For a number of years, here at the Corvette Action Center’s product evaluation shop, most of the cars we work on are so low in the front, we can’t get our floor jack underneath the car and that’s even with one of the so-called “low-profile” jacks At first we drove the front tires up on 2x4s. Then, to make that easier, we bevel-cut their ends. Once we started working a ZO6/ZO7 back in 2012 and, then later, a ’19 ZR1, the tires were so wide we thought the relatively narrow (compared to the tire width) 2x4s might be hurting the tires so we made a set of ramps using a table saw and to cut up and bevel the ends of a section of 2×8 framing lumber. That worked better and we used them for a number of years. Admittedly, they looked pretty unprofessional.
Recently, one day while browsing Corvette parts vendor, Zip Products’, web site we noted Zip was selling a special set of Race Ramps intended for raising the front end enough to get a floor jack under a C6 or C7 to lift on a front cradle crossmember. The product, known as “Trak-Jax,” can be ordered from Zip Products with or without tire stops (PNs X-3612 or X-2184) at the tall end of the ramp. We ordered the ones with tire stops.
There are a number of reasons these Track-Jax are way better than our previous wooden ramps: 1) they weigh five-pounds each so they are easy to carry and the 1.5-inch high tire stops double as handles, 2) they are strong–they’re made of high-density urethane foam, 3) they have a non-skid surface which prevents movement, regardless of what type of surface they are on. 4) they are designed specifically to get the front of a car that is low and/or has a low front air dam or front splitter.
We’ve been using this pair of Zip’s Trak-Jax for about a month. The best thing about them is they weigh about a third of what our wooden ramps weighed. Also, because they are 30-in long, about six-inches longer than the wooden ones, they are easier to drive the car up onto. The tire stops make them safer than our homemade wooden ramps which had stops only a half-inch high. Zip’s ramps are as wide and the front 285/30ZR19s on our ’12 and ’19. Finally, we like that they are made right here in the USA.
To order, visit this page on Zip Products’ web site.
Chime in with your thoughts in the forums!