Someone has torture-tested ramps so you don’t have to learn the hard way – Jalopnik

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When servicing or repairing your car, access to the underside of the vehicle is often essential. But many cars do not have the necessary space to squeeze between the ground and the chassis. Ideally, a hydraulic lift will provide the best access, with powerful wishbones that can lift the car high into the air. Unfortunately, not only do you need a dedicated garage space for such a device, but you can also make thousands of dollars for something like an AMGO hydraulic two-column lift, which retails for around $3,800. Alternatively, the QuickJack is a handy tool that makes working under a car quick and easy, with some models costing less than $2,000. Nevertheless, these expensive solutions are not for everyone, especially when you consider that you can find different ramp options for less than $100. But are they any good?

One YouTuber, Project farmtried testing different ramps ranging from about $60 to $160. Surprisingly, the cheapest Pittsburgh plastic ramps took first place, while the much more expensive VOWAGH ramps came in sixth. The tests included a variety of cars, including front-wheel drive, all-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive, and a total of 11 different ramps. Each product was put through a series of evaluations, including how well each product stays in place, how much weight each can support before failing, and how much force it takes to roll the vehicles down the ramps.

Another crucial part of a safe driveway is what’s underneath. To get the vehicle higher off the ground, the ramps themselves must be resistant to sliding. Some products had multiple rubber feet on the bottom (which is ideal), to reduce the chance of slipping. Others had only one or even no grip pads. On rear-wheel drive vehicles, every ramp slid across the garage floor, rubber feet or not. Luckily, placing a damp cloth under the ramp kept most of the products in place, but a few slipped out anyway. Some products, like the Rhino ramps, struggled during testing because they only had one rubber pad, which wasn’t enough to keep the ramps in place.

Another useful addition is a more pronounced wall or lip at the end of the upper part of the ramp (tire stop), clearly indicating where the wheel should rest. The test results showed that several inclines under $100 required more than 700 pounds of forward force to roll the vehicle over the tire stop.

Finally, some options are designed with a small bump as you drive up the slope and a hollow spot for the wheel to rest. This can help prevent the vehicle from accidentally rolling back if you fail to apply the emergency brake. While the torture test yielded the most expensive ramp of the group, the VOWAGH, taking first place in this particular exercise, requiring nearly 370 pounds of force to roll the vehicle back, the MaxxHaul, at less than $60, wasn’t far behind.