Wheel not coming off

[kazenosword]

Went to check my brakes today, and my front driver side wheel would not come off. I am sure it will with the right hands, but I don't want to get stuck on the road with a flat, and not be able to change it. I have a 2006 FWD. Any ideas or tricks to get it off?

[bodhi_tree777]

Just to be sure, you did remove the lugs first right? :DI'd say give it a rap on the backside with a rubber mallet. Should dislodge it

[kazenosword]

Yup, did the same thing for both sides Good thing to check though! I will give that a try tomorrow, hopefully it works! Thanks!

[silverbullet]

ive had a couple wheels seized up pretty bad on some other car. i found two tricks that seem to work. they sound bad ill admit, but it works. with the car lifted and the lugs off, try sitting on the ground and kicking the outside of the wheel. just be sure you have the car on a good set of stands. worst car i worked on after hours i went to my last resort to get the wheel off. i have only had to do this once. jack up the car, loosen the lugs do not remove them just unscrew them far enough to leave a gap between them and the wheel. heres the scary part, now drop the car. might have to do it a few times and spin the wheel a bit to drop it on a different spot. sounds scary but just be smart about it and you and your car will be fine.

[joatmon]

on my 03, the steel wheels rust to the rotors, have to kick them hard on the sidewall to break them loose. Sometimes I'll smack them hard with a cinder block

[djkeev]

Yep, a common thing. The center hole of the wheel is such a close fit to the brake drum or axle protrusion that they rust on there TIGHT!!! I sand off the rust, even run a rat tail file around the hole in the wheel before I reinstall the wheel. I've also smeared a little anti-seize around the center hole on occasion.To get it off give the wheel a hard blow. Make sure you don't knock it off of the jack!! Don't completely remove the lug nuts, screw them out but not off, that will prevent the wheel from flying off the axle and causing damage or aggravation. I've used various methods over the years, I've used my foot, I've used a chunk of wood and I've even used hand sledge hammers to convince the wheel to come off!AS MENTIONED, DO NOT KNOCK THE CAR OFF THE JACK WHILE KICKING OR POUNDING!!!! IT IS HEAVY!!!!Dave

[vibenvy]

I deal with this with our winter steelies all the time. I spray some WD40 around the hub (the center section of the wheel), wait a couple minutes then lay down facing the backside of the wheel (not under the vehicle, just close enoug to be able to reach to hit the backside of the wheel) and give it a couple good whacks with a rubber mallet. It always comes right off .

[Old Tele man]

...a thin coating of moly grease will last a lot longer than a spritz of WD-40.

[vibenvy]

Quote, originally posted by Old Tele man »...a thin coating of moly grease will last a lot longer than a spritz of WD-40.I only use the WD 40 to get the wheel off, not as a "permanent" solution.

[TONY TAT2]

5'' Bar,sledge hammer,2 tire irons,them hub pioleted rims sometimes dont want to budge.The inner rim is usually the hardest to remove.The hardest car rim was on a Mazda,needed to pry that off with a pipe.

[2002sportside]

PB Blaster works for me most of the time. Not sure if it really breaks the rust better than WD40, but it seems to. After that... rubber mallet, kicking, sledge hammer, prying, and lots of swearing will eventually get even the most stubborn wheel off. If all else fails, pay someone to deal with it '02 Eclipse that hadn't had a wheel off since it got tires five years ago was the worst. Right about when I was about to give up, it came off like nothing...

[gvon79]

Here's how to get them off quickly. Don't jack the car yet, loosen the nuts by about a 1/2 centimeter, start the car and roll forward (or back) until you feel it "pop", which usually means moving the car by less than a foot. Now jack the car and remove the wheel. It's as simple as that. Is it bad for the car? well not as bad as hammering at the rim for a 1/2 hour