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Thread: How high can I go??

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Winston-Salem, NC
    Posts
    144
    My Cars
    2001 740i Sport

    How high can I go??

    Since I'm just getting into the game here, one need that I'm going to have is to acquire a quality floor jack and stands.
    So I have searched on here and read some previous threads related to floor jacks, while also browsing the multitude of choices on the market.
    One thing that has surprised me is the max height range of available jacks and stands on the market. They're shorter than I was expecting them to be.
    The max height on most models appear to range from around 13" to 23". And out of that range, it seems that most jacks have a max height of around 14"-15".
    And I did see one very expensive jack that has a max height of 31".
    So that doesn't seem to be very much additional room to me. But maybe it's not reasonable to have a car raised any higher than that. Since I haven't owned a floor jack before, I don't really know. But I am willing to pay more for the additional height.

    So I guess my question(s) is: Is it reasonable to lift a 7-series up to 24" or more when working on it at home? And what is the max height of the floor jacks that you guys have?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    NY
    Posts
    2,665
    My Cars
    750IL/540iT/R53/E46Vert
    I have a Girots hydraulic. I think the max is 20 inches. If you need more, I suggest making / getting crib style bases that you can rest the tires on. I had the 540iT on 3 ton jack stands for about 9 months. It takes time to do it this way, but you want the car to be stable, and this is what I’ve found to work best

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2019
    Location
    St. Louis, MO
    Posts
    415
    My Cars
    2001 740i E38
    I use a 3-ton jack and 3-ton stands from Harbor Freight. Max lift on the jack is 18 1/8", 16 3/4" on the stands. For most projects, it works but leaves a bit to be desired for projects such as transmission servicing.

    Just spotted this one, Max lift is 24 1/4":
    https://www.harborfreight.com/3-ton-...ack-64781.html

    These stands go up to 23 1/2":
    https://www.harborfreight.com/6-ton-...nds-62393.html

    With that jack, and the one I currently have, using the tire jack may be needed to get enough clearance to get the saddle in the correct position under the crossmember or differential. A small annoyance, but that 8" is well worth it (that's also what she said...)

    I'm gonna stick with my current setup until I have the time/means/place to get something like a QuickJack system.
    2001 740I M62TUB44: Iris, My daily
    1997 Ford Expedition XLT 5.4L 4x4: Onyx, the 315k mile tow rig

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    NY
    Posts
    2,665
    My Cars
    750IL/540iT/R53/E46Vert

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Winston-Salem, NC
    Posts
    144
    My Cars
    2001 740i Sport
    What about this BadBoy??
    Does anybody have any experience with this?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h-vZ8R4LOI

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Location
    Casa Grande Arizona
    Posts
    201
    My Cars
    1997 bmw 740il
    A set of ramps also raises the car pretty high. Enough room to work on the car.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Winston-Salem, NC
    Posts
    144
    My Cars
    2001 740i Sport
    Quote Originally Posted by Beigenoahb View Post
    A set of ramps also raises the car pretty high. Enough room to work on the car.
    I've been looking at them too. Do you have a specific set that you would recommend? How high do they raise the front end.
    The rise on most that I have looked at seemed surprisingly low.....around 8-9 inches.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    NY
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    2,665
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    750IL/540iT/R53/E46Vert
    The higher you go, the harder you can fall. What are you looking to do to the car - short of a transmission swap, ramps should be a good solution. If you get 4200

    If you get 4200 lbs in the air, and it drops..... Stability is key - and getting a long car with a long rear overhang up is tricky. Getting the 540iT up on the 3 ton stands took some time, and then bringing it back down also took care. Be careful
    Last edited by CPHES; 04-03-2020 at 09:01 AM.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Hansville, wa
    Posts
    972
    My Cars
    2001 750il Chrome line
    I use ramps for almost everything. Due to the cars being pretty low you can only really jack one wheel at a time anyway. A transmission will always be a tough job no matter how high the car is off the ground.
    01' 750il Chromeline
    95 M3 LS swapped
    07 M5 Manual
    06' M5, Spartan wheels and a 507hp V10
    00' 740il Dinan, CAI, Romulus exhaust, Stage 5 engine and transmission tune, 750 brakes, camber plates, strut tower brace. Sold
    00' 323i wagon for daughter
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    98' 740i for the daughter, wrecked
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  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Location
    Coral Springs, FL
    Posts
    2,457
    My Cars
    E21,E38,E39,F10 M5
    Bendpak QuickJack.

    I've been watching it for a while, I do plan on picking one up soon. Max lift is 19"-23".


    https://www.bendpak.com/car-lifts/portable-car-lifts/

    Stancing is for drivers trapped in an abusive relationship of their own lives.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    Wayne,PA
    Posts
    1,511
    My Cars
    740iL (E38 '01)
    This is how I got out my transmission for the torque converter swap, looks like 20''
    DSC07373.png

    DSC07269.png

    Used these 6T stands: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    It felt very stable and I'm still alive typing this so all worked out.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Winston-Salem, NC
    Posts
    144
    My Cars
    2001 740i Sport
    Quote Originally Posted by CPHES View Post
    The higher you go, the harder you can fall. What are you looking to do to the car - short of a transmission swap, ramps should be a good solution.
    I want to be able to roll all around under there and inspect every square inch of the undercarriage. And then have enough space to comfortably use a steel brush, or spray undercoating, or whatever else I need to do.
    But I'm wondering if once I get under there, it will be so much "non-fun" that I'll decide to minimize and make my under the car visits as rare as possible.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    atlanta ga
    Posts
    131
    My Cars
    2001 740i
    Watch your local craigslist for used two post lifts if you have the space. Even new, some of the cheaper ones are affordable and would handle our occasional use (as opposed to a repair shop). I picked up a Rotary 7,000 lb used several years ago for $1000 and have had zero issues and even took it with me when I moved two years ago. It’s an automotive purchase you will never regret aside from not doing it sooner. Quick scan of my local craigslist found this one: https://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/p...091321887.html.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Vincentown, NJ
    Posts
    1,180
    My Cars
    E46 M3 conv, E30 325iS, E39 M5
    Consider the MaxJax also. Happy user since 2009. The new 'pro' one is even better and they both fit where a regular lift will not.

    Oh and. sdb999 is right: it's one of those things that you WILL regret not having done sooner.

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