# Do you remove front tire when changing oil? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [October 15, 2016, 6:11am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-you-remove-front-tire-when-changing-oil/96100 "2016-10-15T06:11:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 1:24am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-you-remove-front-tire-when-changing-oil/96100/21 "2016-10-17T01:24:03Z")
I was being a little less than serious trying to cover all the bases in one post. I don’t use jack stands since I only raise the front end a few inches. Even if I had a catastrophic failure of the jack, the worst that would happen is I’d get a dirty nose. I’m never under the car that far and sure don’t crawl under it. ---
**Author:** ![matt357](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@matt357](https://community.cartalk.com/u/matt357)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 3:13am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-you-remove-front-tire-when-changing-oil/96100/22 "2016-10-17T03:13:01Z")
I prefer to take the wheel off since the front end of of honda is very low, and I feel safer coming in from the side than the front. I saw someone do this on a toyota too. ---
**Author:** ![keith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/keith/32/5518_2.png) [@keith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/keith)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 6:24pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-you-remove-front-tire-when-changing-oil/96100/23 "2016-10-17T18:24:20Z")
I always feel safer with the wheels on rather than off. But its your right to contribute another data point to Darwinism. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 12:00am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-you-remove-front-tire-when-changing-oil/96100/24 "2016-10-18T00:00:14Z")
> [@matt357](#): > > front end of of honda is very low That might preclude the use of ramps, so your method of removing the wheel might indeed be the best. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 1:06am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-you-remove-front-tire-when-changing-oil/96100/25 "2016-10-18T01:06:26Z")
I used to change the oil on my daughter’s Hondas, and my own car is low in front, so it’s worth trying ramps. I truly believe they’re safer than stands, as long as they’re used on a level surface and the tires are resting in the proper place on the ramps… and the engine is off, the parking brake engaged, and the tranny in park (or, if it’s a manual, reverse). Like any other tool, it needs to be used properly to be safe. I prefer the molded ramps. I’ve heard stories of the stamped metal ramps collapsing. The molded ramps park the load over substructures that support it under compression, and I believe that’s the safest way to support the load. Put another way, the support parts under the ramp are holding the weight by being compressed by the load, a very strong way to do it. No collapse is possible. I know others will likely disagree, but that’s my preference. ---
**Author:** ![Vettewine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Vettewine](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Vettewine)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 11:59pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-you-remove-front-tire-when-changing-oil/96100/26 "2016-10-20T23:59:06Z")
I have a 4-post lift and all my vehicles have the drain plug in or near the center of the vehicle (side-to-side). The filter, however, is a totally different matter…! I can usually access the filters that are too near the tire by turning it either left or right depending on the vehicle.🏁 ---
**Author:** ![monkarl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@monkarl](https://community.cartalk.com/u/monkarl)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2016, 3:49am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-you-remove-front-tire-when-changing-oil/96100/27 "2016-10-21T03:49:47Z")
Have a truck and I still use ramps. They provide more clearance, making it a lot easier to do the oil change. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2016, 4:14am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-you-remove-front-tire-when-changing-oil/96100/28 "2016-10-21T04:14:15Z")
You guys sure talk smack about jack stands How do you work on your brakes at home . . . ?! That isn’t going to happen with a ramp . . . 😼 ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2016, 4:44am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-you-remove-front-tire-when-changing-oil/96100/29 "2016-10-21T04:44:10Z")
Db, the question was specifically about changing oil, not about doing brakes. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2016, 5:42am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-you-remove-front-tire-when-changing-oil/96100/30 "2016-10-21T05:42:36Z")
I do brakes one wheel at a time with the jack and jack stands backing the jack up. Sometimes several jacks and jack stands. I’ve never had two wheels off at the same time with the car supported by jack stands or supported any other way. Call me chicken but I just don’t do it. Even bleeding the brakes, I can access the bleeder screws while the car is on the ground-but I don’t do that anymore. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2016, 1:39pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-you-remove-front-tire-when-changing-oil/96100/31 "2016-10-21T13:39:34Z")
> [@bing](#): > > I do brakes one wheel at a time with the jack and jack stands backing the jack up. Me too. Although I consider the jack to be backing up the jack stands. 😁 ---
**Author:** ![always\_fixing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/71e660/32.png) [@always\_fixing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/always_fixing)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2016, 5:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-you-remove-front-tire-when-changing-oil/96100/32 "2016-10-21T17:54:44Z")
Oil? Just drain through hole in skid plate; no jacking of truck necessary. Generally, I’ll change the oil filter so I’ll remove the skid plate first and do both. [Previous page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-you-remove-front-tire-when-changing-oil/96100.md?page=1)