starfighter

O.k. what's the secret ?
I remove all lugs on the front wheel and can't pull it off.....
Am I missing something ?
Common difficulty ?
It's not like I never removed a car wheel...

Das Geld 2

pull harder

sivikvtec

Bang on the tire with your fist, towards the car, around it’s circumference until it breaks loose.

as.thompson

One way that I have done it is to slowly lower the jack after the lugs are all out until the tire touches the ground. The tire will come loose and then I jack it back up. Be careful.

starfighter

Well......I got it off......but broke the hub star doing it....
thing was rusted on there good....
so .......

tonylinc

What I do, is I swear up a storm, kick the damn thing, then take a break and walk around the yard for a while, go check the mail, then come back and kick it some more. If it still doesn't come off, I call my indy. Sometimes, getting it back on is even harder! I've learned not to wear myself out if something like that is too much, otherwise my neck and back can hurt for days.

starfighter

Good advice Tony
I went with a vodka and tonic
I'm 76 so I'll put it back together tomorrow
(and complain to my girlfriend that I wish I knew where to get a good message)

Leej

Yes, this is a pretty common issue. The wheel is one type of metal, and the wheel hub is another; the different metals can react (mild oxidation, rust, surface corrosion), and I suspect this causes the wheel to stick.

I have heard of the method that @as.thompson suggests above, but haven't done it personally.

I suggest spraying a little PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench between the wheel and hub; use this sparingly and be very careful to not get this on the brake pads or brake disc (there are probably others who would say this is a terrible idea as it could get on the brakes, but I have done this (using just a little) and had no problems - do it at your own risk). Let it sit if you can (overnight maybe).

With the car jacked up (do this at your own risk), wheel off the ground, jack stands for safety, and the lug nuts loosened but not completely removed, I have a large rubber mallet that I have used to hit the sides of the tire. I hit one side, then rotate the tire and keep hitting; be careful not to hit or damage the wheel. Typically, with some effort, this will cause the tire to break free. You can search youtube for "wheel stuck on hub" for videos of similar advice on how to do it.

Finally, once the wheel is off and to help prevent the wheel from being difficult in the future, I like to clean the inside of the wheel where it mates with the wheel hub, and use a wire brush to clean the surface of the wheel hub. Then I put a very very thin layer of anti seize on the surface of the wheel hub (I don't try to cover the whole surface, just maybe 75% covered, and you can wipe off any excess with a rag, you just want enough to keep the two dissimilar metals from heavily corroding again and "sticking"). There are mixed opinions on whether or not using anti seize is a good thing to do, but personally I think its fine as long as you don't use too much. If anyone disagrees, please feel free to chime in with why this is a bad idea.

Hope this helps.

Lee

tonylinc

INDEED! The passage of time could have been more kind! But, it could always be worse. There is still much that I can do, although removing and re-installing wheels is something I try to stay away from. For me, they just never seem to want to go back on without a fight. When I bought 22 inch wheels for my GL, I called my indy and said, Come on over and swap these things! There was no way I was going to mess around with those. He is 28, so it was a breeze. LoL
I think that once cleaned, a little antisieze on the surface probably isn't a bad idea. this being the R230 forum, though, I have to say that my SL600 never goes out in the rain, so I doubt I'll ever get much corrosion on this car.

tonylinc

MarkCan

That is funny 😂
It reminds me of times when I was 5 or so and my mom would read the story “The Giant Turnip”.

mrmotoguzzi00

been using anti-seize since the 70's... never an issue....

i use a rubber mallet if it's really stuck and like somebody else said, go around the wheel while you give it a few good wacks...