HELP! I cant get my darn tires off!

[peteypub]

I got the darn lug nuts off but for the life of me I cant remove the tires!!

Tried pry bars and a 50 lb sledge. no good. still on there.

Any one got any great ideas??

[carpenter_jai]

HEAT! Heat those suckers up with a propane torch, or whatever else you got, then give them the sledge again. Before putting them back on, grease them up with some white lithium. This will make it easier to get them off next time.

Jai

[peteypub]

Sweet I will give that one a try.

Thanks

[bambambam]

Jai...no offense, but I always thought grease on lugs was a bad idea. Is this kind of grease maybe designed for that application? The torque specs for the lugs on my 96 is only 50 ft/lbs.
Not trying to flame or disrespect in any way! Peace and love!
Bam

[peteypub]

I am prety sure he means between the tire rim and the spindle. Not to put it on the lugnuts or there posts.
I could be wrong but I dont think it would make any diffrence if you did put some white greese on the lugnut posts anyway. its not like the lugs are going to be so "slipery" that they will unscrew.

Originally Posted by bambambam

Jai...no offense, but I always thought grease on lugs was a bad idea. Is this kind of grease maybe designed for that application? The torque specs for the lugs on my 96 is only 50 ft/lbs.
Not trying to flame or disrespect in any way! Peace and love!
Bam

[carpenter_jai]

I am prety sure he means between the tire rim and the spindle. Not to put it on the lugnuts or there posts.
I could be wrong but I dont think it would make any diffrence if you did put some white greese on the lugnut posts anyway. its not like the lugs are going to be so "slipery" that they will unscrew.

That's right, I hope I didn't confuse anyone. I meant to lube up the rim, espeacialy in that center hole. Trust me, you don't want to be stranded on the side of the road in the middle of the night with a bloeout you can't get off the hub! Even when I don't need my tools, I still carry my 23 oz hammer in the car, just in case!

Jai

[bambambam]

D'OH! Thats what I get for making late night posts. Excuse me while I go crawl under my bed in shame.......

[DOCTORBILL]

I am sorry, but I just cannot let this post go by w/o addressing the topic!

I have had many different cars in my life and I learned early on about lug nuts.

Once, a long time ago - in a galaxy far far away, I learned, that when I got a flat tire
out in the middle of nowhere that you do not want your lug nuts to be too hard to unscrew!

I found myself unable to get the damned nuts to loosen and I was screwed!

All I remember (40 years ago?) is that after that, I placed axle grease on all my
wheel studs and into the lug nuts.

All my lug nuts and studs are greasy so that if I have to change a tire on a
lonely dark night, in the slush and snow, on the side of a busy freeway, with
boogie men after my ass (lol), I will be able to turn those nuts and get
the tire off.

Remember - Murphy's Law says that you will get a flat tire in worst Damned
place, in the worst of conditions, when you are sick and in a hurry.

So be ready. Have a cheater bar (2 foot electrical pipe) that fits your wrench.
Be sure the jack is not a piece of crap!
Have a large piece of wood for under the jack if it is raining and you are in
soft mud or snow.

This is even more important for your wives and daughters!
Imagine the nice fellow who stops to "help" them......Lord God!

Once screwed down to the proper torque setting - they will not loosen!
But - they will come off w/o any problem!

Ever had a lug nut squeel like hell as you turned it with a cheater bar?
Dirt and grit in the threads - rust maybe.

No fun with a 4 ton Chevy Suburuban hauling a trailer....
Or maybe a wheel on a trailer! Ha ! THAT is fun stuff....

But of course, is your spare flat? New swear words will be invented...

DoctorBill

[bambambam]

Good points! Might give it a try myself next time the tires are off

[tbirdrief]

Hello,

I just had this problem last night, with the front wheels. I had an old screw driver without a handle. I bent the flat screw driver about 2.5" from the end just enough to fit into the slot in the wheel and fit between the rotor and the wheel (there is a depression in the wheel). then give the screw driver a pop with a hammer. Move driver to oppsite side of wheel, try again. The wheel falls right off. I then used anti-seize on the hub and lugs.
Jeff

[sbiddle]

A long time ago in engineering school I learned that torque specifications assume clean and lubriicated fasteners. I always use anti-sieze on all lug nut studs and don't overtorque them. Furthermore, a properly torqued fastener will not come loose.

[texas winters]

Originally Posted by DOCTORBILL

I am sorry, but I just cannot let this post go by w/o addressing the topic!

I have had many different cars in my life and I learned early on about lug nuts.

Once, a long time ago - in a galaxy far far away, I learned, that when I got a flat tire
out in the middle of nowhere that you do not want your lug nuts to be too hard to unscrew!

I found myself unable to get the damned nuts to loosen and I was screwed!

All I remember (40 years ago?) is that after that, I placed axle grease on all my
wheel studs and into the lug nuts.

All my lug nuts and studs are greasy so that if I have to change a tire on a
lonely dark night, in the slush and snow, on the side of a busy freeway, with
boogie men after my ass (lol), I will be able to turn those nuts and get
the tire off.

Remember - Murphy's Law says that you will get a flat tire in worst Damned
place, in the worst of conditions, when you are sick and in a hurry.

So be ready. Have a cheater bar (2 foot electrical pipe) that fits your wrench.
Be sure the jack is not a piece of crap!
Have a large piece of wood for under the jack if it is raining and you are in
soft mud or snow.

This is even more important for your wives and daughters!
Imagine the nice fellow who stops to "help" them......Lord God!

Once screwed down to the proper torque setting - they will not loosen!
But - they will come off w/o any problem!

Ever had a lug nut squeel like hell as you turned it with a cheater bar?
Dirt and grit in the threads - rust maybe.

No fun with a 4 ton Chevy Suburuban hauling a trailer....
Or maybe a wheel on a trailer! Ha ! THAT is fun stuff....

But of course, is your spare flat? New swear words will be invented...

DoctorBill

another thing to be careful of here is when youve just bought new tires or had one repaired.most shops use air tools to put tires back on.their usual idea of tight enough is as tight as the air wrench will tighten it.then when you have a tire problem out in the middle of nowhere just try getting the tire loose by hand.lol.sol.so,i always ask to see my lugs hand torqued to specs.they might look at you like you are from outer space,but at least you will know you can get the tire off by hand.also the very cheap import t wrenches are not very good [what do you ecpect for 3 to 5 bucks?] i was able to bend one severly recently at the local boneyard using only my bare hands and i aint Heman. a better choice is a nice quality breaker bar and black[impact]socket of the proper size.

[mr.Hand]

Smack the back of the tire with a rubber mallet dude. That is how I got mine off.

[tpwood]

I just had the same problem yesterday on 2 rims, go to the parts store and pick up "PB Blaster" and spray it between the hub and the rims and really soak them, let them sit for about 15 to 30 minutes soaking, the hit the rims while spinning the tires, I used a hammer to smack mine, have done this many times before, then after some work they will come off, did the same thing to a prism years ago with the same problem.

[corning_d3]

When torque specs are listed, it is usually assumed the threads are clean and dry. You can easily overtorque lubed threads..