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Best Car Ramps for Oil Changes 2023

 Posted on: Jan 20th, 2023

Best Car Ramps for Oil Changes 2023

We looked at our car service ramp offering to determine what features you should look for in a ramp, and which ramps are the best based on certain criteria such as specs, affordability, strength and material.

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Auto Steel Vehicle Oil Change Ramps UR6500
Plastic Low Profile Car Service Ramps 6009-V2
Black Widow Plastic Service Ramps PSR295
Standard Sports Car Race Ramps Solid Low Profile Car Service Ramps RR-56-DR
Mini-Lift Aluminum Low Profile Car Service Ramps ML-1066
Black Widow Hydraulic Underbody Access Car Lift with Ramp CARLIFT-3000
Extra-Long Aluminum Two Piece Car Service Ramps CR-7214
Capacity per Pair 6,500 lbs. 4,400 lbs. 10,000 lbs. 3,000 lbs. 1,500 lbs. 3,000 lbs. 3,000 lbs.
Weight 14 lbs. 4.5 lbs. 18 lbs. 10 lbs. 50 lbs. 136 lbs. 96 lbs.
Lift Height 7.25" 2.25" 6.25" 8" 10" 15" 9.5"
Approach Angle 9.05 10.75 11.5 7.6
Material Steel Plastic Plastic Foam Aluminum Steel Aluminum
Key Benefit Most Affordable Lightest Holds Most Weight Highest Lift
6,500 lbs. Per Axle Capacity - Auto Steel Vehicle Oil Change Ramps
2000 Pontiac Grand Am up on Tru-Cut Ultra Ramps

Most Affordable

If you’re changing your oil regularly that just need a little bit of extra clearance, the UR6500 ramps are an affordable option. Considering they’re made of steel, it’s no wonder they hold up to 6,500 lbs. per pair. They’re fairly steep, so they won’t be a good option for cars with low front ends or low profiles.

Standard Sports Car - Race Ramps Solid Low Profile Car Service Ramps - 3,000 lbs. Capacity
1974 C3 Chevy Corvette up on 56" L Race Ramps Service Ramps

Highest Quality

It’s hard to find something to complain about with Race Ramps. They’re undoubtedly the gold standard when it comes to high quality car service ramps, and every one of them is made in the USA in their Escanaba, MI, facility. Although not the most affordable, they will always be among the most lightweight options without compromising on strength. The solid expanded foam core is so strong that it almost looks and acts like painted concrete.

The 56” L Race Ramps only weigh 10 lbs. yet support 3,000 lbs. per pair and offer a lift height of 8” with a raised stop to prevent roll-offs.

Black Widow Hydraulic Underbody Access Car Lift with Ramp - 3,000 lb. per pair Capacity
Subaru up on Black Widow Hydraulic Underbody Access Car Lift Ramps

Highest Lift Height

The foot-operated Black Widow Car Service Ramps might look like bare-bones ramps at the start, but once the tires are in the cradles and they start to lift, they look more like mini jack stands. They also support 3,000 lbs., however they offer 15” of lift height, making them great for other projects besides the occasional oil change. Think about the convenience for front end or underbody work – no cribs or stands required.

Car service ramp features to look for

Weight Capacity: Per Ramp, Per Pair or Per Axle?

Although it sounds straightforward, take the time to determine whether the weight capacity of the ramps is outlined as capacity per ramp, capacity per pair, or capacity per axle. For oil changes, it’s most common to have your vehicle up on the two front tires, or the front axle, so looking at the capacity per pair or per axle will be the most relevant format for you.

Lift Height

Depending if you drive a lowered Toyota Supra or standard sedan like a Ford Taurus, your lift height needs will vary. You might need to raise your car up a lot to gain enough underbody access to finagle the drain plug and get to the oil filter, or perhaps a few inches will make all the difference. Estimating how much additional height you want will help you narrow down your options.

Approach Angle

For most vehicles, approach angle for a service ramp is probably an afterthought, or something you can eyeball. On sedans, muscle cars and sports cars that are naturally lower or intentionally low-profile, approach angle is critical to making sure your car will clear the ramp without hitting the bumper. It’s simple geometry - the shorter and higher the ramp, the largest the approach angle and the likelihood that you might not clear it.

If you want to quickly find your car’s minimum approach angle, Race Ramps offers a quick and easy car ramp calculator that doesn’t require trigonometry; just a good old-fashioned yard stick.