Antoxidant grease (or other 'stuff') for hub-wheel mating surfaces?

[kd1yt]

My JT is the most fully and completely "hub-centric" wheel-type vehicle I've had, in terms of tight clearances between wheel and hub at hub center.

I discovered that the hard way this spring.

I'd bought the truck in August '19, and then installed dedicated snowtires on dedicated OEM (clean takeoff) steel wheels (with the steel-matching center caps covering the actual hubs) in late Fall of 2019.

Due to the extent to which 2020 turned out to be a "total, nothing, nowhere" year I was driving comically few miles in 2020, so I left the steel wheels and snowtires on until Spring 2021. And then I discovered that what I would ordinarily consider inconsequentially minor, outwardly un-detectable, corrosion (I do live in roadsalt country) had kind of oxide-welded my steel wheels to my hubs - even after some penetrating oil, it took a lot of pounding to free the wheels. Did the technique of jacking the wheel just off the ground, putting an 8X8 timber against the base of the wheel/tire, and swinging at it with a sledge, but it took a surprising amount of slams and force (and then got a wheel alignment to make sure I hadn't knocked things out of whack)

When I put my summer alloy wheels on, I put on some good-grade red multipurpose grease, smeared on the flat surface and around the center round portion of the hub.

But I'm wondering, does anyone have any other favorite products or techniques to keep the wheels from adhering to the hubs?

I'll probably never again leave wheels on for that length of time, since I change between summer/winter wheel and tire sets. But I _never_ want to have to give anything a beating like that again just to get wheels off.

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[Chris262]

With most of my vehicles here in Wisconsin I just make sure to rotate regularly and maybe once a year take a scotch brite pad to the hub and wheel if I have to do anything more than smack the tire with my hands to take it off.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I've had a number of vehicles that way - hub-centric, and have never used anything on them. I keep things clean, rotate tires and that's been enough. I've never had a wheel stick and I live where they use salt if there's snow in the next state. They slime the bridges if there's a threat of frost (not kidding) and the brine is spread so thick in places it forms puddles and it gets very slippery and slick.
Some of my vehicles have been fairly old and I've not had a problem with wheels sticking.

 

[Blade1668]

Anti-seize is your friend.. a "lifetime size" pint of gray isn't a lifetime supply if you live in a salt zone. A quick swipe with the brush around the centering ring and done.
When I lived in S.E. Ga. I used it on anything that didn't get lock-tite on it. On the hubs of my XJ for just that reason. I learned that in Germany after helping someone remove his winter tires and rims that had "welded" on the hubs. It might not be recommended but dissimilar metals are more of a problem at times and places. My MJ tires got rotation done so often then I didn't have the problem.

 

[kd1yt]

Thanks. I'll probably never leave wheels on this long again, both because hopefully I'll never be this limited, and because I don't want a rerun of this. Maybe, just to be sure, I'll try some fluidfilm/ other lanolin-based product (wiped, not sprayed) (after brushing off any corrosion)

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Anti-seize is your friend.. a "lifetime size" pint of gray isn't a lifetime supply if you live in a salt zone. A quick swipe with the brush around the centering ring and done.
When I lived in S.E. Ga. I used it on anything that didn't get lock-tite on it. On the hubs of my XJ for just that reason. I learned that in Germany after helping someone remove his winter tires and rims that had "welded" on the hubs. It might not be recommended but dissimilar metals are more of a problem at times and places. My MJ tires got rotation done so often then I didn't have the problem.

That's about the only thing I'd use on them........... anti-seize.
The only wheels I've seen stuck to the point I've had trouble removing them have been steel wheels on customer cars, or a couple of cars I bought for parts (steel wheels). I've not had aluminum wheels do that because the aluminum seems to "rot" away from the joint where rust swells.

 

[Blade1668]

That's about the only thing I'd use on them........... anti-seize.
The only wheels I've seen stuck to the point I've had trouble removing them have been steel wheels on customer cars, or a couple of cars I bought for parts (steel wheels). I've not had aluminum wheels do that because the aluminum seems to "rot" away from the joint where rust swells.

The car had Aluminum / magnesium alloy rims on at the time. It was a mess he ended up busting the tires off and chiseling the rims off in pieces. It was said the "salt" used on roads was from dried urine, I don't know if that was correct but it was highly corrosive to bare metals.

 

[jac04]

I use TranStar 4423 Amber Rustproofing around the center pilot diameter on the hub. I spray it into a container, let it thicken up a little, then brush it on to get it exactly where I want it and to avoid the lug studs. I also brush it onto the ends of both the front & rear axle shafts to keep them from rusting.

 

[Chance575]

Rub some good ole wax on it. Work but not fancy

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