Minimum lift height?

[rick3000]

Not trying to hijack the thread, but I have a related question. Is it still possible to access the engine, and remove all of the underbody panel covers with a scissor lift like the one in the video? It doesn't appear that a scissor style lift would work very well for a mid-engine car.


For most regular maintenance, you do not actually need very much height, but it definitely can make things easier. I would say the minimum required height is about 20 inches, which gives you enough room to get a 5 gallon bucket under the oil pan and still unscrew the drain plug. I had my 986 up about 24-28" when I did the motor mount.

The trade off with stands, is that while you want height, you also do not want a high minimum/starting height, otherwise getting the car onto the stands becomes very interesting. I use Esco stands, which are pricey but very sturdy. If I had the space I would definitely prefer a lift, as I am not a fan of getting the 986 onto stands.

Once you get the car in the air with stands, the max height will become whatever height is as low as possible to do the work you need to do.