I'm a newbie and I just purchased a used 2000 C5 corvette to practice shifting a manual in preparation of a C6 ZO6. I love this car because after 30 years of driving, it makes me feel like a teenager again. (i.e. I feel invincible and ready to pick up girls.)

However, I hate the noisy and harsh stock Goodyear GS EMT tires and I'm thinking of buying a set of Eagle F1 GS-D3 non-EMT tires.

To address the need of a flat, I purchased a 2004 GTO aluminum spare tire off for $140 after outbidding another Vette owner on Ebay. The temporary tire fits perfectly and, as a test, I drove the spare tire on both front and rear up to 50 MPH without any problems.

The big problem is getting a low profile jack. Using the Vette Hockey Jacking Pucks, there is only 4-1/8 to 4-1/4 inches clearance to the ground. If you have a flat, you may lose 2 additional inches leaving you only about 2 inches for the jack. If you remove the jacking pucks, you gain 1 inch which means I need a low profile jack of 3 inches.

The only low profile jack that I found is from a late model camero/firebird jack which provides 3 inches. However, I am afraid to use it for fear of damaging my baby. I am currently looking for a 2 inch jack so I can use the hockey pucks.

In any case, I placed the tire in the truck and I still have room for a set of golf clubs....but not two sets. I probably won’t store it in the trunk except for long distance vacations.

Any advice on a low profile jack?

 

See my reply here:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1646665
This jack is about the lowest I have ever seen. The only other one that comes close, to the best of my recollection, was this one from Griot's Garage for $400:
http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?&SKU=77739

 

Cut 1 8 in length of 1x3 and 2 8 in lengths 2x4 wood and carry them with you. Put the 1x3 closest to the flat and carefully drive onto the 2x4s. Now put the Camaro jack under the car. Wood should fit in one of the storage compartment. Cheaper than carrying a $400 jack with you.

 

Here's my jack:

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...cemldffidfko.0

With the front bolts removed, I still have to drive onto 24" lengths of 2x6. Great jack for the $$ though.

 

Some of those jacks are meant for a garage and not suitable for storage in a Vette Trunk. I heard some European jacks may be less than 3 inches. Jarsdad1's recommendation is the best recommendation so far. I will keep looking.

 

I'm lowered about an inch on stock bolts, and the $79 aluminum jack from HarborFreight works for me, it's just low enough to slip under the pucks.

 

Since the only time you think you'll carry a jack is on long trips then stick with the EMT's. They'll give a 200 mile range at 50mph with zero air pressure in your tire.

Then do what some have found to work outstanding for them (and its super cheap), cut out some 6" thick fiberglass insulation and stuff it in the three compartments in the back.

Everyone that has tried that solution writes about it and claims it does wonders for eliminating noise. Will certainly save you a lot of money.

BTW, did you think a sportscar would be as quiet as a Cadillac? It is what it is.

Oh, you could where ear protector silencers like the guys on flightlines wear. They're way cheaper than new tires, a spare and a jack.

While riding my Harley on freeways I wear ear plugs. They work great and only cost a few bucks. Since my vette is a vert I've even tried wearing 'em on long road rides w/top down. They make trips extremely quiet at freeway speeds.

Good luck!
..rickko..

 

Thank you everybody but here is my ultimate game plan:

1. Buy Eagle F1 GS-D3 based on car and driver recommendations at http://www.caranddriver.com/article....page_number=13
2. Use the Camero/firebird Jack and the wooden ramp based on the best recommendation from this forum. (Thanks Jarsdad1)
3. Insulate my Vette using the B-quiet deadening insulation at
http://www.b-quiet.com/corvette.html.

Once I am done with this project, I should have excellent tire grip, a much quieter and smoother ride, the capacity to change out my tire, getting rid of the lousy stock EMT tires and enjoying my upgraded stereo system (Polk Momo, Alpine receiver, Blaublank amp) in my hardtop Vette.

vchanpe

 

If you are looking for a Jack to keep in the car there is a Forum Member "C5 Fredrik" has a jack that he sells. Cost was last at $60. shipped. I bought one when I went with non-runflats. It is made of aluminum and fits fine without the Pucks. For most local stuff, I carry a small 12v compressor and a plug kit.
If you do a Search on the Forum there are many posts on this.
Barrier

 

Since I abandoned the runflats years ago (they're sitting in my basement on the stock polished wheels with about 3K miles on them), I carry a complete repair kit in case I experience a reparable tire puncture. Otherwise, it's the cell phone and a tow. Obviously, the runflats are one of the best solutions but, as with others, the limitations in available sizes and performance led me to non-runflats .

I carry this jack fom a Mercedes (mentioned above) that I bought from forum member Frederick a few years ago. I store it in the right rear compartment.




I also carry this assortment of equipment.

 

I bought a low profile jack from WallyWorld for less than $30 in a storage case for my C5 and has plenty of room between the jack and pucks.

 

picked one up from HarborFreight.

 

Got more info on that Harbor Freight jack???

 

AAA