If the reactions of people who walked by and saw it in my office are to be trusted, this lightweight aluminum jack is by far the most popular tool of the month yet. It doesn't take a mechanic to understand what it's for or why it's cool.
We work on cars in our garages, and we work on them at the track. For the former, having a 90-lb cast-iron and steel floor jack is fine. At the track, the beast becomes a burden.
Just getting it there may be the worst part. For a 6-ft 4-in., 230-lb guy, lifting the 90 pounder in and out of whatever vehicle is used to get it to the track is a challenge. Let's just say it's difficult to lift with one's knees when reaching into a car. For the 5-ft 9-in., 130-lb guy or gal, getting that jack in and out of the vehicle alone just isn't happening. The space it consumes in a small vehicle is a huge compromise, too, and some thought must be given to ensuring it doesn't weigh on the wrong part of the interior and damage the car. Most people end up using one of those sketchy, $17.99, made-in-China, auto-parts-store jacks that takes 27 pumps to lift the car. Once lifted, if any breeze is blowing, the car seems to totter precariously until jack stands are in place. Having a sturdy, lightweight jack that could lift a car safely and be transported easily would improve our lives and make track days that much more pleasant.
The better way is indeed much, much better. But thanks to Griot's Garage, it is not as expensive as you may have thought. In fact, when Griot's offered its aluminum jack for this column, I was hesitant due to the high price. I went comparison shopping, and found other aluminum jacks ranging from $200 more to a full two-and-a-half times the price of Griot's. This was the most affordable aluminum jack I could find.
Aluminum is approximately one-third the density of iron, and at 35 lb the Griot's jack is about one-third the weight of the monster that lurks in the corner of my garage. Combined with the handles on the sides, that makes the little Griot's jack easy to transport, even for the gray-alien-like guy down the hall. Load capacity is down, too, but the 1-ton rating will safely handle more than the heavy end of an M3, which is about the heaviest car I'm ever likely to lift at the track. This jack has the rigidity to be safe and steady, even if the car is bumped or blown by a breeze. The Griot's Garage aluminum jack isn't just lighter, it's better than a typical budget-priced jack in every way. The fastest and most expensive jacks lift in three, or in the case of Winston Cup jacks, one pump. But that means a significant decrease in mechanical advantage, requiring one, or even two gorilla-sized pit crew members to lean on the handle to lift a car. Griot's jack compromises between effort and speed, with six strokes from full down to full up. The two-piece, easily-collapsible handle is aluminum, making it easier to pump quickly, as well as getting into restricted spaces in a garage or under a vehicle. The narrow, single roller at the front of the jack helps, too. The jack's saddle gets as low as 3 1/2 in. and comes with a rubber pad, so you don't have to carry around that wood block anymore.
When the jack arrived, it sat in my office for a few days, and as people came in to talk, inevitably they would play with it. One guy would stand on the pad while another lifted him, and then they would express surprise at the fine control they had when lowering him. The cheap jacks they were used to just dropped the load suddenly when released, while the Griot's jack releases smoothly and can be lowered very slowly.
Are your pits in the dirt or grass, or are you at a rally or dirt track? Then you'll want the dirt plate. It's simply a steel plate that bolts to the jack's frame to provide a stable platform for the jack on uneven surfaces and prevent it from sinking into soft ones. If you think you might need it, it's definitely a worthwhile accessory.
Griot's Garage asked me to remind readers of its 100 percent lifetime satisfaction guarantee, under which Griot's will repair a product, replace it, or refund the purchase price.
Only you can decide whether your money is best spent on a lifetime of safe and happy lifting, or one more set (or pair, for some cars) of tires. If you think you're ready to step up to an aluminum jack, Griot's Garage should definitely be on your list of places to call.