Man, in my Explorer all I had to do to acess the bulbs was to flip open a little panel under the hood. Can you reach the lights by removing the tire and going through the wheelwells? I also remember seeing all of the wires coming out of the back of the headlight when I had my airbox removed. There was just a little rubber dust guard here, could that be an easier route? I dont plan on changing my bulbs right now, but just thought I'd throw out a few ideas that might be easier. Gotta say, this sounds just about as logical as the battery placement on the old Dodge Intrepids - you had to take the tire off to change it, maybe even to jump it!
