Wheel seized to hub. Tips?

My friend has a flat tire. I tried to get the wheel off before work so she could take it to Belle Tire today but the wheel is seized to the hub worse than any wheel I have encountered. I tried hammer/woodblock for like 5 minutes. Now it's sitting in my driveway with a crap ton of pb sprayed around the general area but I don't know how much that will help.

I guess I don't encounter this problem much since I usually have the wheels off my car at least once a month

Any magic tips besides "Get a bigger hammer?"

Loosen the lug nuts and drive in figure eights in a parking lot. Although if it is completely flat that might not be easy.

The wood block takes a lot of the shock force out of the hit that it really needs to break the corrosion free. A deadblow or big heavy mallet without the wood block might do better. That figure 8 trick is probly the easiest though.

AAA to Belle Tire? Have them get it off with the help of a lift?

Install lug nuts loosely and set the car back on the ground thereby using the weight of the car to attempt loosening?

EvanB wrote: Loosen the lug nuts and drive in figure eights in a parking lot. Although if it is completely flat that might not be easy.

Came to recommend this. You can also try driving over bad roads with the lugs loose.

If it's a rear wheel you can try doing bootleg turns (with the affected wheel on the outside of the turn), or as a last resort (if you don't want to toss away the hub etc), sliding the wheel into a curb.

I had this problem once, one of the creative methods I found online that was effective was using a tire jack along with a long 4X4" piece of wood. Put a piece of of 2X8" or 2X10" against the tire on the opposing side, put the jack horizontally in the middle, and then place the 4X4 against another piece of wood against the wheel you're trying to get off. Crank the jack, and eventually it should break free. Just be careful, once the wheel comes off it really jumps off the hub!!! Make sure nothing valuable is in its path!

If it doesn't work initially, try spinning the tire 180 degrees and try again.

dj06482 wrote: I had this problem once, one of the creative methods I found online that was effective was using a tire jack along with a long 4X4" piece of wood. Put a piece of of 2X8" or 2X10" against the tire on the opposing side, put the jack horizontally in the middle, and then place the 4X4 against another piece of wood against the wheel you're trying to get off. Crank the jack, and eventually it should break free. Just be careful, once the wheel comes off it really jumps off the hub!!! Make sure nothing valuable is in its path! If it doesn't work initially, try spinning the tire 180 degrees and try again.

Or park the car next to a curb that you can use to push from instead... wouldn't want to bend or bust something on the other side too. Good idea though.

Move from Michigan to the south. We don't have that problem here.

BlueInGreen44 wrote: My friend has a flat tire. I tried to get the wheel off before work so she could take it to Belle Tire today but the wheel is seized to the hub worse than any wheel I have encountered. I tried hammer/woodblock for like 5 minutes. Now it's sitting in my driveway with a crap ton of pb sprayed around the general area but I don't know how much that will help. I guess I don't encounter this problem much since I usually have the wheels off my car at least once a month Any magic tips besides "Get a bigger hammer?"

My Tacoma has factory alloy wheels. On several occasions, I have tried to install the snow tires after the truck was parked outside all night, and no amount of whacking with the biggest mallet will get the wheel off the the flange on the rear drum. The only solution for me is to take it for a lap around the block and generate some heat in the rear brakes. Then the wheels come right off. I always put a little grease on the inside of the wheel, but it doesn't seem to make a difference. It needs some heat to expand.

Will it hold air long enough for a victory lap around the block?

Shotgun!

gearheadE30 wrote: The wood block takes a lot of the shock force out of the hit that it really needs to break the corrosion free. A deadblow or big heavy mallet without the wood block might do better. That figure 8 trick is probly the easiest though.

This. Spin the wheel while whacking vigorously with mallet. It's what they'd do at the tire shop.

Basil Exposition wrote: Move from Michigan to the south. We don't have that problem here.

guess it depends on the part of the south … I've seen it around here ...

EvanB wrote: Loosen the lug nuts and drive in figure eights in a parking lot. Although if it is completely flat that might not be easy.

Won't you risk damaging the studs doing that?

It does risk damaging the studs, but it's the least damaging option for getting the wheel off if the hubs can't be removed, and is a great deal in terms of difficulty vs. damage potential.

poopshovel wrote: Spin the wheel while whacking vigorously with mallet. It's what they'd do at the tire shop.

This has always (eventually) worked for me. If it's really stuck, I'll also occasionally alternate and work it from the inner side for a few revolutions as well. I don't know if it actually works any better to do that, but it doesn't seem to work any worse.

If a swift kick doesn't work then a 16 lb. sledge does. Hit the tire, not the rim. alternate sides.

Is it on a drive wheel ? Loosen the nuts one turn. Move vehicle back and forth slightly.

I had a wheel rusted to a hub on the Civic I drove while I was living in Michigan. I took the lug nuts off and hit the back side of the wheel with light blows from a long handled sledge hammer. It popped off with the second one. Your situation sounds worse.

You don't necessarily need to do figure 8s. Leave the lugs a little loose and the wheel should separate from the hub w/o much trouble. At least IME...

If the lugs are just barely loose, the studs should be fine. If you undo them a few turns, then you risk stud damage.

I've got a larger rubber mallet that's always gotten them off, not always quickly though. I've tried holding a piece of wood and whacking it with a mini sledge but, as mentioned earlier, that is less effective than the hammer making direct contact.

Dad had one on the rear of his S80 that he hooked a come-a-long from the wheel to the tractor, but it was stuck so bad that the come-a-long started sliding the car sideways. If I remember right he kept some tension on the come-a-long and went back to beating on the wheel/tire with a larger sledge and it eventually popped off.

Rotating the wheel/tire ~90° between hammer whacking sessions seems to help too, so you're not constantly hitting on the same spot.

It goes without saying, but be careful with those sledges. Remember, they bounce back, especially when you're pounding on rubber tires...

dj06482 wrote: Remember, they bounce back, especially when you're pounding on rubber tires...

Seriously though, that's totally the kind of thing I tend to forget.

BlueInGreen44 wrote:

dj06482 wrote: Remember, they bounce back, especially when you're pounding on rubber tires...

Seriously though, that's totally the kind of thing I tend to forget.

Ah, pulled the 'ol.... (couldn't find a perfectly thread appropriate image...damn Googlefoo)