Winter Tire/Rim Changeover Season - Fun Times Yesterday

[Danno]

Switched out the steel wheels on my son's 2016 Sorento yesterday. It was quite the ordeal.
Seems the wheel hubs were rusting tight to the wheel hubs, making it almost impossible to remove the steel wheels.
Used some "Fluid Film" on the hubs in the fall, but it was gone this spring.
Kicking the tires did nothing, rolling the summer wheels hard at the mounted wheels worked ok on 2 of them.
One released when I put the lug nuts back on finger tight, and swerved while driving to unseat the wheel.
None of this worked on the last one. Ended up having to use a 3 lb hammer on the steel wheel near the hub, using a propane torch to heat the wheel and then hard swerves.
What is a 45 minute job turned into almost 2 hours.
In the fall the hubs - wheels and axle - will get wire wheeled and a liberal coating of this.

 

[Kuato]

Next year, save yourself some pain. Simply loosen the lug nuts slightly, and drive about 1/2 a block. You'll feel the wheels break loose. Swerve as much as necessary.

 

[Accent Abuser]

Switched out the steel wheels on my son's 2016 Sorento yesterday. It was quite the ordeal.
Seems the wheel hubs were rusting tight to the wheel hubs, making it almost impossible to remove the steel wheels.
Used some "Fluid Film" on the hubs in the fall, but it was gone this spring.
Kicking the tires did nothing, rolling the summer wheels hard at the mounted wheels worked ok on 2 of them.
One released when I put the lug nuts back on finger tight, and swerved while driving to unseat the wheel.
None of this worked on the last one. Ended up having to use a 3 lb hammer on the steel wheel near the hub, using a propane torch to heat the wheel and then hard swerves.
What is a 45 minute job turned into almost 2 hours.
In the fall the hubs - wheels and axle - will get wire wheeled and a liberal coating of this.

I have to break out the 3lb hammer on most wheels, aluminum and steel. Also had to use an impact driver and vice grips to remove a TPMS sensor today. 30 second job took 30 minutes. Welcome to the rust belt.

 

[Lapham3]

I use steel wheels with winter tires on a couple vehicles with a little grease on the hub each installation and no issues over the years-good luck.

 

[bullwinkle]

Anti-seize on the hub pilot, but NOT on the lug threads, is your friend here! You can even use the silver (aluminum?) based so that it won't discolor the alloys. When I don't use it, it can take driving back and forth in forward & reverse with the lugs loosened to get a wheel off.

 

[Blueshound]

Learn something new every day. I don't know if I could bring myself to drive with loose lugnuts, though! I've always just reached for a bigger hammer lol.

 

[PF52]

For years, we were buying Ford Rangers for our service technicians to use.... NOTHING sticks to the hub like a Ranger wheel! The guys all had their favorite combinations of hammers and implements of destruction to beat the wheels off with. I've also seen a few grown men reduced to tears when they were stranded for hours because the wheel just wouldn't come off.

At some point, we started sending the trucks to a different shop for routine maintenance.... Which apparently included for the first time, tire rotations. The stuck wheel issue went away nearly 100%.

 

[Accent Abuser]

For years, we were buying Ford Rangers for our service technicians to use.... NOTHING sticks to the hub like a Ranger wheel! The guys all had their favorite combinations of hammers and implements of destruction to beat the wheels off with. I've also seen a few grown men reduced to tears when they were stranded for hours because the wheel just wouldn't come off.

At some point, we started sending the trucks to a different shop for routine maintenance.... Which apparently included for the first time, tire rotations. The stuck wheel issue went away nearly 100%.

Tire rotations really help. I've never had to beat my own wheels off because they're removed frequently.

 

[SubLGT]

For salty environments: Loctite Marine Anti-Seize

LOCTITE LB 8023

Black, metal-free, brush top lubricant and anti-seize made from graphite, calcium, boron nitride and rust inhibitors. ABS approved.

www.henkel-adhesives.com

LOCTITE® LB 8023 is a black, metal-free, brush top lubricant and anti-seize made from graphite, calcium, boron nitride and rust inhibitors. ABS approved, it protects assemblies from fresh and salt water. It works especially well in high humidity conditions. It has excellent lubricity , superior water wash-out spray resistance and prevents galvanic corrosion. High temperature resistance to 1,315°C.

 

[IndyIan]

Next year, save yourself some pain. Simply loosen the lug nuts slightly, and drive about 1/2 a block. You'll feel the wheels break loose. Swerve as much as necessary.

I've had to do that on a fast leaker to get the spare on. Works good when you have no tools.
Yesterday I had a couple tires sticking on the focus and looked around for something to whack them with after my boot didn't work... This caught my eye and it works amazing. A tamper.

Its heavy enough and has enough surface area to make whacking the sidewall do something. Also its flat so hitting a steel rim is no problem and with a towel on it, it would probably be fine on an alloy, atleast around my place!
Of course today we woke up to this, but its melted by now...

 

[Elkins45]

I had to go buy a set of pullers to get the steel wheels off my wife’s RAV4. I think I could have driven it to Mexico without lug nuts and not lost a wheel.

 

[eljefino]

A snow tire changeover is a tire rotation, for me at least. Those rims were only on for five months.

My favorite tool is a 5-foot long pressure treated 4x4 that I leave outside so it's super sopping wet. There's just something about its dead weight that really knocks things loose.

When you're anti-siezing the hubs in the fall, get the outside of the axle nuts and threads as basic rustproofing. You'll thank yourself later. I use cheapo grease which of course instantly attracts sand, but that protects.

 

[IndyIan]

I had to go buy a set of pullers to get the steel wheels off my wife’s RAV4. I think I could have driven it to Mexico without lug nuts and not lost a wheel.

I learned that is worth getting out the wire brush or even some sand paper to get the wheels and hubs down to clean metal, once some corrosion starts. I was putting on a wheel one day, and I had to tighten the lugs quite a bit to get it to seat all the way onto the hub... So like press fitting it! Seemed kind of dumb as I was doing that and it was a royal pain to get them off in the fall...

 

[repairman54]

Center locating rims vs lug locating are the worst for sticking on. Anti-seize is your friend in the salt zone on any wheel on any application.
Mucho experience there.

 

[Craig in Canada]

For salty environments: Loctite Marine Anti-Seize

LOCTITE LB 8023

Black, metal-free, brush top lubricant and anti-seize made from graphite, calcium, boron nitride and rust inhibitors. ABS approved.

www.henkel-adhesives.com

Came here just to say that I tried this stuff ^^^^^^ this winter season and it was a game changer. I've tried oodles of different kinds of metal-based anti-seize between wheel and hub/disc but nothing worked as well as this stuff (including dry). Pop out the bolts - wheel falls right off, just like when spanking clean in mid-summer.

It's never been THIS good.

EDIT: for clarity - Marine anti-seize performed better than any other anti-seize I've ever used over 20+ years at the wheel/hub mating surface to keep things clean and coming apart well. Every other kind of anti-seize still has a galvanic reaction in the salt-belt winters. This isn't a post about using anti-seize of any kind of the first time.

 

[John105]

I bought a new BMW in 12/06, but it was 65F in Dec that year! So it wasn't until 12/08 that I went to mount 4 snow tires with rims. Couldn't get any off, BUT, I actually didn't know what I was dealing with. After all, the lug bolts come out.

My uncle said basically said it's that hub area that's stuck and shouldn't be too bad if your rock around the tire. Ever since I've always put anti seize (copper) and no issues.

What will be interesting is to see if the stuff helps on brake rotors, say 6+ years later. My wife's GM SUV had all 4 rotors basically frozen on the vehicle, and I used way too much anti seize when I put the replacements on, hoping they will come off easily one day when they need to be replaced....

 

[D60]

I just encountered this on the rear of the GMT400 for my non-profit.

All my previous tricks were not working. I was finally able to wedge the GearWrench 48" indexing pry bar between the wheel and drum from the backside and lever it off.

As with everything it's all about applying very specific force to a very specific area.

 

[John105]

I just encountered this on the rear of the GMT400 for my non-profit.

All my previous tricks were not working. I was finally able to wedge the GearWrench 48" indexing pry bar between the wheel and drum from the backside and lever it off.

As with everything it's all about applying very specific force to a very specific area.

Exactly, with the German cars, they are not lug nuts, they are lug bolts. So with all bolts out, and the wheels stuck to the car, I really didn't know what was going on. But it's mostly the lip on the hubs causing the wheels to adhere. I still do dab a little anti seize on the face of the rotor hats.

When I first did rotors, I hit them on their faces, to no avail. Change the force to the hats, and they came off...

 

[Audiman]

I just use the big snap on 2 foot long pry bar to pop stuck wheels off.

Find something solid on the axel to leaver off like a lower arm bolt or ball joint bolt, even a brake caliper can be used if it’s a type that isn’t going to be damaged.

Ive watched other mechanics try and get wheels of VAGs before and they are pulling their hair out it’s stuck solid and I walk over with the big snap on bar and one good pull off it comes.

It’s all about leverage in the right place.