So we're getting to that time of year where we need to start thinking of winter tires. Some parts of Mn are forecasting close to 12 inches of snow this weekend (it'll melt very quickly though). I already have the winter tires for my GF's new Cooper but I was hoping to find some info on central front and rear jacking points. It would be a real PITA if I have to jack up all for corners of the car individually.

In my Bimmer there's one under the engine carriage assembly and the rear diff. Obviously Minis don't have a rear diff so that wont work.

I havent crawled underneath the car yet but was hoping that you guys might have some insight.

I tried searching but I didn't like what I saw (using a 2x4 or 4x4 to connect the 2 jacking points doesnt seem safe to me). Are there central locations to jack the car from in the front and rear? Or will I have to jack the car 4 times? Note that I have a 3.25 ton floor jack so I'm not worried about weight ratings and I won't be climbing underneath the car so that's not as big of a concern either.

Hopefully you guys can help me out! Thanks in advanced.

 

First generation MINIs have a jack point on each side less than a foot behind the front wheel and a similar distance in front of the rear wheel. I am able to change both tires using either point. My track buddies with second generation MINIs are able to do the same thing, so you should be all set.

 

+1

Get the aluminum floor jack from Harbor Freight (~$70) and you can jack the whole side of the car from the front jack point. The car is stiff enough to do that. The jack point is just under the leading edge of the door. Look for a small (~2"x3.5") rectangle which is the jack point.

 

I picked up the floor jack from Costco. It's gotten better reviews online overall than the harbor freight ones (of comparable size) and is low profile as well.

I'm weary about using the front jacking point to lift the whole side of the car though. I used to do this on my old truck, but that was box on frame, not unibody. I don't want to put undue stress on the body. I also feel that if i lift only the front and then only the back it will be more stable than one side followed by the other. I guess I'll have to take a peek under the car when it gets back from the body shop (it came in damaged). I'll update the thread afterwards, unless there are other suggestions.

 

Sorry, I missed the point that you already had a jack.

As for jacking one side at a time, it is understandable that you are uneasy with it. However, I will say that this is pretty standard for those of us who track our cars and/or autocross them and are changing tires 20 times a year....the car really is solid. Get a set of wheel blocks to keep it from rolling.

Hope your car is OK. I take it that it is new. It is a shame that it was damaged. When you get it back, take a look at the owners manual for where the jack points are.

 

If you jack from the front point, it will lift up that entire side. It won't be front/back like you think, it will be left/right. Edit: never mind, I mis-read what you said.

The MINI frame is super rigid, so you can stop worrying about damaging it. People on the forum have been jacking them up for over 10 years now. You're not going to hurt it.

2x4 is my go-to method. I'm not what what bothers you about it, but it works great and gives you less body torsion compared to just using the front jack point.

 

Mine does! I don't jack the car up with it though.

 

That's ok, I buried that I had a jack in my OP.

The car will be fine. Its just the back bumper cover that was damaged slightly during transport. It was a dealer transport so I had a feeling it would end up by happening (a gut feeling, but I hate it when I'm right about those things). Oh well though, thats why the transport company has insurance. I have to say that the dealer handled it very professionally though. They called me within a few minutes of the car landing to tell me it was damaged and asked what we wanted to do. Since it was tied in to September's year end clearance bonuses it had to be delivered by the 29th. My GF was too excited to wait any longer for it so she took it for a couple days and dropped it off yesterday to be fixed and they gave her a countryman as a loaner. It'll all workout in the end.

Back on topic to the tires though. I'm no stranger to changing wheels. For the last 5 years or so I've been doing my own changeovers and have learned a couple of tricks over time that has allowed me to do a complete changeover (all 4 tires) in around 30 minutes. I have a Dewalt 18V cordless impact wrench, a torque wrench, proper impact rated sockets, and a floor jack that is wayy overkill for what I need. I also looked online at Mini's owners manual and the only jacking points it talks about are the four by the wheels. I'd assume that there is a jack point underneath the engine, but I don't know about the rear subframe. That's what's holding me up right now.

 

Lol, I was going to put an asterisk there but forgot about it....

 

+1 :d