Alternatives for the spare tire changing jack in the trunk?

[Bmachine]

Has anyone found a good alternative for the stock spare tire jack that hooks up under the sill? I wonder if there is a better option than the slow factory set up. Some thing to keep in the trunk for emergencies that could be used perhaps under the front Subframe railing or rear subframe bolt when stopped on the side of the road.

Obviously, there are plenty of bottle jacks available, but I’m guessing most of these are too tall to slip under there, and then don’t lift high enough to get the wheel off the ground

 

[Mike Goble]

Don't know about the E9 boys, but I have a Harbor Freight aluminum floor jack stashed under the rear seat of my E3. It makes a wonderful way to introduce yourself when you come across someone with a flat tire who is struggling with the stock jack.

 

[Ohmess]

I have a Honda accord scissors jack.

 

[Stevehose]

I also carry a scissor jack on long trips

 

[Mike Goble]

That's how I warn people that I'm armed - I have scissors, Jack...

 

[JMinPDX]

I carried HF aluminum 1.5 ton floor jack when I drove to The Vintage in NC in 2021. Handle comes apart easily and doesn’t take up much room.
On sale now:

1.5 Ton Low-Profile Aluminum Racing Floor Jack with RAPID PUMP

Amazing deals on this 1.5T Aluminum Racing Jack W/ Rapid Pump at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[Dick Steinkamp]

Has anyone found a good alternative for the stock spare tire jack that hooks up under the sill?

AAA card?

 

[Bmachine]

Thank you for all these answers.

The idea of a small floor jack is nice but seems a little over the top and bulky to me.

Ideally I would imagine a simple setup with a high quality scissor jack, with a wide base and a good broad rubber pad at the top, with a 17 or 19mm bolt to activate the screw so you can use the ratchet wrench or torque wrench you already have to remove the wheel bolts. It needs to be stable in the dirt or rough side of the road (when was the last time you had a flat in a perfect shop floor situation?).

I had to put the spare on my e46 last year and the OEM scissor jack is flimsy, unstable and it has that stupid eye bolt thing which only allows you to use the provided fish hook type of handle and takes forever to get the car in the air

With this "ideal" system, you could also throw in a battery powered drill/impact drill in the trunk from your work bench to make both car lifting and wheel removing faster and easier.

 

[HB Chris]

I don’t even carry extra tools in my BMWs.

 

[coupedegrace]

I have a Honda accord scissors jack.

I bought one of these off of eBay. It fits nicely in the trunk next to the spare and the trunk floor lies flat over it. I haven't used it yet, and I'm pretty sure it's got an eyelet. So in some regards this is one of those "Well I've never used it or even touched one, but I give it 4 stars," Amazon reviews. It does fit nicely though. I think eyelets on jacks are pretty ubiquitous now.

 

[Ohmess]

Yes, as to stability, I also carry a small piece of Trex decking material. I have had a jack sink into blacktop on the side of a road on a very hot day with the car up in the air.

 

[dang]

If you carry some patience the oem jack works fine. I'm always impressed how easy they are to use.

 

[coupedegrace]

If you carry some patience the oem jack works fine. I'm always impressed how easy they are to use.

True, I never had any problems with the OEM jack in my previous e9 or any of the 2002s I've had. I was dubious the first time I used one, but came to like them. Of course there's the issue of being constrained to the jack points on the rockers with the OEM jack. That is more a problem for me than the speed or stability of the OEM jack. Of course it's all moot as my car didn't come with a jack, and I'm not at the point where I want to spend hundreds of dollars for an OEM one on eBay. I think the last one I saw was priced in the $400 range.

 

[Dick Steinkamp]

Here's a list of new cars that don't have a spare tire...let alone a jack. The list is from 2017 so I am sure it is longer now.

• Acura NSX
• Audi R8
• Audi TT
• BMW 2 Series
• BMW 3 Series
• BMW 4 Series
• BMW 6 Series
• BMW i3
• BMW i8
• BMW X3
• BMW X4
• Cadillac ATS
• Cadillac CTS
• Chevrolet Bolt EV
• Chevrolet Camaro
• Chevrolet Corvette
• Chevrolet SS
• Chevrolet Volt
• Dodge Viper
• Fiat 500
• Fiat 500L
• Fiat 500X
• Ford C-Max
• Hyundai Accent
• Hyundai Ioniq
• Infiniti QX30
• Jaguar F-Type
• Jeep Cherokee
• Jeep Compass
• Jeep Renegade
• Kia Forte
• Kia Niro
• Kia Rio
• Kia Soul
• Mazda MX-5 Miata
• Mercedes-Benz B-Class
• Mercedes-Benz C-Class
• Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class
• Mercedes-Benz E-Class
• Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class
• Mercedes-Benz S-Class
• Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
• Mini Cooper Countryman
• Mitsubishi i-MiEV
• Nissan GT-R
• Nissan Leaf
• Porsche 718 Cayman
• Porsche 911 Carrera
• Porsche Panamera
• Smart ForTwo
• Tesla Model S
• Tesla Model X

 

[Luis A.]

For longish trips and rally/tours I have been carrying this electric hydraulic jack. It fits under the spare and I keep the power cord and buffer hockey puck with the (surprisingly) capable HF tire inflator. They can be found all over the interwebs/Amazon. Some are too bulky to fit under the spare as they include an inflator and other doodads.

The jacks goes up to about 18" which is more than enough when placed under a frame rail for the front or the subframe arm attachment point for the rear. The underside of the jack is a metal plate which provides it all the stability I need. Very happy with it.

It sucks quite a few amps so I use it with the Li ion power pack/jumper/battery I also carry. Don't want to find out the cigarette lighter wiring is sketchy when dealing with a flat.

Edit: Added photo of the jack fully extended.

 

[Stevehose]

I don’t even carry extra tools in my BMWs.

not even

For longish trips and rally/tours I have been carrying this electric hydraulic jack. It fits under the spare and I keep the power cord and buffer hockey puck with the (surprisingly) capable HF tire inflator. They can be found all over the interwebs/Amazon. Some are too bulky to fit under the spare as they include an inflator and other doodads.

The jacks goes up to about 18" which is more than enough when placed under a frame rail for the front or the subframe arm attachment point for the rear. The underside of the jack is a metal plate which provides it all the stability I need. Very happy with it.

It sucks quite a few amps so I use it with the Li ion power pack/jumper/battery I also carry. Don't want to find out the cigarette lighter wiring is sketchy when dealing with a flat.

Very cool, will this fit under the frame rail or rear subframe mount when the tire is flat? I would cut the cigar lighter plug off and wire some alligator clamps to connect directly to the battery terminals.

 

[Luis A.]

Hi Steve, If it didn't fit, I'd go under the front subframe center or the differential. The jack is 6" high when fully collapsed. I also carry a short section of steel channel that hugs the frame rail consuming far less height than the puck.

BTW, I also carry one disassembled aluminum jack stand to not entirely trust the hydraulics for under-the-car repairs. They fit almost anywhere in the trunk when taken apart.

One of these:

 

[Bmachine]

For longish trips and rally/tours I have been carrying this electric hydraulic jack. It fits under the spare and I keep the power cord and buffer hockey puck with the (surprisingly) capable HF tire inflator. They can be found all over the interwebs/Amazon. Some are too bulky to fit under the spare as they include an inflator and other doodads.

The jacks goes up to about 18" which is more than enough when placed under a frame rail for the front or the subframe arm attachment point for the rear. The underside of the jack is a metal plate which provides it all the stability I need. Very happy with it.

It sucks quite a few amps so I use it with the Li ion power pack/jumper/battery I also carry. Don't want to find out the cigarette lighter wiring is sketchy when dealing with a flat.


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Edit: Added photo of the jack fully extended.

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Very nice. That is the kind of setup I am looking for. I did look at that powered jack on Amazon but I did not pull the trigger because there seemed to be no way of activating it if your battery is dead. If only it had a manual bolt access as a backup I think it would be an near ideal option.

Of course, if you also carry a spare power pack, the odds of being completely out of power are pretty severely reduced