Corrosion at wheel center

This feels like a dumb question, but what do folks do to limit corrosion at the interface of steel rotor center and aluminum (or manganese alloy?) wheel center? Mine seized at only 30K miles. A bear to remove on routine tire rotation. Latent injuries made this routine task intensely painful.

Fronts were easy, could not get rear wheels off with the normal kicks, whangs, or sledge tire slams. After torching and sledging rears I opted to paint with anti-seize after heavy power wirebrushing.

No issue in Prior swaps, but now a heavy whitish corrosion residue at interface. Seems like bimetallic reaction exacerbated by road salts.

Any reason NOT to paint this interface with anti-seize?

 

I spray that area with undercoating stuff (fluid film etc) every time I change wheels. (spring and fall)

OH! YES! I do the interface surfaces with never seize! (Not as much as you show however) Like the can of Molly-Dee reads. "A little works well, a lot works no better"

I HATE having to get out the 12 pound hammer to get a wheel off!

 

Good idea. I'm sure some future tech will flip out if he grabs gobs of my Woolwax. It's never set up on undercarriage.

 

I’m curious, do you have the stock wheels or something like the Sema wheels? My Semas got stuck all the time, very annoying. On the stock wheels I’ve never had any problem, which is nice.

Anti seize should be fine but don’t put too much on there, don’t want it slinging.

 

I spray my wheels and hubs with Fluid Film to keep them from corroding and to keep them easy to remove. I’ve been doing it for a few years in the midwest and it seems to work.

 

I've had good luck with CRC Dry Moly spray on the inside face of the wheel and on the contact surfaces of the hubs every time I rotate or swap between my my winter wheels and rest of year wheels. It sprays on wet but dries out quickly. Once dry it's not likely to wash out like anti-seize can.

Edit to add: @Max8 I spray the dry moly on what would be the rusty section of your hub where it's obvious that moisture has been trapped between the drum and wheel. I do this on the front as well but you'll need to be careful of overspray onto the disc rotor. I give the rotors a spray with some brake cleaner before I put the wheel on.

Edit edit to add: It looks like you've got anti-seize on the lugs. I'm pretty sure that Toyota's torque is a dry torque, adding anti-seize like that will change the proper torque spec.

 

Thanks all. Excess greasy silver glop slinging off on tailgaters might not be a bad thing...

Yes I rashly greased up the wheel studs this time, knowing it could lead to overtorquing. Pissed off and in pain when I did it. Next swap will clean them off.

Odd that this corrosion on stock wheels is in rear only not front.

 

I live in the rustbelt, and I usually use a brass bristle brush to clean all the salt residue and corrosion off the disc/hub/wheel interfaces, then apply a very thin coat of antisieze. Has worked well for me. I also apply a thin layer around the leading edge of the lugnuts before winter, not enough to coat any of the threads, just to help keep moisture/salt/brine out of the threads and keep the lug nuts from corroding in place over the winter.

On my older vehicles I was super liberal with the antisize, even coating the wheel studs, but I always took the recommended 30-40% off the torque spec on lug nuts to account for the lubrication. Stopped doing that when I had a tire tech stretch and pop 4 wheel studs on a front hub when getting tires (told them just hand tighten. I'd torque them after they brought it out of the garage).

 

I use anti seize . I paint it on.. works great in the northeast!

 

Only reason not to is because of the mess anti-seize makes

I prefer a quick spray of fluid film like @VTCAL said. Maybe a quick wire brush beforehand in your case.

 

I've never applied it to the center bore or lugs, but I apply anti-seize to the back of the rim then wipe off most of it so only the thinnest of a coating is left. Last fall was the first time I did it and this spring the wheels easily came off.
Prior to using ant-seize I'd loosen my lugs then slowly drive backwards and forwards over a 2x4. Even with that a wheel or two would occasionally need a spartan kick.

Regarding your latent injuries, when I install, I use a Harbor Freight wheel dolly. The one I purchased a few years ago was gray and only $79. I think it was a Pittsburg. When I look at HF's webpage, they only have the more expensive yellow Daytona model for $129. I set my impact and a magnetic tray with the lugs on one end of a creeper then kneel on the creeper and line up the wheel with the dolly. If you're running 285's the dolly might be too narrow, but with 265's it's no problem.

 

Very helpful feedback from all.
Buying a wheel dolley to save my joints. Thank you @Danner488.

 

I paint on antiseize for stuff like that