If you've never worked on a vehicle on a lift, especially a 4 post, then I suggest you find a friend or somewhere you can use one for a few different jobs first.
I worked in a shop with a 2 post and a 4 post and the 4 post got used primarily for storing another vehicle, none of us liked it much for working on, it seemed to always be more or less in the way for whatever you were trying to work on.
Grigg
Back in the day 4 posts were a pain to work on.
Many repairs required the wheels to come off. With
a 2 post it was nice to sneak a long 3/8 extension
to get at the spark plugs through the wheel well.
When the car was lifted by the frame so the wheels
would hang down.
The wheels do not hang down on a 4 post so you wound
up scraping your hands to get at the spark plugs or the
A.I.R pipes and other fun things.
Yes the 4 posts come with a sliding jack option.
What people that sell the 4 posts leave out is how
at when all four wheels have to come off you
will still wind up having to leave which ever end
that you jack up first left on jack stands so you
can jack up the other end.
Crazy to put a car on a lift to then use jack stands
too get the wheels off, plus the money that the lift
cost.
As to asymmetrical and symmetrical lifts. With
shorter front arms the car sat farther back on the
lift so there would be more room to open the front
doors before the doors would hit the lift post.
Jeffrey
