[OddJim]

Thought I would rotate my tires myself yesterday and found that after running all six nuts off, the wheel was still fixed in place. With stamped steel wheels, I am used to them dangling at an angle off the top lugs at this point. Tried pulling straight off and it didn't budge. If convenient, my approach would have been to pull out on the top of the tire while a helper whaps it with a rubber mallet from the back at the bottom. I stopped, put the nuts back on and will take it in to get the rotation done. Anyone know just where this resistance to simply sliding loose is coming from? Not that I am frustrated that I couldn't continue with the rotation so much as knowing that if this had been an issue out on the highway, I would be waiting for the AAA truck.

 

[0dyfamily]

I just rotated the tires on my newly acquired 1998 Accord, and two of the stamped steel wheels (It's an LX model) took a little persuasion to get the wheel's center bore to release its grip on the hub. All it takes is a teeny weensy bit of corrosion (normal...it's a steel wheel).

I gave the center bore a very light coat of antiseize to prevent this from happening next time.

OF

 

[RinconVTR]

I usually resort to kicking the top of the tire to break it loose. No joke.

 

[SuperDad]

Out of curiosity, what year is it that has six lugnuts?

I assume they are aluminum wheels. I don't know why they'd be so hard to release. One idea to break it free in the future would be to put the lug nuts >ALMOST< all the way back on, then lower the van onto the wheel. If that doesn't work, go round to the other side and lift it, putting a little angular load on the wheel with the loose lugnuts. With luck it'll break free and not break all your lugs off



I had a friend which had his steel wheel rust to the drum/rotor. It took a tow truck ride to a shop with a lift, then several full stroke 10 lb sledge hits to the inside face of the bottom of the wheel to break it free.

 

[SuperDad]

I'm reminded of a true story from years gone by(circa 1996)...

Me and the soon-to-be wife were walking in a department store parking lot(into the store), with a light rain falling. In a parking space near the store there was a man trying to change a flat tire, with his wife or girlfriend standing there watching.

He had all the nuts off and seemed to be having trouble actually removing the wheel, but I didn't want to make him look bad or anything. I thought he'd get it in a minute or two.

We do our shopping and come out, maybe 15-30 minutes later. The guy is still there, kicking and pushing and pulling the wheel every which way. I felt a little bad for the guy, in the rain and all, with the wife/girlfriend overseeing, so I offered a hand.

I calmly squatted down(pavement was wet, didn't want to kneel), put the wheel precisely in a parallel plane to the hub, and pulled straight and uniformly away. Didn't scrape a thing, didn't try twice, it just slid right off like it was greased.

I made some genuinely friendly intending comment like "there you go", and walked off silently with my wife-to-be by my side. I cannot imagine the talking-to he got from his overseer.

My wife and I still mention it every few months. It reminds us to step back and look at problems.

 

[OddJim]

Out of curiosity, what year is it that has six lugnuts?

I assume they are aluminum wheels. I don't know why they'd be so hard to release. One idea to break it free in the future would be to put the lug nuts >ALMOST< all the way back on, then lower the van onto the wheel. If that doesn't work, go round to the other side and lift it, putting a little angular load on the wheel with the loose lugnuts. With luck it'll break free and not break all your lugs off



I had a friend which had his steel wheel rust to the drum/rotor. It took a tow truck ride to a shop with a lift, then several full stroke 10 lb sledge hits to the inside face of the bottom of the wheel to break it free.

 

[OddJim]

Five lugs it is, no idea how six popped into my head. All of the old wheels taken off by Midas this spring to look for a source of unusual road noise which has never came back and again on this wheel which I just had installed on the right rear when I went to a fifth wheel spare setup. It just might be that this one new rim that I bought online is a tight fit, or I just don;t have the strength anymore for wrestling with big wheels. Will repost when I have an answer.

 

[labattsipa]

my dad had this problem years ago on a second hand toyota corrola be bought.
he was pulling the wheels to look at the brakes and one wheel was frozzen on.
he whacked at it with a rubber hammer and all kinds of stuff with no luck. he finnally put the lug nuts back on semi loose and drove it back and forth over the drive way curb. that broke it loose.

 

[0dyfamily]

Five lugs it is, no idea how six popped into my head. ...

Thinkin' about that 6-pack you were gonna bust open after finishing this job?

OF

 

[trueno16v]

This happens from time to time with my '00 aluminum wheels too. Just kick the outer most lip of the wheel and it'll pop off. For future removal, apply a bit of antiseize paste to the surface of the wheel that meets the wheel hub.

 

[andyf80]

Another thought is to lower the jack just slightly putting some of the weight on the wheel with the lugs off.

Good luck.