Once you get the rim off you may want to to coat the flange area with never seize.

 

Not a great idea to hit the tire sidewall with a sledge since you could break the sidewall cord.

 

I've hit many tires on the side wall due to rims that would not come off hub. Never damaged a side wall. Granted you don't swing like you are breaking concrete.

 

You never hit a tire with a tool, any tool, certainly not a hammer. The sidewall can be damaged and may come apart at an inconvenient time. You don't need to hit the tire anyway. Hit the rim, put a wooden block between the sledge head and the rim. I keep a wooden 8X8 in the garage, it's about 2.5 feet long and weighs about 20 lbs. This makes quick work of removing the most stubborn wheels ( no sledge hammer needed ), leaves no marks and the weight of the post does all the work. Use it the like a battering ram, no need to swing it. Aim the end of the post at the bottom of the rim, step forward and thrust.
I use this method because I do this more often than most of you. I own 12 cars myself, maintain them all, as well as many other vehicles of friends and family. It still surprises me how quickly this galvanic action can take place.

I also use KROIL, works great, smell even better.

 

That's true.What you said help me a lot.Thanks.

 

Thanks for the help. The thread is 11+ years old...and ran into this problem yesterday! Rubber mallet and WD40 did it for me.

 

Glad you got it off Paul, nice work. It's amazing how securely welded these wheels can become. In these previous posts, you have the "tire kicker", that might work if you have a lot of ***, the right angle and stamina. You have the "tire beater", that presents some risks, when pounding on your sidewalls too. The "stop and go", I have used the stop and go, when broke down with a flat, on the road. That night, I kicked, pounded, kicked, beat with tire iron, until I was drenched in my own sweat. Then, as I had no other options, I put the wheel back on, put the lugnuts back on, finger tight, perhaps slightly loser, then drove the car a 30 ft or so forward, then, spiked the brakes, then reverse, then forward. When it finally broke free, it sounded like a shotgun, going off!!

 

As for coating your wheel/hub, with anti-seize compound; I have done this, however, it does take away or remove completely the bond "skin friction" between the wheel and hub face, that the engineers built into the fastening system. When using something like that, it may be somewhat thick,(yes, I know, we are talking about a viscous compound, .010" thick) you may consider increasing the torque values slightly, to the "tighter" end of the torque specification.