Applicable to: '90 - '97 '99 + 1.6 liter 1.8 liter
I have owned a pair of Rhino Ramps for years, and they always worked as advertised. Recently when cleaning out my garage, I lost one of the rubber feet off of one of the ramps. The ramps don't work at all without the rubber feet. I found the name and phone number for the company: The Rhino Ramps are manufactured by Blitz, USA 404 26th Avenue NW Miami, OK 74354 918-540-1515 +1.800.331.3795 outside OK I just called them and asked for a replacement foot - they asked me for my name and address, said "no problem" and mailed a set out! No questions asked, and no charge. What customer service!
Not an installed item
These ramps are the perfect addition to any Miata garage. They appear to be very well made, but as others have noted, they tend to slide slightly when you drive up on to them. I suppose some rubber mats under them would fix that. I got mine for $29 at PepBoys.
Not an installed item
Applicable to: '90 - '97 '99 + 1.6 liter 1.8 liter
Picked up a set at Advance Auto parts for &28 bucks.I was worried about getting standard ramps having a bad experiance with low cars.
This product is perfectley suited to the Miata .I have a 99 with the Sport App pkg and had no clearance issues.Just drove right up.
They are light weight , and have a pretty good size stop at the end so it makes knowing when to stop that much easier.Awesome,Awesome and Awesome....That is all. Bill
Not an installed item
Vehicle service ramps
These are excellent and a must for anyone who wants to get under the Miata. Had previously bought a set of steel ramps from Sears which were fine ramps, but were too steep and caught the chin of the Miata.
The Rhino ramps are a perfect angle and I had no problem with slipping or getting the car onto them.
Watch what you pay for these - other raters indicate that you can get them at K-mart and Wal-Mart - here on Long Island, New York I found them at Auto Barn for $34.00 - way cheaper than the manufacturer was selling them (with shipping) on their web site.
Vehicle service ramps
Great product. Doesn't slip on concrete floor. Doesn't rust
Wal-Mart now sells these for about $30 a set. You'll be glad you got them.
I got this about a year ago when I still owned a Porsche 924S and since then I have been very happy with it. The ramp is incredibly light in weight compared to the conventional steel ramps. Yet, it can hold more weight than any other ramps that I've seen. There is no need for extension ramp due to its very low incline and I've tried many low-profile vehicles without a problem, including my Miata, Porsche, and a VW Corrado with a front spoiler that can't seem to use any other types of ramps. One minor problem that has been mentioned before is skidding. My guess is that due to its light weight, it is more prone to skidding but I am able to get on the ramp within the first 2 tries without any assistance. But if skidding is a problem, putting something heavy, like a large brick, in front of the ramp might help. By the way, bricks (large kind, not the small ones) seem to work well as wheel chocks, too.
Rhino Ramps
In an earlier post, James David Brockman asked about Rhino Ramps. Since this is an item of interest to all Miata people, I'd thought I'd take the time for a more complete post.
Rhino Ramps were introduced last spring. They are [fairly] light weight drive-up ramps that happen to fit a Miata perfectly, allowing easy access to the underside of the car for oil changes, whatever. Rhino Ramps are made of recycled (I think) plastic and are actually stronger than the steel ramps commonly available at K-Mart and Pep Boys. They're advertised as supporting 12,000 pounds GVW, so you could put Al's mom in the Miata and still have a comfortable margin of safety. Being plastic, they won't rust if you get them wet and they're easy to wipe down.
Rhino Ramps were written up in the Miata Magazine about a year ago. I found an ad on page 52 of the Tech Issue, 1995.
I've had my set since late last summer and absolutely love 'em. They make it sooo easy to work on the Miata. Just place 'em, drive up, set the brake, place wheel chocks at the rear wheels and you're ready to work. In my opinion (Disclaimer #1 - don't sue me if you do something crazy!), ramps are safer than a jack plus jackstands. At least they're certainly more convenient.
I previously tried steel ramps from K-Mart, but -- although they were advertised as for low clearance cars -- I had to take them right back as the front body work of the Miata hit the ramp before the wheels engaged. Rhino Ramps are designed such that this doesn't happen; there's adequate clearance between the Miata and the ramp.
The only problem I had is that they're advertised to be non-skid, but they're not - at least not on my driveway surface. A rear-wheel drive car tends to push the ramp ahead rather than rolling up it. Rhino Ramps try to compensate for this by including some small non-skid pads underneath, but I found them to be ineffective. This problem was easily solved by purchasing two non-skid rubber door mats of an adequate size that I put under the Rhino Ramps. With this addition, the ramps don't slide on the driveway at all.
Also from my personal experience, safety is enhanced if you have an assistant standing out in front of the car to guide you to make sure the ramps aren't slipping, etc. (Disclaimer #2 - don't have your assistant sue me if you run 'em down!) For myself, I only use an assistant if one happens to be handily nearby, but then again I'm willing to assume responsibility for damaging my Miata if the ramps aren't straight and I drive off the edge.
Repeating info from the referenced magazine ad, Rhino Ramps are made by:
I also think I've seen that at least one of the major Miata mail order outfits carries Rhino Ramps, so you could check with your favorite supplier.
Also, Moss Motors sells plastic composite wheel chocks that are exact match companions for the Rhino Ramps - I recommend getting two pairs so you can chock both rear wheels. The wheel chocks went for $14.50 per pair when I got mine. You can reach Moss Motors at 1-800-642-8295.
BTW, I have NO connection with Rhino Ramps - I'm just a very satisfied customer.
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23 August, 2003 |