1d ago

Scisor vs bottle jacks, and what else should I get before my next flat.

Just hit a pot hole and the wall of my tire is fucked. Popped the trunk to replace it but I forgot the scisor jack that came with my car doesn't work. Long story short, I had family who lived near by pick up my floor jack and ratchet kit. Now I am looking into tire replacement, but also how I can just solve this on my own the next time.

Are bottle jacks good for emergency tire replacement, or should I just look for a scisor jack? I feel like bottles are easier, but theres always a few people saying they are junk when I look into them. I have a tire iron but had them grab my ratchet set just in case since it was next to the jack.

I just feel like a dumbass now and want to make sure I'm not a dumbass in the future

28 comments

There is a lot of great advice in this thread.
Humble_boatsman (plywood panel) and EmpireofLove2 (screw bottle jack) in particular.
I would add two more things that I don't see on here and that is a set of chocks and a piece of iron pipe.
The chocks are optional and can take up a lot of room in a small trunk, but they do add an additional level of safety.
The iron pipe, that can go over the handle of the tire iron, provides leverage to LOOSEN the lug nuts. Just don't use it to tighten them as you could easily twist off the studs.
Granted you do not really need additional leverage to get lug nuts off, but I've had to change a tire with an injured arm and it made my life a lot easier.
I would get a scissor jack. They work fine and will fit into the space the car has to hold the jack.
You may consider keeping a 12"x12" square of 3/4 plywood or something with your kit to create a somewhat sturdy footing for any jack you choose. Can also come in handy if stuck in snow or mud
- If you keep a few around, check them over periodically and before use in case they start rotting from moisture in the environment. Don't want to find a soft spot when it gives way under the weight of a vehicle.
  
  Its a footing not a table. The weight is still on the earth underneath. How moist is ur emergency roadside kit that its got rotting plywood?
  
  That's why I recommend a 12x12x1 block of stainless steel.
- This is a good one! I have a piece of virgin wheel tread used to re-tread heavy duty truck tires. Afraid of losing it, it's quite the treasure :D
One potential issue with a bottle jack is that the seals can rot and fail. I don’t know what keeping one in the back of a car will do to it, but it’s something that’s not a problem with a scissor jack.
Also if your car is too low getting the bottle under it might be difficult, especially on uneven terrain.
- I have a low car (13 Honda Fit) and I can see the clearance being an issue
  
  Especially if the tire is deflated, that'll bring the car even lower. A good thing to check on.
- Depends on the type of bottle jack. It's a broad term that can mean both the hydraulic kind and the mechanical screw driven kind, which used to be more common in older american cars (lots of fords had them).
  Both do have the issue of getting under low cars, but they are safer and more stable than scissor jacks. Scissor jacks fold and crumple extremely easily if the load shifts perpendicular to the arm direction. Bottle jacks will tilt but not collapse until they fall over center.
  I agree a hydraulic jack should not be kept as the emergency spare. When they sit the seals dry out and if they tip over they can empty all their hydraulic oil out into your trunk. Plus they are not safe to be under a vehicle with as hydraulics can fail and drop the vehicle without warning.
  
  TIL about screw driven bottle jacks, thanks
  And, yeah, I’d only use any jack to change a tire and would never get under a car without using high quality jack stands.
- And it won't be as stable on uneven terrain or even an incline/decline.
  
  A scissor jack isn't necessarily any more stable, the "footprint" where it's in contact with the ground isn't necessarily very wide.
  Make sure to chock the wheels of the car as thoroughly as possible before jacking it up. Ideally you could stash some cheap plastic chocks in the car, but failing that just anything you can firmly wedge in there will do in a pinch.
Find a jack from a salvage yard that has the same model car as yours. Same make would probably also work.
Get a 12v inflator.
*scissor. See that red underline? That means you don't know how to spell; it also means you don't know how to correct either.
- Yikes.
Personally I'd get the oem that came originally with your car. The lift points usually have a lip for scissor jacks to "mount" to for a little more stability. Also it was made for that car, most guaranteed to work outside a larger floor jack.
Replace what it came with and it should fit in it's slot in the trunk also.
A scissor jack will probably be cheaper. Some bottle jacks do not work on their sides and some should never be stored long term on their sides, FYI.
- I got one specifically intended for use in various orientations, the box calls it a "multi-positional" bottle jack. It's been handy in unusual situations now and then - I used it to push my concrete porch back into position, for example. Drove a 2x4 into the ground next to it to act as a bracing point and then used the jack sideways to apply pressure to slide the porch.
Great suggestions in this thread. My 2 cents is to add a small tire inflater, mine plugs into the 12 volt dash outlet. If your spare is under the floor of the trunk - there is a very good chance it's flat.
Last week I put together a kit because my car only comes with a pump and a can of tyre goo:
2t bottle jack the correct height for the axle jacking points (fits in the palm of my hand)
2 x lightweight wheel chocks
2 x folding axel stands (checked to make sure they can lift axels enough to change a tyre)
wheel spanner for the lug nuts turned down to fit the bottle jack handle hole and drilled the end to work the jack release valve. (The handle that comes with most bottle jacks are useless)
On uneven ground bottle and scissor jacks are always sketchy, having chocks and axel stands can give you enough time to get out of the way and prevent an accident. Most importantly the time to test out the kit is at home before you need to use it.
Get a scissor jack and cordless impact wrench with fittings for the jack and lugs. You still have to break the lugs by hand but everything else is Nascar fast with the impact wrench. It takes the suck out of using the scissor jack. I personally just carry around a floor jack. It's too big and kind of heavy but I've broken bottle jacks and I kept forgetting to keep my batteries charged on the impact wrench. In my truck I use a corded impact tool (I can't remember if it's a wrench or driver) and my generator, but I have to carry a generator most days and still have an unbroken bottle jack strapped up under the seat in case I get caught out.
- Having a cordless impact wrench is the dream but I just use a small commuter car and havent had the need for one yet. Might keep an eye out for one if they go on sale.
  My buddy has the same car (one gen back) and was able to fit a floor jack in the spare compartment with a donut tire. Might try and see if I can get mine to fit, then I will have freed up some basement storage space.

28 comments