Volvo V50 Tire Removal

I have removed all five bolts on the rear passenger tire. I cannot get the tire off. I have read the owners manual many times. Please help!

What year V50? Is the car drivable? 

My guess is one of two things.  If it has drums, then it is very possible they have rusted in the applied position or you have the parking brake applied.  

The other choice is that the wheel is rusted to the car.  

First check the parking brake. Then you can try getting it to break free. Put the lug nuts back on by backed off maybe on turn. Then carefully try to drive the car a foot or two. Don’t damage your clutch or transmission. It may break the brake free.

It’s probably corroded onto the hub. One trick was to put the lugnuts on finger-tight, back them off about 1/2 turn, remove the jack, and roll the car back and forth slowly until the rim ‘pops’ loose. Then jack it up and remove the lugs and wheel. I don’t like the thought of placing a 2X4 over the rim, and hitting it with a hammer. Mag rims don’t like impacts like that.

If the above good suggestions don’t work, try facing away from the wheel, and “mule kicking” the wheel at the 3:00 and 9:00 positions. Rubber soled boots are a plus. That usualy works for me. Then put some anti-sieze compound on the inside of the circle of the wheel where it meets the hub before replacement. Putting it on the hub has the same effect. That’s probably where it’s stuck.

I had this happen on my truck. It usually means it is rusted in place. If you have aluminum wheels and a steel disc, there is the “added” factor of two dissimilar metals reacting to each other to form a stronger bond (I think they call it galvanic corrosion). I ended up kicking the h*ll out of the tire to break the corrosion bonds.

Similar idea: loosen lug nuts a couple of turns; spray penetrating fluid on center of wheel; rock car side to side (with car sitting on the ground).