DIY Tire Rotation

[delusional29]

Anyone have a pic of that rear differential point (I have AWD).

Thanks in advance!

DeLuSioNaL29

[CpBizz]

First time posting here on KizashiClub !

After all the research and valuable info I gain from sites like this I figured it's time I give back!

So it seems many people have issues figuring out a way to change/rotate their tires due to the rear jack point being relatively inaccessible compared to most other vehicles. I have a 2011 AWD Kizashi. I just completed swapping my winters to summers a couple days ago and came across the same issue. I have a standard hydraulic jack and rolled it under to the rear differential jack point and I was able to jack the car up slightly by simply using my hand on the jack lever without the extension bar that gives you leverage, but I needed way more height so I figured out a simple method.

At this point I used the stock lug nut wrench which we all find in our trunks found next to the spare tire. I used the elongated straight end and put it into the jack and used the shorter bent part of the wrench as my handle. This provided more leverage to jack the car up some before it got to difficult again...hmm I still needed more height. So an idea popped into my head and made the last portion of the lift a breeze. I simply used a standard 7/8" wrench and used the box end and fit the long end of the lug nut wrench through it. This way I had a long and maneuverable extension to complete jacking the car to whatever height needed. I'll try attaching pictures and it will make sense. It's simple, quick and cheap!

image.jpeg (330.17 KiB) Viewed 5867 times

I didn't even use car jack stands but will next time around. My hydraulic jack has only been used a handful of times and is rated for 2.5 tons which is roughly double the car weight no ? I haven't looked it up but figure it weighs about a ton. Woops, just looked it up...its at capacity nearly. Lol. So yes use jack stands after hoisting. Lol. And when jacking it up with this method always make sure your arm and elbow bends naturally if the jack were ever to fail if you know what I mean. Basically elbow down not up.

Hope this help some of you!

[bootymac]

Welcome and thanks for the clever trick!

[Ronzuki]

Forget about the jack...I'd be more worried about the alum. rear diff housing not being designed to carry the weight of the vehicle. The differential is NOT a jacking point. Mighty expensive device to screw up with improper jacking. Check the FSM for recommend floor jack and 2-post lifting points.

[KuroNekko]

Forget about the jack...I'd be more worried about the alum. rear diff housing not being designed to carry the weight of the vehicle. The differential is NOT a jacking point. Mighty expensive device to screw up with improper jacking. Check the FSM for recommend floor jack and 2-post lifting points.

The rear differential is a rear center jacking point on nearly all AWD and RWD vehicles. On page 1 of this thread is a cut-out from the Suzuki Owner's Manual indicating that the rear differential is the rear center jacking point for an AWD model. It's also the same for Subarus and many other AWD vehicles. My car has that special protrusion because mine is a FWD hence no rear diff exists. However, the AWD models don't have this feature and are specified to use the rear differential as the rear center jacking point. Many people simply wedge a piece of wood between the floor jack and the differential to prevent marring.
The floor jack is only to raise or lower the vehicle and isn't designed to hold it. That's the job of the jack stands.

[nytq]

I've jacked mine up dozens of times at the diff, using a standard hydraulic jack. Never had an issue. It just takes a bit longer to get the jack pumping, but it works just fine. I do use an old rag in between the jack plate and the diff to minimize marring. You can't any damage.