Alright, I'm the happy owner of a 2005 Mazda3 S. Bought it used in July '07. And finally got a flat. (Of the non-patchable variety.) Now I'm not all that repair-savvy on cars, but I've never had problems changing a tire. Until now.

Everything's factory on the car, no custom rims or anything like that. But after removing the lug nuts and getting the car jacked up, I still can't get the tire to come off. Am I missing some vital piece of information here that the salesman neglected to mention? And what is that odd little tool that was packaged with the (rather useless) tiny tire iron? It's about 7 inches long, round, with one threaded end and one end with a metal loop? My roommate is a car-savvy guy, and he had no idea. Any help is appreciated, as I refuse to take my car to a dealership to fix a flat tire.

 

While on the jack, lug nuts off, kick the tire on the bottom or smack it from the rear with a BFH.

The littlethreaded rod with the eyelet is a tie down loop, there is a spot on the front on the right side that comes out and that screws in to tie the front of the car down during towing.

 

Aluminum, as in your wheels, works andplays too well when in contact w/other metals. It's growsattached to the cast iron that makes up the brake rotor at the mating surfaces.
As Siber suggests, smack the tire from the front or the back at an angle, which should loosen it from the rotor.
You can avoid this situation in the future (notice I said avoid not necessarily eliminate) by applying a very light coat of Permatex Anti-Seize to the mating surface of the wheel(s.)Too much and it'll get on everything as you drive the car, so use it sparingly.This will not allow the galvanic action between the two metals to occur and they won't freeze together as easily.

 

Virgin, you really answered it scholarly...
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Web shows

 

What they all said.

 

galvanic action- that is the term of the day class

 

I gotta' tell ya', I often have a very dry sense of humor, Win,but sometimes I'm just not sure when you're being serious and when you're joking... I'm sure you joke, right?
I'm a couch engineer w/years of experience and learning... often the hard way.
Some of your posts indicate to me that you've got more of the book smarts down pat.

 

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AVANDIA CLASS ACTION

 

Your spare tire makes a handy weight to use to get that tire off. Hold the tire at the top with the spare parallel to the tire you want to take off. Contact the 2 tires at the 6 o-clock position a couple of times and it should pop off.

 

I thank you so much for your very nice comments and compliments, but I think you misunderstood my meaningof "couch" engineer. I am not trained as an engineer. The truth is much less spectacular. I have always worked on and had a interest in all things automotive, since I was<10 yrs old. I am the only one of three childrenand my parents that has this interest. I remember my 12 olderbrother's first car better than he does and I was 6 or 7 @ the time. A used 1950 Ford Convertible, repainted metallic blue, white top, straight 6 Merc engine, Holley single barrel carb w/manual choke, 3-on-the-tree, w/red and yellow/beige interior. The control knobson the dash were spherical instead of the usual tulip style most cars of the day had, and the ash trayhad around, recessedface instead of the usual rectangular.Boy, to have that car today...... But I digress.
I used to come home from school greasy dirty because I would run into someone along the way home working on their car and help them w/it.I read Hot-Rod, Hot Roddingand Road and Track like they were Bibles. Later, I worked in the business from the late '70's through the '80's when at that time the business took the fun out of it for me. So I quit.
I was autoxing and road rallying during that time too, and with absolutely no budget so I had to be creative. This is where I believe I got the ability to do researchorsize something unrelated up and use it for what it was never intended... like that plumber's silicone grease I mentioned to you.

What you do is far more important. Keeping people safe inthe oftenno-win situation of an airplane (crash.) That's life or death.My comment was not intended to be a put-down but to indicate that you are knowledgeable more in the mathematics of things than I am. I havenoticed this in several of your posts. Perhaps that' why I was unsure what was meant by your recent comments. My cynical nature thought that perhaps I wasn't worthy of such praise ad that theymight be meant as"back-handed" compliments from someone w/proper training. So, I was just testing the waters to find out.I didn't have any other reason for feeling this way as your posts and comments seemed genuine. And too, as is often the case w/guy-talk, we tend to chide each other, rib each other and put each other down but in an affectionate, respectful way.