Hello,

I am soon going to attempt my first brake and rotor replacement, and I got to thinking, "what if, for additional support, I get some very strong ipe wood, or even denser and stronger wood, and stack it about 10" high, using 1"x6"x12' pieces bolted together, and going perpendicular under the mounting areas, so that if the jack stands fail, the wood could support the car on its own?" The Honda Fit 2012 Sport is around 2,540 to 2,617 lbs.

What are your guys' thoughts on this? I've done some research, and I've found that ipe wood is incredibly strong. Perhaps I could even get two jacks and four jack stands total, with the addition to wood? I mean, my original thought makes logical sense for it to work, but then again, I am a novice to mechanic work and the physics behind a vehicle suddenly crashing down if a jack stand were to fail.

I have done some online searching to see if anyone has done specifically this, but no results.

Thanks!

 

Sure, if you want. I don't think it's very necessary, though. If you want some redundancy, slide the wheels under the car after you remove them. This, combined with decent jack stands and properly securing the vehicle on a level surface leaves no risk of it falling on you.

 

Yeah, good point. However, changing the oil, or other component, is a different story.

 

for me it’s jack stands, then I pump the jack til it’s tight again (but not lifting off the stands), and I place the wheels under the car. If the stands fail, the jack catches it, it all three fail the wheels catch it. I can eat dinner under the car it’s so safe

 

How much weight can the 2012's alloy wheels withstand, I wonder? =o

Heck, you know what? Maybe I could just buy a pair of alloy wheels, instead of wood, and call it a day!

Maybe getting six of these, then stack three on top of each other (even bolting them together, if possible), giving one foot in height, then put them under the mounting points on both sides of the vehicle, and that would work well, aye?

 

Hmmm if doubts about jacking the brake repairs should be interesting. We need brake repairs so seldom let a professional do it. Going to save a lot of grief.

 

Harbor freight has sturdy 6 ton stands if you don't mind the elevation. I just get stands that are overrated for weight and call it good, my argument being that if a solution is too cumbersome and time consuming yuh wind up taking shortcuts eventually. I'd advise taking that extra energy and applying it toward making sure the jack stands are well placed

 

Interesting.

I've recently read that three different Harbor Freight jack stands had recalls because of bad welding, or something, and at least one person was seriously injured from them failing.

 

I fully believe that. Mine seem to be in working order though. Would encourage a look over no matter who makes em. I thought I was mr. responsible not relying solely on a floor jack.

 

A stack of wood works fine as a backup in case jackstands fail. It also works well to make ramps. There's no reason to use Ipe, though. (There's also no reason to spell it in ALL CAPS...) Pine will have plenty of crush strength. Ipe is overkill.

 

I always double check the jack stands and use robust backup so if one (or two) failed, no worries.

 

Absolutely use jack stands and do the wheel as a backup. For brakes, you don't really need to be under the car so I think wood backups are overkill. But if you are interested, look up "wood cribbing" for the safe way to do this. Exotic wood not required.

 

Must go overkill! >

I actually discovered wood called Quebracho, so-called "the axe breaker," which is substantially even more stronger than ipe wood. I am looking into getting this stuff instead. Bwaha.

Hippity-hoppity, my car won't fall down onto my property! ᕕ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )ᕗ

Thank you for the wood cribbing advice, beardedGTI!

 

Lignum Vitae.

Good luck finding any of substantial size, though.

 

You know what's stronger than wood? Steel! Like what jack stands are made out of

 

Any recommendations on where to get some fair, just, and reasonably good priced steel? Steel seems to be pricey.

Fun fact on ipe wood, according to this article (https://blog.advantagelumber.com/200...supports%20it!): "ipe decking has been ASTM-D143 tested. Ipe wood decking has a maximum bending strength of 22,560 psi (Pounds per square inch)! your ipe deck might even be stronger than the frame that supports it!" Epic lulz.

Now, the Honda Fit 2012 Sport weighs 2,540 to 2,617 lbs, so does that mean the ipe wood has about 20,000 more pounds of weight it can handle before breaking with my Fit resting on the wood?

 

I may have watched too many episodes of House MD, but.. if you can't trust your tools, how can yuh trust your repairs?
if yuh get 6 ton stands, even if they drop down they leave enough room for a person to not be crushed. I work with em not elevated for the fit. i mean.. the car is made of steel, and we trust that at freeway speeds. and the moon landing was real, n 9/11 wasn't an inside job. The people who brought us tax forms that they have to double-check, and the DMV... I want pictures of these miraculous wooden structures.

 

Yeah, I'm leaning towards the OP is just trolling.

 

What are we doing here/ You are way over thinking this about a vehicle that weighs 700 or 800 pounds maximum per corner/ wheel.. I use jack stands and slide in some 4x4 and 2x4 scraps cut into blocks 8' to 10" long. Stack up how ever many you need. Sometimes II just use the blocks without the stands. Oh yes, this is for an 18,000 pound motorhome.

 

No. o_O I am just a novice, am very fastidious, and want to be extremely safe. I don't want to take any chances. I'm just exercising prudence.

@Pyts I'll post a picture whenever I get all the tools, wood, and such. I had no idea a 6 ton jack stand is high enough, without needing to raise it, to hold the Fit up. That is really good to know! Which 6 tons do you use?