Hey, is there any height difference between the front pinches and the rear pinches? I realized that there is more clearance in my rear than the front. I found more space between my pucks and the rear pinches than the front. Do you notice the same thing? Is that normal??
@fatherpain, got my EZ lift delivered today. Thanks for the great writeup and details.A safe, reliable means of raising your car is essential if want to maintain or mod your car. Decided on an EZ Carlift when I first started and saw Bouford’s awesome ride raised on one, displaying his Sequence Exhaust. No regrets. The EZ carlift has my life easy and has paid for itself, with the number of times its been used.
Bouford's photo sold me on both products, heh.
The EZ Car Lift checked a lot of boxes:
1. Screw jack based. No hydraulic oil leaks or chance the car will move or fall, once input force is not applied
2. Portable to store away when not in use or can be transported in the Type R if needed.
3. Can be set up and used easily by a single person....has a 4,400 lb capacity but isn’t super heavy. Can also be used for other vehicles, with the correct crossbeams. The Type R uses the XM69. I also have the XM59 for our other cars.
4. Quality craftsmanship. Made in USA. Innovative design, A++ customer service, many positive reviews + it looks cool.
If there is a downside, it would be cost. Currently an EZ car lift set up for the Type R is:
$1740 - EZ Carlift
$85 - extension ramps (needed for the R)
$175 - shipping
$139 - for a good 2-speed drill (w/cord) I chose DeWalt.
——————
$2139 + Tax.
**note** there might be an extra charge for the Type R because it is wide and uses very long crossbeams XM69’s. If you have a good drill already then don’t need a new one.
I also purchased a set of XM59’s to use with other cars. Extra crossbeams are about $125-135 per set.
There are many less expensive options out there than can also get the job done, such as floor jacks, jack stands, ramps or hydraulic lifts. The Quickjack-5000 hydraulic lift is a popular option at a little over 1/2 the cost and is available at Costco, so that’s a big plus.
Used to store it like this when not in use. Each lift ramp is made of aluminum and weigh 60 lbs each. Some may store it fully assembled on wall hangers or stowed on the floor, if have space. Sadly, I do not. The blue extensions needed for the Type R are attached and add about 10 lbs each. Total assembled weight of the lift is about 160 lbs. Too much for little old me, so I break it down.
Here are the wall hangers that come with the lift, but I don’t use them.
The (2) gray crossbeams. Type R uses size xm69. I also have xm59 to work on our other cars.
Lately have opted to store the ramps like this. No chance of falling and by lifting the right side, each ramp can be easily rolled around like a wheelbarrow on the silver rollers on the lower left.
Just like this. Its a back saving tip Mr. Boytcho Manev shared with me.
EZ carlift ready to assemble. Tool needed is a 9/16 nut driver. Drew match marks on the concrete to know where to position the ramps each time.
Kept these wooden shipping protectors for the threads on this end. I pull them off each time, then reinstall when done.
One end of each ramp has this square drive for the gear boxes.
One crossbeam is special and has this drive link which engages the square drive of each ramp.
With the drive link engaged, insert and tighten these (2) bolts for each ramp. Anti-seize compound is applied to each set of threads. Each gear box has an Allen plug to add the supplied oil to keep the gears lubricated.
Do the same with the other crossbeam. There is no drive link or gearbox at this end.
EZ Carlift fully assembled. The original instructions say to install the lift upside down, then flip it over. Screw that nonsense. This alternate method Mr. Boytcho shared is so much easier. No lifting required and easier on the knees. I still put a cushion on the concrete.
Once assembled, use the drill to lower the ramps, so the feet raise and the caster wheels contact the ground so the lift can be rolled around.
EZ Carlift ready to slide underneath the car.
The EZ Car Lift positioned and ready. The (4) caster wheels are universal swivel so the lift kind of rolls here and there when guiding it. With a little patience can get it lined up just right. My car is stock height. Lowered cars would need to drive onto 1” plywood or 2x4s so the EZ lift will fit.
The EZ Car Lift uses these sturdy rubber pucks. Mine came stacked (2) high, but that was too tall. Removed one puck from each, as shown. These are placed under each lifting point on the car like this. Be sure to double check to verify all (4) pucks are properly lined up before raising the car.
This is the corded drill I opted for to operate the lift. Has been great so far. Has (2) speeds. Low speed/more torque when initially lifting the car to 25% height or so...then high speed to take it the rest of the way to the maximum 26”, or whatever height needed in between. Do not use the hammer drill function.
The drill connects here to lift the ramp. The adapter needed is supplied with the EZ Car Lift, but its a good idea to buy extras in case it wears out.
The mechanic jumpsuit is a requirement for DIY’ers, jk. My son took this pic,
Car raises to its full height in about 1 minute and 40 seconds.
maximum working height is 26”.
Placed a red landmark with a sharpie so know where the maximum height it. This wouldn’t be needed if the extension ramp was installed on the other end. Mine are installed covering the limit indicator... and I’m too lazy to swap it back, heh. When the car is raised, fixed feet plant to the ground and the casters go up with the grey crossbeams.
The EZ Carlift is screw jack based and perfectly safe. For the lift and car to come crashing down, the threads would need to strip through (3) bushings and that isn’t going to happen. I keep a light coat of grease applied to the jacking threads. DO NOT use anti-seize here, because it contains grit that breaks down and will cause a machining/cutting action on the threads over time. Grease only here.
Car raised.
At it's full height.
Rock solid. Won’t move even if pushed. EZ Car Lift does have optional wheels to roll the car around while lifted.. but I do not have them or need at moment.
Easy access from all sides. Especially if have a creeper. (I need one someday)
Plenty of room underneath. The gray crossbeams are minimally invasive.
Lots of room for oil changes. 26” maximum height. Additionally I’ve found tons of uses beyond just oil changes
Cleaning and inspecting exhaust piping...
Performing boost leak checks to resolve issues I had with the FMIC before... and all the mods I’ve performed
Here are what the pucks look like fresh after a use... the rubber does spring back and they look better later. @ez12a shared replacement pucks are cheap on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BPHES8W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
The only drawback with the EZ Carlift is if used in a carport or (1) car garage.
I’ve got a (3+) car garage but it’s jam packed with old arcade games (my previous OCD hobby sigh). They have been pushed aside to make a workspace similar to a (1) car garage.
Under this scenario, there isn’t space to position the EZ Carlift along the side, where it normally is positioned before sliding it under the car.
Attempted to assemble the lift under the car, but that was a no-go.
Moved the game on the left side out, put the EZ Carlift together in its place, slid it under, then moved the game back. Was fortunate to have that option.
I normally use the lift outside where there is plenty of room on either side... but for longer projects and inclement weather, the garage is a better place to stage the car.
Fortunately there is a solution for the single car garage conundrum. EZ Carlift has a optional limited space kit. Picked one up, but have not had time to try it. It is not as simple as it appears to be. There is an entire procedure to follow and haven't had time to digest it yet, heh.
Another option would be the moving casters kit, which would permit the car to be rolled in and out of the garage, once its raised.
Regarding Safety of the EZ Carlift: The crossbeams are non load bearing so no worries there. Their purpose is solely to connect the (2) lifting ramps together and to transfer the rotational torque needed to turn the driveshaft of the slave ramp. Mr. Boytcho says both the slave and driver ramps are capable of supporting the rated load of 4,400 lbs independently. If one ramp were to somehow fail, the other would prevent the car from crashing down.
EZ Car Lift has been around for many years, so if there were failures, word would be out there.
The lifting mechanism is based on large screw threads passing through bushings and also has a fail safe. Any failure would occur during operation either up or down, not when the car is raised and static when we are under it.
The torque on the EZ Car Lift is at its greatest prior to lifting when it’s flat and does not have leverage, hence when using a (2) speed drill, I begin with the drill’s lowest “gear” then switch to high speed once the ramp lifts the car about 25%. Sounds counter intuitive, but the higher the ramps extend the stronger it is, up to its 26” maximum height.
My background is a Steam Plant Maintenance Mechanic and now Maintenance Supervisor working in power plants where we rig and lift equipment weighing up to 100+ tons, using cranes, hydraulic rams and screw jacks.
I am confident the EZ Car Lift is perfectly safe and my preference is for a mechanical lift rather than hydraulic. That said, it is a good practice to inspect the lift before each use, making sure it has proper lube and there are no brass shavings indicating the bushings are stripping out. This would certainly be cause for concern. So far none detected and I’ve used it a bunch of times in the short time I’ve owned one.
Don’t have experience using the Quickjack, but looked into that option before going with EZ Car Lift. I am sure it’s an excellent lift also, at a more affordable price point and safe as well. Just would rather not deal with hoses, potential oil leaks or the heavier ramps to move around and the EZ lift is portable enough to throw in the hatch and take to a friend’s house or to the track.
Last edited: Today at 4:14 PM My Type R journal:
Thanks @fatherpain , these were 2 extras ordered:
Congrats kungfupanda
The EZ lift should fit under the car like this. I’m assuming you also have the blue extensions that connect to the ramps. (1) puck will go on each extension.
There are pinch welds at the red x’s on both sides of the car. Look closely underneath and you will see them. Align the rubber rectangular pads under the pinch welds then place the pucks on top of those pads, centered to the pinch welds.
@Topsportsman916 , great to know. I just got my EZ Lift un-boxed, lubed, and familiar with. Looking to install AWE track exhaust tomorrow, and was wondering how cross bars were to do exhaust work.
Hey, mind posting up links to your ZL1 adapters? Plus, how do they work out? Fitment, etc?
Here's the link
