what to buy? low profile rhino/race ramp

I want to get some ramps and I have a couple of low profile vehicles so I was looking at race ramps but I was pretty surprised to see that they are $200+.

I was hoping not to spend that much any suggestions?

If you really want to save money you can make some out of wood:

https://encrypted.google.com/search?q=diy+car+ramps+wood

I have the two-part version of the Race Ramps and I am really happy with them. Yes, they're expensive but they are also a big improvement over the cheap ramps I've seen so far.

I have a couple of sets of Rhinos. They're nice and light, but they have a tendency on slip on concrete when you try to drive up them.

I just picked up a pair of Rhinos this weekend - they were around $50. Worked perfectly for the 928 (lowered) - used them on pavement - so no reference on concrete yet.

My RaceRamps are some of the most useful things I've ever added to my garage, but I would have never spent the money to get them had I not won the RaceRamps/GRM giveaway a few years back.

Race Ramps do rock! I've been using mine for about 5 years now and they hold up pretty well to abuse. The thing that gets you is they are amazingly light. So much easier to use than any other ramp I've ever used.

I use mine all the time. Sometimes you get what you pay for......

I have had zero problems with Rhino ramps that I have been using for a number of years until one disappeared on the way down to the Challenge but I think you would have problems with a lowered car.

Joe Gearin wrote: I use mine all the time. Sometimes you get what you pay for......

Undeniably so. I would just have trouble spending more on the ramps than I spent on most of the cars that are parked on them.

That said, they're the best ramps I've ever used.

Joe Gearin wrote: Race Ramps do rock! I've been using mine for about 5 years now and they hold up pretty well to abuse. The thing that gets you is they are amazingly light. So much easier to use than any other ramp I've ever used. I use mine all the time. Sometimes you get what you pay for......

Just what I was thinking from what I saw of the other stuff out there.

Woody wrote: I have a couple of sets of Rhinos. They're nice and light, but they have a tendency on slip on concrete when you try to drive up them.

I've done that once. I've found it tends to happen when I'm putting the drive wheels up with an automatic tranny, because it's difficult to apply the throttle smoothly at enough torque to pull up the ramps. Applying the gas and brake together helps a lot, it hasn't done it again since I started that method.

That method works well when putting up the Odyssey for an oil change, or backing up the truck to angle the trailer. It's never been a problem with the Miata or the Audi, though.

I have the two piece 67" ramps. Picked them up after being sick of faking it with wood to get cars that were too low for the basic Rhino Ramps.

Easily worth every penny and then some. I now bring them with me anywhere I might be helping someone with their car instead of trying to use whatever they happen to have.

I've had a set of Rhino ramps for several years. They came with a rubber "foot" that helps keep them from slipping on a smooth concrete garage floor. Good tool for the money in my book.

codrus wrote:

Woody wrote: I have a couple of sets of Rhinos. They're nice and light, but they have a tendency on slip on concrete when you try to drive up them.

I've done that once. I've found it tends to happen when I'm putting the drive wheels up with an automatic tranny, because it's difficult to apply the throttle smoothly at enough torque to pull up the ramps. Applying the gas and brake together helps a lot, it hasn't done it again since I started that method. That method works well when putting up the Odyssey for an oil change, or backing up the truck to angle the trailer. It's never been a problem with the Miata or the Audi, though.

I have to admit, I did manage to suck my race ramps under the car once, though only a few inches nowhere near to the end of the ramps or anything. But that was because I neglected to release the parking brake on the mazdaspeed3. Back tires stayed glued to the floor, and the front ones slurped the ramps under the car.

I've never had them budge in the slightest without extreme user error liek the above.

mightymike wrote: I've had a set of Rhino ramps for several years. They came with a rubber "foot" that helps keep them from slipping on a smooth concrete garage floor. Good tool for the money in my book.

That was what I used too, until I had a car that plain didn't fit. I did always seem to lose the rubber foot after a year or so though. Wouldn't think of going back at this point given a choice.

Got a few cars you turn the wheel to get to the oil filter, and even with the rubber feet, most of the cars would at least turn the rhino ramp quite a bit. Then I had to try to get the ramps at least somewhat straight so I could drive back off of them. Never once happened with the race ramp.

I bought them when I had a lowered Miata, just to get it high enough to use the floor jack and jack stands. I'm not sure that I ever tried to work on the car using only the ramps. I don't think they would give me enough height to do much.

My sports racer has a splitter that extends about 30" ahead of the center line of the front wheels, about 2-3/4" high. It's the ultimate long ramps car.

In the past I'd back the tow vehicle on ramps to effectively lower the back end of the trailer. Then I'd use a couple sections of 2x10 about 6' long to extend the 5' ramps - these would rest on 2x10 "steps" long enough that the splitter would have rolled back past the end of the ramp extension before dropping off the "step' onto the pavement.

What a colossal pain in the ass.

On my new-to-me 14' x 6' deckover I'm making a pair of ramps at least 10' long which will also function as sides of the trailer. They'll have a drop-down support at mid point.

But for a cheap garage alternate to the mega-bucks race ramps I'd suggest building something out of 2x12s

Mine have the rubber foot, too. Usually, they slide forward. That was the only time that one shot back under the car. It was almost impossible to get a Jeep up on them.

Honestly, they're so light, they're worth it even if I have to occasionally jack up the car and shove them under. But they work fine most of the time. Also, my garage floor is really smooth.

I have both the black and grey rhino ramps. I strongly prefer the grey set, as they're wider. Both have saved me a ton of time as an alternative for jacking/jack stands for simple things like oil changes. Our Rav4 and Odyssey are a pain to jack high enough to get jack stands under the front subframes, but are easy to drive up on the ramps.

If I want access to the entire underside of the car, I'll usually pull one end up on ramps, jack up the opposite end, and slide the second set of ramps underneath the side I've jacked up. It gets the car up in the air to a decent height, and it's usually pretty close to level front to rear. I prefer the ramps to jackstands, as the tires have a much wider footprint than the top of a jackstand, and the tires are at the widest point of the vehicle. In most cases, I also have the jack under the car, as well.

The rubber feet tend to fall out of mine, too. However, it's nothing that couldn't be fixed with a threaded rod and a couple of washers and nuts (although I haven't gotten around to doing this myself). It can be a little tricky to drive the cars up on the ramps, it definitely requires some getting used to. I just try to be patient and sometimes it takes multiple attempts to get it just right.

I really like the Race Ramps and they seem light years ahead of the Rhino ramps I'm using. However, I haven't been able to justify the cost yet.

I have rhino ramps or a knock off. I forget which. I went to several auto parts places, Northern Tool, Harbor Freight, Tractor Supply, etc. and Wally World. Measured the height and length of the sloped portion to find the ones that had the shallowest (is that a word?) angle. Bought from Wally World about $50 with tax. Just clear the front fascia on SWMBO's stock height 350z and work fine on a stock NB Miata.

Grtechguy wrote:

I've used a version of this for a CRX I had many years ago. I used 4 layers of pressure treated 2x8's screwed & glued together with 2 ft "steps". Two 10 foot boards made each ramp, cut 2 ft off one and 4 ft off the second resulting in 2 ft, 4 ft, 6 ft and 8 ft lengths. Added 2x2 blocks to act as stops. They were cheap, but heavy and took up more storage space compared to modern plastic ramps.

While most people have issues getting a front driver on Rhino Ramps, I think I may be the only one to completely bugger a dismount too. I had finished putting a radiator in a Neon and after letting it run for a few minutes, I decided there were no leaks an it was time to return the car to its owner. I was parked on a slope with the nose facing down. I put the car in reverse and as I applied just enough throttle to start creeping backwards the car drops to the ground and 2 Rhino Ramps go rocketing down the driveway. By the expression on my neighbor's face, I'm pretty sure it was even more amusing from the outside.

My g/f's father built her a set of wooden ramps a year or so before we started dating. They work pretty well and the ramp part is removable for easier storage. They are rather heavy... and the lack of a recess on the platform (and not using wheel chocks) cost me about $3200 last year when my car rolled off and into a closed garage door.

I've got a set of the Race Ramp trailer ramps. Great piece of kit.

I don't generally use ramps when working on cars, I find them too sketchy. A couple of dodgy experiences with cheap ones. My cars go up on jack stands instead.

I have heard of one trick for keeping ramps from scooting away - attach a strip of carpet to the ramp that's long enough to reach the other set of wheels. That way the car holds everything in place as you're mounting/dismounting.