Removing front wheels

I have a 98 Eclipse GS-T with the stock 5 spoke rims. In the center of the rim is a cap. How do I get this cap off without damaging it? Or do I need to take the cap off to remove the tire? I have all the lug nuts off but the wheel won't come off so I assume there is something beneath this cap holding it on still. However, the gap around the cap isnt big enough to stick ANYTHING in, let alone a screwdrive with a cloth over it. I can barely stick the tip of a knife or the smallest screwdrive I have into the gap, and even then it just wants to chip the finish on the cap. Any answers? Thanks.

thats just the center cap of the wheel. with all 5 lugs off the wheel should come off. once the wheel is off you can go from behind the wheel and pop the cap out

take a soft hammer or a piece of wood and hit the rim from behind... it will pop right off, its just stuck on thats all! be carfull not to bend or damage the rim tho!

Hit the tire instead of the rim. It REALLY shouldn't be on that well, since there is nothing holding it. Kick the tire.

The cap is held onto my 97 TSI rims by a lock ring, so plan on breaking that if you manage to get the center cap out.

when i took my rims off to put the slicks on i had to beat on it good... that fucker was stuck! if you hit the tire dont be behind the hammer cause it will bounce back and hit you, :p thats why i know hit the rim... with either a soft hammer or a piece of wood to cover the rim!

I guess down there you guys don't have to remove your wheels every winter and spring to swap them.

you dont if you store your car... i just put mine on jack stands so i wont get flat spots in the tires! that way when it gets nice i dont have to fuck around and put my rims back on ;)

Thanks for all your very fast help guys. It was just stuck on there, a few kicks to the front of the tire knocked it loose. I had kicked it a few times before I posted but before I went kicking my heart out I wanted to make sure there was a possibility of the tire coming loose. Thanks again!