Tire Rotation

Check out owners manual pages 445-456

 

Mine shows the side jack points on page 453-456 ? If you look under the car you should be able to notice them behind the front tire and in front of the rear tire.

 

Yes! the side ones, take a look they will work with a floor jack also. just be carefull to get it under care enough to sit right.

 

I haven't looked but I think maybe some one like harbour freight maybe makes an adapter to fit on top of a floor jack to fit over the sheet metal. I think how ever there is room just on the other side of that sheet metal (toward the inside) so the floor jack just miss the sheet metal.

 

I had never looked under mine at the jack points. You are right not much room! I think a person needs to go to a store like, Harbour freight and check out some jacks with different resting plates and see if anything works? Sorry I just saw the jack points and just figured no problem! Some thing else to check out! My bad!

 

There is no safe points from the side to lift up the vehicle. You'll have to jack the vehicle up from either the front or the rear. Here is the picture diagram to show you.

 

I use a floor jack with the side jacking points, however I take a 18" long piece of 2x4 and place it along the rail so that the jack only contacts the 2x4 and doesn't mess up the little rail where the stock jack goes.

 

I half loosen all lug nuts, raise the front with the front/central jacking point, put in safety stands, repeat on the back. My aim is to get the whole car up with about 2" under the tires. I put the rear jack stands at the Owner's Manual proscribed points. The front jackstands I put inboard a little, at the front end of main underbody rail. When I've put the front jackstands at the rocker panel points it just seemed too much load on a very thin edge.

 

I can see your logic, but just raising the whole car at one go, per my post above, works quite well.

I'd be reluctant to jack one side with a floor jack, even with a rubber pad type cradle. You're pretty much forced to put the jack somewhere near the middle of the rocker panel. And then it seems like you're trying to break the car's back, lifting all that weight at the center point.

And having to repeat the exercise on the other side: doesn't seem more efficient.

 

How about these...... Side Lift Pads

 

I use two jacks on one side and it works well.

 

I have two jacks modified to fit the Prius side jack points. I use both on same side to rotate tires --- front to rear same-side rotation. Black-colored block on smaller jack is solid PVC attached by recessed socket head machine screws.

 

I purchased a couple side life pads, with the single notch in them, works the same as home made. The two jacks work very good. I just place the pad in lifting side rail notch where spare tire jack is to go and raised the jack up until contacts pad. I lift the rear jack a couple inches then go to front and do the same, then repeat until the two side tires are off the ground. You can use jack stands and emergency brake for added safety. As someone else stated, loosen all lug nuts prior the tire rotation works good. You are never under the car if it were to fall. I have tried lifting car front and rear, using stands, boards ect to get tires off ground. This is working for me being a two car prius owner, it make it faster and easier than any way I've tried so far. Thanks for all the tips on this thread!

 

Yes, if you use the rocker panel lift points there is no way to insert a jack stand. You need two jacks that you can rely on (won't fall over or lower on their own). You should also use the rubber pads, available at most auto stores. Or you can use hockey pucks.

 

I put regular cradle style jackstands on the proscribed rocker panel points once or twice, found them way too weak/unstable, then moved to points inward a bit, on relatively flat, heavy gauge material.