I was replacing my wife's MINI's front break pads to save some money, But I started on the Left side and was able to change them without problem but the front left tire does not want to come off I removed the four lugs and tugged on it very hard the rim does not want to come out is their something else hold it on?? PLease help.

 

Nope nothing else holding it on.....must just be stuck on the concetric ring. Do you have a rubber mallet? Give it some tapping around the tire, it should come off.

 

Make sure the car is well supported. Then kick it sit down and kick it on the tire.

 

I just used a sledge hammer on my wifes two front tires. A couple wacks on the rubber and they are off. Wire brushed them and a very light coat of antiseize.

 

Not only to use on the lug bolts but also put a small bit around the hub lip. It does not take much but it needs to have some.

It will be much easier to remove the wheel the next time if you use it.

 

The easiest way is to turn around and put your butt on the fender, then kick it with the flat of your foot out near the edge of the tire on one side then the other, it will fall right off. I find the backs are usually on worse.

Like the others say, some anti-sieze or even grease (just a light coating) on a clean center hub will make this much easier the next time you need to take the wheels off.

 

Sometimes it helps to tap the tire lug wrench or whatever tire nut tool you're using with a rubber mallet but "lightly tap" in the same way/direction as if you were going to TIGHTEN the nut.

The light tap will help loosen the rust or embedded dirt/brake dust surrounding the nut, then you can go back and remove the nut in the correct direction.

It may take a few LIGHT taps, sometimes using a regular hammer works too.

The key words here is light taps.

 

put your purse down?

I kid, I kid. All the above advice is good. When I cant get one off at work they tell me to put my purse down

 

Do not use antisieze on your lug bolts, just clean them. You'll get incorrect torque values....

I've had no luck hitting the wheel or tire with a rubber mallet, just not enough mass and inertia I guess....

I also don't recommend using a big *** hammer, it can cause a separation in the internal fibers and cause a bulge - ask me how I know this - or you can slip off and hit the wheel OR even worse, I've had it bounce back and hit ME! When even a 3 lb hammer hits a bone, it HURTS!

Really, just turn around and kick it with the flat of your foot, it might take a couple of kicks but it will come right off, no really.....

 

You could also try using a long breaker bar.

 

I had that same problem with my daughter's VW she bought. I had to deflate the tire so I could get a 2x4 fit flush against the back of the rim. Then I used a 2 lb. sledgehammer and gave a good wack on the 2x4, it dislodged the rim. The 2x4 spreads the impact over a larger area of the rim and provides a safe "wacking" point.

 

more that once getting MINI rims off the first time I've found my butt on the floor and kicking the tire/rim at 3 and 9 several times b4 it would pop off. A lil' never seize on the hub rim was applied for next time and the problem never repeated.

After doing this a few times for MINI friends, one day my 'cross the street neighbor came over asking for help. He was trying to rotate the tires on his new big Toy' pickup and the front wheel wouldn't come off. We ended up kicking the **** out of that wheel for 10 minutes before it budged! He started thinking I was nuts but once it came loose he was a believer! I shoulda charged him $50 bucks for the anti seize but heck, he was a neighbor.

I find that size 11 1/2 tennies spreads the force over a wide enuf area

 

Slight rust between the rotor hub and the wheel.
I take the lugnuts out.
Spray PB Rustbusters in the lug holes so the penetrating oil will get into the cracks between the wheel and hub.
Depending on your wheels take off center cap and spray at hub ring seam too.
Spin wheel spray again.
Use rubber mallet and go around wheel.
Works for me every time.

 

Spraying any type of oil around your brake rotor's and pads is not a really good idea.

Capt BJ just told you what to do to get the wheels off.

When reinstalling them you need to get a product called neversieze or sometimes called Antisieze. It will not get hot and run all over your rotors and brake pads. Just put a little around the hub lip and a little on your lug bolts and the next time you remove the wheels they will pop right off.

I don't suggest ever spraying oil around the brake system.

 

after the prior ideas w/ various form of force.

1. Put the wheel bolts back in and tighten just snug.
2. Now back out wheel bolts about two turns MAXIMUM
3. Assuming car is up on a jack already, put a block of wood on the outer or inner side of the tire, but NOT centered.
4. Lower car and tire onto the block.
5. Should crack loose. Push on down car corner or on wheel if a little more persuasion is still in order.
6. Proceed as usual to remove fully.

You are using the weight of the car to crack loose the wheel from the rotor face, but keeping the wheel bolts on plenty enough that the wheel won't come off or something start to distort. Block is off center to create leverage either inward or outward from the bottom of the wheel. There is a version of this that drives the car a few feet forward or back without the block, but I wouldn't go there unless totally stranded and no other option to get a wheel loose. This was the "old way" from the days of big steel wheels and hubs, lots of salt on roads and not a lot of maintenance.

Agreeing w/ some and not with others, a sparing amount of antiseize on hub face (or rotor to hub face when you get to that step) is fine, but not on wheel bolts. Even more so in this day and age where left hand threads are no longer used on one side and they can back out by themselves if something is slightly loose by chance.