the exact location of the jack points. Then, move to the next step.
Step 4: Prepare the Wheels and Work with the Car Jack
Now, you should loosen up the wheels' lug nuts. However, do not just remove the nuts right now. Just rotate them and make them loose. Then, slide the car jack under the jack points.
The saddle of the jack should be directly under the jack points. Keep it centered with the points, or else the frame can slide. Once you place the jack under the car, you will need to lift the car up.
Instead of rushing, slowly lift up the jack and see if the vehicle is shaking or shows any sign of imbalance or not.
If everything seems right, lift the car up to your desired height. Ensure that the car's height is a bit more than the jack stands.
Step 4: Place the Jack Stands and Remove the Jack
Next, you will need to work with the jack stands. Slide them right under lifting points and slowly lower the jack. That side's car's weight should directly be on the jack stands, not on the jack. To ensure that the vehicle's weight is resting correctly on the stands, you should shake the car up a little and see if the car seems unstable or not.
If the car moves a lot, you must readjust the stands. Do this for each of the wheels you want to work with. In this case, you would want to follow the process for the front or the back wheels.
Step 5: Rotate the Tires
To rotate the tires, you should start by removing the lug nuts. As you have already loosed the nuts a little, removing them should be easy for you. Get the front or back wheels off, and you should interchange one with the other.
You will be limited to side-to-side rotation because you are working with two jack stands.
For rotating the front to rear or diagonal rotating, you will need four jack stands. However, the side-to-side rotation will also do the trick!
That said, after switching the tires, place the lug nuts and make them snug. After that, move to the next step.
Step 6: Lower the Vehicle
Now that you have successfully rotated the tires, it is time to lower your car. For this, you need to slide the jack again. Note the jack points, just like before. Slowly lift the jack and remove the stands.
Before you lower the vehicle, you need to ensure that there is nothing on the way. Anything in between the ground and the car can get damaged or can cause damage to the vehicle. So, make sure the area is clear, and you have removed all of the tools underneath the car. Then, lower the car slowly by working with the jack handle.
Final Words
Having just a pair of jack stands should not hinder you from maintaining your car. And as it is clearly evident, all it takes is to learn how to rotate tires with two jack stands. It is not even as hard as many states. Just follow the steps we have gone through, and you should be done with the task in no time at all!
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