Axle Stands - Do They Look OK?

[MakaveliX]

Jacked up many cars before but usually use axle stands on the sub-frame. However on my current car ( Mazda 3 ) the only place to put jack stands is on the sills ( pinch welds ) which are reinforced.

However these stands I purchased from Halfords look quite " Flat " rather than rounded. Should they be OK ?

Photo attached of said jack stand and pinch welds... thanks
[url]



Bear in mind, either side of the metal pinch weld is slightly plasticy. Hence my concern

Edited by MakaveliX on Sunday 5th February 17:37

[E63eeeeee...]

I wouldn't.

You can usually get rubber blocks that fit on the top of the
jack stand with a notch for the pinch welds to go in - try wherever you bought the stands.

[Petrus1983]

To me they look good. But don’t go under the car with them - I know this is me being silly but a good friend lost his dad when the car collapsed on him when we were kids - will never forget that day

[MakaveliX]

Petrus1983 said:

To me they look good. But don’t go under the car with them - I know this is me being silly but a good friend lost his dad when the car collapsed on him when we were kids - will never forget that day

Thanks both.
Sorry to hear that. I do not intend on going under the car at all. I'm just taking one wheel off to check the condition of my shock absorber, top mount and drop link.
The plan was to just jack up the car with a trolley jack and use that, but I thought I better be safe and use a jack stand AND a trolley jack at all times

either side of the metal pinch weld is slightly plasticy. Hence my concern

[redandwhite]

I have those stands , they are fine but don’t look ideal for your application. Have a look at ice hockey pucks as a cheaper alternative to protect the underside when jacking / axle standing.

Have you tried locating on the wishbone bolt heads ?

[Collectingbrass]

https://www.mazda3revolution.com/threads/where-are... might help

[MakaveliX]

redandwhite said:

I have those stands , they are fine but don’t look ideal for your application. Have a look at ice hockey pucks as a cheaper alternative to protect the underside when jacking / axle standing.

Have you tried locating on the wishbone bolt heads ?

I've looked underneath and it's all plastic. Loads of protection from rust I'd assume,
From what I've read on these cars the only place for axle stands is the pinch weld.


With a hockey puck I'd need to cut a line for the pinch weld right ? the only thing with purpose built " pinch weld adapters " is they may not fit the shape of my stand

I can always return the stands as they were only purchased yesterday. Perhaps get some which are more semi circular ? Like this...

Edited by MakaveliX on Sunday 5th February 18:10

[E63eeeeee...]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/274304627695?mkcid=16&a...

Check that suits your stands, but something like these

[MakaveliX]

E63eeeeee... said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/274304627695?mkcid=16&a...

Check that suits your stands, but something like these

Thanks ! Yeah they look spot on. Matches the item number so should be all good.

Once I have these, it will be safe to use right ? I will still have the car supported by the jack at the same time, just using axle stands as a safety precaution.

[Petrus1983]

MakaveliX said:

Thanks ! Yeah they look spot on. Matches the item number so should be all good.

Once I have these, it will be safe to use right ? I will still have the car supported by the jack at the same time, just using axle stands as a safety precaution.

Reading this reminds me that my friends father was actually under a jack that lost hydraulic pressure and should have been using axel stands. Anyways - stay safe op!

[Dashnine]

Thanks for the thread, was wondering the same thing so have bought some pads for my Halfords Axle Stands. Now I need a trolley jack as obviously the axle stands go where the scissor jack would lift.

Edited by Dashnine on Sunday 5th February 19:32

[steveo3002]

plenty of this sort of thing available ...although i hate using those sill lips , go a bit further in and find a subframe

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/363912952594?hash=item5...

[Matt_E_Mulsion]

They'll be fine especially if you are not resting the car on them or even going under the car. There must be somewhere else though, under a subframe or suspension mounting etc where you can position them instead.

Another tip, once you have taken the road wheel off, slide that under the side of car so if the worst does happen, it'll rest on the wheel rather than go all of the way to the floor, (ignoring the fact that you've got axle stands).

[MakaveliX]

Thanks guys.
So bearing in mind the stand will go under the pinch weld, the trolley jack needs to be used elsewhere.
Does this part in red look suitable for the trolley jack ?? I'm only jacking up one side

[Chris32345]

MakaveliX said:

Thanks guys.
So bearing in mind the stand will go under the pinch weld, the trolley jack needs to be used elsewhere.
Does this part in red look suitable for the trolley jack ?? I'm only jacking up one side

Personally I'd get a pinch weld rubber adapter and jack the car up on there then put the stands under the spring pan area on your photo

[benp1]

I often just use a block of wood on top of the cup in my jack. You can always cut a slot with a saw if you need it for your vehicle

[MakaveliX]

Chris32345 said:

Personally I'd get a pinch weld rubber adapter and jack the car up on there then put the stands under the spring pan area on your photo

Nice one ok. I've ordered some adapters for me stand and for the jack.

[E-bmw]

Personally, I would be jacking up under the spring perch & using the stands a little further inboard on the same section with a wooden block under to spread the load.

[MakaveliX]

From my experience I'd be most comfortable jacking up on the pinch weld with an adapter as suggested above, as I can go slowly and steady making sure everything is nice and sturdy along the way, i also do rock tests to ensure the car is sufficiently supported.

Then slide me arm in and put the axle stand ( with a rubber base on the top to prevent any damage to the subframe and for extra grip ) next to the bottom of the spring as above in my attached photo as it's solid, cannot move and is flat.

I like the idea of having support on two different places too. ( pinch weld AND sub frame )

Only doing a quick inspection of the shock absorber and top mount so nothing major.

When me adapters arrive I'll give an update. Hopefully they are of decent quality as per the positive reviews, and that they fit my equipment well

[Krikkit]

Bit of cardboard on the top of the stands works fine to protect the coating on the pinch welds.

On the jack Vs stands discussion, let the stands take the weight but leave the jack in place so it's easy to pick up the car and a backup