I have a 2002 cadillac sts 32v northstar seville, my question is can i use car ramps instead of car stands?
Front or back? If front , will the air dam clear the ramps without damage? If clears then the answer is Yes.
You’re going to have to give us some more details
What procedures do you plan to perform?
As an example, some guys swear by ramps . . . instead of jack stands . . . for oil changes
I am NOT one of those guys
But I’m not getting into it any further than that
The newer cars are a little lower to the ground so I have made a couple additional boards that attach to the ramps to allow a more gentle climb. Just about 16" long welded angle with plywood that hook into the holes in the ramp. Once the car is in place I can just remove them to work around.
But yeah, not sure what the question is but that’s my unsolicited part.
Not only do I recommend ramps (if the valance panel will clear), but I recommend molded ramps (heavy duty ones) rather than the metal ones. After having heard some stories of metal ramps collapsing, I replaced mine with molded ones. On molded ramps, th e"load path" from the tire to the ground is a material structure completely under compression. To me that’s the safer design.
For the record, I’ve been looking for years now for molded ramps of a lower rate of incline AND an inch or two higher lift. They’d be long, but I’d be happy with that. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to exist. If anybody knows of any, I’d be appreciative.
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Ramps are more convenient for things like oil changes, but jack stands and a decent floor jack are better for things like brake jobs.
I like to have both.
Plastic molded ramps often have a lower profile, but when that’s the case, you also get less room in which to work because the car isn’t lifted as high.
I’ve measured both, and they’re the same. Metal ones only look higher because of the open sides.
Brake jobs on ramps aren’t even possible.
That’s true, but some people will attempt them with a mere jack, which I recommend against.
I emphatically agree with you. Working under a vehicle can lead to serious injury with the vehicle on only jacks. And if it falls on one’s chest, it can lead to death by suffocation.
Jacks are only for changing a flat tire, or for raising the vehicle for placing jackstands or “cribbing” under it, nothing more.