Recommended car ramp height for oil changes?

[MrBrady]

Looking to start doing oil changes at home again. What do you all recommend for the car ramp height? On Amazon I'm seeing anywhere from 3.5" - 8.5" and costs anywhere from $30-70 for hardened plastic ramps.

 

[jep604]

Looking to start doing oil changes at home again. What do you all recommend for the car ramp height? On Amazon I'm seeing anywhere from 3.5" - 8.5" and costs anywhere from $30-70 for hardened plastic ramps.

I have ramped my vehicle on almost 4 inch ramps with plenty of space for me to get under there and work. I'm 5'10", 180 lbs and have quite a bit of room, shallow standard oil drain pain and easy filter access. I figured this out as I kept having the lower engine cover blowing down when driving. After the 2nd time I had to secure it with safety wire and took it back to the shop where they do my oil changes. Turns out 10 of the 12 mount bolts were sheared from them using a drill motors to R&R the panel hardware. I now have to drill the 10 bolts out and replace them.

 

[MrBrady]

I have ramped my vehicle on almost 4 inch ramps with plenty of space for me to get under there and work. I'm 5'10", 180 lbs and have quite a bit of room, shallow standard oil drain pain and easy filter access. I figured this out as I kept having the lower engine cover blowing down when driving. After the 2nd time I had to secure it with safety wire and took it back to the shop where they do my oil changes. Turns out 10 of the 12 mount bolts were sheared from them using a drill motors to R&R the panel hardware. I now have to drill the 10 bolts out and replace them.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm 6'4" and 230 lbs, so maybe I'll go a bit more than 4". Plus we have a gravel driveway, so I may want to have some padding or something under me while working. Appreciate the info!

 

[Charlie1982]

Look for ramps that aren’t too steep of an angle, otherwise you will need to lay some boards in front of the ramps so your front bumper cover doesn’t hit the ramps before your tires do.

 

[jep604]

We built these ramps per the manufacturer to "ramp" the jet for wheel and tire changes. The first day we tried it and following the added stainless angled pieces for added protection.