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[Taran.J]

UPDATE POST 10 with pics of removed stuck spacers

Around April I put H&R spacers on all four corners of my car, I put on anti-seize and cleaned my hubs before hand.

Now the damn things don't want to come off, I've tried WD-40, tried to wedge in a few picks/flat screwdrivers in the side to get leverage, rubber mallet all around, used a heat gun to heat up the aluminum for about 8 mins all around the spacer as well. But nothing has worked and I'd like to put my winter wheels and tires on next week.

What to do?!

[Tiago@VRSF]

We generally recommend purchasing spacers with tabs on the sides like ours to avoid this kind of issue but the only thing that's going to get them out now is a wedge and a hammer while slowly going around the hub.

If you install the spacers on a dirty/rusty hub, you run the risk of forcing the spacer on the hub which can cause quite the headache.

[avocet]

i used a sharp spackle knife and mallet to get it started and worked up to larger and larger screwdrivers. just make sure to keep something in the opposite side as you open up or the spacer will just pivot back and forth.

and yes, antiseize on all mating surfaces, yet it stills seems to stick on...

[Taran.J]

Thanks guys guess I'll have at it again, I've been using H&R spacers, cleaning my hubs, and putting anti seize on my spacers for years and this is the first time I ever encountered something this stuck.

[N8N]

re: anti-seize, I used the aluminum stuff the first time I had my wheels off, and my wheels were still showing signs of slightly sticking to the hubs next time around. That time the stuff I had handy was the copper bearing stuff recommended for the spark plugs and I used that instead, wheels came right off. Now I don't know if that really means anything or if there were other factors (different seasons etc.) in play.

[VMRWheels]

Originally Posted by Tiago@VRSF

We generally recommend purchasing spacers with tabs on the sides like ours to avoid this kind of issue but the only thing that's going to get them out now is a wedge and a hammer while slowly going around the hub.

If you install the spacers on a dirty/rusty hub, you run the risk of forcing the spacer on the hub which can cause quite the headache.

This is a nice feature for wheel spacers. Makes removing them a bit easier.

[Taran.J]

Originally Posted by VMRWheels

This is a nice feature for wheel spacers. Makes removing them a bit easier.

It is a nice feature but with never having this problem it never crossed my mind

[Game]

I've had this problem before too, though not to your extent. I just found a fairly wide flathead and slowly hammered it in. You'll partially damage the spacer but I didn't see any alternatives.

[Taran.J]

Originally Posted by Game

I've had this problem before too, though not to your extent. I just found a fairly wide flathead and slowly hammered it in. You'll partially damage the spacer but I didn't see any alternatives.

Ok I'm just scared to put damage on my hubs

[N8N]

you won't damage the hubs, you might nick the rotor face a little, if you do dress any raised spots with a flat file (and likewise on the spacers)

[Taran.J]

Hey guys I finally got time to do this today. I used penetrating blaster from autozone and let it set for 30 mins. I jacked up the car btw on all fours with the wheels removed. I got a solid hammer and a chisel and started to work my way around. Surprisingly the ones on the right are my H&R's which were more of a pain as you can see the rust. The left set was on the rear and from eBay and after two solid blows I could grab on and pull them off.