Do I need a Porsche-specific jack to change a tire?

[jfoxny]

I decided to buy some winter tires and wheels after some good discussion from the guys here on the forum as to whether or not I really needed them. The tires just arrived and now I need to swap them out. So, I went to grab the jack thinking it would be in the usual place, i.e., the trunk, but, to my surprise there is no jack to be found; nothing in the other trunk either. I cracked open the owner's manual and found on page 224 that the 987 does not come with a jack but (of course) one can be purchased at your local Porsche dealer. Doh!

My question is, do I need a Porsche-specific or even 987-specific jack or will any old car jack do? I saw on eBay that some people sell 987-specific "adapters" for generic floor jacks which leads me to think I really do need a specific jack for this car. Is this the case or can I just use the jack from another one of my (non-Porsche) cars?

Thanks in advance,

Jason

Edited February 17, 2010 by jfoxny

[1schoir]

I decided to buy some winter tires and wheels after some good discussion from the guys here on the forum as to whether or not I really needed them. The tires just arrived and now I need to swap them out. So, I went to grab the jack thinking it would be in the usual place, i.e., the trunk, but, to my surprise there is no jack to be found; nothing in the other trunk either. I cracked open the owner's manual and found on page 224 that the 987 does not come with a jack but (of course) one can be purchased at your local Porsche dealer. Doh!

My question is, do I need a Porsche-specific or even 987-specific jack or will any old car jack do? I saw on eBay that some people sell 987-specific "adapters" for generic floor jacks which leads me to think I really do need a specific jack for this car. Is this the case or can I just use the jack from another one of my (non-Porsche) cars?

Thanks in advance,

Jason

Jason:

You can use any jack, as long as the jack pad fits securely on one of the jacking points and does not "slip off" sideways (or front to back) the jacking point as you lift that side of the car. Take a look at the shape of the jacking points and you will see that it has a hole in the middle. Some vendors sell jack pads that specifically fit that profile.

After you have safely lifted the car by one of its jacking points with your jack, you should place a jack stand under an appropriate part as a safety, back up feature in case your jack fails. If you are replacing your wheels with winter wheels, it is a good safety practice to place one of the wheels (that is not at that moment mounted on the car) under the car in an area near where you are removing a wheel.

Regards, Maurice.

[anothervr6kid]

You can use any jack, as long as the jack pad fits securely on one of the jacking points and does not "slip off" sideways (or front to back) the jacking point as you lift that side of the car. Take a look at the shape of the jacking points and you will see that it has a hole in the middle. Some vendors sell jack pads that specifically fit that profile.

After you have safely lifted the car by one of its jacking points with your jack, you should place a jack stand under an appropriate part as a safety, back up feature in case your jack fails. If you are replacing your wheels with winter wheels, it is a good safety practice to place one of the wheels (that is not at that moment mounted on the car) under the car in an area near where you are removing a wheel.

Regards, Maurice.

Where is a good place to put a jack stand? I wasn't able to find one while working on my car a few weeks back.

Stephan

[berty987]

I bought a 986/996 jack from a breakers , personally I think its the best and cheapers option as many trolley jacks wont fit under the cills of a porsche particularly with the adapter plate also in use.

When you replace the wheels , a word of advice. Make sure you put a dab of aluminium paste on the joint between the rear of the collar and the back side of the bolt head. This will ensure the bolts dont seize in winter weather with all the salt flying around. Be careful to wipe off any aluminium paste from the domed section of the collar where it sits against the wheel , this should never be lubricated.

[jfoxny]

I bought a 986/996 jack from a breakers , personally I think its the best and cheapers option as many trolley jacks wont fit under the cills of a porsche particularly with the adapter plate also in use.

Thanks for the reply. Does a 986 jack fit a 987?

Also, thanks for the tip. I read that in the owners manual but thought I'd skip that step :-D. I guess I shouldn't! ;-)

Thanks again,

Jason

[jfoxny]

jack, as long as the jack pad fits securely on one of the jacking points and does not "slip off" sideways (or front to back) the jacking point as you lift that side of the car. Take a look at the shape of the jacking points and you will see that it has a hole in the middle. Some vendors sell jack pads that specifically fit that profile.

After you have safely lifted the car by one of its jacking points with your jack, you should place a jack stand under an appropriate part as a safety, back up feature in case your jack fails. If you are replacing your wheels with winter wheels, it is a good safety practice to place one of the wheels (that is not at that moment mounted on the car) under the car in an area near where you are removing a wheel.

Great, thanks for the response. I think I'll get a low-profile Craftsman floor jack from Sears and a jack pad for a 987 from eBay (and a jack stand too just in case).

Thanks again!

Jason